lmsforever

For anyone interested there is a regular class 56 working through Aylesbury to Calvert at about 11am its usualy 56103 on spoil wagons times can vary but saw it past Aylesbury depot on tuesday at about 10.45 and sometimes at Marsh Crossing at about 11.15.

Most certainly airport expansion is still on the cards,a few weeks ago a plan surfaced to develop a four runway airport five miles from Aylesbury at Haddenham .This would have demolished at least two villages and would require a lot of road building and other works but the plan has been withdrawn now as it has been realised just how unworkable it would have been.Evidently at least ten sites have been surveyed for development so as they say "Watch this space"

But do we really think it will be built given the change of governments and the various lobbies for other transport systems?

There seems to so many ifs and buts going the rounds about this project that you wonder if the DFT has got a clue as to just what they want.The books of maps look very good with information about the actual build and noi se levels etc,but when you start asking about service levels and just why they reckon so many trains are actualy needed ,your are met with pr speak and no answers.Where do they reckon all these passengers are coming from as the regular routes only seem to be full on certain trains and commuters can be covered by extending train lenghts and upgrading signaling on the EC and WCML and the MML will be upgraded on electrification.Also I question extending to Scotland as looking at passenger levels and traffic on the motorways in Scotland the new routes are not justified.The M74 is never busy(check the camera,s on bbc news site) only a section of the M8 through Glasgow gets busy and the surburban lines towards the border are busy not inter city .I still think that this line should not be built as it is a step to far for the stretched economics of the UK and if they want to spend money spend it on the regular rail lines and possibly putting some cash into the councils to the west of London.I await the expected comments from all of you telling me I am wrong but I still believe in my views.

Plymouth I think.

Thats one good looking station an easy one to negotiate and very light,were do the lines to the left actualy go and are they still in place beyond the fence?

Calvert would be an ideal place for an interchange as looking at the maps its going to be a busy place with the maintainence depot, so adding a couple of platforms could be factored in easily.Access by train from Aylesbury ,Oxford,and Milton Keynes and points east will be in place way before HS2 starts running.I dont think car borne passengers will be so important by then as punitive fuel prices force more motorists from the roads.Also local buses would be improved thus offering even more travel opportunities from the areas off of rail routes ,many local villages and towns are growing and would provide a viable passenger base.But talking to the staff at the HS2 event they gave the impression that the design is set in stone and the wishes and hopes of people who live beside this project are not being considered.The government will have to talk to local people in a sensible way and not ignore us ,sensible discussion can take place as long as both sides are reasonable.HS2 is a juggernaut that will have to be slowed down so as all ways of laison and decision can be taken with due attention to the populations involved.PS even people from High Wycombe and south bucks will have easy acces.

If they can put stations on the high speed lines in Japan why not here? Listening to the replies this afternoon I got the impression that the DFT are not interested in talking to anyone about this subject and yet they want to put a station north of Birmingham.Surely this station will slow trains down so that argument is not valued, with regard to a station in Bucks.Many people I talk to are annoyed that they will not be able to to use these trains without going into London otherwise I think they could be prospective passengers.In Wendover the line will pass the top of the high street alongside the Chiltern line very close to many houses and demolishing quite a few.Feelings in the village are running high as HS2 do not seem to want to mitigate the problems caused by the closeness of the route ,a tunnel under the length of the village would solve a lot of problems.Its not about wealthy Bucks its about the damage to the Chilterns and a lovely vibrant village plus the way we are told not to ask questions by our leaders .Rant over now calm will now descend!

Like the Deltic shot the work on the station wall is great ,one thing though the bloke stood on the platform looks like Private Walker from Dads Army love the layout by the way.

Today I went to the local presentation on HS2 at Waddesdon as it covers the part past my house towards Waddesdon,it was a very informative and profesional event.The map books and enviromental statements are extremely useful with detailed maps and lots of information about all stages from building to operation.The sound maps are well layed out and you can see exactly how you will be affected.But when I asked why there will be no station in Bucks for us to acces this line they did not have an answer.Also they admited that the fares will be very high and as to trains going onto the existing network they were vague.I think that many peoples fears about this line are unjustified and many areas will gain from the landscaping and enviromental projects that are to be carried out.I still think that the money should be spent on the existing lines and some of the construction money given to Bucks CC so they can repair our awful roads!The reps at the meeting also said that HS2 will free up space on the WCML and the EC but could not explain how and wether existing inter city services will stay.All in all an interesting afternoon and I would reccomend a visit a similar exhibition if you can.

Agree with all the Marina comments I drove one for a short time and regreted it ,every pothole caused bouncing and rolling plus it did break down regularily .The model looks good and a good addition to the layout.

I shall be visiting my local enviromental exhibition on Friday and I hope that answers will be forthcoming on matters arising on the local section.In the latest Rail Magazine there is the usual pro publicity for HS2 and a representation of interchange at Old Oak Common for Heathrow and the GWR main line ,this is okay but will add to journey times on said GWR route.The comments by the supporters of the line who are wheeled out to do promo work are still talking up jobs going out to the regions but I cant see this happenning as all busineses want to be in the south not in the frozen north unfortunaly.

Thank you yes it is going toward Leeds .

Today I was watching a dvd cab ride that went past Neville Hill depot and off to the left a line headed off ,having googled the area I noted that it headed down to a riverside location.What was the purpose of the line,is it still in operation and if it is who operates the trains thank you in advance?

Some years ago the Bodmin Wenford wanted to extend and take clay traffic off the roads but an actor who had a holiday home down there complained and got a group together ,project stopped .The clay went on the roads the actor didnt care he didnt live there,justice?It will be interesting to see how the Dunstable route is going to work and given Luton,s reputation how many accidents will happen.

Amazing all the overhead above the photo of the Pendolino no wonder it takes a while to put it all back together when it falls down!

Went to Guernsey in the fifties from here ,train from London went right down to the quay was an experiencce looking into house windows as we wnt by to long a go to remember details sadly.

Reality bites,recieved details of the enviromental statement in the post today,will have to go to Great Missenden to see what is planned and Waddesdon for the part onwards from my area .The leaflet contains a lot of information and addresses to find more info.At least we are being consulted and hopefully we will be listened to.

All the money reserved for this white eliphant should be used to upgrade the wcml.east west link,mml,and provide the cash for the various regional hub projects.The line will definitely not stimulate regional economies, as said before it will perpetuate the London concentric bias that is prevelant in our country.I will be affected by the route but I am not a NIMBY merely one who cannot see the economic sense of a railway that I and many of my neighbours cannot access.What would happen to the excellent services that we have on the wcml from Milton Keynes the word seems to be a downgrade would happen making journeys north a considerable inconveience .The current services north on both the main routes from London are providing what passengers want ,connections,good through journey times in reasonable rolling stock at good price fares.Overall this project is a vanity one for poloticians and will not deliver the promised returns for the massive outlay ,just in case someone calls me names the line passes just a quarter of a mile from my home.

Does look a bit feminen are you sure ,could be starting a trend for spotting .

All of these incidents and subsequent campaigns show how people are completely paid up to the nanny state,sorry we cant take resonsibility for our actions the state will sort everything out.

That is one hell of a good loking layout Andy dont apologise about the green they are just right,you have captured the atmosphere perfectly.

I forgot about Leigh on Sea and cockles the sheds were right by the railway and the smell was fantastic,plate of cokles pepper and vinegar ,who wants a McDonalds.We used to travel from Leyton Midland Rd as we lived in Walthamstow on a workmans train with an ordinary ticket,my mum was always worried about being caught.We changed at Barking and went down to Benfleet behind a Stanier tank in LMS coaches ,a trip to Tilbury produced some very old Midland coaches but not that often as our main journeys were to Southend.The houses at Chalkwell seem to be as they were in the fifties. Southend Central still has its canopies and you can see where the loco depot was.This was busy in the summer as many extra,s worked from London sometimes with corridor stock,B1,s were to be seen but mostly tanks ran the trains.One restaurant by the peir used to have glass fronted trays with onions,chips and susages on show it did a roaring trade,an open top bus used to ply the seafront ,okay if sunny but not so if it rained.The peir would make a good feature just the start and paint the rest on a backscene ,cars would be Fords in the main such as Populars,Prefects and maybe Consuls but most people came by train or the City Coach company from Wood Green.A feature of the seafront was the lines of coaches offerring half day mystery tours always ending up at a pub.The iluminations were a big atraction and that would look good but now they are long gone ,modeling the seaside could be in the fifties or now showing the decline.A couple of years ago I went to Skegness ,run down station ,tired looking buildings ,dont know why anyone would want to spend a weel there.

My seaside in the forties and fifties usualy was a trip to Southend on Sea ,as my aunt lived in South Benfleet and I spent all summer there.Southend was a fantastic place ,the Kursal funfare the peir and a lovely walk alongside the railway at Westcliffe On Sea .The peir was fantastic with the electric railway and at the land end some marvelous food shops also the walk up the high street towards the station had many small shops to look at.Train services at weekends was increased with many through trains via St Pancras ,we never traveled on the Liverpool St line but sometimes used the bus from South Benfleet which was run by Westclife On Sea buses not a bad trip but not as good as the train.Southend was a growing town with a wide range of building styles some good some bad.It is a shadow of its former self but the seaside is still there if not used as much now and the peir still has a railway and a rathe nice RNLI station to visit.

Some years ago a couple tried to stop Thruxton motor circuit from staging meetings as they did not know that they existed and made a buzzing noise they didnt like, the claim was thrown out and the couple moved away.Round were I live we only have on crossing and I notice that people speed up as they near it ,normal service is a two car 165 but class 66,s use it on rubbish trains to Calvert so you hit one of them and your in trouble.