Location notes
Located on the south eastern section of the WCML, 36 miles north of Euston.
Railway type and traffic
Plenty of Virgin Anglo-Scottish/London - Midlands express passenger services. Silverlink trains runs the slower rural passenger services, using mainly class 321s. There is also a wide mix of freight, working north to places like Manchester and Scotland.
Environment
A quiet area of Buckinghamshire, surrounded by fields.
Road directions
From London:
Follow the A41 until you see a sign for College Road North. It winds all the way up and then over the A41. Follow the road until the end, then turn right and rejoin the A41 heading towards London and get off for the B489, Then follow the instructions below.
From Aylesbury:
Join the A41 (Aston Clinton Bypass) then follow it along until you get to the B489. Drive along through Ivinghoe, past the reservoir and the Bluebell Tearooms. Go over the canal bridge and over a stretch of speed humps follow the road until you see some pallisaide fencing on your right and turn left. This section of road runs next to the WCML for about 500 metres. Drive straight along the road until you come to a roundabout and turn right. Go past the scout hut on your right and follow the road until you see a No Entry sign, turn down the road next to the no entry sign, follow it for about 50m and you will see the station car park.
Cheddington map co-ordinates
Follow the A41 until you see a sign for College Road North. It winds all the way up and then over the A41. Follow the road until the end, then turn right and rejoin the A41 heading towards London and get off for the B489, Then follow the instructions below.
From Aylesbury:
Join the A41 (Aston Clinton Bypass) then follow it along until you get to the B489. Drive along through Ivinghoe, past the reservoir and the Bluebell Tearooms. Go over the canal bridge and over a stretch of speed humps follow the road until you see some pallisaide fencing on your right and turn left. This section of road runs next to the WCML for about 500 metres. Drive straight along the road until you come to a roundabout and turn right. Go past the scout hut on your right and follow the road until you see a No Entry sign, turn down the road next to the no entry sign, follow it for about 50m and you will see the station car park.
Cheddington map co-ordinates
Parking
The station has a car park, which is rarely full. The fee is £3 for a day. The attendant usually only works weekday mornings up until 10am.
Public transport
Silverlink County run Hourly weekend and Half-hourly services from London Euston, Watford Junction & Milton Keynes Central.
Amenities
The station has toilets, but there are no places for food or drink nearby.
Where on the map
Sun Compass
Open this Image in a new window and use as a sun compass with the links below.
Streetmap links
Cheddington general view map
Cheddington close up map
Multimap links
Cheddington on new multimap
Cheddington general view map
Cheddington close up map
Cheddington aerial view (where available)
Windows Local Live Link - image quality may vary
Cheddington
Some areas not available at all zoom levels,.
Helpful location information
Photographic notes
Trains on the fast lines have a speed limit of 110mph, these are located on the west side. The stations location is on a very long section of straight track (several miles). so even with these speeds there is plenty of notice of approaching trains in both directions.
Try not to stand under the over bridge or by the waiting room because as these cast shadows. The best spot is at either end of the Island Platform between the fast and slow lines
MD
The area is a part of the Dunstable downs, and as such is very open and exposed. Wind noise will be very prominent on video, indeed on my visit it was making it hard to stand still! No wonder they use this area for gliders!
The line stretches for several miles to the north of the station and it takes trains a couple of minutes to reach the station so there is little chance of missing anything.
Unfortunately the usual formation for WCML loco hauled trains is with the loco at the Country end (north) so usually the best shot is of the DVT heading towards you. But with the takeover of the symmetrical Pendolinos this is not really an issues!
If you do find this information useful then please feel free to mention how you 'found' the location on your website or magazine submission.
Try not to stand under the over bridge or by the waiting room because as these cast shadows. The best spot is at either end of the Island Platform between the fast and slow lines
MD
The area is a part of the Dunstable downs, and as such is very open and exposed. Wind noise will be very prominent on video, indeed on my visit it was making it hard to stand still! No wonder they use this area for gliders!
The line stretches for several miles to the north of the station and it takes trains a couple of minutes to reach the station so there is little chance of missing anything.
Unfortunately the usual formation for WCML loco hauled trains is with the loco at the Country end (north) so usually the best shot is of the DVT heading towards you. But with the takeover of the symmetrical Pendolinos this is not really an issues!
If you do find this information useful then please feel free to mention how you 'found' the location on your website or magazine submission.
Offical Guidelines for Railway Enthusiasts
British Transport Police Guidelines for rail enthusiaist
Network Rail Guidelines for rail enthusiasts
ATOC/National Rail Guidelines for rail enthusiasts
If you see anything suspicious the British Transport Police can be contacted on their crime telephone number:
0800 405040
Help all us railway enthusiasts get a better name by helping the British Transport Police catch the cable thief's and vandals.
Network Rail Guidelines for rail enthusiasts
ATOC/National Rail Guidelines for rail enthusiasts
If you see anything suspicious the British Transport Police can be contacted on their crime telephone number:
0800 405040
Help all us railway enthusiasts get a better name by helping the British Transport Police catch the cable thief's and vandals.
Links to photographs at this location
John Patstons FotopicJustin's railway photos
General views - All photographs © Joe Patrick unless otherwise stated
Fig 1 - Looking south
From the island platform the fast roads to the right of this picture are straight and the left hand slow roads are slightly curved. This view shows a southbound train heading away from the camera.
Fig 2 - Looking north
Looking north from the island platform again we can see the straight run out of the station. This view is uninterrupted by overhead line masts for as far as the eye can see.
Fig 3 - The station buildings
Fig 4 - Looking south
The south view from the station has been opened up by the recent renewals work.
Fig 5 - Looking north
Fig 6 - Looking north Picture by Marcus Dawson
From the steps of the foot bridge, a southbound train passes through the station.
Fig 7 - Looking south
Fig 8 - Looking south Picture by Marcus Dawson
The shot of northbound trains on the fast lines is un restricted as this view shows.
Disclaimer
All information contained within this is site is © Trainspots. The images used on this site remain the property of the original photographer, as credited at the top of the page, and are used with their kind permission.
The information on these pages is supplied for the benefit of railway enthusiasts who carry out a harmless hobby, and through the medium of photography and video, actually promote the railway industry. Railway enthusiasts can also act as eyes and ears against railway vandalism, and as such should surely be encouraged to do so by the supply of adequate information such as is found on this website.
This site has been created to assist railway photographers in their travels around the country. It is based on the personal knowledge and experience. No liability can be held against the web site or its contributions for incorrect information. Trainspots will endeavor to check all information and corrections will be accepted and posted accordingly.
Advice as to the locations general environment is given as a guide on each page. This information is a GUIDE only. ALWAYS be careful with your equipment, Trainspots can not be held responsible for your personal security. Avoid leaving your property on display for all to see, be aware of your surroundings at all times. There are, sadly, people who will not think twice about trying to steal your equipment.
Trainspots DOES NOT condone trespass and none of the information on this site should be taken as a right to trespass. To the best of our knowledge all locations are publicly accessible areas, where they are not contact information will be given to the appropriate authority for permission to be obtained.
The content of this site is created and intended for all age ranges but the content of sites linked from this site are not subject to the same intentions. Trainspots will attempt to check links for validity but as time passes and the site grows this will not always be possible. Broken, or indeed updates to, links should be submitted to the editor for inclusion in the updates. All links external to the Trainspots site are opened in a new browser window.
Please enjoy this guide to UK Railway Photographic Locations.
The information on these pages is supplied for the benefit of railway enthusiasts who carry out a harmless hobby, and through the medium of photography and video, actually promote the railway industry. Railway enthusiasts can also act as eyes and ears against railway vandalism, and as such should surely be encouraged to do so by the supply of adequate information such as is found on this website.
This site has been created to assist railway photographers in their travels around the country. It is based on the personal knowledge and experience. No liability can be held against the web site or its contributions for incorrect information. Trainspots will endeavor to check all information and corrections will be accepted and posted accordingly.
Advice as to the locations general environment is given as a guide on each page. This information is a GUIDE only. ALWAYS be careful with your equipment, Trainspots can not be held responsible for your personal security. Avoid leaving your property on display for all to see, be aware of your surroundings at all times. There are, sadly, people who will not think twice about trying to steal your equipment.
Trainspots DOES NOT condone trespass and none of the information on this site should be taken as a right to trespass. To the best of our knowledge all locations are publicly accessible areas, where they are not contact information will be given to the appropriate authority for permission to be obtained.
The content of this site is created and intended for all age ranges but the content of sites linked from this site are not subject to the same intentions. Trainspots will attempt to check links for validity but as time passes and the site grows this will not always be possible. Broken, or indeed updates to, links should be submitted to the editor for inclusion in the updates. All links external to the Trainspots site are opened in a new browser window.
Please enjoy this guide to UK Railway Photographic Locations.
