Cotswold Line redoubling: 2008 - 2011

[whole diary]

[willc]

And for a bit of fun, here's a video of one of the songs which formed part of a show called Soundtracks, performed in Charlbury earlier this month, which was created to celebrate the redoubling project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0xafKB1ENo&playnext=1&videos=-QY7lTDVKww&feature=mfu_in_order

[willc]

Ailing car suspension necessitated a trip out to Chipping Campden today, so I took the long way back. Network Rail and Amey vans in evidence at most track access points and at the Network Rail depot at Moreton-in-Marsh. Signs of work on installation of the cable troughing under way at Blockley and north of Moreton and troughs have now been dropped through Dorn. Old troughs are being bundled up and left on pallets alongside the line for collection at Blockley and also around Charlbury. Few new pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2009

[willc]

A long article about the redoubling project is here http://www.railwaypeople.com/rail-news-articles/bridge-launches-redoubling-phase-1983.html

Confirms that contracts for the new station platforms have gone to Amey, along with signalling and telecoms work.

[willc]

PS: The August 2009 article about the project referred to in the story linked to above is here http://www.therailengineer.com/FeaturedArticles/railengineer/view/65

[IndustryInsider]

An interesting read, especially the Great Crested Newt issue - there's been plastic sheet fencing put up at or near to the bridge for many years now in an attempt to stop their population from dwindling further.  Though I was a bit puzzled by the statement "Additional crossovers will be installed at Moreton-in-Marsh, Honeybourne and Campden Tunnel." - yes, crossovers will need to be installed/replaced at Moreton and Honeybourne, but Campden Tunnel?

[willc]

Perhaps it should say for trains arriving at Honeybourne from the Campden Tunnel direction?

[Moreton134]

Having read the interesting article from railwaypeople.com that Willc posted on 29 October.   Like IndustryInsider I am also puzzled by the statement "Additional crossovers will be installed at Moreton-in-Marsh, Honeybourne and Campden Tunnel."
In a previous detailed report in RAIL magazine Issue 644 (19 May-1 June 2010), it states that the only new crossover will be installed at the north end of Honeybourne station to enable traffic to/from Long Marston and the existing crossover will be retained at Moreton with locking bar mods.   There is no mention of this being completely renewed or an additional new crossover at the southern end at Honeybourne (Chipping Campden tunnel).   

Judging that Moreton signal box is to stay and no new rails have been dropped through the very short section of bullhead track through the station area.   I would say to keep the cost of the project to a minimum that the replacement crossover and the Chipping campden tunnel crossover won't be built.   
Can anyone clarify this?

[willc]

I think it's simply a case of someone over-simplifying a bit. I am hoping that one of these days, I will get sight of a signalling diagram that Network Rail have done, which I missed that chance to view at the CLPG^» (Cotswold Line Promotion Group - about) agm for reasons I explained previously.

As far as I'm aware, the intention is still simply to modify the existing Moreton crossover and install a new starting signal for turning back trains in platform 1 and to have two crossovers at Honeybourne, one from each direction, to enable trains to reach the new sidings west of the station without needing to reverse, which will allow Long Marston trains to approach/depart via Oxford as well as Worcester, with the loco running round in the sidings.

[willc]

Network Rail has just issued a redoubling update leaflet. For a pdf, go here http://www.networkrail.co.uk/documents/Projects/10995_Cotswold%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

Says track work contract has gone to Amey Colas.

[Don]

Says track work contract has gone to Amey Colas.

I think that I am right in saying that the contract had to go to Amey Colas as one of them owns the mechanised track relaying train that the project planned to use. The train changed hands a couple of years ago and this contract was part of that deal.  - I was told this just before the train changed hands and am relying on memory but I think that what I have written is correct.

[willc]

Really not sure about that - tenders for the Cotswold Line work were only sought this summer - and there are other track-laying machines out there. The one used at Chipping Campden tunnel last year is owned by Balfour Beatty. It was recently in Scotland working on the scheme to rebuild the Airdrie-Bathgate line ahead of its reopening next month. Pictured here in Liverpool a couple of years ago http://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/articleimages/OMC1.jpg

On the subject of pictures, Peter Tandy took a picture of a Long Marston-Derby test train passing the site of Aldington Siding east of Evesham yesterday http://www.petertandy.co.uk/31465_1Z15_Aldington_011110.jpg which also shows Amey staff at work laying cable troughs. The signal is the distant for Littleton & Badsey level crossing.

[willc]

Just back from a trip to Evesham the long way round. Drops of new rails have now reached Campden bank and cable trough laying is heading east from Evesham and approaching Littleton & Badsey. At the other end of the section, troughs are approaching Dorn from Moreton-in-Marsh. A few pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2009/

As I note in the caption to a picture of a Turbo arriving at Honeybourne, the car park there had just a couple of empty spaces left. While there were one or two contractors' vehicles, it suggests that the idea of creating parking the other side of the line may need looking at in the very near future if passenger numbers rise on the back of redoubling.

Network Rail have put a video of the Honeybourne bridge swap online here http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/8645.aspx

[willc]

The Charlbury footbridge design has been approved by West Oxfordshire District Council. Will be more on this in a certain newspaper over the weekend.

As part of my researches into the history of singling, I have just acquired a 1981 issue of Modern Railways Insight which includes a feature about the line's then very uncertain future and the plans to route Worcester expresses via Stroud and Swindon. That old favourite Worcester Parkway inevitably puts in an appearance.

Contains a few gems, including, on the first page, when discussing the then timetable, a word beginning with 'p' - sorry, no prizes for guessing what it might be. And btline might have liked the 4.45pm from London to Worcester in 1905, non-stop in 2hrs 10mins.

The single-tracking cost about ^33,000 per mile to implement, not sure how that compares, allowing for inflation since 1971, with ^3.35m per mile to reverse it.

And even though they were busy telling everyone at the time that the track in west Oxfordshire was so worn out it could no longer cope with Class 47s and 50s, BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) then ran a diverted coal train to Didcot power station from South Wales along the line headed by two Class 56s, weighing in at 125 tonnes each! 

[Chris from Nailsea]

The single-tracking cost about ^33,000 per mile to implement, not sure how that compares, allowing for inflation since 1971, with ^3.35m per mile to reverse it.

It compares thus: ^375,540 per mile, using RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)).  See http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/historic-inflation-calculator 

[willc]

Thanks Chris, I felt sure someone would come up with the answer.