APT-E on the Wallingford Branch

[RJS1977]

A visitor to the Cholsey and Wallignford Railway today informed me that he remembered an occasion when the APT-E failed during testing and was shunted on to the Wallingford Branch out of the way. Bit of a longshot, but does anyone have any pictures of the train on the branch?

 

I've also heard of HSTs and the Royal Train occasionally being shunted on to the line - again any help in tracking down photos would be appreciated!

 

Many thanks

 

Richard

[The Stationmaster]

The 'Royal Train' definitely - the Wallingford branch was used as an overnight stabling location on at least one occasion although I very much doubt it was used after the closure of Cholsey 'box in 1965.

 

I have not heard of the APT-E being stabled there and would think it unlikely as the tech folk normally liked plenty of room to work around it - but you never know. Equally I've never heard of it being used for HSTs (and can't see why it would be so used to be honest) but then agai you never can tell as strange things happened on the railway

[andy stroud]

There is a picture of HST No. 253 008 on the branch in 'Modern Branch Line Album' by John Vaughan. The caption states that the purpose was for publicity photos to be taken.

[Mr_Tilt]

A visitor to the Cholsey and Wallignford Railway today informed me that he remembered an occasion when the APT-E failed during testing and was shunted on to the Wallingford Branch out of the way. Bit of a longshot, but does anyone have any pictures of the train on the branch?

 

I've also heard of HSTs and the Royal Train occasionally being shunted on to the line - again any help in tracking down photos would be appreciated!

 

Many thanks

 

Richard

 

He must have had a very clever memory as I was on APT-E during all the High Speed Tests on the Western Region and the only failures we had were at either end of the occupied section, most of them being rectified when we were in the loop at Uffington.