Swindon to Kemble re-doubling - ongoing discussion and updates

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Item 1 Lay x miles of track and connect up - Easy
Item 2 Carry out 50 years of back maintenance on earthworks to allow track to be laid - Much more difficult
Item 3 Move everything out of the way that has been put there in the last 50 years - Complicated
Item 4 Resignal

Item 5 - provide compensation to TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) for the period of line closures.

Item 6 - modernise provision that's not to modern standards but has been allowed through Grandfather rights

I'm thinking of where footpaths and level crossings exist and there's now a requirement to provide extra elements, or indeed to raise the crossing so that it's no longer level.   I'm not sure about how much of this (if any) there was on Swindon - Kemble, but I do know that there are several examples on the Oxford - Claydon section - both the section that's been freight only and the section that's had a local train service.

[Sapperton Tunnel]

Glawster, you mentioned that you were working 'on the weekend in the summer of 1968' when the line was singled.  Probably took more than just one weekend to remove the second track and slew the remaining one, but probably didn't take much more than a few weeks. 

The singling itself did take one weekend - I remember it. Slewing the track in a couple of places to connect former up and down lines and taking out some sections of track to install a couple of switches is far far easier than putting in new. I would think that far more complicated was the reduction of the 4 tracks to 2 tracks from Standish Junction to Gloucester when the former GW^▸ (Great Western) down line from Standish towards Gloucester became the up line from Gloucester and the former Midland down line from Gloucester to Standish was reversed to become the line from Standish to Gloucester. Love to hear any stories from GlawsterPanel S & T on this.

Going back to Swindon to Kemble it took about 3 to 4 years to dismantle and remove the second line which was done by the PW^▸ (Permanent Way) gang. In some places where the redundant track had been slewed onto the embankment / cutting sides to accommodate new signal posts in the 4 foot, it must have ben 1974 or 75 before all was removed. Regarding the single line itself, it was found that the maintenance costs were much greater than anticipated. A lot of this was due to wear and tear of the jointed track due to trains travelling over it a relatively high speed in both directions.

It was explained to me that they found that the joints needed two to three times as much maintenance as they had planned. When a wheel goes over a joint a vertical impact occurs and the rail joint dips. The length of rail that wheel goes onto dips a bit more so there is a fall from the first length to the second length. Over time the track settles into this arrangement. When you suddenly start running trains at 75 and 90mph (the speeds of the old dmu's and Westerns) in the opposite direction the wheels suddenly have to rise at the joints and this causes a far bigger impact which ultimately leads towards more maintenance. Although this was anticipated, it was thought that the joints would even out over time, but they didn't. It was also found that this occurred in other parts of the country where singling on higher speed main lines was done.   

In the period from 1971 a lot of the line was replaced with CWR^▸ (Continuously Welded Rail) to overcome this as well as 'natural' replacement of life expired track, and at the same time was slewed toward the centre. One of the reasons for singling were the alleged state of the embankments in some places - some of which has proved to be spurious in the redoubling exercise as in the case at Oaksey - requiring the track to be slewed. Also, CWR requires a deeper bed of ballast and to alleviate the need to dig out under bridges it is easier to slew the track. By 1973 - 74 quite a lot had been replaced with CWR and the redundant second track either removed at this time or in the course of daily work by the PW gang. It was somewhat fortunate that it had done by then as of course in 1974 we had the first of the miner's strikes, the 3 day week, a reduction in train services and a corresponding maintenance / renewals holiday. Replacement rails for track renewal in Kemble station lay there for over 3 years.

Sapperton Tunnel             

[John R]

That's a really interesting post Sapperton Tunnel, so thank you for that.
It's worth noting that even in the early 80s there were even more draconian proposals. The Nov 83 edition of Rail Enthusiast (as was) listed the BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) 5 yr plan in detail, including singling of:-

Newbury - Cogload (42m of)
Standish - Stroud
Gloucester - ST Jn  (13m of)
Ascott - Moreton.

Many of the proposals were carried out, including dequadrification at Taunton and Filton Bank, and some were carried out and have subsequently been reinstated (Gowerton, Cornwall singling).

It was this 5 year plan that recommended closure of the Settle & Carlisle and Marylebone. The well respected author and journalist Geoffrey Freeman Allen described the Marylebone proposal as "no grinding hardship" and in respect of the S&C^▸ (Settle and Carlisle ), " it was beyond belief that any government, left or right, would finance rebuilding, and no way BR could justify allocating such money to a basically duplicate trunk route with slim local traffic".  That gives a sense of the state the railways were in then. Thankfully that is all history, but for those of us who lived through it, it was the depressing reality.

[TonyK]

Thank you, Sapperton Tunnel - a very interesting account of the fall and rise again of the Kemble line, which confirms some of what I suspected and teaches me a few things I didn't know. The singling and redoubling, like so many other things, echoes the fall and rebirth of the railways. As with so many things, the original idea of singling the line seems to have been crazy, but it has to be seen in the spirit of the times in which it was made. The hard-argued case to redouble the line does not mean the original decision was wrong, but it must surely be mad to think it would ever be made again. It does show how much of railway planning is done "just in time", or maybe later, and is subject less to what is needed than to how loose the purse strings can be let.

John R, I for one have keenly awaited the re-quadrification of Filton Bank, hence the moniker, and it now seems to be unstoppable. Signs of changes in weather can be found in the smaller forms of nature rather than the mighty clouds, and the same is true in railway improvement. In St Marks Road, by Stapleton Road station, last week I found a poster advertising a farewell gathering for Easton Roots, the community garden centre that occupied the trackbed between platforms 3 and 4 at SRD. There may be drinks.

[patch38]

It seems there are still issues with the crossing phones on the newly-signalled section. When the work was carried out over the bank holiday weekend, some (all?) of the new phones at the farm crossings between Swindon and Kemble were ringing continuously. This resulted in the phones being disconnected and some of the farm crossings being locked out of use. It now seems that Network Rail are manning some of these crossings during hours of operation which seems very resource-hungry (although, of course, safe) given the very minimal use the crossings get. At one point there were signs on one of the crossings giving the direct dial number for the signaller at TVSC^» (Thames Valley Signalling Centre - about) but these now seem to have gone.

[ellendune]

From the bbc

Minety level crossing barriers cause concern

Fears have been raised over the safety of a newly designed level crossing which is due to open in Wiltshire.

The crossing at Minety near Malmesbury will no longer be manned but instead will have automated barriers left up unless a train is to pass through.

Resident Stuart Richens said: "We're going to have a crash with two vehicles racing to make the barrier."

Network Rail said it was speaking to residents and Wiltshire Council to resolve any concerns they had.

'Improve safety'
A company spokesman said: "The crossing itself has been built to plans approved by the local authority, but we will continue to look at ways to improve safety on our network."

Several people in the village lobbied to have the road closed when the revamp was first proposed.

But a parish council survey found 800 people wanted the road kept open.

Councillor for Minety Chuck Berry said investigations were taking place to see if the view across the crest affected road safety due to the reduced visibility.

Wiltshire Council has asked for anyone concerned to raise the matter during local area board meetings.

The refurbishment is part of major improvements being made to the Swindon to Kemble line.

[TonyK]

How much view does a driver need, other than the flashing lights and the gate itself?

[rogerw]

Those of you who know the road will also know that it carries very little traffic so that the chance of two opposing vehicles arriving at the same time as the barriers start to lower is very slim.  The biggest problem with the crossing according to the (road)safety audit is the visibility from a private access being obscured by a high hedge - rumour has it that both are in the same ownership.  The 800 people who wanted the road left open probably use it about twice a month, if that.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Swindon Advertiser:

Mum^s horror after near miss by train


Kate Blye had a narrow escape at Purton railway crossing

Mother-of-three Kate Blye was inches from death at a Purton railway crossing on Thursday when a train whistled past ^ seconds after she got the all-clear to cross the line from Network Rail.

The remote pedestrian crossing connects the ends of New Road and Witts Lane in the village, where there is currently no automated system in place for safe passage.

As it stands, a Network Rail employee remains on-site from 5am until 10pm each day, and directs each person to contact a remote signalman for clearance on a telephone at the crossing.

When Kate, of New Road, made her call to cross on Thursday at 2.50pm, she was told she was clear to cross by the man on the phone. But as she went to open the gate, the train^s horn sounded.

^I went to cross and there was someone there because the lights aren^t working and haven^t since they dualled the line,^ she said. ^You have to use the phone and the person on the other end of the phone said I was safe to cross. But as I turned to go, I heard the train sound a horn and it passed me in, at the most, 10 seconds. If I had taken notice of the person on the phone, as a child probably would listening to an adult, I would have been hit by the train. You take the word of the person on the phone. You^d like to think they would tell you if a train was less than 10 seconds away. Luckily, it did hoot. If it hadn^t, I probably would have gone.^

Kate, a health and safety consultant herself, has three children, aged 10, seven and five. She said she would not allow her children to use the crossing on their own. Her concern is for other, older children in the village using it on a regular basis. ^You can^t see both ways at the crossing,^ she said. ^You teach your children to listen to them [adults in authority] and to do what they say. I would expect them to cross when they were told it was safe. I have three children, and I know others who let their children cross there alone, so something needs to be done. I would like them [Network Rail] to put in a safe crossing really, a footbridge. There is a road bridge further up the line, but that has no footpath. It used to be that the gates sat some way back from the line and you could go inside them and look both ways. But because they have moved, if you bypass the gates you are in the danger zone.^

The Network Rail marshal at the crossing yesterday morning, who did not wish to be named, said: ^I normally get 10 (people) crossing here each day ^ my locals, as I call them. The youngest is 12 or 13. He crosses in the morning on his way to school, but I have seen nothing like the complaint this woman has had. Normally it^s overkill on the waiting, with people being made to wait three or five minutes before they can cross. It^s a long time and they normally get quite impatient. They say they could^ve gone five or six times in the time they^re made to wait. It gets a bit awkward because some people just go. They get fed up of waiting and cross anyway. There^s nothing I can do to stop them.^

The automated lights at the crossing are expected to be back in operation on October 18.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: ^We are aware of the incident and are urgently investigating how this happened.^

A personal comment from me, if I may (rather unusually, on any item of news that I generally post with complete impartiality ):

A spokesman for Network Rail said: ^We are aware of the incident and are urgently investigating how this happened.^

I'll bet they are.  

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Calls for more trains on redoubled Swindon to Kemble railway line


The line between Kemble and Swindon was reduced to a single track in the 1960s

There are renewed calls for more trains to be run on the newly redoubled track between Swindon and Kemble.

The redoubling, which cost ^45m, has increased capacity, but no extra trains will run on the route until a new service franchise agreement in 2017.

Conservative MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) for the Cotswolds, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said it was "not very good" to have no more trains available.

First Great Western said it was "not feasible" to run additional services.

Mr Clifton-Brown said: "First Great Western have had plenty of time. What is the point in the Government putting in a ^45m investment, only to say to us we've got to wait at least two years before you're going to see any improvements whatsoever in service?"

James Davis, from First Great Western, said: "The improvement in service can only be delivered where we have a rolling stock to be able do that. That's coming through the Government's investment in the Intercity Express Programme, with those additional trains coming into service from 2017 onwards. There are huge demands on our rolling stock across the network. We run over 1,500 services a day, so to be able to put on additional services straight away on this line is just not a feasible option."

Mr Clifton-Brown said he was also concerned there could be extra delays on the route now the re-doubling was complete. "First Great Western have told me they are going to be using this line for diversionary services when they do rail improvements into Wales. I think we want to be really sure that we're... not going to have delays on the existing services."

The line was reduced to a single track in the 1960s as a cost-saving measure by British Rail.

[paul7575]

1.   Election next year.

2.   MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) gets name mentioned by BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page), even though he would have already known the answer to his question.   

3.   Aim achieved.

Paul

[IndustryInsider]

Meanwhile, Princess Anne, a frequent user of the railways (though when she's due to catch a Turbo operated service, it's amazing how a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) can be rustled out of nowhere instead  ), has officially 'opened' the new section of track:

http://www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk/news/11542616._/

[JayMac]

Her son-in-law uses the line as well. I spotted him at Swindon earlier this week.

[TonyK]

Her brother lives close by - not sure if he ever leaves the Sikorsky at home in favour of the train.

[phile]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Calls for more trains on redoubled Swindon to Kemble railway line


The line between Kemble and Swindon was reduced to a single track in the 1960s

There are renewed calls for more trains to be run on the newly redoubled track between Swindon and Kemble.

The redoubling, which cost ^45m, has increased capacity, but no extra trains will run on the route until a new service franchise agreement in 2017.

Conservative MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) for the Cotswolds, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said it was "not very good" to have no more trains available.

First Great Western said it was "not feasible" to run additional services.

Mr Clifton-Brown said: "First Great Western have had plenty of time. What is the point in the Government putting in a ^45m investment, only to say to us we've got to wait at least two years before you're going to see any improvements whatsoever in service?"

James Davis, from First Great Western, said: "The improvement in service can only be delivered where we have a rolling stock to be able do that. That's coming through the Government's investment in the Intercity Express Programme, with those additional trains coming into service from 2017 onwards. There are huge demands on our rolling stock across the network. We run over 1,500 services a day, so to be able to put on additional services straight away on this line is just not a feasible option."

Mr Clifton-Brown said he was also concerned there could be extra delays on the route now the re-doubling was complete. "First Great Western have told me they are going to be using this line for diversionary services when they do rail improvements into Wales. I think we want to be really sure that we're... not going to have delays on the existing services."

The line was reduced to a single track in the 1960s as a cost-saving measure by British Rail.

It is happening quite often.  Infrastructure nearing completion on Cardiff Valleys but no trains to operate the increased services yet and also the Todmorden Curve reopening but no trains to operate a service.    They always say - "we are awaiting the cascade following electrification".