Cotswold Line redoubling: 2008 - 2011

[whole diary]

[willc]

In the car today, so a degree of surmise is involved but from what I could see from the road bridges sleepers have now almost reached the bridge at Chilson, so I assume they are continuous from Shorthampton, and a section of rail has been put on the sleepers at Shorthampton.

[willc]

Late night update: Pictures taken yesterday morning now online at http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2009/

[willc]

Rails on sleepers now stretch from Shorthampton to milepost 79 just east of Chilson. The gap in the ballast west of Walcot has been filled and ballasting has also been completed to just short of Ascott-under-Wychwood station.

Trackbed clearance looks set to start any time now at Moreton-in-Marsh, with two excavators and a bulldozer parked next to the line and mobile buildings set up for the enginners at the bottom end of the car park, next to the Network Rail depot in the old goods shed.

[willc]

Just back from a late-night walk to the other end of Moreton-in-Marsh and grinning like the Cheshire cat after seeing that work is under way on trackbed clearance - still a little bit special to see things really starting to happen at my 'home' station, especially after checking back this afternoon and finding that it is just over four years since my first story about Network Rail launching its study of options for redoubling was published.

From the bridge carrying the Fosse Way over the line at the north end of the station I could see a spoil train drawn up, stretching through the station and out along the first bit of the curve north towards Dorn and three or four excavators and a bulldozer beavering away alongside.

[IanL]

New sleepers and rails through Charlbury now have been covered with ballast.

[willc]

Trackbed clearance from Moreton-in-Marsh has reached Dorn, so three-quarters of a mile and counting. Work to stabilise the cutting side north of the road bridge is making rapid progress. Pictures of this and the ballasting at Charlbury at the usual place.

[willc]

Sleepers now being lifted back off the side of the cutting and laid on the trackbed west of Charlbury station.

[willc]

Ballast bed now compacted all the way from milepost 79 near Chilson, where the track and sleepers currently run out, to just short of Ascott-under-Wychwood station, so looks like more sleepers will be arriving imminently.

[willc]

Trackbed clearance from Moreton-in-Marsh is now somewhere past Aston Magna curve but I didn't have time to go to Blockley this morning to see if it has got that far.

[willc]

A very mini update with three pictures from yesterday at Aston Magna and Charlbury, online at the usual place.

[Moreton134]

I'm still baffled if the short section of bullhead track through Moreton-in-Marsh station area is to be replaced or to remain.   I did ask about this at a FGW^▸ (First Great Western) meet the manager, with which the reply was a definate yes but that was early 2010 before the scheme got slightly redesigned.   Also recently asked a local FGW staff member and they said Network rail were thinking about installing a new cross over on the east side of London road bridge and relaying the bullhead track, but he's not 100% sure.

If bullhead remains it wouldn't be pleasant going through on a diverted service unless a low speed restriction through the station was in place, surely this old track would have to be replaced at some point beyond the redoubling.

Because the two small sidings are to be dismantled along with the associated points, would network rail replace these with more bullhead track? 

Anybody know?

[willc]

As I said previously, my understanding is the existing track remains, as it's not as heavily worn as the track that was in Evesham station up until last summer but I should have a chance to ask the Network Rail project managers late next week.

[Moreton134]

Thanks willc, would be good if you can find out about this one.   
Reason why I ask is because I'm not sure if it's in great condition for through freight trains, if they ever appear on the line.

Passenger wise guess there will be a speed restriction if it remains, since all services stop at Moreton no need to replace I suppose.   If track is replaced it possibly could be done on the week closure in May.

Good to know the semaphore signals are to remain, keeps the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) character of the line.

[willc]

I think a more pressing concern for renewal may be the last stretch of jointed rail (flat bottom) out at Evenlode, which is still passed for 90mph running, but sounds like it is feeling its age now - and probably isn't that much newer than the bullhead at Moreton-in-Marhs.

One point of interest with the new track is that nothing but concrete sleepers have been delivered so far and all the renewals, including Evesham station, were with concrete, so looks like the steel sleepers used on the line in recent years, especially around Kingham, may have fallen out of favour.

[Moreton134]

I read in one of the rail magazines that some steel sleepers were installed on a line in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) but they soon had to replace them with concrete because of fatigue which was caused by regular freight trains (may have been the Settle to Carlisle or Felixstowe branch).  It was a costly error.  No probs for using steel sleepers for the Cotswold line, but I suspect this is why they've stuck with concrete.

Yep, there is jointed flat bottom rail on the up line (to london) from Moreton to Evenlode, but I didn't realize this was as old as the bullhead in the station area.