Long Walks at High Wycombe Station

Wycombe station is built on a stagger, so if you want to go from the main entrance to platform 3 for faster trains to London, it's quite a walk to the end of platform 2, then over the bridge to platform 3.

But it also can be a long walk to a London bound train on platform 1 as if it is a short train they seem to stop at the far end of the platform instead of at the buffers.

Hopefully the attached picture shows the situation. Why do the short trains not stop at the buffer end? Is it because the driver would not be able to see the signal? It must be quite frustrating for passengers to have to walk all the way to the far end, especially if it is raining!

I believe the latter is because of the position of the DOO mirror - Chiltern still use these and don't have cameras. The platform is narrow so placing another one further along is probably not viable.

If the driver of a 2 or 3 car train pulls right to the stops ME148 signal cannot be seen because of the footbridge. Thats why the lead cab has to be at the south end of the platform..

Remember there Is also an entrance and large car park at platform 3.

I dont mind the walk at wycombe. It's more frustrating to arrive or depart as a far train on platform 6 at marylebone

Jamiescott1 said:

Remember there Is also an entrance and large car park at platform 3.

I dont mind the walk at wycombe. It's more frustrating to arrive or depart as a far train on platform 6 at marylebone

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I'll take that and raise you Manc Picc P13/14...

Bletchleyite said:

I'll take that and raise you Manc Picc P13/14...

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Bet you can't wait for 15/16?
I miss the tunnel at Wycombe...I missed many a train running and trying to avoid detraining passengers down there....

On a smaller scale, a similar thing happens on down services at Ravensthorpe since the disused sections of platform were renovated: the entrance to the platforms is at the Western end but 185s (the lion's share of services) must pull up to be level with the 'S' board at the Leeds end.

t_star2001uk said:

If the driver of a 2 or 3 car train pulls right to the stops ME148 signal cannot be seen because of the footbridge.

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It's a problem that will have arisen since the footbridge replaced the underpass. Why did they feel the need to build the separate platform alongside the terminating bay? Platform 2 used to be an island.

MarlowDonkey said:

It's a problem that will have arisen since the footbridge replaced the underpass. Why did they feel the need to build the separate platform alongside the terminating bay? Platform 2 used to be an island.

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It's because P1 extends past the footbridge, and the island is too narrow to have the footbridge steps/lift building and have people walk past it and a unit serving the other side. The station map here shows it:

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/static/images/content/SME/2181-0000002.jpg

This artist's impression of the proposal (which is how it was actually built, give or take the massive car park) also helps show it - the lift tower and footbridge supports are right up against the P1 side and there's not really room to have enough space for that to be a usable platform:

https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/sites/default/files/images/Artistic impression.png

It was OK with the subway because that, then, was the end of the platform.

Bletchleyite said:

It's because P1 extends past the footbridge, and the island is too narrow to have the footbridge steps/lift building and have people walk past it and a unit serving the other side.

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The additional platform 1 dates back to well before the footbridge replaced the subway. Perhaps they just decided the island platform was too narrow with passengers heading for the subway to platform 3

MarlowDonkey said:

The additional platform 1 dates back to well before the footbridge replaced the subway. Perhaps they just decided the island platform was too narrow with passengers heading for the subway to platform 3

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Quite possibly - or just that they wanted it longer than about 2-car, which you again couldn't do because the subway took up most of the width.

MarlowDonkey said:

The additional platform 1 dates back to well before the footbridge replaced the subway. Perhaps they just decided the island platform was too narrow with passengers heading for the subway to platform 3

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Did they build P3 alongside the ‘footprint’ of the existing track to avoid changing the track and S&C layout?
I’m assuming short trains (maybe 2 or 3 car) could have used the rear face of P2, but if they wanted to use much longer trains extending P2 would have become far too narrow to use both sides as it tapered.

If memory serves, the "new" Platform 1 was added around the same time as the fire in the Ticket Office which saw them using Portakabins for a considerable length of time and the Business Travel Office moving from High Wycombe to Bicester North.

Can't recall why it was deemed necessary off the top of my head, however.

It's more of case of gradual developments being made at High Wycombe, rather than one big project. The new Platform 1 was constructed to provide greater platform capacity than had been previously been available, with the island platform face on Platform 2. Once the new platform was constructed, the original platform was fenced off.

With the positioning of the subway, the station underpass and the signal post for ME150, it was not possible to realign the track to provide a suitable space to construct an extension. IIRC the subway is only strengthened at the points at which the separate lines crossed over the top it, i.e. Down Platform (No.2), Down Through, Up Through and Up Platform (No.3). To have had the ability to extend the platform and have the subway, it would've meant realigning the Down Platform to the course of the former Down Through.

Somewhat later there were separate projects to provide greater platform capacity on Platform 2 and Platform 3, and later to install the footbridge with lifts. The construction of the footbridge/lifts did however compromise the view of signal ME148 from Platform 1 which had, prior to that point, been visible as a continuous line of sight for the Driver. The original car stop boards are still in place which afforded the positioning of trains in Platform 1 closer to the buffer stops, but the old numbers have had vinyl labels placed over the top of them. During construction of the footbridge/lifts, assisted dispatch was in place for some of the longer train formations.

As an aside, prior to the construction of the platform extensions at High Wycombe the first services in the morning (aside from all using Platform 2) arrived in one big formation which was greater than the platform capacity. After the train had been split into separate portions, they were moved into the platform after the other trains had departed.