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East West rail, Bletchley to oxford line


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3 minutes ago, Southof1E top tmd said:

dug this old BR photo of flyover construction at Bletchley in 1959, whod have thought back then that so much would be rebuilt 60 years later..Reckon itslooking South towards Stoke Hammond

 

NR

 

Bletchley flyover construction 1959.jpg

 

Peterborough Station has been rebuilt twice since then. And I am sure that there are similar examples elsewhere.

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What a great picture.....

 

I think your correct that it's looking south as I believe that is the old flat junction off to the right for Newton Longville. I'm surprised at the lack of houses in the photograph.....

 

Jim

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36 minutes ago, jcarta said:

What a great picture.....

 

I think your correct that it's looking south as I believe that is the old flat junction off to the right for Newton Longville. I'm surprised at the lack of houses in the photograph.....

 

Surprised me too, so I just looked it up on side by side...

 

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16&lat=51.99053&lon=-0.72883&layers=10&right=BingHyb

 

 

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12 hours ago, jcarta said:

What a great picture.....

 

I think your correct that it's looking south as I believe that is the old flat junction off to the right for Newton Longville. I'm surprised at the lack of houses in the photograph.....

 

Jim

 

I am sure that the Victorian type terrace houses in Duncombe Street would have been visible where the flyover crosses the WCML.

 

Whilst Duncombe Street is lower than the railway the roofs and chimneys should be visible in the shot, if the location is assumed to be looking south of Bletchley station.

Edited by 1E BoY
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I've now re read the article in the June Modern Railways, Page 18.   To precis it, the flyover was surveyed and initially it was. going to be retained with work on the bridge bearings.  However further surveys showed defects in the parapets of 15 of the 31 spans.  The decisions were to replace spans 17 to 25 (over the WCML, and new decks over Buckingham Road, spans 26 to 31.   One problem was that they didn't know the weight of the spans so the first three lifts were tests. Calculations showed the weight to be about 300 tons and they have proved to be only 2% out.  Perhaps that's  why a very big crane was used in case the figures were wrong. The existing piers will be rtained on the Buckingham road length and all the parapets on the other spans will be replaced.  The work was due to take 20 months but this may change with covid related issues.   

 

Jamie

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9 hours ago, 1E BoY said:

 

Any houses that would have shown up would be on the Poets Estate (all named after famous poets such as Wordsworth etc.) which sits either side of Holne Chase school. These were not built until the early to mid-1960s.

 

In 1960 friends of my parents bought the last bungalow at the end of Cottingham Grove and their son and I used to take their dog on to the fields and watch the trains go by on the Oxford line. So in 1959 there was very little development in that area of the town! 

 

I know the area much better these days!

 

If the picture is looking south towards Stoke Hammond then where the wagons are, Duncombe Street should be situated behind them and down the embankment. The Poets Estate would have been to the right of the photo and as you rightly said these weren't built until the mid-1960's. 

 

Jim

 

 

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12 minutes ago, jcarta said:

 

If the picture is looking south towards Stoke Hammond then where the wagons are, Duncombe Street should be situated behind them and down the embankment. The Poets Estate would have been to the right of the photo and as you rightly said these weren't built until the mid-1960's. 

 

Jim

 

 

 

Looking at the two maps side by side, on the left hand map you can see the land where the Sidings (Top Tip) were located to the South of Water Eaton Road, hence the lack of housing. Frensham Drive / Baccara Grove etc weren't built until the early 70s. On the right hand map you can see the Network Rail Depot occupying the old site.

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20 hours ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

Peterborough Station has been rebuilt twice since then. And I am sure that there are similar examples elsewhere.

In the same time Oxford station has been rebuilt twice (in parts), Reading station has been rebuilt twice (in parts) and no doubt teh same has happened elsewhere as you say.

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18 minutes ago, 62613 said:

While we're getting some excellent coverage of what's happening around Bletchley, is there anything going on anywhere else along the route?

 

If you mean what else is happening near the site in Bletchley. There is only just Roadworks on Water Eaton Road for 6-7 weeks. Just removing the give ways, islands. However, adding In speed bumps, repainting zebra crossings, re tarmac the road and adding speed cameras and restriction signs. 

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I drove through Winslow yesterday and tried to take a quick look over the bridge as I passed by. The vegetation doesn't look to have been cut back recently.

 

Had we still been having club meetings I would have been able to report on the section near Mursley which before lockdown also suggested a lack of recent vegetation control.

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Took a convoluted route into work this morning crossing the route here and there, came back via Bicester. Main roads in the evening as the lanes are too busy with joggers, cyclists, dog walkers etc.  Got a few pics to put up later, but there has been vegetation clearance in some locations, others untouched. Claydon and Calvert roads are a in a forest of works signage and fencing for both EWR and HS2.

Bicester at the A4421 LC has heavy plant towards Calvert and what could be the start of a new track bed, difficult to tell when passing by though. I guess having taken out Bletchley flyover, materials by rail are going to have to come in that way.

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Whaddon Road - Mursley

 

Looking back towards Bletchley

 

IMG_3978.JPG.8effed4384985237efd425e099ee1ae9.JPG

 

Towards Calvert and closer view of the aquaduct

 

IMG_3977.JPG.883eab94e012021219e2091d80f013dd.JPG

 

IMG_3976.JPG.98974784cf52a8f6d5d9eaf5e4bbda54.JPG

 

This area alongside the line was dug a while ago and is now fenced off. No idea if it has anything to do with EWR though.

 

IMG_3979.JPG.5e2d289e9060e145056ca28d66c5b4d2.JPG

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Winslow jungle, there will be a station in there one day....

 

IMG_3986.JPG.5e7fbe20871ff27f92646e0cb302d97b.JPG

 

Looking towards Verney Junction. There is a hard standing with construction equipment out of shot to the right, but that might be more to do with the housing developments around here. We also appear to have a newt barrier? Must be because the track bed is more like an overgrown pond looking bottom left...

 

IMG_3984.JPG.2f22f1321a687c14145cf9b9e4ac1a8e.JPG

 

IMG_3985.JPG.5b2fe7945ee9f2321ace015d419550cc.JPG

 

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On 23/03/2020 at 11:51, The Stationmaster said:

I wonder if the junction at Claydon will be given its old name?  (Claydon LNE Junction)

 

I don't remember if it has been memtioned before but a few months ago  the signal box (porttakabin style) known as Claydon L&NE Jn was moved from that place to the site of the old Waddesdon station just north of Aylesbury.

 

The line from Aylesbury Vale Parkway to Waddesdon is now the token section and from  there to Calvert is now officially a siding.

 

The signal box has retained its old name with the addition of "(New)"  between Junction and Signalbox.

 

Andy

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As I went on my travels today, I saw that the workmen were on the bridge above near the roundabout is next to the pub. Looks like they are getting ready for some more sections to be lifted out. Some concrete blocks are missing in the flyover. If you go to duncombe street where Halfords is you will know what I am on about.

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On 05/06/2020 at 21:36, Davexoc said:

Looking towards Verney Junction. There is a hard standing with construction equipment out of shot to the right, but that might be more to do with the housing developments around here. We also appear to have a newt barrier? Must be because the track bed is more like an overgrown pond looking bottom left...

 

IMG_3984.JPG.2f22f1321a687c14145cf9b9e4ac1a8e.JPG

 

Drove past this evening, and the compound has more equipment in it and boards up denoting it is an EWR compound. Perhaps this view will change quite soon.

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So, I took a shorter lens today and came back from the west end of the line tonight. These are the views from the A4421 LC looking towards Bicester Town (Village), and then Launton.

 

IMG_4028.JPG.1088a70d55dcd21def1b4121890e000b.JPG

 

IMG_4026.JPG.fa48f4b3036141af4feae1f629631b63.JPG

 

IMG_4027.JPG.155f8931bd2ee1657875b894f35f5c45.JPG

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