The Marlow Branch - how Bourne End works

[whole diary]

[BBM]

The Marlow and District Railway Society has a number of historical photos on its website depicting quite a wide variety of motive power at Bourne End since the 1950s:

http://www.mdrs.org.uk/wycmaidmarlow.htm

[Reading General]

Interesting stuff, cheers. Why was the High Wycombe-Maidenhead line worked in two halves towards the end? Was its simply that traffic between Maidenhead and Marlow dominated and it was better to work the Bourne End to Wycombe section as a branch instead? This seems a little odd to me as I imagine that if the line was fully open today it would be very popular.

[rower40]

Hows it appears in the signalbox at Didcot:
https://photos.signalling.org/picture?/19012/category/1879-2015_may

Errm... point of order... that's how it used to look before the Crossrail sidings at Maidenhead were built.  And it's now on "Scalable", not IECC^▸ (Integrated Electronic Control Centre) Classic.
But the trains on the Bourne End branch only appear to the TVSC^» (Thames Valley Signalling Centre - about) Maidenhead workstation signaller when he puts their headcode into his first berth - no automatic stepping or ACI.

[stuving]

Interesting stuff, cheers. Why was the High Wycombe-Maidenhead line worked in two halves towards the end? Was its simply that traffic between Maidenhead and Marlow dominated and it was better to work the Bourne End to Wycombe section as a branch instead? This seems a little odd to me as I imagine that if the line was fully open today it would be very popular.

Having looked at the 1965 timetable, it wasn't operated quite like that. In the peaks the branch was a shuttle, with through trans. In some of the rest, southbound trains ran full length, while northbound ones diverted at Bourne End to Marlow and returned to continue to High Wycombe. But a lot of the time was transitoning from one service pattern to another and hard to call a pattern in itself. Services to/from High Wycombe started later and ended earlier, suggesting that part was much less used.

[eightf48544]

Or if you believe in conspiracy theories the through service  was deliberately run down by BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) to facilitate closeures as it was an expensive line to operate with at least 4 manned crossing between Bourne End and Wycombe. Which also meant that traffic could flow freely, very important in the 70s.

[Reading General]

I do believe in stuff like that, having seen Reading buses run down a route in the past.

[eightf48544]

Quaint isn't it    and all operated on basically Victorian technology. 

Token block between Maidenhead - Bourne End and "One Engine in Steam" on the Bourne End - Marlow

Sequence is first train of at start of 30 minutes arrives Platform 2 with MAI^▸ (Maidenhead station)-BNE token which is placed in relevant instrument, Points operated. Both required to release the GSP.  OTS: BNE-MLW can then be withdrwn from Bourne End. Train is effectively locked on branch.

Second train obtains a second MAI BNE token and shuttles backwards and forwards in an out of platfrom 1 BNE. Not sure if token replced at Mai each time.

On last run token replaced at MAI. Last  Marlow Shuttle arrives at Bourne End Plat 2 and OTS replaced. As there is already a MAI BNE token in place and assuming the second token has been replaced at Mai the points can be oprated and the MAI BNE  token withdrawn at BNE. Train proceeds from Platform 2 to Mai. Hourly service recommences.

[Timmer]

Or if you believe in conspiracy theories the through service  was deliberately run down by BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) to facilitate closeures.

Saw that on the S&D^▸ (Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway) where on Summer Saturdays through services were replaced by fragmented services yet through services resumed after the Summer.

[Electric train]

Or if you believe in conspiracy theories the through service  was deliberately run down by BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) to facilitate closeures as it was an expensive line to operate with at least 4 manned crossing between Bourne End and Wycombe. Which also meant that traffic could flow freely, very important in the 70s.

I believe the real reason was BR requested funding from the Dept of Transport to fund the staffing of the 5 level crossings between Bourne End and High Wycombe, of course by the time of closure the fright had all but gone and passenger numbers had dropped; perhaps in part due to the need to change trains at Bourne End to travel between High Wycombe and Maidenhead.

I do feel if the line had survived 5 to 10 years longer it would still be operating today

[grahame]

I do feel if the line had survived 5 to 10 years longer it would still be operating today,

Very likely.  And you set me thinking about other lines too - http://gwr.passenger.chat/22410

[Reading General]

I do feel if the line had survived 5 to 10 years longer it would still be operating today

I feel the same about many lines, stations and Reading's trolleybuses.

[Nippy]

Hows it appears in the signalbox at Didcot:
https://photos.signalling.org/picture?/19012/category/1879-2015_may

That's a very old photo, will get an updated one when I'm in tomorrow......

[Adelante_CCT]

A warm welcome to the forum Nippy

[Witham Bobby]

Back in the day, complete with semaphores, signalbox and Park Royal DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) (2-car, Class 103)

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/58228-the-stationmaster-looks-at-bourne-end-the-one-on-the-wycombe-branch/

Last time I was at Maidenhead Station, it was when the GWS were running Centenary of the Marlow Donkey trains in July 1973  There was a WR Plywood Wonder Signalbox at the end of the Down Relief/Branch island platform, which controlled branch trains and which could switch-in to control the signals on the Relief lines.  I was looking for a picture, and found one on this nice page of memories (scroll down a bit) whcih has several images of that day.

http://www.mdrs.org.uk/wycmaidmarlow.htm

[Nippy]

A warm welcome to the forum Nippy

Thanks very much. Updated view of the Maidenhead layout in the Thames Valley Signalling Centre attached.....