Reading Green Park

[whole diary]

[eightonedee]

Being in the vicinity again this morning and (ahem!) not put off by the "No Unauthorised Persons" board that seemed to be the extent of the security on Searles Farm Lane, the temporary security barriers not extending across the road, I thought I would see if the road closure had stimulated an acceleration of the glacial rate of progress on this job.

Judge for yourselves.......

[CyclingSid]

glacial rate of progress

The road works are being carried out by the same contractors as are building the station. Did wonder if the 16 week closure was something that other contractors would do in two weeks. Or maybe the road works will overrun to 2022.

[CyclingSid]

The progress in a week appears to be that they have flailed the hedges both sides of the road (which would probably take a competent agricultural contractor about an hour). The Green Park Village side of the works has been secured.

I have not seen any drawings of what is proposed. But if they intend to put a footpath next to the road I would think they are going to have to widen the embankment and take the hedges/trees out one side, not sure flailing first would help that. Although I must admit that you can see the kerbs both sides, probably for the first time in a decade or more.

[eightonedee]

I was in the vicinity again this morning, and thought I might walk up to Smallmead Bridge to get another photograph to show progress.

However Balfour Beatty clearly had other ideas - are they getting sensitive to people seeing how quickly the project is proceeding?

[CyclingSid]

As far as I can make out, it isn't.

Been up during the week and there has been no sight or sound of work. Agreeably there used to be some of the large bore corrugated plastic tubing, used for cabling etc, visible by the bridge which was vanished in the last week.

[eightf48544]

Browsing Open train times and Realtime trains around Reading area the other day I found a West of England train stopped at Southcote o let abasingotke Reading stopper in front. Finding  the stopper's  schedule on Real Time trains I was surprised to see it had a minutes stop at Green Park

Just like the famous signal in the Battle of the River Plate "Anticipation"

You can now search Real Time Time trains for Reading Green Park ~(RGP)

[TonyK]

Just like the famous signal in the Battle of the River Plate "Anticipation"

I have that film recorded to watch again. This will be the first time I have seen the film since taking this picture



and I shall look out for it in its original position.

[paul7575]

Browsing Open train times and Realtime trains around Reading area the other day I found a West of England train stopped at Southcote o let abasingotke Reading stopper in front. Finding  the stopper's  schedule on Real Time trains I was surprised to see it had a minutes stop at Green Park

Just like the famous signal in the Battle of the River Plate "Anticipation"

You can now search Real Time Time trains for Reading Green Park ~(RGP)

I think unadvertised calls at Reading Green Park have been showing in the RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) data since last summer. Looking back through the thread I see TonyK mentioned it in October.   It  might not have been in the stations drop down list though.

Paul

[TonyK]

Browsing Open train times and Realtime trains around Reading area the other day I found a West of England train stopped at Southcote o let abasingotke Reading stopper in front. Finding  the stopper's  schedule on Real Time trains I was surprised to see it had a minutes stop at Green Park

Just like the famous signal in the Battle of the River Plate "Anticipation"

You can now search Real Time Time trains for Reading Green Park ~(RGP)

I think unadvertised calls at Reading Green Park have been showing in the RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) data since last summer. Looking back through the thread I see TonyK mentioned it in October.   It  might not have been in the stations drop down list though.

Paul

If you mean the drop down list in RTT, it is there, and appears on typing rea. The mnemonic is RGP. RTT shows a one-minute stop - is this actually happening as a test?

I watched the film last night, prompted by eightf's post above. The range finder wasn't obvious, except in one long shot. Now for Green Park - the anticipation must be high.

[paul7575]

Browsing Open train times and Realtime trains around Reading area the other day I found a West of England train stopped at Southcote o let abasingotke Reading stopper in front. Finding  the stopper's  schedule on Real Time trains I was surprised to see it had a minutes stop at Green Park

Just like the famous signal in the Battle of the River Plate "Anticipation"

You can now search Real Time Time trains for Reading Green Park ~(RGP)

I think unadvertised calls at Reading Green Park have been showing in the RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) data since last summer. Looking back through the thread I see TonyK mentioned it in October.   It  might not have been in the stations drop down list though.

Paul

If you mean the drop down list in RTT, it is there, and appears on typing rea. The mnemonic is RGP. RTT shows a one-minute stop - is this actually happening as a test?

What I was trying to say was that at some time in the past it may have been appearing as a timing point on the line before it became selectable as a station.  I think I first saw it a while ago looking at the times for the proposed 3 tph stopper, but I agree it works exactly as you’d expect now.

Don’t know though if trains ever do test stops.

[Oxonhutch]

The range finder wasn't obvious, except in one long shot.

From wiki re the 1956 film:

Admiral Graf Spee (two turrets) was portrayed by the U.S. heavy cruiser USS Salem (three turrets).

So a different (or no) range finder.

[TonyK]

The range finder wasn't obvious, except in one long shot.

From wiki re the 1956 film:

Admiral Graf Spee (two turrets) was portrayed by the U.S. heavy cruiser USS Salem (three turrets).

So a different (or no) range finder.

USS Salem was listed in the opening credits, but there was one shot where I wondered if film of the real thing had been used in a long shot. It will be on again next Christmas, so I'll watch out.
There is still a lot of the Graf Spee stuck in the middle of the Plate. Our ship had to go back out to sea from Montevideo then turn back to get to Buenos Aires without hitting it.

[johnneyw]

The range finder wasn't obvious, except in one long shot.

From wiki re the 1956 film:

Admiral Graf Spee (two turrets) was portrayed by the U.S. heavy cruiser USS Salem (three turrets).

So a different (or no) range finder.

USS Salem was listed in the opening credits, but there was one shot where I wondered if film of the real thing had been used in a long shot. It will be on again next Christmas, so I'll watch out.
There is still a lot of the Graf Spee stuck in the middle of the Plate. Our ship had to go back out to sea from Montevideo then turn back to get to Buenos Aires without hitting it.

I'm sure that I've got a Pressburger Powell box set somewhere, I'll have to see if The Battle of River Plate is amongst them.
I've read that attempts were made to raise the Graf Spee and restore it about 15 years ago as it was a shipping hazard.  Not sure how that went.

[bradshaw]

My father was an RAF^▸ (Royal Air Force) technician who served on the Ajax from 1935 to her return from the Plate. We still have his collection of various contemporary images.

[RichT54]

I haven't seen this (very short) video posted here before, shot while travelling through the station back in September 2021:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FrdlRL9fq8