As
Pablo has pointed out, Wolverton Works lies on the old London and Birmingham Railway route. The main line was diverted around the Works when it became obvious that it was undesirable for the Main Line to pass right through the middle of the Works. The former trackbed can be seen at each end of the Works. This also explains why Wolverton station is situated on a curve.
I understand that when the route was quadrupled at the time of the Crimea War, the facing connections with the Fast lines were removed and a short tunnel was constructed underneath the Fast lines to give access to and from the Slow lines.
Travelling northwards just after the Blue Bridge, the Slow lines split to reveal a headshunt. This headshunt leads northwards and descends into a deep cutting where there is a connection which leads into a short tunnel underneath the Fast lines and into the Works as described above. This was called the Wolverton Incline Line / Siding. It continues northwards from this point to rise back up to surface level where it runs into what are called the Wolverton Centre Sidings.
There are trailing connections from the Centre Sidings to both the Up Slow and the Down Slow.
The Centre Sidings themselves were controlled from Wolverton Shunt Frame (now demolished), with Releases provided from Bletchley PSB. The Shunt Frame was only normally manned one shift, and if necessary opened up specially when a Royal Train was running. Outside of these times there was no access to the Centre Sidings.
The normal method of working was that a train would arrive and shunt back into the Centre Sidings. The locomotive would then detach and couple up to its return working.
The incoming and outgoing stock was tripped to and from the Works by the Works shunter, an 08 allocated at Bletchley TMD which was tripped to and from there on a Saturday morning for maintenance, fuel, etc.
It was only usual for the Royal Train locomotive to go into the Works, although obvioiusly it was possible and was done.
In the 1970s and 80s as I recall, there was a service from Ilford CS to Wolverton Works conveying EMUs which I think ran MWFo, and an Old Oak Common to Wolverton Works which ran TTHo and conveyed coaching stock.
There was also a Willesden CS to Crewe Works service which called in at Wolverton Centre Sidings to collect rollling stock running to Crewe Works with onwards connection to Glasgow St Rollox Works. I recall this ran more on an as required (Q path) basis.
In the 1980s there used to be a a wagon service from the Continent to Wolverton to the then new distribution centre. I have a feeling this was tripped to Wolverton on a Monday morning having come down on an early morning service from Willesden. This service also conveyed Spanish onion and wine traffic for Aylesbury, which was tripped over there on a Saturday morning.
The attached Youtube video gives as best an visualisation of the layout in the Centre Sidings and the Incline as I can find right now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOxcpNYh18c
I hope the above is of some use, although sadly the passing of time blurs the memory somewhat with regards to precise train services, however the operations were exactly as described.
