GWSR and CWR mileage data, where can I find it?

[Techniquest]

Hi all,

Having recently done Cheltenham Racecourse to Broadway and back on the Gloucestershire-Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) and Wallingford to Cholsey and back on the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway (CWR), I’m in need of mileage data.

I’m not well versed in anything heritage, indeed I’ve just remembered that the Llangollen Railway’s been extended and that could be a fun little outing soon. So please forgive my ignorance on the best source for heritage railway mileages

Thanks in advance

 

[35B]

I always use @pdeaves excellent Railway Codes and other data site for looking up information like this. If you don't have your Quail to hand (which will have the mileages but also the ELR references), go to the "Other Assets" page, then click "Stations" and search from one of the stations you're interested in. You sometimes need to be a little creative for preserved lines to find a station that is on an NR route to then find the preserved route off it. For the two you're interested in, the details are at:
Cholsey & Wallingford - http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/elrs/_mileages/w/wal.shtm
GWSR - http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/elrs/_mileages/h/hcl.shtm

 

[Techniquest]

Very much appreciated that! I see what you mean, it takes some finding for specific stations. I’ll have to have more of a play with it for other (potential) heritage railways when I have more time, I couldn’t find Chinnor on my initial search.

Why Chinnor? Planning ahead for a possible visit later this summer

 

[zwk500]

Very much appreciated that! I see what you mean, it takes some finding for specific stations. I’ll have to have more of a play with it for other (potential) heritage railways when I have more time, I couldn’t find Chinnor on my initial search.

Why Chinnor? Planning ahead for a possible visit later this summer

PRC mileages

Engineer's Line References: PRC

www.railwaycodes.org.uk

Mileage for the Princes Risborough to Chinnor Branch. For heritage railways the best way I have found is to use OpenRailwayMap to either look at the heritage line's ELR, or find the open line that the heritage railway branched off, and then click through the connecting ELRs.

Note there are 2 competing versions of ORM, with the '.org' version showing more historical information, and the '.app' version showing more detailed current running like loading gauge.

OpenRailwayMap

OpenRailwayMap - An OpenStreetMap-based project for creating a map of the world's railway infrastructure.

openrailwaymap.org

OpenRailwayMap

openrailwaymap.app

ELRs are usually descriptive (Either A-B e.g. Princes Risborough to Chinnor or a colloquial name, e.g. THAme branch for Princes Risborough to Oxford via Thame), which helps when guessing which line to take!

 

[35B]

Very much appreciated that! I see what you mean, it takes some finding for specific stations. I’ll have to have more of a play with it for other (potential) heritage railways when I have more time, I couldn’t find Chinnor on my initial search.

Why Chinnor? Planning ahead for a possible visit later this summer

@zwk500 has educated me on ways to find line references; I'd normally just go to my copies of the Quail Trackmaps diagrams to cross-refer. But I'd always start at the Network Rail end of the line - of the two you suggested, Wallingford was easy because Cholsey is on the main line whereas I had to think about the GWSR (ultimately digging down from Honeybourne).

If I could be cheeky and add a feature list to @pdeaves's long list, it would be great if stations on preserved lines could be added to the index

 

[Techniquest]

100% with you on that, it would be very useful indeed I’ve had a quick play with it and I’ve noted that with the ELRs. I got rid of my Quails many years ago, almost 8 years ago to the day I believe, so I’m well out of the loop with understanding ELRs and all that!

 

[duffield]

If it's any use, here's my mileage for the GWSR (re-based from Cheltenham Racecourse, made up "CRS" codes), derived from Platform 5's "Track Atlas of Mainland Britain".

CRC	0m00c
GOT	3m26c
WIN	6m60c
HAB	8m21c
TOD	9m25c
BWY	13m68c