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End of Paddington - Birmingham direct.. Park Royal line to close


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This topic has appeared just in time.  Working permanent earlies means I don't normally get an opportunity to indulge in such things as Paddington - High Wycombe trips.  But being on holiday these next two weeks it shall be done once more.  

 

Now to convince the nice ticketing staff at Mr. Brunel's terminus that they can actually issue a ticket for a direct train to High Wycombe and don't have to direct me to Marylebone.  

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I'm glad I was around to see the Paddington to Brum line in its heyday in the early/mid 1960's during the Euston electrification, it was handy having grandparents living near Banbury at the time. :sungum:  

 

That must have been a great time to watch trains.

 

Although the trains are certainly less interesting, and no longer serve Paddington, the rest of the route must now have the most frequent service at any time in its history ?

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That must have been a great time to watch trains.

 

Although the trains are certainly less interesting, and no longer serve Paddington, the rest of the route must now have the most frequent service at any time in its history ?

 

Indeed, in the summer time, with inter-regional traffic, Banbury was magic as well as busy, with locos from all 4 pre-nationalized companies.

Edited by bike2steam
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Did it out of Paddington during the last few weeks of the Padd - Banbury via High Wycombe with a Class 50 (number 7 I think)

The final main line operation was the 17.42 (times might have varied by a few minutes through timetable changes) Paddington - Banbury which was indeed a 50 turn. Latterly using a Mk2 “Oxford” set of 8 coaches most or all of which were in NSE livery. It was usually well-bashed for track, haulage and because it was coming to an end.

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Interestingly, looking at the WTT at South Ruislip operations..

 

1107 ex South Ruislip arrives 1120 into the new platform 5 (The freshly dug out Milk Bay), which is a non-stop service from South Ruislip...

 

This is followed by the 1113 Greenford which is all stations and arrives into Platform 5 also, at 1123.

Greenford leaves all stations at 1127, followed by the High Wycombe at 1147 (express to South Ruislip).

 

So for a few brief minutes Platform 5 contains two units.

 

The 1127 is cleverly timed to depart 1 minute before the non-connecting 1128 from Paddington, which defeats the whole purpose of giving up that slot into Paddington. Passengers can of course elect to extend their journey time by 13 minutes and take the earlier service, indeed all services (27 and 57) are so timed to miss that connection (28/58) by 1 minute.

 

I just bet Greenford line passengers are loving this change.

Can i get a train from Paddington on Friday 12/10/2018....from middayish that would take me via this line from 12PM as  I'm off to St Mary's so may take a spin on the way home while i still?

 

Thanks

 

B

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Can i get a train from Paddington on Friday 12/10/2018....from middayish that would take me via this line from 12PM as  I'm off to St Mary's so may take a spin on the way home while i still?

 

Thanks

 

B

The train arrives at Paddington from South Ruislip at 1126 and departs for High Wycombe at 1135.

 

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/PAD/2018/10/12/0600-2000?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt&toc=CH

 

 

 

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First time I did itwas behind a 'King', the last time I did part of it was on the footplate of an 8F.  Oh and I did a very short stretch of it 'inside' at Park Royal a good many years later but that was on a 350 (08) :O  

 

Reminds me of being on the Park Royal tripper and being given a small crate of Guinness by the shunter, a regular perk on this particular job. You could spend a whole shift working round Acton Yard, Park Royal, Greenford and West Ealing on those turns, happy times indeed.

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The final main line operation was the 17.42 (times might have varied by a few minutes through timetable changes) Paddington - Banbury which was indeed a 50 turn. Latterly using a Mk2 “Oxford” set of 8 coaches most or all of which were in NSE livery. It was usually well-bashed for track, haulage and because it was coming to an end.

 

Did that one in the early 70s on a Friday evening at the start of a canal trip. Think it went further than Banbury back then. A happy memory.

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One thing that will come out of this closure ,it will stop people who do not live there who do not use it saying all Chiltern services being diverted into Paddington ,we who are users of Chiltern are very happy with Marylebone .Wonder what will happen to the trackbed once its not used by trains will it be sold for housing or just kept in case its needed as didn't they send Virgin trains down it several times when Euston was closed?

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Once HS2 opens, Virgin and Chiltern trains running on the Birmingham to London lines will be all withdrawn, to justify paying for it. Remember what happened to Paddington Birkenhead and St Pancras Manchester when the LM was electrified?

Edited by Northroader
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See previous posts.

 

With HS2 just below the surface it would not make for great housing land. The intention is to keep it as a potential rail route and the sensible option would seem a second westward branch of Crossrail (Elizabeth Line) as far as High Wycombe so that fewer trains have to turn round at Paddington/OOC.

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If they could reopen it why close it ,leave the track and there wont be problems reopening ,and as to stopping our trains to Brum via Wycombe and Haddenham ,no way  in this months Modern Railways the MD of Chiltern forecasts the wires going up.People will not travel into Euston and then go back up to Brum, your are adding a couple of hours onto what is a fifty minute trip straight to the centre, what will happen is a drive to the M40 and away or a coach from Oxford no more by train.People are to quick to consign others to inconvenience all in the name of progress which it is not !!!!

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Thanks.....###### my appointment is 1120 st St Mary's.....Is this service just once a day......is there a later departure.

 

BW

 

 

B

No.  That's it.

 

Did that one in the early 70s on a Friday evening at the start of a canal trip. Think it went further than Banbury back then. A happy memory.

 

Yes.  It used to be part of the regular Paddington - Birmingham service which was itself a relic of the GWR Paddington - Birkenhead Woodside service.  The final train via the Greenford route was successively cut back and finally ended up being a Turbostar duty IIRC via Reading and Oxford to Banbury.  

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Once HS2 opens, Virgin and Chiltern trains running on the Birmingham to London lines will be all withdrawn, to justify paying for it. Remember what happened to Paddington Birkenhead and St Pancras Manchester when the LM was electrified?

Leaving the WCML still carrying the services serving stops between London and Birmingham, as well as services to North Wales and Liverpool, just as the opening of HS1 to domestic services between St Pancras and Ashford did not mean the demise of the services from Charing Cross.

 

Jim

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Heads up, last chance to reach the GC from Paddington on a direct service train..

Friday December 7th sees the final Chiltern Trains working into London Paddington.

 

After 115 years the Old Oak to Greenford line will be permanently closed / ripped up between Old Oak and Park Royal severing the GWRs North Mainline from the Capital from Monday December 10th.

 

The line has been home to one of London’s daily parliamentary trains running 1 train per day each way for many years, under pretence of maintaining route knowledge in case of Marylebone closure.

 

The last scheduled passenger services are the daily M-F 10.57 from South Ruislip to Paddington and 11.35 return to High Wycombe, which ends on Friday 7th December.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C72036/2018/12/07/advanced

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C71972/2018/12/07/advanced

 

 

From Monday 10th December the legal requirement to connect South Ruislip to Paddington. Will be replaced by a South Ruislip to West Ealing service, and hence connecting service via the Drayton Green “Greenford branch” line.

 

2V27 1102 South Ruislip to West Ealing

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C91486/2018/12/10/advanced

 

2M27 1147 West Ealing to High Wycombe.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C91485/2018/12/10/advanced

 

Presumably after this date route knowledge to Paddington is no longer required.

It’s a small section of line closing, but it’s a big piece of history. I understand this will also see the end of Greenfords GWR semaphores too.

 

Not aware of any railtour send off, closest will be the 3 coach charter with 9466 from Southall via Drayton Green to Princes Risborough in 2 weeks time.

 

Next time you can go the Park Royal route will be underground on HS2 in a few decades.

I'm a little confused because for Park Royal after that date, Realtime Trains is still showing 5V27 11.10 S. Ruislip-Padd and 5M29 11.45 Padd-High Wycombe

Apart from that it's showing two GWR ECS movements from Reading train care depot to Paddington and back as well as three passing freights and a daily freight to and from Park Royal Marcon. This is about the same as the pattern now. If the parly through there to Paddington and back is being transferred to West Ealing does that imply that the freight movements on the line through Park Royal are also ending?

 

I did the Park Royal route a few years ago when Chiltern trains to High Wycombe etc. were using Paddington while work was taking place at ISTR Wembley. It was quite fun but as has been said, if you use the Central Line regularly as I do there's not a lot of difference apart from passing Greenford East box at a much lower level and the short bit through OOC after the Central Line has peeled off.

Edited by Pacific231G
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Once HS2 opens, Virgin and Chiltern trains running on the Birmingham to London lines will be all withdrawn, to justify paying for it. Remember what happened to Paddington Birkenhead and St Pancras Manchester when the LM was electrified?

I rather doubt that. I suspect that London-Birmingham represents quite a small proportion of the passengers using the Chiltern Line most of whom are probably using other stations on that route . The same, to a lesser extent, for Virgin who are also serving Watford, Milton Keynes and a number of other towns between London and Birmingham

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.....does that imply that the freight movements on the line through Park Royal are also ending?

 

 

Maybe not straight away - IIRC the initial works are more to do with the Old Oak end and the severing of the junction there. Its thus quite possible that freight may be able to access park royal from the Greenford end for a while yet

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If they could reopen it why close it ,leave the track and there wont be problems reopening

 

It needs to be severed while they remodel the Old Oak Common area for HS2, but this information paper states that "...the only line that would close is the eastern end of the Northolt and Acton Line (also known as the “Wycombe Single”) between Old Oak Common and Park Royal" which may well reopen anyway.

Edited by Christopher125
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Took a spin on this today, good to see the old semaphores at Greenford still standing.

 

Me...too...Well this turn out o be a magical misery tour!!.............I managed to get on the train with 2 minutes to spare and thought i get off at South Ruislip and head down to Greenford.....Well that would have worked if i hadn't found out to my horror that it was non stop to High Wycombe!!!....Then could only get a train to Marlybone and then back out to South Ruislip...then down to Greenford.....which i eventually got to at 230PM.....so grabbed a Greenford to West Eailing.....I cant see the point of the West Ealing service at all.....should go to Eailing Broadway or Paddington.

 

Here are some photos of the  day:)

 

Thanks G for traintimeline link as the guard would have charged me fro the HW leg

 

Brenn 

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post-332-0-43923000-1539420047_thumb.jpg

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The Greenford service did at one time run to Ealing Broadway, and for some years through to Paddington, but with GWML electrification and (soon) Crossrail there is not the capacity for the service (which really only serves three small stations) on the main line.

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