Class 115 Marylebone DMUs - how did they travel to Bletchley?

[Rail-Online]

Hi,

 

Class 115  Marylebone DMUs had their regular maintenance done at Bletchley DMU/EMU depot in the 1970/80's.  There were always at least 3 sets there every weekend when I bunked the shed in the late 70s. I just wondered what route they took to get there.  They could have travelled up from Aylesbury to Calvert and joined the Bicester to Bedford line at Calvert but I thought this might have been mothballed in this period?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Tony

Edited May 6, 2019 by Rail-Online
typo

[TravisM]

I think the Bicester to Bletchley section of the line wasn’t mothballed until the late 90’s, so I think the Class 115’s were regular over the line until the Class 165’s arrived.

[rob D2]

I agree . It was mothballed in about 1993 when the fertiliser trains to akemanstrettt stopped 

[08221]

One used to come over the flyover from Aylesbury about half six each evening. The same crew used to take a serviced unit back from Bletchley around a quarter past seven. On some occasions, there were two workings a day.

 

Happy days!

[andyman7]

40 minutes ago, rob D2 said:

I agree . It was mothballed in about 1993 when the fertiliser trains to akemanstrettt stopped 

As far as I'm aware it was the withdrawal of the 115s once the 165/166s were delivered that led to the mothballing of the Calvert-Bletchley line, as it was no longer needed for the 115 ecs/maintenance traffic. From then on, any traffic from the Aylesbury line reversed at Calvert and went via Bicester.

[rob D2]

1 hour ago, andyman7 said:

As far as I'm aware it was the withdrawal of the 115s once the 165/166s were delivered that led to the mothballing of the Calvert-Bletchley line, as it was no longer needed for the 115 ecs/maintenance traffic. From then on, any traffic from the Aylesbury line reversed at Calvert and went via Bicester.

Would that be about 92 ? 

Im sure I’ve seen photos of Martin loaders site later than that of the fertiliser, but it’ll only be a year later maybe 

[andyman7]

2 minutes ago, rob D2 said:

Would that be about 92 ? 

Im sure I’ve seen photos of Martin loaders site later than that of the fertiliser, but it’ll only be a year later maybe 

Marylebone workings for 115s ceased in the latter half of '92, so that would have removed a major need for Calvert - Bletchley. I'm not sure which way the the Akeman Street fertilisers ran but either way, the loss of both that and DMU ecs must have been the nail in the coffin so to speak.

[TravisM]

I’m sure several railtours ran over the line about 1997/98 but I could be mistaken and they were earlier.

[The Stationmaster]

13 hours ago, jools1959 said:

I’m sure several railtours ran over the line about 1997/98 but I could be mistaken and they were earlier.

There was definitely a Trainload Freight Inspection Special over the line, including going to Akeman Street, in 1992 - I know that because I was on it

[roythebus]

I tried to cadge a lift on an early morning Bletchley-Aylesbury in 1973 when I was a guard at Rickmansworth and living in Northampton. I got a lift to Bletchley on a class 8 freight which left at about 0330 25mph to Bletchley, which neatly missed the DMU! I didn't bother with that money-saving idea again.