32. A spring morning walk & HS2 developmemts-19.05.22

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-2022 > 32. A spring morning walk & HS2 developmemts-19.05.22

An early morning walk enabled a photograph of one of the up Caledonian Sleepers services. This was followed by a raft of freights that were predominantly electric hauled. Later in the day my wife and I stopped off on our journey back from Bicester where I observed the latest HS2 developments at Newton Purcell near Finmere.
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88003, 04.00 Tilbury-DIRFT (4M77, 25E), Ashton Road bridge 88003 'Genesis' leads the 4M77 04.00 Tilbury to DIRFT 'Tesco Express' past Ashton Road bridge just south of Roade in Northamptonshire. This service, on arrival at DIRFT, is marshalled and then continues north as the 4S44 to Mossend usually led by the same locomotive, today was no exception with 88003 arriving at its Scottish destination at 19.56. Keywords: 88003 04.00 Tilbury-DIRFT 4M77 Ashton Road bridge Genesis
92043, CS 20.45 Inverness & 21.45 Aberdeen-London Euston (1M16, 1E), Ashton Road bridge 92043 brightens up a rather grey spring morning as it passes Roade, taken from Ashton Road bridge, leading the 1M16 sleeper. I would have been unhappy if I had been berthed in the final coach of the consist as one of the wheels had a severe flat that would have been felt and heard within the cabins! Keywords: 92043 20.45 Inverness 21.45 Aberdeen-London Euston 1M16 Ashton Road bridge GBRF Caledonian Sleeper
90043 & 90046, 04.10 Crewe Basford Hall-Felixstowe North (4L89, 4E), Victoria bridge On a dull spring day with predominantly green surroundings, a pair of Freightliner liveried Class 90s do not stand out particularly well! 90043 and 90046 make light work of the 4L89 04.10 Basford Hall to Felixstowe service as it passes Victoria bridge just south of Roade. It is noticeable how much faster the electric hauled services are rather than those operated by a Class 66 with them taking significantly less time to reach this location from Northampton some seven miles away. Keywords: 90043 90046 04.10 Crewe Basford Hall-Felixstowe North 4L89 Victoria bridge Freightliner
66715, 03.10 Felixstowe North-Trafford Park (4M18, 3E), Victoria bridge After a bright start to the morning, it has clouded up and now is a very grey with typical flat lighting! 66715 'Valour' leads the daily 4M18 03.10 Felixstowe to Trafford Park GBRf service. The well-loaded train is seen passing Victoria bridge between Roade and Ashton. Keywords: 66715 03.10 Felixstowe North-Trafford Park 4M18 Victoria bridge GBRf Valour
90012 & 90007, 02.50 Felixstowe North-Garston (4M45, 54E), Victoria bridge Despite Class 90s being relatively short locomotives, a pair does not quite fit properly within the framing of the overhead gantry at Victoria bridge just south of Roade. Genesee & Wyoming liveried 90012 and 90007 lead the 4M45 02.50 Felixstowe to Garston Freighliner service. Despite leaving the Felixstowe North terminal before the previous down freight service this one runs second to it following a lengthy stopover in Wembley Yard. Keywords: 90012 90007 02.50 Felixstowe North-Garston 4M45 Victoria bridge Genesee & Wyoming Freightliner
HS2 temporary bridge over A4421, Newton Purcell As part of the construction phase of HS2, a temporary bridge has been installed across the A4421 at Newton Purcell in Buckinghamshire. The bridge enables contractors to go about their work without interfering with the public roads. The rather utilitarian bridge has simply been dropped onto the previous GCR embankments and brickwork. To the immediate left is one of the many, now empty, buildings that have been compulsorily purchased by HS2, a process that has caused so much upset and angst. Keywords: HS2 temporary bridge over A4421 Newton Purcell Great Central Railway GCR
HS2 temporary bridge over A4421, Newton Purcell With thanks to Google Earth the old scene familiar to motorists travelling along the A4421 between Finmere and Bicester is seen in the inset photograph. It shows the original Great Central twin bridge that carried the line with the embankment to either side. This was also the location of Finmere station which was accessed from road level in between the two bridge decks. The old decks have been removed and a new and particularly unattractive bridge installed to allow HS2 construction traffic to go safely about their business. I have yet to see plans for the actual bridge that will be installed at this location but I suspect that the obvious structural strength and integrity of the early twentieth century GCR structures will not be enough as is the case now! Keywords: HS2 temporary bridge over A4421 Newton Purcell
Former GCR entrance to Finmere station, Newton Purcell The filled-in archway seen under the temporary HS2 bridge at Newton Purcell marked the entrance to the former Finmere station that closed on 04.03.63. In common with most of the Great Central's stations, they were built with island platforms permitting plenty of room on either side for track in line with them being constructed to the continental loading gauge; what forward-thinking that was back in Edwardian times! The small rectangles of what appears to be cement halfway up either side of the former entrance are in fact blocks of stone that a pair of substantial cast-iron gates were attached to closing off access to the station when it was closed to passengers. A very similar view to this one appears on the fantastic Disused Stations website, see..... http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/f/finmere/index.shtml Keywords: Former GCR entrance to Finmere station Newton Purcell GCR Great Central Railway
HS2 temporary bridge over A4421, Newton Purcell The GCR constructed a bridge to allow the now numbered A4421 at Newton Purcell to pass under their new London to the north railway in the last decade of the twentieth century. The brickwork has stood all that time but with the arrival of the controversial HS2 scheme, the contractors have had to knock it about in order to install a temporary bridge permitting their construction plant to pass above the busy road. Interestingly, the route of HS2 is following that of the GCR to the letter at this location as it does a number of other paces on its route from London; the Edwardian entrepreneurs got this railway absolutely right so it's such a shame that British Railways did not have the necessary vision to see its future worth when it as closed in the 1960s probably meaning HS2 would not be needed! Keywords: HS2 temporary bridge over A4421 Newton Purcell GCE Great Central Railway
HS2 under construction, Newton Purcell SP631311 Whilst I am a fan of HS2 I cannot help feeling a little edgy about its construction when I see scenes like this! This photograph was taken at Newton Purcell in Oxfordshire and looks roughly south showing the preparation of the ground for the line that will go from left to right between the trees. The environmental impact on the countryside, carbon emissions from the construction and the effect on residents affected by its construction are just for starters but I suppose that all these need to be seen in the context of its longer-term benefits. Keywords: HS2 under construction Newton Purcell SP631311
HS2 temporary bridge over A4421, Newton Purcell SP631311 Partially framed by the doorway of a derelict building at Newton Purcell a large and particularly ugly bridge is seen that spans the A4421 road. The bridge carries construction traffic over the road and marks the route of where HS2 will eventually lie whenever it is completed. In the meantime, local residents have to put up with the constant noise and inconvenience whilst the countryside is torn asunder all in the cause of saving a few minutes of travelling time! However, this must be viewed in the bigger picture of future-proofing travelling over the next hundred years and beyond and I suppose this is only what the Victorian (Edwardians in the case of the GCR) entrepreneurs did back in their time. Keywords: HS2 temporary bridge over A4421, Newton Purcell SP631311

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