RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted March 20, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 20, 2021 2 hours ago, Nearholmer said: Is that fuel dump still active then? I understand it is from someone who works there, but trying to get an official response to its status is 'difficult' https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.1234881,-0.2499342,3a,78.3y,131.73h,98.33t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2rgCMGGSzC3Gw2a0jp1Tcw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.1236698,-0.2480269,3a,73.4y,167.51h,107.39t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sObGFnpZuvSHXKjjiex018Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 Apologies if this is going off topic. In the late 80's/Early 90's there was some preliminary work to re-route the A1 and one prefered route was a sraight line that followed some pylons over the Greenand ridge. Those looking at the route knew nothing of the fuel dump and planned the route through the middle of it. 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Siberian Snooper Posted March 20, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 20, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, Nearholmer said: Is that fuel dump still active then? I believe that the wartime fuel pipeline is still active and supplying Heathrow and maybe some of the other London airports. It was the GPSS, Government Pipeline and Storage System, I have heard rumours that it has been sold off and the MOD now has to pay to use it. Edited March 20, 2021 by Siberian Snooper Made an error in the GPLSS description. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 5 hours ago, chris p bacon said: I understand it is from someone who works there, but trying to get an official response to its status is 'difficult' If you look on Google satellite, you can clearly see what amount to crop-marks, defining the outlines of a good number of large underground storage tanks, although whether they are in-use or redundant one can only guess. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold highpeakman Posted March 20, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 20, 2021 2 hours ago, Siberian Snooper said: I believe that the wartime fuel pipeline is still active and supplying Heathrow and maybe some of the other London airports. It was the GPSS, Government Pipeline and Storage System, I have heard rumours that it has been sold off and the MOD now has to pay to use it. Part of that system passes close to here but is no longer in use. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ryde-on-time Posted March 20, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 20, 2021 A couple of pictures I took today while out on the bike. The rather characterful old bridge is on Salden Lane near Mursley. Looks like they are building a new bridge judging by the ground works and new foundations? 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Yes, I think they are. The existing bridge has badly failed abutments/wing-walls - I've long thought that it was on the slippery slope to collapse, so probably far easier/cheaper to build afresh. It will be sad to see the granite setts go. Was the way open to Swanbourne & Winslow? When I went over there last week, I had to lift my bike over a gate they'd erected near the Mursley bridge, and dodge round behind the post of one near Swanbourne, because that section was (theoretically) "closed". 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Davexoc Posted March 20, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 20, 2021 Mursley - Whaddon road is closed Little Horwood - Mursley road is open but light controlled Little Horwood - Winslow is closed Winslow junction by the site of the new station is light controlled Furze Lane was closed, but not sure of current status Verney junction also has closures Add to that the closures for HS2 and other reasons around Padbury, Gawcott, Claydon, Quainton, Westcott and Buckingham among others, and there are alot of convoluted journeys happening at the moment 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Siberian Snooper Posted March 21, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 21, 2021 17 hours ago, Siberian Snooper said: I believe that the wartime fuel pipeline is still active and supplying Heathrow and maybe some of the other London airports. It was the GPSS, Government Pipeline and Storage System, I have heard rumours that it has been sold off and the MOD now has to pay to use it. Some investigation on the net has produced this :- https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjb-7zd9MDvAhXDRBUIHdITCWoQFjABegQIBRAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fuploads%2Fsystem%2Fuploads%2Fattachment_data%2Ffile%2F35893%2Fgpss_booklet.pdf&usg=AOvVaw21QmSlvPbxW6ARW-e6DPqq And Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CLH_Pipeline_System 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsforever Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 Local tv had an item last week about all the closures had local motorists complaining about it all because they have ten minutes added to thier journeys.Even had a nursery owner saying that how bad it was that her charges were having to get up ten minutes earlier ,it would upset them.What a carry on ! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony Teague Posted March 21, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 21, 2021 These pipelines are definately still active - although that doesn't mean that the fuel dump is. There was an incident at Gayton, near Towcester about 5 years ago where thieves drilled into pipes that cross the canal there, in a futile attempt to steal fuel - not realising that it was aviation fuel: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-33096662 There is a pumping facility close by: https://www.google.com/maps/@52.1922687,-0.9479513,3a,75y,180h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1st6LrhE6rDIT5ailRnDlQVQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gayton,+Northampton/@52.1917928,-0.9474339,144m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x48771aaae4217105:0xfc8c3b2f29f8b908!8m2!3d52.184267!4d-0.974789 but I think that the pipes may have since been diverted underground. Tony 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ryde-on-time Posted March 21, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 21, 2021 (edited) Another cycle ride out today. Firstly the Station Road bridge near Mursley showing the new brickwork thats been completed Next the site of the new station to be built at Winslow Next one of the bridges carrying the railway over Verney Road west of Winslow And finally at Verney Junction looking west Edited March 21, 2021 by Ryde-on-time Road originally quoted was wrong! 17 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Davexoc Posted March 21, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 21, 2021 (edited) On 21/03/2021 at 15:42, Ryde-on-time said: Another cycle ride out today. Firstly the Station Road bridge near Mursley showing the new brickwork thats been completed Next the site of the new station to be built at Winslow Next one of the bridges carrying the railway over Verney Road west of Winslow And finally at Verney Junction looking west It is a vast improvement, the brickwork on the first bridge looked like this two years ago, thought they might have recycled the coping stones. Just wondering if the trackbed will be lowered incase of future electrification, or whether they are just cutting the budget and the bridges will just be rebuilt again if and when it does happen. Edited April 12, 2022 by Davexoc Photo restored 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 (edited) There has been a trial of bridge-jacking on this route, on one of the old occupation bridges, and I think there is a NR video of it on Youtube (I can't remember whether I watched the video when I was working at a NR office or at home), so there is a third option. Edited March 21, 2021 by Nearholmer 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 55 minutes ago, Davexoc said: It is a vast improvement, the brickwork on the first bridge looked like this two years ago, thought they might have recycled the coping stones. Just wondering if the trackbed will be lowered incase of future electrification, or whether they are just cutting the budget and the bridges will just be rebuilt again if and when it does happen. I think the standards for parapets now say they have to have a triangular cross-section, to discourage walking or sitting on the top. I'd like to think they have created electrification clearance one way or another, rather than potentially having to demolish it in a few years time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium corneliuslundie Posted March 22, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 22, 2021 I am puzzled by the arguments about the route into Bedford. Surely this is defined in whatever legislation authorised the project. I know that railway Act plans usually had "limits of deviation" but yards, not miles. Is this rather like the complaints of HS2 going through woodland - arguments which should have been made before the legislation was passed? Surely no-one approved a project along the lines of "to terminate in a field adjacent to the Plough and Harrow Inn in the parish of xxx", as used to happen. Jonathan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 10 minutes ago, corneliuslundie said: I am puzzled by the arguments about the route into Bedford. Surely this is defined in whatever legislation authorised the project. I know that railway Act plans usually had "limits of deviation" but yards, not miles. Is this rather like the complaints of HS2 going through woodland - arguments which should have been made before the legislation was passed? Surely no-one approved a project along the lines of "to terminate in a field adjacent to the Plough and Harrow Inn in the parish of xxx", as used to happen. Jonathan There's no legislation yet for this section. The promoter is going through a series of consultation exercises and design development to establish which route is most likely to be feasible, cost-effective and acceptable (or least unacceptable). Most of this is required by law and it's sensible to do anyway to avoid spending millions designing something only for it to be shot down in Parliament. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted March 22, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 22, 2021 12 minutes ago, corneliuslundie said: I am puzzled by the arguments about the route into Bedford. Surely this is defined in whatever legislation authorised the project. I know that railway Act plans usually had "limits of deviation" but yards, not miles. Is this rather like the complaints of HS2 going through woodland - arguments which should have been made before the legislation was passed? Surely no-one approved a project along the lines of "to terminate in a field adjacent to the Plough and Harrow Inn in the parish of xxx", as used to happen. Jonathan The project 'legislation' (i.e. TWA) only covers the Bicester to Bletchley section. Yes the overall project might be styled as Oxford to Cambridge but east of Bedford its still just lines drawn on consultants maps with no authority to actually build anything having been granted. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium corneliuslundie Posted March 22, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 22, 2021 Thanks both. That seems to me a pretty stupid way of going about things. But perhaps politics intervened. Jonathan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 41 minutes ago, corneliuslundie said: Thanks both. That seems to me a pretty stupid way of going about things. But perhaps politics intervened. Jonathan I'm not sure why. It seems sensible to me to try to take account of people's views in a democracy, and to avoid wasting money on developing a scheme until those views have been taken into account. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium corneliuslundie Posted March 22, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 22, 2021 Sorry, what I was meaning is that it would have been more sensible to get the whole scheme agreed before starting part of it. What happens to the viability of the first bit if the rest gets canned or just delayed indefinitely? I wasn't arguing against consultation, merely that it should have happened already, before work started on the first part of the project. Jonathan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
caradoc Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 The first section of East West Rail is already up and running ! Albeit not with actual East West trains. Given that Bedford/Cambridge was always going to be the most complex and therefore time-consuming part of the project, it surely made sense to start work on the easier sections first. Oxford/Bicester is already a busy and useful addition to the rail network, as will the extensions to Bletchley and Bedford become, before the final portion exists. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 22 minutes ago, corneliuslundie said: What happens to the viability of the first bit if the rest gets canned or just delayed indefinitely? I It’s viable on its own, just more viable when complete. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony Teague Posted March 22, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 22, 2021 1 hour ago, corneliuslundie said: Sorry, what I was meaning is that it would have been more sensible to get the whole scheme agreed before starting part of it. What happens to the viability of the first bit if the rest gets canned or just delayed indefinitely? I wasn't arguing against consultation, merely that it should have happened already, before work started on the first part of the project. Jonathan Technically, Oxford - Bletchley is simply the re-introduction to daily use of a mothballed line - it was never actually closed. The fact that they are completely rebuilding it is down to the long period of mothballing and the need to bring it up to modern standards. Meanwhile Bletchely - Bedford has remained open throughout, whilst Bedford - Cambridhge is a completely new railway, any previously existing lines having long since been closed and built over. So it is inevitable that the three sections will be approached differently. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PenrithBeacon Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 7 hours ago, phil-b259 said: The project 'legislation' (i.e. TWA) only covers the Bicester to Bletchley section. Yes the overall project might be styled as Oxford to Cambridge but east of Bedford its still just lines drawn on consultants maps with no authority to actually build anything having been granted. Surprised by this, I was assuming that the project from Bedford to Cambridge was going ahead as the last phase of the plan. Perhaps I should read more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
2750Papyrus Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 I thought the original East-West scheme included improved services beyond Cambridge to Norwich, Ipswich and the east coast ports? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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