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Current state of Didcot diesel servicing point


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Just reading the abc Railway Depots book and in there is a page on "Didcot Milton Park" depot, - opened by Trainload Freight SoutEast in 1994 - just wondered whats the current state of that depot?

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If this is the collection of warehouses on the Up side west of Didcot, then I've not seen any rail traffic there for a very long time. I'm a bit confused by the date quoted for its opening, as I thought it dated to 'Speedlink' days, so about a decade earlier. By the beginning of this Millenium, I believe the only rail traffic using it had been vehicles travelling by road to and from the GWS at Didcot, as that site hasn't any direct road access.

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If this is the collection of warehouses on the Up side west of Didcot, then I've not seen any rail traffic there for a very long time. I'm a bit confused by the date quoted for its opening, as I thought it dated to 'Speedlink' days, so about a decade earlier. By the beginning of this Millenium, I believe the only rail traffic using it had been vehicles travelling by road to and from the GWS at Didcot, as that site hasn't any direct road access.

 

I suspect the entry is wrong.  The Milton Park connection is much earlier than 1994 and apart from one or two occasional bits of traffic the only regular (but occasional) user in the early days was the GWS but that ceased when access was much improved by the new diesel servicing shed sidings.  What I suspect the entry actually refers to is the loco servicing shed which was opened c.1994 by Trainload Coal in connection with the scheme to bring in coal from Avonmouth.

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I suspect that date refers to when the current rail served building was built. The original warehouse was set farther back from the main lines and was a lower building with sidings/loading platforms on both sides of it.

It was a bonded warehouse and I don't know the full story but I was led to believe that a lot of the proposed traffic was killed off by dockers union opposition

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Hi, its not the sidings, but the actual 1 road depot built Trainload Freight Southeast that opened in 1994

 

The 3rd (2000) edition of Quail shows it as operated by Nedlloyd Districenters and it was on a loop. The 4th (2006) edition shows it as still being Nedlloyd Districenters but on a dead end siding and it is the same in the 5th (2010) edition.  However on Google Maps it is now shown as occupied by Panalpina freight forwarders although the address information against that company is rather ambiguous.

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The Panalpina building has been divided into a few units around three years ago. It was empty for a year or so - DHL solutions (formally Danzas) had it before that for a pick/pack operation. Panalpina seemingly hold the back of the building near the railines, DHL have the front left corner as a courier depot, and a couple of smaller concerns utilise the office space (IT and fire alarm support companies), with a couple of spaces left on the address panel. 

 

The only train I can recall having seen on the siding in the last decade was a steam engine and gronk lashup from the railway centre which I guess was lowloader bound - this was a number of years ago. Network rail do seem to have kept up the maintenance and inspections on their part, based on activity seen over the years as driving to/from Didcot.

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The 1 road depot that 18b is actually enquiring about is this building in the triangle between the GWML, Didcot West Curve and the Chester Lines as seen here:

 

post-6818-0-19519400-1461829116_thumb.jpeg

 

GWML at bottom of pic.

Thames Valley Signalling Centre just above.

Didcot Railway Centre on the right.

Didcot PS off to the left of pic.

 

To answer the initial query, the depot is still in use by DB Schenker/Cargo for fuel points and minor exams.

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The 1 road depot that 18b is actually enquiring about is this building in the triangle between the GWML, Didcot West Curve and the Chester Lines as seen here:

 

attachicon.gifimage.jpeg

 

GWML at bottom of pic.

Thames Valley Signalling Centre just above.

Didcot Railway Centre on the right.

Didcot PS off to the left of pic.

 

To answer the initial query, the depot is still in use by DB Schenker/Cargo for fuel points and minor exams.

 

As I thought (Post No.4) however there is some confusion in attributing it to Trainload Freight South East as it was actually built by Trainload Coal - specifically for the Avonmouth - Didcot coal traffic.  It might actually have opened following the break-up of Trainload Freight but not by very long if at all.  Incidentally I never heard it referred to as 'Milton Park Depot' which has probably added to any confusion in this thread.

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I think 18B needs to clarify exactly what he was asking about, as the depot Banger Blue is talking about is definately not "Didcot Milton Park" as asked in the OP.

If the abc Railway Depot book is this one:

 

post-6818-0-35125000-1461940434.jpeg

 

Then it's about Locomotive Depots & Stabling Points, so it will be the one I posted above, but as you say that's not Milton Park, Milton Park is the commercial area further to the west which still has a rail connection.

 

The last time I remember the long siding at Milton Park being used was about 2011/12 ( I was working at Didcot Parkway at the time) and a FLHH service used to back in and recess there in the early hours of the morning. For the life of me I can't remember the actual working.

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The book as shown above has a pic of the depot it calls "Milton Park" and situated inside the triangle of lines near Didcot Parkway station,

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The book as shown above has a pic of the depot it calls "Milton Park" and situated inside the triangle of lines near Didcot Parkway station,

 

Well, I don't believe it was ever called that so it's rather inaccurate

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'Didcot Servicing Point' I believe or possibly servicing Shed.

'Didcot Servicing Point' I believe or possibly servicing Shed.

 

 

Is that supposition or evidence based?

The only thing I've heard it referred to (by local DB staff) is "the fuel point".

 

Do a Flickr search for "Didcot Fuel Point"!

Edited by Banger Blue
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From the website www.railwaycodes.org.uk (http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/CRS/CRSd.shtm), the various location codes for Didcot Fuelling Point:

 

Location:                         CRS      NLC      TIPLOC      STANME      STANOX

 

 
Didcot Fuelling Point:      DIF     303011     DIDCTFP     DIDCOT FP     74310
 
 
Computer reservation system (CRS) codes [replaced by national reservation system (NRS) codes from late 2004, but the codes are the same]
National location codes (NLC)
Timing point locations (TIPLOC)
Station number names (STANME)
Station numbers (STANOX)
 
 
There are a number of codes for the rail served commercial park (Milton) which most people were referring to:
 
Didcot Distribution Centre                303014                DIDCOT DC    74319
Didcot Distribution Centre Nedlloyd 303018 DIDCTDC  DIDCOT DC    74319
Didcot Milton Siding Freightliner      303047 DIDCMSF                       74326
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In my railway involvement as a TOPS clerk when we covered the Didcot area (1996-99), and later as a roster clerk

responsible for Didcot depot (1999-2006) I never heard the name 'Didcot Milton Park' used in reference to the fuelling point .

 

cheers

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