East West rail, Bletchley to oxford line

[Mike Storey]

22 hours ago, Davexoc said:

Well the NTC train hasn't made it to Swanbourne as yet, but the TRTs have been shifting more LWR that was on site. I guess it makes it more worthwhile laying sleepers under longer sections in one go.

Got me thinking, what is used to temporarily join two lengths of LWR while laying the sleepers?

Because I can't imagine the weld is done first, and I'm sure they don't get drilled and fishplated....

 

Quick phone through the fence shot...

 

They don't "temporarily" join the LWR - it is butt-welded shortly after it is laid (whether 60ft or 120 ft lengths). The finesse comes when the expansion joint is needed, which is less and less required now with pre-stressed (stretched) techniques (which have existed for many decades, but with a greater degree of certainty in former years). The difficulty these days is deciding what the ambient temperature should be - that was changing even when I was still involved (over ten years ago) - which starts to dictate the lengths. I cannot imagine what they use now, with climate change and more extreme temperature ranges.

 

My last involvement (for UIC 60 weight) was up to 1 mile, per length. Anyone with more up to date info?

 

 

 

[jamie92208]

From memory a temporary  fishplate with several g clamps was uzed on the borderscrailwsy to allow the track layi g train to advance.  The butt welder followed the teack laying train.

 

Jamie

[chris p bacon]

10 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

The butt welder followed the teack laying train.

 

Jamie

Wouldn’t this cause a blockage… 💩

[adanapress]

I see with interest that the through track has been lifted  northwards  starting immediately at the end of the Quainton platform.  A sleeper stands in as a buffer stop, with a hand lamp thereon.   Does this tell us anything about DafT's position about the Aylesbury service?

[adanapress]

Are any photographs available of the HS2 projects project in the area where it will cross the Oxford - Cambridge line, As I understand it HS2 will build whats required in all four directions.

[Mike_Walker]

My good friend Geoff Plumb has been covering this:  https://plumbloco.smugmug.com/Trains/Year-2022/ and https://plumbloco.smugmug.com/Trains/Year-2021/

 

 

[Ryde-on-time]

East West rail mentioned on the BBC website today. Good to see an article about a railway on time and on budget!

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-61985220

[Mike_Walker]

1 hour ago, Ryde-on-time said:

East West rail mentioned on the BBC website today. Good to see an article about a railway on time and on budget!

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-61985220

That's what they used to say about Crossrail until very late in the day...

[lmsforever]

Many people in Aylesbury ,councils and MP,s will not let the DFT forget about our MK link the buffer stop will be removed as access to Calvert will still be required.

[Davexoc]

10 hours ago, adanapress said:

Are any photographs available of the HS2 projects project in the area where it will cross the Oxford - Cambridge line, As I understand it HS2 will build whats required in all four directions.

 

If you go back to page 96 there are some images that I posted back in April....

[Ray H]

There was a freightliner class 66 and some wagons stationary and facing towards the west on the flyover at Bletchley when I passed last night at around 18.30

[Rugd1022]

I'm back down there later today, fetching 6Y60 off site for Bescot.

[Ray H]

Did my eyes deceive me or did I catch a fleeting glimpse of a loco near Waddon Road Mursley at around 17.00 today?

[Davexoc]

An impromtu update after having to come home from Wheatley this evening, but no pictures I'm afraid. I took the scenic route so picked up the route around Calvert, which from the fleeting glimpse driving through hasn't changed a great deal, alot of earthworks in relation to EWR and HS2 still advancing as to be expected, and several roads closed longish term.

Steeple Claydon, the bridge replacing the level crossing is progressing with embankments either side now revealing the route to be. Also a green footbridge is in place just east of the LC behind Rectory Farm, part of the LDFP (Bernwood Jubilee Way?).

Verney Junction, the new overbridge (presumably for Furzen Farm and LDFP Midshires Way) has embankments and a gravel bed track over it, but still fenced off. The bridge over Claydon Brook now has concrete and steel tube barrier parapets, as has the next one heading east, although the following one over the road heading towards Winslow retains brick plus barriers.

Didn't pass Winslow station but headed towards Little Horwood, where work is virtually complete from the civils side, with the trackbed ready for rails, which won't be long, as Swanbourne is just out of view from there.

One thing I will say though is, IMO the councils have seemingly cut back on road repairs as I guess somewhere in the HS2/EWR contracts there is a clause that gets the road network reinstated on completion. They are currently in an atrocious state, with several 'Slow failed road surface' or should that be 'Slow council failed upkeep of road' littering the place anywhere north of the A41 across towards the A421. The tarmac/gravel spray vehicle has been out in places to try and stabilise some holes.

I did see some brave cyclists, but for anyone venturing out on two wheels I would advise MTB rather than road bike....

[Nearholmer]

It might have helped if Bucks CC had done any road maintenance in the area in the preceding several decades, but my impression is that they hadn’t.

[Davexoc]

16 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

It might have helped if Bucks CC had done any road maintenance in the area in the preceding several decades, but my impression is that they hadn’t.

 

Oxford CC are just as bad, which is what made me think they had both decided to let the surrounding routes go, knowing that when the civils guys depart, they would reinstate back to better than they started. The Whaddon - Mursley road has been patched already, rather than holes just filled, as it looks like most EWR traffic in the area will now be railbourne, or at least not used by Murphy and their sub-contractors.

[The Stationmaster]

12 hours ago, Davexoc said:

 

Oxford CC are just as bad, which is what made me think they had both decided to let the surrounding routes go, knowing that when the civils guys depart, they would reinstate back to better than they started. The Whaddon - Mursley road has been patched already, rather than holes just filled, as it looks like most EWR traffic in the area will now be railbourne, or at least not used by Murphy and their sub-contractors.

 

Oxon CC are just plain abysmally bad when it comes to road maintenance and that applies throughout the county.   I can't see them getting any help from new railway builds 30-40 miles away from us when it comes to maintaining the roads round here but they do seem to have occasional stocks of white paint to sometimes mark the edges of the potholes in the road surface.

 

So poor road maintenance  in Oxon has, I strongly suspect, nothing to do with any sort of railway construction money jam tomorrow,  and that has been the case for a long while.

[Rugd1022]

19 hours ago, Ray H said:

Did my eyes deceive me or did I catch a fleeting glimpse of a loco near Waddon Road Mursley at around 17.00 today?

 

It may have been 66 501 which was the leading loco on the train I relieved there at about 6pm yesterday. Top 'n' tailing at the other end was 66 419.

[Ron Ron Ron]

On 30/06/2022 at 10:47, adanapress said:

Are any photographs available of the HS2 projects project in the area where it will cross the Oxford - Cambridge line, As I understand it HS2 will build whats required in all four directions.

 

A video was posted on YouTube in May just gone (2 months ago).

It was linked to and can be viewed on the HS2 thread in this section of the forum  (page 193 - 5th post down).

 

I've re-posted it below.

 

The drone camera footage follows EW rail (Oxford-Cambridge line) either side of the HS2 intersection at Calvert.

Initially heading east towards Bletchley, the drone turns back and heads west towards Calvert and Bicester.

 

Later, the video follows the path of HS2, south towards Quainton. 

The video ends about half a mile north of the railway centre.

 

Note all the rails on the old GCR north of Quainton have gone....for good...as the new HS2 formation will occupy a corridor following the old lines path through Calvert and north.

 

In the video, as the camera heads west along EW rail towards Bicester, the crossing point with HS2 comes into view before 5.15 mins.

The video then moves around the Calvert area, taking a look at the large base camp / work site.

Note: in addition to HS2 passing through here, there will be a junction to facilitate infrastructure traffic to access the HS line.

The main infrastructure depot for the HS line will also be built here.

 

At 9.45 mins,  the piers for the bridge, carrying the EW rail over the HS2 line, can be seen under construction.

 

After continuing on a brief journey along EW rail towards Bicester, the camera turns around and returns to Calvert .

The EW rail / HS2 bridge site can be seen again a 15.15

 

The camera then turns south and routes down the old  GCR formation, passing over the old Calvert station site, towards London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

[Rugd1022]

This is what greets you when you come off the Up Slow onto the Up Flyover line, once you've passed MV64 Stop Board at caution....

 

[Nearholmer]

Is that kosher delineation of the edge of a possession? Assuming that a railway that doesn’t entirely exist can be under possession!

[VarsityJim]

5 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

 

A video was posted on YouTube in May just gone (2 months ago).

It was linked to and can be viewed on the HS2 thread in this section of the forum  (page 193 - 5th post down).

 

I've re-posted it below.

 

The drone camera footage follows EW rail (Oxford-Cambridge line) either side of the HS2 intersection at Calvert.

Initially heading east towards Bletchley, the drone turns back and heads west towards Calvert and Bicester.

 

Later, the video follows the path of HS2, south towards Quainton. 

The video ends about half a mile north of the railway centre.

 

Note all the rails on the old GCR north of Quainton have gone....for good...as the new HS2 formation will occupy a corridor following the old lines path through Calvert and north.

 

In the video, as the camera heads west along EW rail towards Bicester, the crossing point with HS2 comes into view before 5.15 mins.

The video then moves around the Calvert area, taking a look at the large base camp / work site.

Note: in addition to HS2 passing through here, there will be a junction to facilitate infrastructure traffic to access the HS line.

The main infrastructure depot for the HS line will also be built here.

 

At 9.45 mins,  the piers for the bridge, carrying the EW rail over the HS2 line, can be seen under construction.

 

After continuing on a brief journey along EW rail towards Bicester, the camera turns around and returns to Calvert .

The EW rail / HS2 bridge site can be seen again a 15.15

 

The camera then turns south and routes down the old  GCR formation, passing over the old Calvert station site, towards London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

Great video. Has the yellow overhead gantry crane for the Calvert Landfill been removed, along with the railway tracks that led to it?

Has the landfill been shut down?

[Ron Ron Ron]

3 hours ago, VarsityJim said:

Great video. Has the yellow overhead gantry crane for the Calvert Landfill been removed, along with the railway tracks that led to it?

Has the landfill been shut down?

 

From the video, it's very clear that the gantry crane(s)  have long gone and so has the railway line from Quainton, some  4.3 miles to the SE.

A big chunk of the landfill has been completed and "capped off", but the video shows a remaining area that looks to be abandoned and possibly out of use.

HS2 construction vehicles can be seen on part of the remains of the uncovered landfill site, which now appears to be cleared and laid out a storage site for construction materials and/or spoil.

The remaining section of apparently disused landfill, appears to be wasteland.

 

Have a look at the video.

 

The old Calvert Station site can be seen at 16.45  (road bridge and the site of the removed island platform).

The rail unloading area for the landfill site, where the gantry cranes stood, can be seen at 17.25 (well you can't actually see anything there now!)

 

The capped off landfill can be seen to the right of the old trackbed, between 17.50 and 18.40

At 18.45 you can see HS2 construction vehicles and the materials site, beyond which is the "disused" area of landfill.

 

As the former landfill site is passed, at 19.20 the Greatmoor "Energy from Waste" (EfW) facility comes into view.

(it can be seen until 20.05)

This is a waste incinerator used for processing Buck County Council's domestic waste, burning it to produce electricity for the national grid,

Deliveries to this site are by road.

 

At 20.40 another disused trackbed arcs off to the right, now paved as Creighton Road.

At 22.42 , just as the video ends, the old line from Verney junction can be seen sweeping in from the left.

The Buckinghamshire Railway Centre at Quainton is a little way further on, behind the trees in the near distance.

 

I hope that's useful?

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 5, 2022 by Ron Ron Ron

[VarsityJim]

2 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

 

From the video, it's very clear that the gantry crane(s)  have long gone and so has the railway line from Quainton, some  4.3 miles to the SE.

A big chunk of the landfill has been completed and "capped off", but the video shows a remaining area that looks to be abandoned and possibly out of use.

HS2 construction vehicles can be seen on part of the remains of the uncovered landfill site, which now appears to be cleared and laid out a storage site for construction materials and/or spoil.

The remaining section of apparently disused landfill, appears to be wasteland.

 

Have a look at the video.

 

The old Calvert Station site can be seen at 16.45  (road bridge and the site of the removed island platform).

The rail unloading area for the landfill site, where the gantry cranes stood, can be seen at 17.25 (well you can't actually see anything there now!)

 

The capped off landfill can be seen to the right of the old trackbed, between 17.50 and 18.40

At 18.45 you can see HS2 construction vehicles and the materials site, beyond which is the "disused" area of landfill.

 

As the former landfill site is passed, at 19.20 the Greatmoor "Energy from Waste" (EfW) facility comes into view.

(it can be seen until 20.05)

This is a waste incinerator used for processing Buck County Council's domestic waste, burning it to produce electricity for the national grid,

Deliveries to this site are by road.

 

At 20.40 another disused trackbed arcs off to the right, now paved as Creighton Road.

At 22.42 , just as the video ends, the old line from Verney junction can be seen sweeping in from the left.

The Buckinghamshire Railway Centre at Quainton is a little way further on, behind the trees in the near distance.

 

I hope that's useful?

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

Many thanks indeed, very useful as I’m sure I’d read elsewhere that the landfill would still be in use alongside HS2 (!)

I wonder where all those tons of London waste are going now.....

Edited July 5, 2022 by VarsityJim

[Trog]

On 28/06/2022 at 19:40, Mike Storey said:

 

..................

 

My last involvement (for UIC 60 weight) was up to 1 mile, per length. Anyone with more up to date info?

 

 

There is no maximum length for welded CWR.

 

For example I would not be surprised if the DF cess rail is one welded up piece of metal from the lead off the DC south of Watford Junction station to the tamper siding at Blisworth.