Oxford -Bletchley freight: first diagram

[fishwomp]

I have not seen this posted elsewhere but:

Realtime Trains | 4M06 1201 Southampton Western Docks to Northampton Gateway A&D | 29/05/2025

Real-time train running information for 4M06 1201 departure from Southampton Western Docks to Northampton Gateway A&D on 29/05/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

From early May to December, there.is now a freight diagrammed - Southampton to Northampton.

I'm still hoping we will see more in due course. Or sooner .. - freight doesn't need to wait as long as the passenger service is doing due to rolling stock delays, type learning, and new drivers.

 

[XCTurbostar]

There is also a corresponding return in the early hours of the morning:

Realtime Trains | 4O01 0329½ Northampton Gateway Dbc to Southampton Western Docks | 24/07/2025

Real-time train running information for 4O01 0329½ departure from Northampton Gateway Dbc to Southampton Western Docks on 24/07/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Traction is a DB 66

It should be noted that there are other Freightliner paths from Northampton Gway but these run video Acton instead.

Realtime Trains | 4O04 1926 Northampton Gateway A&D to Southampton M.C.T. | 22/05/2025

Real-time train running information for 4O04 1926 departure from Northampton Gateway A&D to Southampton M.C.T. on 22/05/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[John R]

The locals in Winslow will enjoy that rumbling past at 4am!

 

[DarloRich]

I'm still hoping we will see more in due course. Or sooner

good spot! hopefully more to come

The locals in Winslow will enjoy that rumbling past at 4am!

they wont hear it after the first week!

 

[Class15]

I wouldn’t get your hopes up too much. A whole load of these Northampton Gateway paths don’t seem to work.

 

[matt]

I wouldn’t get your hopes up too much. A whole load of these Northampton Gateway paths don’t seem to work.

Northampton Gateway hasn't opened for rail freight traffic yet.

 

[DarloRich]

Infrastructure Monitoring trains are also running as per:

Realtime Trains | 2Q30 1155 Derby R.T.C.(Network Rail) to Derby R.T.C.(Network Rail) | 18/02/2025

Real-time train running information for 2Q30 1155 departure from Derby R.T.C.(Network Rail) to Derby R.T.C.(Network Rail) on 18/02/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Assume this is a 153 inspection/survey run

 

[Class15]

Northampton Gateway hasn't opened for rail freight traffic yet.

Understood. What I meant was that they clash with other services.

 

[The Planner]

Understood. What I meant was that they clash with other services.

Whereabouts?

 

[Class15]

Whereabouts?

4L05 appears to clash with 4L56

 

[snookertam]

4L05 appears to clash with 4L56

Freight schedules tend to be a lot more flexible as they don’t necessarily always require to run.

 

[The Planner]

4L05 appears to clash with 4L56

Where? If you mean 4L26 then its a Y path from Trafford Park, that isn't a clash.

 

[DarloRich]

not a freight but another rail tour this time with Hastings Diesels

https://www.hastingsdiesels.co.uk/railtours/2025-2eastwest

Our second railtour of 2025 is to Didcot Parkway, Oxford, Bicester Village, and onward to Milton Keynes.

This will for most be the first opportunity to sample the former Varsity Line 19-mile route from Bicester to Bletchley via Winslow; it closed to passengers in 1968, was mothballed in 1993, but has now been re-engineered as a 100-mph line; East West Rail is expected to re-open it fully later this year.

 

[Tw99]

not a freight but another rail tour this time with Hastings Diesels

https://www.hastingsdiesels.co.uk/railtours/2025-2eastwest

I bet that will be a popular trip.

 

[Class15]

Where? If you mean 4L26 then its a Y path from Trafford Park, that isn't a clash.

No it’s 4L56. The regular Trafford - Thames Gateway service that runs every weekday, which means that the new Northampton path can’t run at all.

 

[The Planner]

No it’s 4L56. The regular Trafford - Thames Gateway service that runs every weekday, which means that the new Northampton path can’t run at all.

Its a Y path as I said before, they both won't run.

 

[Deepgreen]

Apart from anything else it's slightly pleasing to see a train (possibly) running from Southampton to Northampton!

 

[Forty29]

Living in short walking distance from the line looking forward to seeing plenty of interesting workings. The Verney Venturer had plenty of spectators lineside on the 17th around the Bicester area.

 

[Class15]

Its a Y path as I said before, they both won't run.

What I mean is that inputting the Northampton path is surely pointless as the existing Trafford Park path runs every weekday, surely meaning the Northampton one can’t run.

 

[zwk500]

What I mean is that inputting the Northampton path is surely pointless as the existing Trafford Park path runs every weekday, surely meaning the Northampton one can’t run.

It protects the capacity, allows the FOC to chop and change the origin and/or destination if required, establishes the path & terminals as baseline and provides the FOC with clarity on what timings it can expect, so it can be flexible in it's offering to customers. Seems quite useful to have it sitting in the database!

If the FOC submitted short-term bids for variations to originate from Northampton or divert the Manchester to Southampton as required, there is every risk that they might get squeezed out by other operators submitting variations, or have inconsistent times one week from the next as different pressures in different areas come in. It also means it wouldn't necessarily be captured at a strategic level as a potential or active flow.