Buckinghamshire Railway Centre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Buckinghamshire Railway Centre

View along the main line towards Quainton Road, showing the two sides of the centre, taken from the footbridge. Main buildings, from left-right: Ministry of Food Buffer Depot; Brill Tramway platform; Quainton Road; the former building of Oxford Rewley Road
Established	1969
Type	Operational railway museum
Key holdings	Metropolitan Railway E Class No.1 GWR 4073 Class No.5080 Defiant GWR 6959 Class No.6989 Wightwick Hall South African Class 25NC 4-8-4 No.3405
Owner	Quainton Railway Society (Some land leased from Network Rail)
Public transit access	Quainton Road or Aylesbury

The Buckinghamshire Railway Centre is a cool place where you can explore old trains and learn about railway history. It's a museum run by the Quainton Railway Society Ltd. You can find it near Quainton Road railway station, about 5 miles west of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England.

The centre is split into two parts. Two footbridges connect these parts, and one of them is even wheelchair friendly. Each side has a special track where trains can run. There are also workshop buildings and museum displays to explore.

History of the Railway Centre

The curved Brill platform at Quainton Road. This short piece of track is the only part left of the Brill Tramway.

In 1962, a group called the London Railway Preservation Society started. They collected old London Underground vehicles and other railway items. They also gathered the largest collection of things from the London and North Western Railway.

These items were kept in different places around London. It was hard to get to them, fix them up, and keep them safe. So, in 1969, the Quainton Railway Society was created. Their goal was to open a working railway museum at Quainton Road station.

On April 24, 1971, the two societies joined together. The Quainton Railway Society then took care of all the historic railway equipment.

Bringing the Station Back to Life

The station building was kept in good shape. It was used as a bookshop and a place to buy tickets. The many railway tracks, called sidings, were still there. Even though they were disconnected from the main railway line in 1967, they were used to fix up old trains.

The Society worked hard to make the main station building look like it did in 1900. They then renamed the whole place the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. A smaller building, which used to be a waiting shelter, now shows the history of the Brill Tramway. An old building from Wembley Park was even moved and rebuilt at Quainton Road. It now serves as a workshop for fixing trains.

Main Railway Line Services

A Class 121 'Bubble Car' train at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. This train ran a special service from Aylesbury in May 2010.

Even though the museum's trains run on old sidings, a busy Network Rail line still goes through the station. This line connects Aylesbury to the route between Bletchley and Oxford.

Large freight trains often use this line. They carry things like landfill waste and materials for the High Speed 2 railway project. These trains travel from London and other parts of England.

From 1984 to 1990, special Christmas shopping trains stopped at Quainton Road. Also, from 1971 to 1987, and again from 2001 to 2017, special passenger trains ran from Aylesbury for events at the Centre. These shuttle trains were popular during holiday weekends.

The Centre Today

The Buckinghamshire Railway Centre has grown a lot. It now has about 170 different locomotives (train engines) and railway cars. These are kept in buildings that date from 1874 to the 1960s.

Old warehouses from World War II are now used to display many items waiting to be fixed. The Society also has a library for its members.

Rewley Road Station Building

The old Oxford Rewley Road station building after it was rebuilt at Quainton Road.

Rewley Road was a station in Oxford that closed to passengers in 1951. In 1999, the main building of Rewley Road station was carefully taken apart.

Then, in 2002, it was rebuilt at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. This new building now offers better facilities for visitors. It also houses the main offices of the Quainton Railway Society.

Filming Location

Quainton Road station is very well-preserved. Because of this, it's often used as a place to film TV shows and movies. Some of the shows filmed here include The Jewel in the Crown, Doctor Who (the episode Black Orchid), Midsomer Murders, and Taskmaster.

Future Plans

The new High Speed 2 railway line is planned to pass just west of the centre. This won't directly affect the museum. However, it means that the old Brill Tramway line cannot be rebuilt in the future.

Collection of Trains

The Buckinghamshire Railway Centre has a large collection. It includes many different types of locomotives, carriages, and other railway vehicles. There are also lots of railway items and documents.

Locomotives (Train Engines)

Here are some of the interesting locomotives you can see:

Some Locomotives at the Centre

Class	Number (and name)	Status	Notes	Image
Metropolitan Railway E Class	No.1 (London Transport L44)	Under overhaul	Built in 1898. Needs boiler repairs.
LSWR 0298 Class	314 (British Railways 30585)	Static Display	Built in 1874. Its boiler certificate expired in 2016.
Peckett and Sons	No.1159 Annie	Under overhaul	Built in 1908. Arrived in 2018. It's currently being fixed up.
Peckett and Sons	No.2105 Rokeby	Static Display	Built in 1951. Often used for goods trains or vintage trains.
North British Locomotive Company	Coventry No.1	Static Display	Built in 1939. Used to be dressed up as Thomas the Tank Engine. Now on display.
Hudswell Clarke	No.1742 Millom	Operational	Built in 1946. Used for goods and vintage trains. Currently looks like Percy the Small Engine.
Aveling and Porter	No.3587 Sydenham	Under overhaul	Built in 1895.
GWR 6959 Class	6984 Owsden Hall	Under restoration	Built in 1948. Its tender (the part that carries coal and water) is being used by another engine, 6989.
GWR 6959 Class	6989 Wightwick Hall	Operational	Built in 1948. It was fully restored in 2018. It's currently on loan to the Bluebell Railway.
GWR 7200 Class	7200	Under restoration	Built in 1934.
Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST	No.3890 NCB 66	Operational	This was the last Hunslet Austerity engine built in 1964.
Peckett and Sons	No.1900	Under overhaul	Built in 1936. This is Britain's smallest standard-gauge steam locomotive!
Andrew Barclay	No.699 Swanscombe	Under overhaul	Built in 1891. This is the oldest surviving Barclay engine.
Bagnall	No.2469 Scott	Static display	Built in 1932. Its boiler certificate expired in 2024.
Andrew Barclay	No.2243	Static display	Built in 1948. This is a "fireless" locomotive, meaning it doesn't burn fuel.
Aveling and Porter	No.807 Brill	Static display	Built in 1872. This was the first engine for the Brill Tramway.
GWR 5700 Class	7715 (London Transport L99)	Static display	Built in 1930. It has been out of service since 2011 due to a cracked boiler.
Hawthorn Leslie	No.3718 Swanscombe No.4	Operational	Built in 1928. It started running again in 2018. It's currently at the Northampton and Lamport Railway.
Hunslet	No.3782 Arthur	Operational	Built in 1953. It returned to service in 2024. It's currently dressed up as Thomas the Tank Engine.
LNWR	3020 Cornwall	Static Display	Built in 1847. This very old engine is on loan from the National Railway Museum.
South African Class 25NC	3405	Static Display	Built in 1953. This is a large engine from South Africa.
Sentinel Waggon Works	No.6515 Isebrook	Operational	Built in 1945. It returned to steam in 2019. It's currently at the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway.
Sentinel Waggon Works	No.9366 Cynthia	Operational	Built in 1945. It returned to steam in 2017 after a big repair.
British Rail Class 04	D2298	Under Restoration	Built in 1960. It's being fixed after its engine broke down.
John Fowler	No.20067 Osram	Static Display
F.C. Hibberd "Planet"	No.2102	Static Display
F.C. Hibberd	No.3271 Walrus	Static Display
Hunslet	K4428 Redland	Static Display
Ruston & Hornsby	No.463153 Hilsea	Operational	This engine used to belong to British Gas.

Other Trains and Carriages

The centre also has:

• A Class 115 unit, which is a type of train that can run on its own.
• A Post Office Railway (London) train car from 1930.
• A London Underground train unit.
• A New York City Subway car, which has been turned into a cafeteria for visitors!

Carriages and Vans

You can also see many different types of railway carriages and vans at the centre.

Passenger Carriages

These are the carriages that carried people:

Original company	Number	Type	Status/Notes	Image
WCJS	102	Sleeper, then inspection saloon	This carriage was rebuilt in 1903. Only the body of the carriage remains.
LNWR	112	First class sleeper, then cinema coach	Built in 1907. It was used as a cinema coach until 1972. It now shows the story of the Quainton Railway Society.
LNWR	182	Picnic saloon	Built in 1894. It has been restored and is ready to be used.
LNWR	249	First class diner	Built in 1901. This carriage was used by staff on the royal train from 1905 to 1967! It has been restored.
GNR	459	Third class	Built in 1900. It is currently being restored.
Great Central Railway	652	Suburban Brake Third	Built in 1916. Its restoration started while it was on display.
MSJAR	1076	Third class	Built in 1890. It has been restored and is ready to be used.
GNR	1470	Brake third	Built in 1889. It is ready to be used and is painted in GNR colours.
GWR	2242	Hawksworth Brake Corridor Third	Built in 1950. It is used for volunteers to stay overnight.
BR	5324	Mk2 Tourist Second Open	Built in 1968. It is now used as a sales coach for the 6989 Wightwick Hall engine.
GWR	9001	12-Wheel Collett Special Saloon	Built in 1940. This carriage was used by important people like Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower during World War II!
BR	16235	Mk1 Corridor Composite	Built in 1963. It is ready to be used.
LNER	22219	Suburban Third	Built in 1926. This is the only one of its kind left.
BR	24993	Mk1 Corridor Second	Built in 1956. It is ready to be used and has been repainted.
BR	25500	Mk1 Corridor Second	Built in 1958. One part of the coach is currently held up because a wheel set is missing.
BR	35192	Mk1 Brake Corridor Second	Built in 1958. It is ready to be used and is painted in BR Crimson and Cream colours.
BR	53190	Mk1 Suburban brake second	Built in 1954. It is ready to be used.

Non-Passenger Carriages

These are carriages that carried goods or were used for other purposes:

Original company	Number	Type	Status/Notes	Image
SR	1108	4-wheel PMV (Parcels and Miscellaneous Van)	Built in 1936. It recently got a new paint job.
LSWR	5025	4-Wheel Luggage Van	Built in 1917. It has been restored and is ready to be used.
LNWR	11388	6-wheel Covered Carriage Truck	Built in 1911. This is one of only two left of its kind.
BR	86450	General Utility Van	Built in 1954. It was used for displays and storage.
BR	94578	4-wheel Covered Carriage Truck	Built in 1960. It was saved from being scrapped.
BR	96403	4-wheel Horse Box	Built in 1957. This box was used to carry horses for the Household Cavalry! It is now on display.

Wagons and Cranes

The centre also has different types of wagons, including cranes.

Railway Cranes