Oxford-Bletchley Historic Timetables?

[route:oxford]

Back in the olden days, there was an East-West rail link between Oxford & Bletchley. There is often talk of re-opening the link.

Does anyone have an old timetable that shows the timings between Bletchley (or even Milton Keynes) and Oxford either for steam or diesel/dmu operation?

Please don't go to a lot of effort and type in a full timetable just a sample fast/semi-fast service.

Thanks

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Back in the days of the Big 4, was this LMS or GWR? Also, when did it close, I may be able to help if the answer to the second is 1965+.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Foud in 1960 GWR timetable:

8 from Oxford, 8 from Banbury Merton St, most called at Verney Junction, then onwards to Bletchley, some ran non-stop from Oxford. The level of service at intermediate stations isn't clear.

 

[route:oxford]

Back in the days of the Big 4, was this LMS or GWR? Also, when did it close, I may be able to help if the answer to the second is 1965+.

I believe it closed some time in the late 60s, so 1965ish might be about right.

 

[krus_aragon]

LNWR December 1896 timetable:

Bletchley - Oxford: dep 0830, 1015, 1355, 1615, 1840, 2115, journey time ~70 minutes. Sunday: dep 1135 only.

Oxford - Bletchley: dep 0750, 0945, 1200, 1420, 1645, 1925, journey time 65~75 minutes. Sunday: dep 1920 only.

 

[Oliver]

Back in the olden days, there was an East-West rail link between Oxford & Bletchley. There is often talk of re-opening the link.

Does anyone have an old timetable that shows the timings between Bletchley (or even Milton Keynes) and Oxford either for steam or diesel/dmu operation?

Please don't go to a lot of effort and type in a full timetable just a sample fast/semi-fast service.

Thanks

I'm not sure any of the services would count as "fast". In my Sept 1957 Bradshaw, it's split into two services: L65 is Bletchley to Oxford, L66 is Bletchley to Cambridge.

There are four through services each weekday. e.g. 07.37 from Cambridge arrives Oxford at 10.32, stopping at 23 intermediate stations. Typical journey time 2hr 40min for 77.5 miles.

There are more trains over parts of the route, and several trains running from Bletchley to Verney Junc and thence to Banbury.

About five years ago a budding young entrepreneur started an air service from Cambridge Airport to somewhere a few miles from Oxford, on the basis that the dons of Cambridge would wish to fly to the "other place". They didn't.

 

[andyfrommk]

Back in the olden days, there was an East-West rail link between Oxford & Bletchley. There is often talk of re-opening the link.

Does anyone have an old timetable that shows the timings between Bletchley (or even Milton Keynes) and Oxford either for steam or diesel/dmu operation?

Please don't go to a lot of effort and type in a full timetable just a sample fast/semi-fast service.

Thanks

I ordered this book on the 8th
When Waterstones call to tell me its in I will scan the timetables that appear in it.
(I assume it will have timetables in because the Wolverton to Newport Pagnell Railway book by the same author did)

Milton Keynes was opened in 1982, and Oxford trains terminated at Bletchley in bay platforms

 

[route:oxford]

Thanks for the replies.

I had no idea that the journey took so long. 70(ish) minutes for a 35(ish) mile journey is a fairly long time - it's not as if the route is particularily bendy or hilly. It had also escaped my memory that MK Central didn't open until 1982.

It's no wonder that people drove to MK instead (and went via London to Cambridge).

Hopefully money will be found to fund the "£5m pilot scheme to assess the feasibility of building a multi-million pound link through Reading, Oxford, Bicester, Milton Keynes, and Bedford, together with a branch to Aylesbury."

The chap who started the failed Oxford-Cambridge airline also tried to start a service operating between Oxford-Newcastle-Edinburgh, it also failed. Police investigated.

 

[dzug2]

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/sites.shtml is a useful site - some of the entries have timetable extracts reproduced. Have a look at Bedford St Johns - there's one there for 1950

 

[flymo]

From the 1922 Bradshaws

Mon - Sat Sundays
Bletch d 0835 1010 1150 1210 1320 1630 1920 2055 1030 1400 1740
Oxford a 0955 1129 1233 1329 1438 1750 2046 2158 1144 1524 1853

Oxford d 0725 0915 1130 1355 1510 1640 1905 2310 1225 1600 1930
Bletch a 0838 1031 1246 1513 1607 1756 2026 0009 1340 1718 2042

Most were all or most stations except the 1150 Bletchley - Oxford and the 1510 Oxford - Bletchley which were expresses. 1150 called only at Bicester and the 1510 only at Bicester and Winslow.

Mileage in the timetable is quoted as 31 miles

Hope this is of interest.

 

[route:oxford]

From the 1922 Bradshaws

Mon - Sat Sundays
Bletch d 0835 1010 1150 1210 1320 1630 1920 2055 1030 1400 1740
Oxford a 0955 1129 1233 1329 1438 1750 2046 2158 1144 1524 1853

Oxford d 0725 0915 1130 1355 1510 1640 1905 2310 1225 1600 1930
Bletch a 0838 1031 1246 1513 1607 1756 2026 0009 1340 1718 2042

Most were all or most stations except the 1150 Bletchley - Oxford and the 1510 Oxford - Bletchley which were expresses. 1150 called only at Bicester and the 1510 only at Bicester and Winslow.

Mileage in the timetable is quoted as 31 miles

Hope this is of interest.

Thanks

No opportunity for commuting for a 9-5 going in either direction with those timetables!

 

[swt_passenger]

The expected time for Oxford - Milton Keynes is 41 min, in the latest East West Rail business case report, so about 35 min to Bletchley perhaps - and at least 2 tph?

All the info is in here:

http://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/reports/documents/EWRGRIP4BusinessCaseExecutiveSummaryJuly2010.pdf

which is probably a bit more relevant to future commutes than pre-closure timetables...

 

[andyfrommk]

It's no wonder that people drove to MK instead

Milton Keynes was designated a new town at the beginning of 1967 and the Varsity line was closed at the end of 1967 so not much overlap.

Lots of info on the Varsity Line here

 

[Bevan Price]

For much of its life, Oxford - Bletchley - Cambridge was treated as 2 separate branches from Bletchley. By 1964, there was a very limited express service between Cambridge & Oxford.

Westbound:-
Cambridge 10:43
Bedford St Johns 11:24
Bletchley 11:46 - 11:52
Winslow 12:04
Bicester London Road 12:22
Oxford 12:42

Cambridge 19:01
Bedford St. Johms 19:41
Bow Brickhill 19:59
Bletchley 20:09 - 20:11
Bicester London Road 20:36
Islip 20:45
Oxford 20:58

There were only 2 other westbound through trains, Cambridge dep 14:12 calling at most stations, and 21:16 (SX) semi-fast.

Eastbound:-
Oxford 09:44
Islip 09:57
Bicester London Road 10:06
Bletchley 10:35 - 10:38
Bedford St. Johns 10:58 - 10:59
Blunham 11:14
Cambridge 11:43

Plus 2 "most stations" trains, Oxford dep 07:57 and 14:48 (SX) or 14:55 (SO), taking about an hour to Bletchley and 2½ hours to Cambridge.

Everything else covered only parts of the line, not the full route. There was no Sunday service.

Bevan

 

[Peter KS]

Okay guys here is my
FANTASY BRISTOL – NORWICH Through-train timetable

I am assuming the Oxford to Cambridge line were to be reopened and there was a regular through - train from Bristol Temple Meads to Norwich using the line. I have had to guestimate some of the timings but I think it might look something like this:

Bristol...............0700
Bath................ 0711
Swindon............0740
Didcot...............0758 connection from the 0726 from Reading
Oxford...............0815 connection from the 0653 from Worcester
Bicester.............0830
Bletchley............0900 change for Milton Keynes (arr 0915)
Bedford..............0920 change for Leicester (arr 1048)
Cambridge..........1005 change for Ipswich (arr 1128)
Ely....................1019
Norwich..............1120

This would give a journey time from Bristol to Norwich of 4 hours 20 minutes. This compares with 4 hours 50 minutes via London and avoiding the inconvenience of using the London Underground. For other journeys the time savings would be even greater, for example Swindon to Milton Keynes, Worcester to Cambridge, Oxford to Norwich etc.

I know it is a fantasy and could never happen. For a start it would require a dozen or so trains to operate the route with an hourly service. Where would we get the trains? Didn’t we once build trains in Britain ? May be I’m dreaming.

 

[andyfrommk]

Bletchley............0900 change for Milton Keynes (arr 0915)

An Oxford to Bletchley service would probably continue onto Milton Keynes (if there were paths available) because:

• The current plan of high level platforms on the flyover would be a bad place to dwell for a terminating train, other TOCs may want to use the line
• There doest seem to be anywhere to switch the train onto the return line apart from further down the line which is halfway to MKC anyway
• There is a Bay platform at Milton Keynes which I believe was constructed with the eastwest rail link in mind, currently only the Southern service to East Croyden uses it