FGW on Chiltern line

[whole diary]

[johoare]

Just a case of great minds thinking alike....

Of course 

[inspector_blakey]

We'll make a train crank out of you yet, Jo

[johoare]

We'll make a train crank out of you yet, Jo

[Surrey 455]

As a matter of the level of rationalisation that there has been on the line a count from my GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Altlas shows 11 potential passing loops mostly at stations between Old Oak Common and Anyho Junction 1947. Now there's about 3 and not all are 4 track, but at least it's been re-doubled otherwise there would have been no room for diverted HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)).

Has it all been redoubled? Satellite view on Google maps (which may not be up to date) still shows the track from Old Oak Common as single.

[ellendune]

As a matter of the level of rationalisation that there has been on the line a count from my GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Altlas shows 11 potential passing loops mostly at stations between Old Oak Common and Anyho Junction 1947. Now there's about 3 and not all are 4 track, but at least it's been re-doubled otherwise there would have been no room for diverted HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)).

Has it all been redoubled? Satellite view on Google maps (which may not be up to date) still shows the track from Old Oak Common as single.

That is correct, The double track only starts where the line from Marylebone joins at Northolt.

[JayMac]

According to my rail atlas it's single track from Old Oak Common to Park Royal Branch Junction, then double track until Greenford West Junction and back to single track until Northolt Junction where the line from Marylebone joins by way of a flying junction.

[bobm]

A few problems on the early services from Paddington via Banbury.  The first two are getting on for half an hour late into Oxford.

Also a delay on a Coltswold line service at Oxford.

09:01 Didcot Parkway to Great Malvern due 10:50.

This train will be delayed at Oxford and is expected to be 55 minutes late.

This is due to a member of train crew being unavailable.

[ChrisB]

Your atlas is accurate from what I observed travelling over it last week.

Btw, it appears thevline closed early? Last night...Chiltern despatch staff at Banbury, nor the signaller in banbury south box, knew nowt about the diverted HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) last night....enquiries hastily made when they heard third hand they were starting last night & not today.

Comms failure at Network Rail between divisions I reckon

[paul7575]

Do you mean closed 'earlier than planned' and catching people out?   I don't see it that way.

The last up trains from Penzance and Taunton were in the timetable via Oxford and the Chilterns, I expect a lot of people possibly missed the detail in FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s diversion info, but as far as I can glean this phase was always starting late Saturday rather than at midnight.

For example:

"Thursday 28 March 2345 ^ Tuesday 2 April 0400 and Saturday 6 April 2300 ^ Monday 8 April 0330"

"No trains between Didcot Parkway and Maidenhead (6 April 2300 to 8 April 0330)"

The London to South Wales online timetable (which includes the Penzance service as well from Taunton) for the period also shows the relevant diverted timings on the Saturday 6th page.

Paul

[paul7575]

According to my rail atlas it's single track from Old Oak Common to Park Royal Branch Junction, then double track until Greenford West Junction and back to single track until Northolt Junction where the line from Marylebone joins by way of a flying junction.

Out of interest the junction arrangement at Northolt was altered fairly significantly as part of the Evergreen 3 speed improvement works and it's possible it may not have made it into your atlas, depending when it was printed. 

The down main line from Marylebone used to go under the line from Paddington/Greenford and then through the down platform at South Ruislip.  The Paddington single line was the old up line towards Paddington, and therefore joined the Chiltern route via the up platform at South Ruislip. 

The current situation is that the new down main from Marylebone now runs in a pair of tracks with the up line, and the old main line round the south west side of the waste transfer station has been reduced in status to a down platform loop.  The Paddington line has also been slewed to it's left (looking north) and joins this loop and also goes through the down platform, which is why the Chiltern route learner can now call at South Ruislip in both directions (if they wish).

Paul

[ChrisB]

The diversions were definiteky in public TTs, it seems that staff notices to those in the Birmingham Network Rail area hadn't been advised.

[bobm]

They may not have been the only ones not to know. I understand there was engineering work booked for the Banbury South area until 9am today, but the first HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) was due through at 8am.

[JayMac]

Caught the Chiltern ghost train this morning.

I ran from my incoming HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) at Paddington as I thought the Chiltern service to West Ruislip departed at 1126. My service was 8 minutes late, and I thought I only had 2 minutes to get from P2 to P14. Ran like the clappers only to discover the departure time for the Chiltern service was 1136, not 1126. D'oh. 

Just myself and one fellow enthusiast on board. Two drivers and two guards, so we were outnumbered by the staff!

Now in West London deciding how to get across to the East End...

[RPM]

Passengers are a rarity on the Paddington turn, especially since it was cut back to South Ruilsip. A picture of it on 2nd May, the last time I drove it (zero passengers on up working, three on down working):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rpmarks/8702784912/

[johoare]

Thanks for that RPM.. And welcome to the Forum