Cotswold Line redoubling: 2008 - 2011

[whole diary]

[willc]

Slightly more modest photo update tonight, though lots of work still going on out there. At Charlbury plenty of manpower in the area of the new point this evening, while a tamper was working on the new down line just north of the road bridge. At the station fencing is being fitted along the back of the new platform and lamp-posts are going back in.

Few track workers also out at Shorthampton, where the new access point steps are in place, and lots of activity at Ascott-under-Wychwood, where track on the former single line from the end of the platform (future down line towards Worcester) past the signalbox was being replaced. A long ballast train stood on the newly-laid up line through the station, while there was another ballast train parked up the line towards the Mill Lane bridge.

At Ascott station, work has begun on the few extra metres of platform needed for Worcester-bound three-coach Turbo trains to call, pretty much the length of the now-removed ramp is all that is required, essentially so that the cab doors will open on to the platform at both ends.

A couple of pictures of the first train through Charlbury station on the down line, taken by David Northey of Network Rail, are now in the gallery here http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/pictures/oxfordshire_galleries/cotswoldline2009/ with a few of my pictures, on the last page of thumbnails.

[IndustryInsider]

Apparently* the problem with the footbridge was that one section was almost seven feet too small.  Also, the work is currently 15 hours behind the work plan schedule - given the fine weather expected until the end of the weekend, they should probably be able to make that up should there be no more hitches.

* mess room gossip

[willc]

Good bit of gossip but I was told by someone who had a lot to do with the bridge that the problem on the first attempt was that things were all of a rather less dramatic 20mm out when they were trying to line them up correctly.

Still a bit to do on the footbridge. All the ramps are in place on the new platform, with just the steps down from the intermediate landing to fit there. On the car park side the end landing is fitted, along with the remaining posts, looks like two long and one short ramp section to go on, plus a set of steps. The two long sections at least were on site ready for lifting.

On the track side, rail stressing was going on at Shorthampton tonight and the tamper was about to start work there as well. More stressing still needed elsewhere, including Ascott-under-Wychwood, where both tracks are now complete through the station area and connected to the tracks towards Shipton. Walls on the platform extension nearing completion and what look like kerb blocks had been placed along the back of the new platform.

Pictures where you would expect.

[IndustryInsider]

The way good railwaymen like to gossip, it'll probably have doubled to 14 feet by today!   

I took advantage of a day off to take a look myself yesterday, including dropping by Kingham station.  As I suspected the train service between Kingham and Moreton is virtually deserted - I counted six passengers on four trains mid-afternoon (four of whom were in a family).  At Moreton things were a lot busier, though still plenty of room on the two-car Turbos.

The usual generous provision of buses and staff were visible at Kingham and Moreton, the ones at Kingham a little over-the-top given the practically empty buses and trains arriving once-an-hour or so.  Given the tiny number of people travelling west from Kingham, the extra expense of providing those staff, and the requirement and cost of providing a pilotman every time, perhaps just running all the buses from/to Moreton-In-Marsh would have been an adequate thing to do, and saved some money?

[ChrisB]

Why was a pilotman necessary?

[Tim]

... pilot men are needed for a bus is to reverse safely.

[ChrisB]

Why on earth?......

I'm sure bus / coach drivers can reverse their vehicle very well, hell, they are tested on this!

Another example of H&S^▸ (Health and Safety) gone bonkers!

[IndustryInsider]

Why was a pilotman necessary?

Not for the bus, for the train.  It's required to run wrong line between Kingham and Moreton after terminating in the Up Platform.  50mph maximum speed for wrong direction movements and the trains are not able to cross back to the normal down line until just before Moreton.  Also, the usual down line is open to allow access to/from the worksites by engineering trains.

[IanL]

Another section of footbridge ramp on the carpark side going in this morning. The concrete foundations I mentioned in an earlier post turned out to be the termination of the footbridge ramp on the new platform, now marked by stone walls.

[willc]

The usual generous provision of buses and staff were visible at Kingham and Moreton, the ones at Kingham a little over-the-top given the practically empty buses and trains arriving once-an-hour or so.  Given the tiny number of people travelling west from Kingham, the extra expense of providing those staff, and the requirement and cost of providing a pilotman every time, perhaps just running all the buses from/to Moreton-In-Marsh would have been an adequate thing to do, and saved some money?

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I have been told of an incident this week at Hanborough where a couple turned up and had a go at the duty bus supervisor from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) because there weren't any trains! As in 2009 and during weekend closures last year, the bus operation has been exemplary.

The time slippage was almost all on the track side of things, because the engineering trains and tamper were held up by the delay on Sunday installing the junction point. Signals, station work, etc, is pretty much on schedule.

[IndustryInsider]

Indeed.  A few delays early evening on the shuttle train service as only 50 minutes is being allowed for taxis to get drivers from Oxford to Kingham, which is proving a little on the tight side come mid-afternoon when the traffic builds up.  Expect the same tomorrow, or even worse, given that it's a Friday.

[willc]

few delays early evening on the shuttle train service as only 50 minutes is being allowed for taxis to get drivers from Oxford to Kingham, which is proving a little on the tight side come mid-afternoon when the traffic builds up.

Which is why everyone uses the trains to get in and out of Oxford...

From assorted stops along the line this evening, appears they are catching up with the track work, with signs of tamping at various places and a welding crew at work at Ascott-under-Wychwood, where a ballast broom was also in action.

The walls of the platform extension are almost done, while a lot of timber shuttering is in place in the area of the access ramp for the new platform. As I was on the far side of the line, couldn't really make out what was for concrete and what might be to shield stonemasons from work on the track. The new permanent signalbox steps are in place but need a concrete bottom step to be added.

At Charlbury, all the footbridge ramp sections are fitted with just two sets of steps to be placed now. Lamp-posts are all planted awaiting lamps, plus a couple of other posts (for CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision) cameras perhaps) which don't look robust enough to support a scrolling departure screen. Railway-watching seems to be the local spectator sport this week, with a lot of people taking a walk or bike ride out to the station to see what's going on most evenings.

Pictures at the usual spot.

[CLPGMS]

Tried the bus link yesterday (2nd June) from Charlbury to Moreton-in-Marsh (on way to Worcester).
Outward: Just 2 of us on the bus. The other passenger was only travelling to Kingham.  I had the train to myself as far as Moreton-in-Marsh.  The train from Moreton to Worcester ran on time.
Return: 5 passengers alighted at Kingham, but I was the only one to transfer to the bus, on which several other passengers were waiting. 
The train had been delayed at Evesham, awaiting a late running down service.  Left Evesham 14 minutes late, but only 9 minutes late arrival at Kingham.  The bus arrived on time at Charlbury.
 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks for that detailed local information, CLPGMS - and a warm welcome to the Coffee Shop forum! 

[willc]

Some pictures taken this afternoon online now.

Lots of activity at Ascott-under-Wychwood, with the new level crossing support sections being placed across the line, concrete being poured into shuttering for the access ramp, kerbs and a drainage channel being laid along the back edge, as well as further testing of the level crossing warning lights.

Fitting out of the new platform was in full swing at Charlbury, with fencing and lighting teams at work. The waiting shelter has been put on its base and hardcore was being laid between it and the end of the access ramp and where the steps will go. Topsoil had been spread in the area of the new flowerbed opposite the Brunel building. Some track machinery and staff about, plus a train of empty spoil wagons was sitting at the junction signal awaiting instructions, possibly to remove the dump at the other side of the Cornbury Park bridge where spent ballast excavated on Saturday is still piled up.