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‘Rails to Chorleywood …and Beyond’ provides an insight into the coming of the Metropolitan Railway and how it affected the growth of Chorleywood, in particular, and its impact on the Chilterns in general. It gives a comprehensive account of the railway and covers the history of the two railway companies (the Metropolitan and Great Central Railways). The Metropolitan remained an independent company until 1933 when it was absorbed into the newly created London Passenger Transport Board. This led to the consequent growth of Chorleywood. 

‘Metro-Land’ estates (an Arcadian form of commuter suburb) followed the opening of the line in 1889: The Cedars Estate between Rickmansworth and Chorleywood, the Station Estate at Chorleywood, the Chenies estates at Chorleywood and Chalfont and the Weller Estate at Amersham. The advent of the Metropolitan Green Belt and the Chiltern Area of Outstanding  Natural Beauty brought to a close any further estate development around these settlements immediately after the Second World War. 

Whilst there are no outstanding civil engineering works on the Metropolitan Line. crossing the Chiltern Hills posed significant civil engineering issues for several railway companies. In this case the line climbs steeply between Rickmansworth and Chalfont, up a dry valley with extensive cuttings and embankments posing on-going problems for civil engineering and operational staff alike. Three appendices provide oral testimony of men who worked the line and descriptions of the trains that have used the line are included.