Cotswold Line redoubling: 2008 - 2011

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

Yes: thanks very much for posting here, willc - as well as writing for your day job! 

[willc]

Reason I was puzzled by the position of the relaid track is that on the right you have that row of wooden pegs, which elsewhere seem to be being used as markers for the edge of the formation when ballast is being dropped and spread, which would make it a tight fit for the second track, but I guess they know what they are doing.

I would expect that relay room and similar structures elsewhere in the formation will disappear imminently, as the idea is to move everything out of the way this summer, ahead of the track relaying. There may be fewer obvious signs of their efforts on the ground but there are lot of signalling technicians at work all along the route as well this week, as Don found at Ascott, as part of this process of sweeping the trackbed clean.

[willc]

Couple of variations of my story have now seen the light of day:

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/4521097.Cotswold_Line_revamp_takes_shape/

http://www.cotswoldjournal.co.uk/search/4520413.Work_is_underway_on_Brunel___s_tunnel/

And some more pictures - including the repositioning of that track between Charlbury and Ascott-under-Wychwood and Chipping Campden tunnel - now at http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2009/

[IndustryInsider]

Some good pictures, Will. And a well written article - like the way you've dumbed down 'ballast' to 'stone chippings'!

I've not had chance to get to see the work in progress at all, but I was at Oxford yesterday for a couple of hours and was fairly impressed with the level or organisation there with regard to the buses. The short-stay car park has been blocked off for the duration, with a small section of the long-stay car park converted into short-stay and disabled parking. Whilst the car park was nearly full, there were a dozen or so spaces available at around 4pm (I had heard that there were problems with spaces).

There is professional looking temporary signage on the platforms directing people to the buses, as well as by the bus loading area as well, with posters giving specific calling points and timings of each bus. Buses are appearing on the CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) and also being announced automatically - taking a lot of pressure off of the staff. In terms of loadings on the buses, I didn't see any arrivals, but the three separate buses that are replacing the evening halts service all left about 50-75% full, indicating that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have provided plenty of capacity. Much better to have spare spaces rather than having to sort out taxis, etc. Plenty of staff were on hand to help.

[Btline]

Good to see the interesting historical perspective - I'd read about this battle but never realised it was the Cotswold line!

[autotank]

Great article - do you know where I can read more about the battle?

Sounds like they are really cracking on with the work. Roll on 2011!

[Chris from Nailsea]

There's a lot of interesting information about the 'Battle of Mickleton' at http://www.ampneycrucis.f9.co.uk/PARK/MickletonTunnel.htm 

[willc]

I think FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are to be congratulated on the way the bus operation has been handled. I've not heard a whisper of adverse comment, other than some minor concerns about coaches using a narrow street in Charlbury that the local bus services avoid, which I think reflects the meticulous way it has been handled.

Casual observation of replacement coaches I have encountered doing the drive to and from Oxford suggests they are running to the timetable - eg three of the four 18.25 departures running nose to tail up the Botley Road out of Oxford the other evening - and staff provision has been exemplary, with someone on duty at Moreton-in-Marsh on Sunday (normally an unstaffed day). The other morning I even drove past a yellow tabarded member of FGW staff at a layby on the A44 just east of Moreton waiting with a passenger - not sure why, maybe they had boarded the wrong bus - but hard to beat for customer care.

Some of the buses are definitely lightly loaded - Phil Haigh of Rail magazine travelled up to the tunnel visit on a mid-morning bus from Oxford and told me there were five people on a 50-seater - but at busier times many more are travelling and people are being delivered throughout the day where they want to go as efficiently as possible, given the limitations of many of the roads once you're off the A44.

Chris has highlighted the best web source of material about the 'Battle of Mickleton'. As for books, John Boynton's Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway has a thorough account, as part of a comprehensive book on the entire route, though the Cotswolds, Vale and on into the Black Country, well worth tracking down if you want to know more about the line.

The Worcester News variation on a theme is at http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/features/4523401.Tunnel_prepares_for_next_phase_of_its_life/

[willc]

Although it is true that progress between Ascott and Charlbury is at a fairly stately pace at present on the relaid track - 40-50mph - I really can't see the point of tinkering with the usual departure times from Moreton because there is plenty of time in hand with the regular timing allowances past Hanborough.

The 10.45 today was held at Kingham for ages while someone ran up and down the car park to put a ticket in a car and then came over the bridge, we then left Charlbury four down but would still have been in Oxford at 10.25, two minutes early, except we were held at the last signal - presumably a late XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) was still in the platform.

Out on the ground, there is a double-width ballast bed (and second set of rails dropped) most of the way between Charlbury and the Chadlington-Leafield road bridge where I took the pictures but beyond there to Ascott I presume it will be coming later. At Charlbury station there are some excavators working and lots of drain components and pipes waiting to go in.

[Oxman]

Whilst it is true that quite a few of the Moreton departures have time in hand before reaching Wolvercote, there are some that don't, and must hit Oxford right time to fit into the Oxford - Padd timetable. I understand there is a plan of which services can be held (and for how long), awaiting coach connections, and which must go on time.

As you would expect, really!

It seemed to run fairly well today. Arrivals from Oxford at Moreton have to shunt from the down to the up platform at the London end of the station (its usually done at the country end). Takes about 20 mins for an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) to complete this, with the driver changing ends twice. A walking route has been laid to allow this to be done safely.

[IndustryInsider]

It seemed to run fairly well today.

It did. It's a bit tight in the morning with all of the peak trains (4 HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s and a Turbo) having to travel down empty from Old Oak Common or Reading before the first of them makes the return trip. Squeezing the Turbo through caused a ten minute delay to the first up train at Ascott, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that train knocked by a few minutes most mornings - but overall that's not too bad!

A shame that the 'special dispensation' accorded to Evesham whereby a train is able to depart with passengers on under the Semaphore shunting signals from the same platform it arrived on, can't apply at Moreton too. A late HST arrival might unnecessarily delay its return working by the time 20 minutes has been wasted on shunting it across.

[willc]

Whilst it is true that quite a few of the Moreton departures have time in hand before reaching Wolvercote, there are some that don't, and must hit Oxford right time to fit into the Oxford - Padd timetable. I understand there is a plan of which services can be held (and for how long), awaiting coach connections, and which must go on time.

As you would expect, really!

Yes, well, there's time in hand and then there's FGW^▸ (First Great Western) padding. That 10.45 train I was on still stood for three or four minutes at Oxford waiting departure and when the 10.48 is operated normally by a Turbo (it's an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) for the next three weeks) and gets a clear run into Oxford it can end up standing for eight or nine.

The 7.07 is allowed 43 minutes to make Oxford with three stops on the way on the temporary timings. Why? Even under normal circumstances it gets a leisurely 40 minutes for a trip that is timed at 36-37 for pretty much every other train all day. Take out the four minutes or so that we lost at Kingham today and we would have hit the 36 or 37-minute mark into Oxford - allegedly slow-accelerating HST and the TSR^▸ (Temporary Speed Restriction) notwithstanding. With fully-fettled track and a determined driver, a two-stop Moreton-Oxford HST run in 25-26 minutes is possible - I've been on trains that did it.

The only day there is likely to be a problem with coach connections is Tuesday, when it is Moreton-in-Marsh market day and the traffic queues through town can be lengthy at this time of the year, but with a 35-minute allowance for a non-stop bus from Evesham, there is a good margin in hand.

[Oxman]

There is a dispensation at Moreton for late running trains to depart from the down platform. but this requires the signaller to clip the points.

Yes, the time allowed from Evesham to Moreton is usually generous, but proved challenging this afternoon when the bus had to follow a combined harvestet for some distance.

Ah, the pleasures of the countryside.

[Mookiemoo]

There is a dispensation at Moreton for late running trains to depart from the down platform. but this requires the signaller to clip the points.

Yes, the time allowed from Evesham to Moreton is usually generous, but proved challenging this afternoon when the bus had to follow a combined harvestet for some distance.

Ah, the pleasures of the countryside.

But by the laws of the road - if that combine had five or more vehicles behind it it should have pulled over to let them past - highway code (well was when I learned - I dont think they specify five anymore!)

I live in a rural area and I flame the farmers that dont do this

[willc]

There is a dispensation at Moreton for late running trains to depart from the down platform. but this requires the signaller to clip the points.

Yes, the time allowed from Evesham to Moreton is usually generous, but proved challenging this afternoon when the bus had to follow a combined harvestet for some distance.

Ah, the pleasures of the countryside.

And i bet that procedure, once you've called control, etc, takes almost as long as turning back an HST^▸ (High Speed Train).

Hopefully, the resignalling budget will stretch to a proper turnback facility for platform 1 at Moreton, saving at least some of the time all this takes.