Banbury - all the changes

L&Y Robert · 14 Jul 2015

HowardGWR said:
In the photo, the sidings track work looks like it was laid by Gromit, similar to my old Triang train set on the carpet. That is a very nasty kink, so it seems, in the inner one. Did any rolling stock ever actually pass over it?

Yes it does - the Lefarge "Stone Train". That's the one with conveyor system under all the wagons and a discharge boom at the end. It comes down from Mount Sorrel quarries onto the Up Loop and into Banbury, then engine runs round and brings the train back up the Down Loop to be shunted down the wobbly siding. It comes every week -sometimes twice in the week and discharges into the nearby storage bins. The material goes out in lorries, sometimes "as it is", sometimes as "Blacktop" for roadworks. There is a bitumen coating plant on the site. It's a very busy place.

On 9th October 2012 the stone train reversed too far down the long siding and pushed the buffer stop off, damaging and derailing the last vehicle. I posted a note about it, but haven't been able to find it (short of time).

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BanburyBlue · 14 Jul 2015

So, looking at the piccies, does the Lafarge stone train always use the same siding? And if so, if the other superfluous?

Overload · 14 Jul 2015

It is split into two portions using both sidings if I remember right.

didcot · 14 Jul 2015

Sometimes its runs with 30 wagons, other times its 40. You can make out in the photo during unloading at this particular point the train is split into 3 portions (Sorry not sure how to make photo larger)

L&Y Robert · 15 Jul 2015

L&Y Robert said:
Today (13/07/2015) I saw that the points Up Main to Up Loop are in and appear operational, but both sets of points which make the new facing crossover are missing rails (the curved bits in the four-foot). The same is true of the Down Loop into Down Main points, but the corresponding turnout from the Down Loop is missing entirely, so there's a lot to do still. There was a team (of 7) orange-clad persons scratching about there yesterday.

There was indeed track-work of some sort to the south of the station yesterday, a long spoil train in evidence on the Down, and plant and equipment moving about beyond Banbury South signal box. It is difficult to get near this area without trespassing - I went as far as I legitimately could. I did see, however, that work has started on Chiltern's train maintenance and storage facility on the old steam shed site; a site office established, generator installed and running, access ways opened up for plant and deliveries, and some site clearance done.

Looking again at the pic. by OneTrackMind the signal gantry governing the Down Main and exit from the Down Loop will be in the wrong place for the new layout. Will there be some new signals installed further south - i.e. nearer the camera?

MarkyT · 15 Jul 2015

L&Y Robert said:
Looking again at the pic. by OneTrackMind the signal gantry governing the Down Main and exit from the Down Loop will be in the wrong place for the new layout. Will there be some new signals installed further south - i.e. nearer the camera?

That would make sense. The new down direction signals should be at least standard overlap distance (200m) south of the new crossovers.

The Planner · 15 Jul 2015

Vast amounts of signals move and dissapear, too many to list but that gantry gets binned as the turnout moves further south.

DesignerMatt · 10 Aug 2015

Hey guys, sorry to kind of resurrect this post.

I'm currently working on this, just wondered if anyone has any photos of the progress on the depot?

Regards
Matt

BanburyBlue · 11 Aug 2015

Hi, no photo's. On my journey past the site last week, apart from a fence and a portacabin, not much visible seems to be happening.

Of course i'm not a builder, so assume a lot of ground works are required first?

DesignerMatt · 12 Aug 2015

BanburyBlue said:
Hi, no photo's. On my journey past the site last week, apart from a fence and a portacabin, not much visible seems to be happening.

Of course i'm not a builder, so assume a lot of ground works are required first?

No problem, we're organising site visits soon anyway. I guess you're right that there'll be a lot of ground works before any work commences, I'm no expert on this either as I'm S&T. Although stage 1 is meant to be commissioned in less than a year so they'll have to get a wriggle on..

swt_passenger · 12 Aug 2015

DesignerMatt said:
No problem, we're organising site visits soon anyway. I guess you're right that there'll be a lot of ground works before any work commences, I'm no expert on this either as I'm S&T. Although stage 1 is meant to be commissioned in less than a year so they'll have to get a wriggle on..

Given its previous use as a loco depot the council may have requested any ground contamination to be sorted out?

DesignerMatt · 13 Aug 2015

swt_passenger said:
Given its previous use as a loco depot the council may have requested any ground contamination to be sorted out?

I imagine so. My knowledge is limited as I'm (we're) only dealing with the interface signalling between the Siemens mainline and the depot signalling system.

MarkyT · 13 Aug 2015

DesignerMatt said:
I imagine so. My knowledge is limited as I'm (we're) only dealing with the interface signalling between the Siemens mainline and the depot signalling system.

What's the extent of the depot signalling? Will the internal siding points be power worked?

DesignerMatt · 24 Aug 2015

MarkyT said:
What's the extent of the depot signalling? Will the internal siding points be power worked?

Yeah the points look like they're going to be power worked by machine.

Depot signalling goes from stop boards at the entrance. Routes into the depot are given by a slot from the depot.

didcot · 7 Sep 2015

its probably 40 years since they renumbered the platforms at Banbury from 1-6 to 1-4 and over 25 years since a scheduled train started from it but the northbound bay has been renumbered 1B about 18 months before its due to taken out of use!

BanburyBlue · 11 Sep 2015

So, when you say renumbered, is this at the station itself? Must be a reason for this?

L&Y Robert · 9 Nov 2015

There is a lot going to happen at Banbury, but nothing seems to be happening right now.
When is work going to start on the Platform 4 and its loop? Do we know if anything is happeneng on the depôt site? Has the facing crossover and the down loop to down main crossover by the stone terminal been finished? When do we expect to lose our lovely semaphores? - and the signal boxes themselves? Questions, questions!

BanburyBlue · 9 Nov 2015

I travelled past the depot site last Friday, and there is definitely work going on there. Looks like ground clearance type work. And it looks like some track has been removed from the Cattle Sidings area.

There always seem to be a lot of railway engineers around but like you it would be nice to know what is going to be happening when. From a project planning perspective there are a few dependencies aren't there? For example, The new signalling needs to be working before they demolish Banbury South Box, but looking at previous diagrams the box needs to be demolished to allow for the new improved down loop entry into platform 1.

I can't remember when everything is supposed to completed, but I would have thought more progress would be happening by now.

didcot · 22 Nov 2015

Track work being carried out 22 November at Banbury Junction

L&Y Robert · 27 Nov 2015

didcot said:
Track work being carried out 22 November at Banbury Junction

I had a quick look from the bridge this afternoon (Wed.23). As didcot;2371246's picture shows, the Down loop to Down Main points are in (but not yet operational) the two stone sidings now connect together before connecing to the Down Loop (soon to become the Down Loop Headshunt); also it looks as though the Up Main has been relaid from the Up Loop points southward (dunno how far), and maybe the Down Loop has been relaid as well.
Well, we're getting there, bit at a time.
There's a lot of material and equipment in the compound on the west side of the lines, and what looks very like a 'Bogie Bolster' wagon aginst the buffers of the lesser stone siding.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

One can get a good view of works up by the stone terminal from Grimsbury bridge, but works to the south of the station are not so easy to see. Anybody know what's happening there?

150219 · 27 Nov 2015

BanburyBlue said:
So, when you say renumbered, is this at the station itself? Must be a reason for this?

If there are any trains that are using the Down North Bay in passenger service, then the platform indicator screens will show 1B (i.e. Platform 1, Bay). The main reason is to easily distinguish it from the remarks row on the screens otherwise showing "that little platform in between Platforms 1 & 2".

The platform number (originally Platform 2) was removed during rationalisation, although I'm not sure of the exact date.

One of the operational problems with the platform is that trains terminating at Banbury have no direct access, which is similar to Platform 1 at Leamington Spa. Any arrivals from the north have to come into Platform 3 and then reverse via the ground signals along the Down Main or Down Goods to come back in again.

Usual margins to achieve this during the timetabled service are few, but during engineering work there is an ideal opportunity to do so.

The Down North Bay has been variously used to stable Thunderbird locomotives, during the lead-up to Operation Princess and before the full use of the Voyager fleet. After that point, Chiltern have used it overnight and during the day to stable units waiting for their next turn of duty.

L&Y Robert said:
There is a lot going to happen at Banbury, but nothing seems to be happening right now.
When is work going to start on the Platform 4 and its loop? Do we know if anything is happeneng on the depot site? Has the facing crossover and the down loop to down main crossover by the stone terminal been finished? When do we expect to lose our lovely semaphores? - and the signal boxes themselves? Questions, questions!

The site of the former MPD has been undergoing work for the past few weeks. If I've understood correctly, I believe that the former turntable pit was the first thing to be filled in towards the back of the site (nearest the River Cherwell, furthest away from the running line). Note the area of light coloured stone/gravel.

This week has seen some of the shed roads being cleared of overgrown vegetation/earth.

Most of the recent periods of engineering work have concentrated on new point ends/crossovers being installed. Some of which are visible from public road bridges, but others only seen from riding on the trains.

There are a lot more pieces of new infrastructure to go in (and obviously the old pieces to take out). Safe to say that the semaphores will be around for a few months more yet.

BanburyBlue · 28 Nov 2015

Interesting. When I was a kid (many years ago) the bay was called platform 2bay. I think it was only timetabled for one train, an early morning DMU to Birmingham Moor Street. Apart from that it was used for the parcels wagon.

I would have thought that if it was being used as a formal platform, even if just for temporary use during engineering works, a sign would be erected with the platform number on it.

On the other changes theme, I see a Planning notice has gone up to request demolition of Banbury North box.

nottinghamcity · 11 Dec 2015

L&Y Robert said:
By a strange co-incidence just now they are re-conductoring the line of electricity pylons which crosses the site. Nobody there, either.

Believe it or not, that particular section into the substation was delayed a number of times, waiting for ... A rail possession!

This is an extensive route starting at East Claydon, near Buckingham, and going via Banbury, and there was plenty going on in other sections!

XC victim · 16 Dec 2015

Does anyone know when the works will be completed and which platform the FGW and Chiltern will use for trains terminating and starting at Banbury once the works are complete?

The Planner · 16 Dec 2015

It should be August Bank holiday 2016. They will turn back in the loop platforms.

BanburyBlue · 20 Dec 2015

Is there any idea what is going to be happening when?

So far apart from the track works at Banbury Junction, the ground works for the new shed and some bits and bobs of track removal around the station it seems very quiet. Does always seem to be a lot if rail engineers floating around though.

I mean there will need to be some major track works in the station, the resignalling itself followed by the demolition of at least the South box, as well as the building of the new platform 4.

didcot · 3 Jan 2016

The UGL being relaid today

DesignerMatt · 19 Jan 2016

BanburyBlue said:
Is there any idea what is going to be happening when?

So far apart from the track works at Banbury Junction, the ground works for the new shed and some bits and bobs of track removal around the station it seems very quiet. Does always seem to be a lot if rail engineers floating around though.

I mean there will need to be some major track works in the station, the resignalling itself followed by the demolition of at least the South box, as well as the building of the new platform 4.

It's going to be tight to get all of the works done for the blockade!

The first stage of the depot is due to be commissioned then.

BanburyBlue · 20 Jan 2016

DesignerMatt said:
It's going to be tight to get all of the works done for the blockade!

The first stage of the depot is due to be commissioned then.

So when is the blockade?

The Planner · 20 Jan 2016

Back end of summer, July beginning of August though it is likely to get shifted a week because of the works at Hinksey.

Banbury - all the changes

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