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Bletchley old platform next to 1?

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Ladder23

Ladder23

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Hi guys, just stumbled across the disused platform at Bletchley, it would of been assessable from both sides of the train it appears.

What was last to use this, and when did it shut/ why?

Thanks
 
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87015

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Parcels dock. For parcels etc. Shortened/lifted recently ish. MK remodelling? Same time as middle crossover presumably. Could get 12 car in there so must have been deemed too difficult rather than no use.

last time I paid attention was after the end of VTWC 87s but 013 was standby there but had vanished to Crewe whilst I’d been down the branch because they’d managed to send a skoda into North Wales!
 
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The Planner

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87015 said:
Parcels dock. For parcels etc. Shortened/lifted recently ish. MK remodelling? Same time as middle crossover presumably. Could get 12 car in there so must have been deemed too difficult rather than no use.

last time I paid attention was after the end of VTWC 87s but 013 was standby there but had vanished to Crewe whilst I’d been down the branch because they’d managed to send a skoda into North Wales!
Click to expand...
Bletchley re signalling I think, pretty sure it survived MK remodeling.
 
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The Planner

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Bletchleyite said:
As trains very rarely start there to go north and you'd need a shunt across the fasts to get to it I'm not sure what it'd be used for? The use of the parcels dock as a cycle area is probably more use!
Click to expand...
As 87015 said, it was only ever a parcels dock anyway.
 
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87015

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Pretty sure you could get a 12 car in so it had value for stabling still late on in its days but not much good once the middle shunt to get there was taken out I suppose.
 
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LMS 4F

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The shed at Bletchley in steam days was very close to the first platform and could as I recall be seen at least in part from that site. It maybe something to do with that. I've no idea when the shed closed, I last saw it in about 1960. Now part of it is the two storey car park.
 
Ladder23

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eMeS said:
Sorry can't oblige - my vague memories are that after parking my car, I was on my way to buy a ticket which took precedence!
Click to expand...

I have found a photo on flickr of 350239 stabled there.

Is it ok to share flickr pics on here or is permission needed from the photographer?
 
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Merle Haggard

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I've been thinking about the question raised in the OP (what was the point of a North facing bay at Bletchley?) and accessing the recesses of my memorybank back to trainspotting days up to 60 years ago, and I think I have the answer.
I'm pretty sure that the track concerned was originally a through track, and the platform extended to the same length as the other platforms. It was used for Bletchley - Oxford services.
When it existed in this form, the station building was (obviously!) East of these platforms but when the new station block was built it was constructed across the middle of this formation. Presumably, the reason for this was so that the existing station facilities could remain in use until the new building was complete. I'm not sure when this happened, though.
As an aside, the line now referred to as 'Oxford - Cambridge' it was largely operated as two services, one each side of Bletchley, possibly to avoid crossing the main line.
 
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LMS 4F

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Merle Haggard said:
I've been thinking about the question raised in the OP (what was the point of a North facing bay at Bletchley?) and accessing the recesses of my memorybank back to trainspotting days up to 60 years ago, and I think I have the answer.
I'm pretty sure that the track concerned was originally a through track, and the platform extended to the same length as the other platforms. It was used for Bletchley - Oxford services.
When it existed in this form, the station building was (obviously!) East of these platforms but when the new station block was built it was constructed across the middle of this formation. Presumably, the reason for this was so that the existing station facilities could remain in use until the new building was complete. I'm not sure when this happened, though.
As an aside, the line now referred to as 'Oxford - Cambridge' it was largely operated as two services, one each side of Bletchley, possibly to avoid crossing the main line.
Click to expand...
It is 60 years since I went train spotting at Bletchley. I recall that there was the occasional through service from Oxford to Cambridge and reverse. The busiest part of the route was Bletchley to Bedford and return.
I also recall a Service to Banbury Merton Street and certainly used it once to go to and see some Western region stuff.
 
Ladder23

Ladder23

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LMS 4F said:
It is 60 years since I went train spotting at Bletchley. I recall that there was the occasional through service from Oxford to Cambridge and reverse. The busiest part of the route was Bletchley to Bedford and return.
I also recall a Service to Banbury Merton Street and certainly used it once to go to and see some Western region stuff.
Click to expand...

You should go back and see the difference today, you may be surprised! From videos it once looked very lively
 
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Bletchleyite

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Ladder23 said:
You should go back and see the difference today, you may be surprised! From videos it once looked very lively
Click to expand...

"Bleak" is probably the best description of it these days. The grey metal of the lift towers really "adds" to the feeling. It has a certain backwater "charm" though, and does have the benefit that the building is open for the full period of service as there is no other public entrance/exit - and now there is security always on site the bogs mostly are too.
 
Ladder23

Ladder23

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Bletchleyite said:
"Bleak" is probably the best description of it these days. The grey metal of the lift towers really "adds" to the feeling. It has a certain backwater "charm" though, and does have the benefit that the building is open for the full period of service as there is no other public entrance/exit - and now there is security always on site the bogs mostly are too.
Click to expand...

Bleak fits well, it’s a dull place, I would like to travel back some years to see it in its hay day when the parcels bay etc wasn’t being used.
 
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LMS 4F

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LMS 4F said:
It is 60 years since I went train spotting at Bletchley. I recall that there was the occasional through service from Oxford to Cambridge and reverse. The busiest part of the route was Bletchley to Bedford and return.
I also recall a Service to Banbury Merton Street and certainly used it once to go to and see some Western region stuff.
Click to expand...
I was there the other week to catch a Euston service as the Midland Main line was closed. It was certainly very functional but busy nevertheless.
I'm afraid a lot of the network is nothing like I remember it and a lot has of course gone altogether. The trains are much more comfortable though, in the main.
 
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Merle Haggard

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LMS 4F said:
It is 60 years since I went train spotting at Bletchley. I recall that there was the occasional through service from Oxford to Cambridge and reverse. The busiest part of the route was Bletchley to Bedford and return.
Click to expand...

Yes, looking at the 1962 t/t I have, there were 3 through from Cambridge to Oxford and (oddly) 2 in the other direction. One of the latter was at 9pm calling only at Bedford between Cambridge and Bletchley; possibly primarily for mails. Looking back with regret on those days I focussed my interest entirely on engine numbers. I have no memory of the services that went through apart from the appearance of 'boring' new Brush type 2s from the Cambridge direction and being disappointed that I had missed the Cambridge D16s by a matter of only months.

It's probably half forgotten now that the reason the Bletchley - Bedford section of the line survived was not because of its higher traffic levels but because United Counties could not provide a replacement bus service, for several reasons. These problems delayed closure forward to a time when attitudes had changed.
 
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LMS 4F

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Merle Haggard said:
Yes, looking at the 1962 t/t I have, there were 3 through from Cambridge to Oxford and (oddly) 2 in the other direction. One of the latter was at 9pm calling only at Bedford between Cambridge and Bletchley; possibly primarily for mails. Looking back with regret on those days I focussed my interest entirely on engine numbers. I have no memory of the services that went through apart from the appearance of 'boring' new Brush type 2s from the Cambridge direction and being disappointed that I had missed the Cambridge D16s by a matter of only months.

It's probably half forgotten now that the reason the Bletchley - Bedford section of the line survived was not because of its higher traffic levels but because United Counties could not provide a replacement bus service, for several reasons. These problems delayed closure forward to a time when attitudes had changed.
Click to expand...
Merle Haggard said:
Yes, looking at the 1962 t/t I have, there were 3 through from Cambridge to Oxford and (oddly) 2 in the other direction. One of the latter was at 9pm calling only at Bedford between Cambridge and Bletchley; possibly primarily for mails. Looking back with regret on those days I focussed my interest entirely on engine numbers. I have no memory of the services that went through apart from the appearance of 'boring' new Brush type 2s from the Cambridge direction and being disappointed that I had missed the Cambridge D16s by a matter of only months.

It's probably half forgotten now that the reason the Bletchley - Bedford section of the line survived was not because of its higher traffic levels but because United Counties could not provide a replacement bus service, for several reasons. These problems delayed closure forward to a time when attitudes had changed.
Click to expand...
The best working in my time mid to late 50s was an afternoon Bletchley- Bedford St Johns return which often produced a loco fresh out of Wolverton works. I recall a Jubilee on one occasion and a variety of power as a change from our normal fare of a Fowler or standard tank on that service. At other times once a day a Cambridge train would produce an LNER loco. Eland springs to mind which I think was a B1 or suchlike.
 
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Merle Haggard said:
I've been thinking about the question raised in the OP (what was the point of a North facing bay at Bletchley?) and accessing the recesses of my memorybank back to trainspotting days up to 60 years ago, and I think I have the answer.
I'm pretty sure that the track concerned was originally a through track, and the platform extended to the same length as the other platforms. It was used for Bletchley - Oxford services.
When it existed in this form, the station building was (obviously!) East of these platforms but when the new station block was built it was constructed across the middle of this formation. Presumably, the reason for this was so that the existing station facilities could remain in use until the new building was complete. I'm not sure when this happened, though.
As an aside, the line now referred to as 'Oxford - Cambridge' it was largely operated as two services, one each side of Bletchley, possibly to avoid crossing the main line.
Click to expand...

You can see this clearly here: https://maps.nls.uk/view/101449297#zoom=6&lat=3674&lon=5024&layers=BT
 
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Tom Quinne

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Down Fast Holding Siding, former parcels platform then later used to stable the WC Class 57 thunderbird and Silverlink / London Midland sets upto 12 cars.

Not sure if it’s still there though?
 
Ladder23

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I am desperate to find photographs of the class 350's in there - can anyone help
 
DarloRich

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Ladder23 said:
I have found a photo on flickr of 350239 stabled there.

Is it ok to share flickr pics on here or is permission needed from the photographer?
Click to expand...

this one: Bletchley by DarloRich2009, on Flickr

I don't think i have any other ones actually

Bletchleyite said:
"Bleak" is probably the best description of it these days. The grey metal of the lift towers really "adds" to the feeling. It has a certain backwater "charm" though, and does have the benefit that the building is open for the full period of service as there is no other public entrance/exit - and now there is security always on site the bogs mostly are too.
Click to expand...

It is bloody bleak some days! Always cold and damp.
 
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