New Oxford - Bristol direct service, ongoing developments and discussion

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From 2016 - http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/f/finmere/finmere_gala)13.8.2016).pdf

Finmere Station can be regarded as one of the best kept secrets of modern day railway
preservation, as if you don’t know exactly where this former Great Central station is
located, then you have little or no chance of ever finding it.

[Mark A]

Thanks for digging that out, the event in honour of Network Southeast must have been one of the most astonishing piece of whimsy of all time. I'm sure I saw a photo of one of those NSE^▸ (Network South East) station platform rotating flappy next train destination announcement boards with 'Finmere' on it too, though I can't find a photo of it.

Mark

[grahame]

Will the trolley have champagne to celebrate the first scheduled through service from Swindon and beyond to Oxford for many years?  Anyone else going?

[ChrisB]

Might see you at Oxford as you alight....will be there ready to go in the opposite direction from about 1115

[Mark A]

Anyone else going?

*Waves*

Mark

[grahame]

Anyone else going?

*Waves*

Mark

181 passengers in standard class on departure from Swindon.  Add just under 20 who got out of first clasa at Oxford and give or take a handful, that was 200 passengers.    Nice sunny autumn day for people to be out, but I did not see more than 1 or 2 more than Mark and I who were there to celebrate the return of the through service.

Headed back just before the direct Oxford to Chippeham direct service returns (as it misses the Melksham connection by 10 minutes).  Coming off there local from Oxford to Didcot, I counted just under 30 people coming back under the subway at Didcot and going up the steps to the westbound main line platform.

Pictures to follow - just a few minutes to Melksham ...

[ChrisB]

Sorry I missed you - XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) was late down from Banbury & you'd cleared the station before I arrived.

Not so busy in the reverse direction back to BRI^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads station (that is the formal station code - see also BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads station (strictly, it should be BRI) but BTM is a commonly used alternative))), or Bristol Royal Infirmary (hospital), depending on context) - although a balls-up on accessibility, which I'll say more on tomorrow. Hence enough to say that a 5 car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) only has two wheelchair spaces, where a 9car has three.

[grahame]

Pictures to follow - just a few minutes to Melksham ...

Straight back into the Last Night of the Proms, broadcast live on a screen in the KGV Park here in Melksham to an audience of perhaps 400 to 500 who were picknicing there. Not a Coffee Shop topic,  but a delay in following up.  Here you go:

[Mark A]

A good day out (and a good record in one of the photos of my pernicious trolley fruit cake habit).

The Bristol to Oxford train busy, and merited its own announcement from the platform staff at Bath. Graham, joining the train at Chippenham, was very forebearing when I went into anecdote mode - it was very difficult not to mention the one-time refrigerator in the shop on the opposite corner from the Westgate Hotel on the Botley Road as it really was of a particular age - and then there's the eternal question of whether the railway has ever quashed the requirement to open the Botley Road level crossing on request from members of the public wishing to cross with vehicles too high to pass beneath the bridge (and if they did, the date at which that happened...)

Learnt a lot, saw places old and new, gazed with alarm at the seeming canal beneath the road bridge at Botley Road, and the slightly distressed arch for the footpath beneath the line there - somewhat bristling with telltales bridging various cracks. Oxford station is seeing so much flux that even its Wikipedia page has given up, if anyone is keen on editing Wikipedia and knows, that page would be a good one to which to give some love.

Finding the railway swingbridge over the Sheepwash channel on the way to the canal to be staffed by volunteers was a surprise, but unfortunately they cannot swing it without further work being done for fear that it might not open again. But they seem to have enough railway line stored in the undergrowth to take the track through the block of flats built over the trackbed, which raises questions. Also, on display there was the first photo on the following web page, a record of the decade or three when terrible liquids were carried in wooden hulled narrowboats, before both pipelines and changed industrial practices extinguished the trade - the photo shows what appears to be a boat from Thomas Clayton of Oldbury, they ran to and from Oxford's gas works for a time so it may have been heading there.

Mark


https://www.oxfordpreservation.org.uk/rewley-road-swing-bridge

[ChrisB]

Finding the railway swingbridge over the Sheepwash channel on the way to the canal to be staffed by volunteers was a surprise,

You were in luck - Oxford Open House weekend....the same reason Culham station was open

[grahame]

Finding the railway swingbridge over the Sheepwash channel on the way to the canal to be staffed by volunteers was a surprise,

You were in luck - Oxford Open House weekend....the same reason Culham station was open

Indeed - the Culham visit was planned after learning about the weekend about it - ADVERT - here on the "Great Western Coffee Shop Passenger Forum"

[infoman]

Will not be able to advantage of the Saturday service/s,

not sure if any one would be willing to make the four trips and see if maybe they will use the same set for all four trips.

Not sure of the prices for the round trips,quite willing to contribute to the fare/s if any one is willing to undertake the four trips.

A footnote that Oxford United will be playing at Bristol City.

So numbers MIGHT be higher than what would be expected on a first (Satur)day

A foot note IF its the same set bringing Oxford fans to Ashton Gate is the same
could it take the football followers to Parson Street.
So therefore would be cheaper to shunt towards Ashton Halt or go all the way to Weston and  then return?

[grahame]

Will not be able to advantage of the Saturday service/s,

not sure if any one would be willing to make the four trips and see if maybe they will use the same set for all four trips.

Not sure of the prices for the round trips,quite willing to contribute to the fare/s if any one is willing to undertake the four trips.

Thank you, but no need - the diagram has been published and it follows the marketing information in conforming it's a single 5 car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) making both return trips.

A footnote that Oxford United will be playing at Bristol City.

So numbers MIGHT be higher than what would be expected on a first (Satur)day

A foot note IF its the same set bringing Oxford fans to Ashton Gate is the same
could it take the football followers to Parson Street.
So therefore would be cheaper to shunt towards Ashton Halt or go all the way to Weston and  then return?

Is that next Saturday?  Certainly a direct Oxford to Bristol train is one to promote if it ties in with match times, but at the moment it's an expermental service and I suspect will get fans to Bristol, but not home again.

Come next season (ah, but won't Bristol City be in a division higher that Oxford by then?) it'll all be GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) and the network will be manageable as a whole, so the Marylebone to Oxford service will be extendable to Swindon, with alternate trains onward to Weston-super-mare and Weymouth. 

Numerous benefits such as bringing Swindon a train service within England's Heartland STB, bringing Trowbridge through trains to London (do you realise it's the closest county town to London without any through trains from thetre?), and doing away with the "Didcot Dance".  With some trains calling a the three stations between Oxford and Didcot and some trains reversing there, it saves the shuttle train and gives Radley, Culham and Appleford regular through trains to London once again.

[infoman]

Thanks for your thoughts on the new service.

Not sure if it will be Oxford moving down or Bristol City moving up.

If loads of Oxford followers reserve tickets on the 12:03

would this "tumble" this computer to say I think a nine car set is required,or two fives?

A question will the service have catering?

regarding not being able to take the Oxford service back home.

It reminds of when air south west airlines had a service recently, Plymouth-Bristol Manchester on a Saturday morning!

Air south West promoted the service "Argyle fans you can fly to Northern football match's"

But there was no return service?

[ChrisB]

Yes there was catering.

Footie fans like to be in a local pub for lunch before a game & the 1203 off Oxford is far too late & the 1528 return far too early too.

The return fixture at Oxford United would quite possibly see the fans using that first service eastbound though