European Railroad Discussion > Banbury Diversions and other stories

Back on July 23rd Duncan Watry (dwatry) and I spent the morning in and around Banbury, a large town some 70 miles N-NW of London on the former GW (now Chiltern and XC) mainline. Work was on-going preparing for the abolition of the two GWR mechanical signalboxes which was due to start the following Saturday, July 30th and would be marked by a week's blockade, resulting in major changes to passenger services and the diversion of all freight trains. The Banbury blockade finished on schedule on Sunday August 7th but was replaced by a further week of planned work at Oxford in connection with GW electrification, so although Chiltern trains were back to normal, freight services were still diverted. For me this has meant that intermodal trains between Southampton and West Yorkshire - the terminals at Wakefield and Leeds - have been diverted via London and the East Coast Mainline, one of which, the Leeds to Southampton 4O55, runs through my part of London at a very railfan friendly time, between 18:00 and 19:00. So here's a selection of the pictures I've taken over the past couple of weeks. The diversions come to an end this weekend so come Monday everything will be back to normal.

1: start off in Banbury and a shot of Banbury North box on July 23rd, one of two which were abolished the following weekend. The train is the 4O90 Leeds to Southampton, one of those that would be diverted through London come the following weekend
2: Fast forward to Monday August 1st, the weather was scheduled to deteriorate during the afternoon but I still took my camera and lenses to work and on the way home headed a bit beyond my normal stop, to Winchmore Hill on the Hertford Loop, for this shot of the 4O55. I'll explain the geography. The Hertford Loop is a loop off the East Coast Mainline, from Alexandra Palace some 5 miles from King's Cross to Langley Junction, Stevenage. It's about 25 miles long. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hertford_Loop_Line Unlike the ECML it's something of a switchback as it makes its way through the Northern Heights, the folds of hills and dales which all north south railways to and from London have to penetrate.
3: Tuesday was particularly miserable but the rain had abated by the time I was on my way home, I stopped at Harringay for this shot of the 4O55 on Down Slow 2. It had just opened up after a signal check.
 

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4: On Wednesday I was back on my bike, the weather having set fair again, this time I stopped at Kentish Town West on my ride home, 4O55 recesses at Camden Road for some 25 minutes until 19:00, passing KTW a couple of minutes later. Today a 70 was in charge
5: I guessed this would be tight, no sooner had the last flat of the intermodal passed than 59102 Village of Chantry appeared on the 6L21 Whatley Quarry to Dagenham, itself a diversion away from the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.
6: Nothing on Thursday, but Friday dawned bright and clear and remained that way for much of the day. I stopped off at Kentish Town West mid afternoon on my way back from a meeting for a DBS Southampton to Wakefield intermodal, 4E69



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/16 03:44 by 86235.

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7: By the evening the sky was more cloudy and the sun more hazy. I rode to Winchmore Hill for another shot of 4O55, this time with a 300 mm lens. It still wasn't quite what I wanted but 66590 was very animated, shooting mucky exhaust into the air.
8: Saturday August 6th was another nice day, I went to Harringay first thing for a passenger extra taking weekenders to Edinburgh for the tattoo, 68005 Defiant was the motive power.
9: Later in the afternoon I rode to West Hampstead for another diversion, DBS 4O52 Wakefield to Southampton intermodal, it was rather sparsely loaded.

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Sunday 7th was spent out in rural Bedfordshire, I rode the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Guage Railway - a 2' gauge steam railway which was originally built in the years after WW1 to haul sand (and which was originally almost 100% internal combustion power).

10: Some of the motive power at Pages Park including two 0-6-0T built by O&K in Berlin and a 4-6-0 from Baldwin
11: Sunday was a two train service day, one was steam powered the other diesel. The steam loco was this diminuitive Bagnall built 0-4-0T Woto
12: I also took a side trip to Old Linsalde for the DRS operated Daventry to Purfleet intermodal which runs six days a week Sunday through Friday



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/16 07:56 by 86235.

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Back in London during the week I was a bit hamstrung by the Southern guards industrial dispute which affected my journey to and from work. Nevertheless I still managed some pictures
13: On Tuesday 9th I had a meeting in SE London stopping off at Camden Road on the way for the 4L89 and its inevitable class 86s
14: I had to change trains at Canonbury, to catch the East London Line to New Cross, whilst there I caught the 6L70 Heck to Bow, carrying Plasmor building materials, which was joining the North London Line from the spur which connects it to the East Coast Mainline. That's my train on the left.
15: The following day the light was a bit ho hum in the evening but i stopped off at Hornsey on my ride home from Blackfriars for the 4O55 just in case. It yielded 66528 Madge Elliot MBE - Borders Railway Opening 2015 in the new-ish Powerhaul livery

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16: Thursday 11th dawned dull. According to Realtimetrains there was an STP extra from Orton Mere (The interchange between Network Rail and the heritage Nene Valley Railway) to London Victoria. I had no idea what to expect, it turned out to be the Royal Scotsman luxury tour train behind GBRf 66746. You could hear the gnashing of teeth from the assembled commuters as the luxury assemblage drifted past. They had just tried, and mostly failed, to board the 08:26 to Moorgate which had turned up as a three car rather than six car train, and was already packed.
17: I was at a meeting in London for much of the day, getting home at about 5 and riding out to Winchmore Hill for my appointment with 4O55, just after 18:00. This time things came together. 66588 is climbing the grade from Grange Park
18: It crests the grade and puts on power



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/16 08:00 by 86235.

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On Friday 12th I had the day off work, it was one of the nicest days so far this summer here in London. I spent the day chasing trains, here are a couple of shots plus one from this morning to finish the sequence.
19: Not a diversion, its one of the few freight trains which still runs along the remaining stub of the Gospel Oak to Barking line, as far as South Tottenham. It's the 6L44 Tunstead to West Thurrock cement train, and its emerging from one of the tunnels on the spur from Carlton Road Junction on the Midland Mainline near Kentish Town to Junction Road Junction on the Goblin.
20: At Brondesbury on the North London Line I was within seconds of getting the loco on Chiltern's 13:10 Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street crossing 66505 on the diverted 4O54 Leeds to Southampton, a few seconds either way and it would have been a real catch. Ah well, you can't win 'em all
21: And finally, taken this morning just over an hour ago at Harringay, 60163 LNER designed A1 pacific Tornado on a railtour to Chesterfield.

Been a good couple of weeks.
A few more pictures here https://nick86235.smugmug.com/Trains/2016/Summer-2016/i-DSNmwJJ

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Excellent shots.  You actually photographed real freight trains in the UK.  Well done.

KG

I love British Railroads. Nice photos I wish I was there.

Great collection of photos, thank you.

Excellent!

kgmontreal Wrote:
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> Excellent shots.  You actually photographed real
> freight trains in the UK.  Well done.
>
> KG

I agree, but in fairness, Nick (86235) seems to do little else!

GREAT stuff....!!  Thanks.....

Thank you for posting these wonderful photos!
ALLEN

Thanks, despite what some may think I do try and hold down a job between pictures :-)

Like them all, but the Tornado photo just screams SPEED.....

Thx

AWESOME!!!!!!

Photobob loves British trains. I'm the other way round- a Brit who loves US railroads!