Cotswold Line redoubling: 2008 - 2011

[whole diary]

[willc]

More excavating has taken place at the rear of the existing platform at Ascott, with bricks from the old building's foundations unearthed. Surveyors were marking out the position of the new steps and approach ramp and had already marked the outline for the new platform's foundations on the trackbed on the opposite side of the line. Amey staff were removing assorted debris and pallets of new building blocks from this area this morning, prior to starting excavations.

At Charlbury the new platform wall looked on course to be completed to its full height by the end of the day's work.

[willc]

Few pictures from West Oxfordshire yesterday now at the usual place

[Electric train]

Few pictures from West Oxfordshire yesterday now at the usual place

I watch the pro's building the platforms in double quick time and the compare that to these guys but a few miles away http://broadwaygwsr.blogspot.com/ one built with a large budget the other with devotion

[paul7575]

Interesting to see what you get if there are no planning restrictions.  From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) - Elstree & Borehamwood platform extensions on the Thameslink route:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/mindthegap/2011/03/thameslink_project_on_the_righ.html

Paul

[Electric train]

Interesting to see what you get if there are no planning restrictions.  From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) - Elstree & Borehamwood platform extensions on the Thameslink route:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/mindthegap/2011/03/thameslink_project_on_the_righ.html

Paul

This is the technique likely to be used on the platform extensions for Crossrail

[paul7575]

Presumably it's good for all the Southern 10/12 car projects as well, wherever plain platform extensions will fit, such as the Windsor lines and various SN and SE routes.  I also saw a list of c2c stations being done too. 

Looked neat that the prefabricated lumps seemed to have space for the the tactile paving etc, and presumably fittings for the back railings.  IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) the new Blackfriars platforms are large prefabricated concrete lumps too, although mounted on steelwork.

Paul

[willc]

Interesting to see what you get if there are no planning restrictions.

The railway network is largely free of any such restrictions, due to the powers granted by Parliament when bills authorising railways were passed. Network Rail can pretty much do what it likes on its own land, though there are obvious exceptions, such as listed buildings.

For an example of the powers, see the paperwork Network Rail sent to Wychavon Council about the footbridge at Honeybourne, citing the Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway's Act of Parliament.

http://81.171.139.151/WAM/showCaseThumbnail.do;jsessionid=E6648249EA3FD863200F925ABE72083D?action=thumbnails&appType=Planning&docid=720078&appid=1001&docType=Application%20Form

That is not to say that NR^» (Network Rail - home page) is a nest of vandals and Philistines. Indeed the new platform wall at Charlbury, opposite a listed station building, has been constructed using Cotswold stone blocks from a quarry nearby in Gloucestershire - a cut above the stuff used for the wall of the platform the building actually sits on, I might add. At Ascott-under-Wychwood, a more bog-standard type of block has been delivered.

Excavations were under way at Ascott today, with a trench for foundations for the front wall of the platform taking shape this morning.

[willc]

Network Rail and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) managers will be getting out of bed nice and early over the next couple of weeks for early morning events (6am-9am) at stations on the line to spread the message about the work over the next few months. Dates as follows:

^ 28 March: Hanborough
^ 29 March: Charlbury
^ 30 March: Moreton-in-Marsh
^ 04 April: Kingham
^ 07 April: Honeybourne
^ 08 April: Evesham
^ 11 April: Pershore

[willc]

Off to Cameron country this morning and passed through Ascott and Charlbury. There is now a nice neat trench at Ascott for the front wall of the platform, awaiting concrete and the position of the back wall is all marked out ready for excavating.

Amey staff were busy working a Saturday shift at Charlbury, infilling and levelling the ground for the new platform. The positions of the footbridge supports are marked out on both sides of the line.

And the poor old 08.21 from Hereford/12.13 return was in the wars again today, with a Turbo replacing the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) for the second Saturday running. It was 50-plus minutes late at Charlbury on its way west, so must have been turned back short of Hereford. Was being worked by a 165. I hope the one and only toilet on board lasted the round trip.

A few pictures at the usual place.

[JayMac]

willc, you wouldn't mind providing a link for your photos again would you? The last one is quite a few pages back in this thread and there are those of us who haven't bookmarked it.

Thanks. 

[Ollie]

willc, you wouldn't mind providing a link for your photos again would you? The last one is quite a few pages back in this thread and there are those of us who haven't bookmarked it.

Thanks. 

One page back actually:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2009

[JayMac]

Aha.  Thanks Ollie. I missed that one. Scanning the bottom of posts rather than the whole text. Silly me. 

Now bookmarked!!

[Worcester_Passenger]

And the poor old 08.21 from Hereford/12.13 return was in the wars again today, with a Turbo replacing the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) for the second Saturday running. It was 50-plus minutes late at Charlbury on its way west, so must have been turned back short of Hereford. Was being worked by a 165. I hope the one and only toilet on board lasted the round trip.

Is that the 08:21 to Hereford?

[willc]

Yes. And another Turbo substitution today on the 10.42 from London/14.30 from Hereford. I hope someone arranged an extra Turbo set to join at Oxford.

If anyone can't find a link to flickr on here, the CLPG^» (Cotswold Line Promotion Group - about) has kindly put one on the home page of their website marked Cotswold Line Redoubling Photos.

After the recent slow progress around Mickleton, tracklaying sped up again last week, with rails and sleepers now in place to the Long Marston branch connection just outside Honeybourne station, so about two miles of rails and a mile and a half of sleepers laid in the week. Trackbed clearance is now between Clayfield and Littleton & Badsey level crossings and ballasting out towards Sheenhill from Honeybourne.

At Honeybourne the old run-round loop line track that will make way for the new Long Marston branch connection has been lifted through the station and under the road bridge.

Pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2009/

[bobg]

And another Turbo substitution today on the 10.42 from London/14.30 from Hereford. I hope someone arranged an extra Turbo set to join at Oxford.

The 16:33 was also a Turbo today, with First Class declassified right from Hereford.

I was only travelling between Hereford and Worcester, but the guard announced clearly right from Hereford that the service was going to get very busy and that all luggage should be stored on the racks.

He also said that this should be the last week that they are using short trains...