Bodmin & Wenford to Wadebridge re-opening (merged topic)

[whole diary]

[eightf48544]

Not wishing to put a damper on this idea, I think getting the safety case for a regular public service run by the B and W might prove to be an expensive obstacle.

Unless it's run under light rail conditons with speed restricted to 25 mph then the track will need  upgrading to NR^» (Network Rail - home page) standards.

Also there will be need for a safety case for the heritage DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit). I think there's a post somewhere else where it was mentioned that some of the community rail groups had looked into running heritage railcars on some of the other branches and the safety cases were definitely one of the problems.

Also it's a huge task for a group run mainly by volunteers to run a regular train service  everyday throughout the year. You would need a paid manager, drivers, possibly guards and maintenance staff to keep the railway running. You couldn't rely on getting enough volunteers to underatke such a committment. 

Basically any regular service would, in practise have to be run by the local TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) holding the current franchise for Bodmin Road.

Unless you can persuade an open access operator to run it, but they'd want to go to Plymouth/Bristol if not London with through trains to get the revenue.

[super tm]

Maybe it could be suitable for the parry people mover like at Stourbridge

[chrisoates]

Having endured a couple of hours in Padstow last summer, it occurred to me what a shame the line from Bodmin closed. It would be really useful now to bring the thousands of people who for some unfathomable reason descend on the town.

That would require nuke'ing Wadebridge town centre and leave the Co-Op to Ann's Cottage & beyond the 'wrong side of the tracks'.
Padstow as a destination would however make much more sense than Wadebridge.

[RailCornwall]

I note Councillor Biscoe's name is mentioned, wonderful councillor yes, but does tend at times to wear blinkers when Trains are involved.

One of his 'projects' being a Truro 'metro' with services between Redruth and to the east of Truro, re-opening Chacewater, Probus and Ladock Halt and Grampound Road and opening new stations at Threemilestone and Truro City(between the two viaducts).

[vacman]

Unless it's run under light rail conditons with speed restricted to 25 mph then the track will need  upgrading to NR^» (Network Rail - home page) standards.

I wouldn't like to go any faster than 25 MPH on that line! it would suffice, an hourly service could easilly be run under light railway conditions, you probably could, at a push, run half hourly at 25mph

[chrisoates]

Unless it's run under light rail conditons with speed restricted to 25 mph then the track will need  upgrading to NR^» (Network Rail - home page) standards.

I wouldn't like to go any faster than 25 MPH on that line! it would suffice, an hourly service could easilly be run under light railway conditions, you probably could, at a push, run half hourly at 25mph

You'd require some awesome motive power to exceed 25mph up that gradient !

[RailCornwall]

Thinking ahead .....

Bodmin <> Bodmin Pkw <> Dobwalls P&R^▸ (Park and Ride) site <> Liskeard <> Looe?

[chrisoates]

Putting on my cynical hat...
is the Glynn valley full of bureaucrats wanting to work in Bodmin - never seen any (that were obviously office types) on the 555 bus - never seen many people at all on the 555 bus.
Where's this bureaucracy centre going to be - top of the hill by the Police station ? - stick with the Bus.

I love the idea of re-instating old rail links but I can't see how B&W could do it or co-exist with a commercial operation - commuters won't pay ^10 as part of their trip to work - their income from a leg of a journey from 'somewhere' would be pennies.

   

[james666]

Padstow as a destination would however make much more sense than Wadebridge.

I think Wadebridge could be a viable branch line destination (by the standards of the other Cornish branches at least).  It's grown bigger and much more prosperous since the bypass was built and it's the start of the busiest leg of the Camel trail.  There are a lot of people in the surrounding area who travel frequently out of Cornwall and I think they would find the railway an appealing option if they could join it at Wadebridge rather than having to make the hellish journey along the winding road to Bodmin.  It would be even more appealing if the Cornish "main line" wasn't so laughably slow but that's another story...

[devon_metro]

Unless it's run under light rail conditons with speed restricted to 25 mph then the track will need  upgrading to NR^» (Network Rail - home page) standards.

I wouldn't like to go any faster than 25 MPH on that line! it would suffice, an hourly service could easilly be run under light railway conditions, you probably could, at a push, run half hourly at 25mph

You'd require some awesome motive power to exceed 25mph up that gradient !

The bodmin locos manage it with that stop at the centre of the route. Then again, you'd expect a class 50 load 4 to manage it.

[The SprinterMeister]

Maybe it could be suitable for the parry people mover like at Stourbridge

If the traffic levels projected are so small that a PPM^‡(resolve) would cope then the project is a non runner. You wouldnt ever get it to pay for the signalling and points required at the Bodmin Parkway end. Better off poking a bus on in all honesty.

[Btline]

DON'T run a PPM^‡(resolve)! Just run a bus - it'll be cheaper and quicker.

If they're going down the rail route, it needs to be >25 mph as well, otherwise - again - you'd might as well run a bus.

[RailCornwall]

Flooding closes Cornish steam railway track

A steam railway in Cornwall has closed a section of its 6.5-mile (10km) line because of the recent severe flooding.

The damage at the Bodmin and Wenford Steam Railway includes tonnes of stones underneath tracks and sleepers - known as ballast - being washed away.

Holes up to 8ft (2.4m) deep have also been gouged out beside the line.

The line between Colesloggett Halt and Bodmin Parkway is expected to be closed for up to four months and repairs could cost tens of thousands of pounds.

more^.

WWW^▸ (World Wide Web).BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page).CO.UK^▸ (United Kingdom)/NEWS
25-Nov-2010 @ 09:00

[standclearplease]

Not good news for the railway. At least it has happened as the season is ending and not beginning.

[Andy]

At least the Bodmin General-Boscarne Junction stretch is unaffected, enabling them to operate a limited service over the holiday period.  Here's hoping they can sort out the problems by Easter.