Recent content by II

Yes and yes. It’s basically to prevent managers driving trains to cover for when there’s no drivers, hence the ‘rule’. On strike days there is obviously no driver to accompany the manager on the train, so the strike action must make the ‘rule’ null and void. Removing that ‘rule’ is one of the...

There’s a ‘rule’ on normal service days that GWR managers can’t drive trains unless a regular driver is with them.

Driver Managers at the eastern end of the network have been driving trains on each and every strike day so far. The rule where they can't drive a train on their own is clearly null and void if there is a strike day. And rightly so IMHO.

Yes, that's an interesting one. You can only really fit a 2-car 20m unit in it. 23m units will just fit if you take the front of the train beyond the platform end so not ideal. Also if any train is in it it blocks entry/exit from the 'Back Road' siding which is used for overnight stabling, but...

Just an update to say that the new Greggs at Oxford opened a couple of weeks ago, and was joined last week by a Pret A Manger. With a general tart up of the M&S as well, the concourse looks quite different now. The Pumpkin on Platform 4 has now closed for the construction works of the new...

Yes indeed that's quite correct. Focal length on photos 1 and 4 was the full 400mm on my crop sensor EOS 7D Mk2 and zoom lens. A nice bright and clear day meant the shutter speed was 1/500 and the lens has good active stabilisation so the result is nice and crisp. By comparison the second...

Apologies, I’ve edited the text to make it clearer.

A few images showing progress on East West Rail between Bicester and Launton I took today, to add to fishwomp's from earlier in the month: 1) From the new Charbridge Way footbridge in Bicester looking under the replacement Charbridge Lane road bridge and just beyond the brick arch of the...

I guess in order to give a more informed opinion we’d need to know what the cost of the standard installation is going to be against what the cost of bi-di would have been. I don’t suppose you or anyone else knows those figures? Or for that matter the cost of the bi-di that was provided...

That’s interesting. I would be surprised if it was the case on a built-from-scratch route with one set of intermediate crossovers, no existing signalling and no level crossings to complicate things. Do you think it would be have been a waste of money providing bi-di on the route? If so, do...

Electrification costs (which of course would have to be all the way from Didcot/Oxford, not just Bicester) would rather swamp the cost of installing a handful of additional signals for bi-di working with signal sighting considerations. And yes, it might be a good opportunity to introduce...

Just reversals I believe. 1663071290 Not sure what electrification has to do with it? What is the connection between electrification and retro fitting bi-di signalling?

Yes, that's what my post said. Whilst also pointing out that bi-di was included in the spec of other areas nearby which have recently been reopened or resignalled where cost didn't put paid to any notion of it. Given that and the future potential strategic importance of the route that...

Moderator note: Split from https://railforums.co.uk/threads/east-west-rail-ewr-oxford-bletchley-construction-progress.216561/ Indeed, and a bit of a pity as bi-di is always a very useful feature in the event of problems (i.e. train/signal failure, track defects etc) and the length of the route...

Worcester depot was set up as a HSS depot (just before the harmonisation agreement) with an establishment of 30. Since then some new GWR grade drivers have been taken on (8 I think), with the existing HSS drivers invited to become GWR grade and I believe at least 3 have done that so far.