Disused abutments on A40

[theageofthetra]

Hi when leaving Oxford today south on the A40 before it becomes the M40, does anyone know what disused line the grey concrete abutments are about 5 miles or so south of Oxford? Cheers

 

[RPM]

The Wycombe Railway's former Oxford - Thame - Princes Risborough line, later part of the GWR.

 

[Eagle]

These ones. The road was built in about 1962, before the railway line closed, and wasn't widened when this bit of road became a spur of the M40 in 1991 (which also explains why the adjacent junction with the A418, also dating from 1962, has some of the tightest and narrowest sliproads on the motorway network).

 

[The Planner]

There was a central pier to that bridge, but it was removed with the M40 extension works. The road used to pass through a single brick arch bridge before the Wheatley bypass was opened.

 

[HowardGWR]

There was a central pier to that bridge, but it was removed with the M40 extension works. The road used to pass through a single brick arch bridge before the Wheatley bypass was opened.

I did not realise how easy it would be to reconnect the Thame line. Why, when it was the most direct line to London, was it allowed to die? Now we have a new expensive round-the-houses project to do the same it seems?

 

[The Planner]

Massively built on now, Chiltern did look briefly at using it as a route but soon gave up. It was only ever single line anyway.

 

[Eagle]

I did not realise how easy it would be to reconnect the Thame line.

Well no, quite a lot of the trackbed has been built over by now. For instance, right behind one of the abutments is Oxford Wheatley services, built in 1990 right on the line of the railway.

 

[relayer]

Hi when leaving Oxford today south on the A40 before it becomes the M40, does anyone know what disused line the grey concrete abutments are about 5 miles or so south of Oxford? Cheers

It hadPlank is god painted on it for years, Plank is Petr Clements Uberroady for genx

 

[jimm]

I did not realise how easy it would be to reconnect the Thame line. Why, when it was the most direct line to London, was it allowed to die? Now we have a new expensive round-the-houses project to do the same it seems?

Not this old nonsense again. As Eagle points out, there are things built on the trackbed, not just the service station but through the village of Wheatley, Horspath tunnel is a bat sanctuary and much of the formation was removed by farmers west of Thame after closure. Going via Bicester ticks far more boxes and at a far lower cost.

 

[mr_jrt]

If the line takes off, then eventually it will be back on the cards again. The section between Oxford and and Bicester will be quite a bottleneck with freight, EWR, and Chiltern services on it, and I doubt adding a 3rd or 4th track through the Wolvercote tunnel is any easier than finding a new alignment via Thame.

The two big factors in its favour are of course the fact it's a shorter route, it better serves a couple of significant population centres such as Thame & Wheatley, and that it approaches Oxford from the south - operationally something that should not be underestimated as it enables segregated bays for a start, and the ability to project further north without reversals for another.

 

[dysonsphere]

A quick on Google Earth shows a few large buildings on the trackbed, the motorway services and what appears to be a big chunk of Wheatly and also bunches of houses in a few other places so I dont think so. You would need a diversion around Wheatly at the very least. Can you imanige the Nimbys moaning.

 

[swt_passenger]

Appendix C of this part of the EG3 environment statement explains why the Thame route wasn't possible.

http://www.chiltern-evergreen3.co.uk/uploads/15d - Environmental Statement Volume 4.pdf

It's a massive file though...

 

[The Planner]

If the line takes off, then eventually it will be back on the cards again. The section between Oxford and and Bicester will be quite a bottleneck with freight, EWR, and Chiltern services on it, and I doubt adding a 3rd or 4th track through the Wolvercote tunnel is any easier than finding a new alignment via Thame.

It will never be on the cards again, give up on it. Oxford to Bicester won't be a bottleneck, it will be twin track, 100mph and 3 minute headways, you'll be able to chuck loads down there. Oxford to Didcot is where it will clog up.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

The Airfix kit type bridge over the A40 was recycled to Cwmbach on the Aberdare line back in the day when there was a slight diversion on the line.

BR being cost effective, at its best.

 

[RPM]

Definitely a dead duck now. In addition to what has already been mentioned, Horspath Tunnel is now a bat habitat and there is some encroachment onto the trackbed west of Thame station site as well. Removing the very popular Phoenix Trail would generate huge opposition too. It was only ever a single line, the Bicester option is far superior.

 

[L&Y Robert]

It will never be on the cards again, give up on it. Oxford to Bicester won't be a bottleneck, it will be twin track, 100mph and 3 minute headways, you'll be able to chuck loads down there. Oxford to Didcot is where it will clog up.

Oxford to Didcot used to be four track - most of the way, if not all. When I first came to Oxford in the early 60s they were dismantling the "Slow" up and down lines, even then rusty, overgrown and delapidated. Have a look at the formation - it is wide enough to re-lay them - I think all the way to Didcot. Couple of bridges over the Thames to widen, I think, but could be done. Won't be a bottleneck then.

 

[route:oxford]

Definitely a dead duck now. In addition to what has already been mentioned, Horspath Tunnel is now a bat habitat and there is some encroachment onto the trackbed west of Thame station site as well. Removing the very popular Phoenix Trail would generate huge opposition too. It was only ever a single line, the Bicester option is far superior.

Was all of it only ever single line?

Much of it looks double width from the Science Park through to BMW.

 

[jimm]

Oxford to Didcot used to be four track - most of the way, if not all. When I first came to Oxford in the early 60s they were dismantling the "Slow" up and down lines, even then rusty, overgrown and delapidated. Have a look at the formation - it is wide enough to re-lay them - I think all the way to Didcot. Couple of bridges over the Thames to widen, I think, but could be done. Won't be a bottleneck then.

No it wasn't. The wide formation ends at the former junction for the Abingdon branch and even then the main line only had two tracks through Radley station. Quite apart from new river bridges, you would have to build new stations at Radley, Appleford and Culham - where, in order to avoid the listed Brunel building, you would need a new road bridge for the A415 and would have to demolish the Railway Inn to boot.

Network Rail is not interested, due to the huge costs quadruple track to Didcot would mean, instead it is looking at track reinstatement north of Radley and alterations at the north end of Didcot, perhaps including loops, to enhance capacity.

 

[L&Y Robert]

No it wasn't. The wide formation ends at the former junction for the Abingdon branch and even then the main line only had two tracks through Radley station.

OK, thanks for putting me right. Ones' memory isn't too reliable sometimes, after all these years.