I did my work experience when I was 16 on Chiltern Railways back in 2002 and I did the High Wycombe to Paddington train with the guard I was with that day, the driver let me sit in the cab for a bit too which was epic. What an awesome week that was, I did train dispatching at Marylebone, ticket office at Bicester North & Marylebone and was even allowed to do some platform announcements at Marylebone which was amazing. A load of other things too, I bloody love the railways.
In the days when there was still an evening train from Paddington to Banbury, I took it to cover as much of the ex GWR/BJR route to Birkenhead as possible. It proved to be nearly all of it, apart from Birmingham to Wolverhampton and from Rock Ferry to Birkenhead Woodside,
Profound sadness to see this route so deliberately and brutally decimated as this was the most important (and profitable) high-speed mainline to Birmingham and onward to the north, this was the route of the 'Castles' and majestic 'Kings' as well as The Blue Pullman, going past South Ruislip it was common for the up expresses to tap at 90+ mph. the 'New Line' as we see here was along with the GC & GW cut off route was built to the finest engineering standards to lose out (Deliberately) to the Euston route and deprive Paddington with a direct Birmingham service which was so important for years, we see the results of this treatment as this Parliamentary service is quietly tucked away in a dark corner of Paddington instead of the Birmingham expresses which would blast into here, and The Blue Pullmans rolling in disgorging it's businessmen and well-heeled.......
Of course there will be engineering challenges and the need for cooperation between the companies involved, but I look forward to some Chiltern trains using this route giving the passengers direct access to HS2 and the Elizabeth Line and relieving some of the pressure on Marylebone. And, for people my age, giving a reminder of how important this route was in the 1950s.
Amazing that in 2011 there was full semaphore signalling and a working box at the Greenford triangle. See between 6:20 and 7:40. Little trace of the former GW Greenford station platforms (4 tracks with centre roads) and the Central Line station (with centre bay platform for Greenford shuttle) is only just visible on the right.
@@MichaelBeeny The Paddington service was very generously timed, so you could take it quite steadily and still arrive on time, or go a bit faster and end up being held at Royal Oak for several minutes.
Can't understand why the powers that be would let a valuable alternative route to Oxford and beyond fall apart like they have - but they have a track record of this of course, going back all the way to Beeching..
I think you will find this line goes to Banbury and not Oxford. In years gone by the route from Paddington to Banbury was used by expresses to Birmingham and Birkenhead to avoid Reading/Oxford. Services to Banbury from London are nowadays provided by Chiltern Railways and GWR no longer routes train to Banbury along this route. Whether this is a decision made by the GWR or the DfT who laid down the franchise is another matter.
@@andrewlong6438 Was not capacity at Paddington for West of England / South Wales the problem with not using Banbury and North as services to Paddington. Of course there is now Crossrail coming , which would free Paddington platforms
If Chiltern Railways didn’t want to operate a “Parliamentary service” from West Ruislip to West Ealing. Maybe operate a community railway scheme (open access) and to inherit the Class 230 Vivarail DMUs to operate the new service.
@@Andrewjg_89 no what I mean I why would a community rail group operate the line when their customers currently and probably still use London Underground so it would be classed as abstractive to London underground.. it wouldn't keep the cost of hire of the class 230
Why is HS2 burning through stupid money boring tunnels under west London when this alignment is sitting, rotting away? The tunnels on the London approaches aren't going to be at full speed anyway so might as well use this and save an awful lot of work and disruption shifting millions of tons of spoil and making the project slightly less absurdly over-engineered and over-priced.
Nimbys those wonderful upstanding members of society who possibly had a couple of inheritances, bought property when prices were sensible and had secure pensionable employment, possibly only the public sector is like that now. We have hope, some will be mortgaged up to the eyeballs and their cars etc will still have to be paid for if we finally have a total economic collapse. Welcome to the real world and see how most of us have to live Nimbys.
Bloody brilliant. Am I right in thinking that further back from WR there is a junction that allows access to the Central Line? My friend Nikki drives for Chiltern now.
Yes, there's a connection at the north end of West Ruislip, via a reversing siding. Used quite regularly for ballast deliveries and for occasional stock movements.
Thanks. Anybody know if this route is to be restored once the HS2 work at Old Oak Common is completed ? There is a proposal to use Old Oak Common as a second London terminal for Chiltern. Not much of a stretch to extend this to Paddington. Crossrail will add capacity to Paddington.
I understand if the funding is available the Northolt line will revert from single to double line into the new station at OOC and Chiltern will be given a couple of platforms at the new OOC. There is no spare capacity at Marylebone station to expand so this is a good option.
@@paulgame7098 OOC is close enough to London to be a London Terminal, the days of getting to central london as such are less relevant compared to connectivity within and to other parts of london, so OOC just as well connected to Crossrail, needs something better to the south with the NLR route to Richmond being interchangeable , etc
@@driverskid but typical network rail won't do much until the embankment is literally on the tracks 😂 network slow I call them.. once I did some station adoption I requested something from network rail took 6 months to a year to sort 😂😂 even slugs would be proud of that record
The lengths people go to to avoid paperwork! I guess when one falls off the rails due to the appauling state of that track, they will have an excuse not to run them.
Clickety clack and semaphore signals in 2011. Now that is surprising for the even the outer London region? Ah wait, I get it, they were going to close this line anyway. What a shame!
I did my work experience when I was 16 on Chiltern Railways back in 2002 and I did the High Wycombe to Paddington train with the guard I was with that day, the driver let me sit in the cab for a bit too which was epic. What an awesome week that was, I did train dispatching at Marylebone, ticket office at Bicester North & Marylebone and was even allowed to do some platform announcements at Marylebone which was amazing. A load of other things too, I bloody love the railways.
In the days when there was still an evening train from Paddington to Banbury, I took it to cover as much of the ex GWR/BJR route to Birkenhead as possible. It proved to be nearly all of it, apart from Birmingham to Wolverhampton and from Rock Ferry to Birkenhead Woodside,
I have a dvd 📀 called Chilterns take 2, it’s by Video 125. You see a Class 50 leaving Paddington and it takes this route when it was all double track.
Profound sadness to see this route so deliberately and brutally decimated as this was the most important (and profitable) high-speed mainline to Birmingham and onward to the north, this was the route of the 'Castles' and majestic 'Kings' as well as The Blue Pullman, going past South Ruislip it was common for the up expresses to tap at 90+ mph. the 'New Line' as we see here was along with the GC & GW cut off route was built to the finest engineering standards to lose out (Deliberately) to the Euston route and deprive Paddington with a direct Birmingham service which was so important for years, we see the results of this treatment as this Parliamentary service is quietly tucked away in a dark corner of Paddington instead of the Birmingham expresses which would blast into here, and The Blue Pullmans rolling in disgorging it's businessmen and well-heeled.......
Via High Wycombe train spotting there in 60s one could spot a King Birmingham bound
Of course there will be engineering challenges and the need for cooperation between the companies involved, but I look forward to some Chiltern trains using this route giving the passengers direct access to HS2 and the Elizabeth Line and relieving some of the pressure on Marylebone. And, for people my age, giving a reminder of how important this route was in the 1950s.
Still kicking myself for not getting out of bed for the last one!
I went on this train before they took the route out of service. I think it left Paddington at about 11:30am - and that was the only time every day.
Amazing that in 2011 there was full semaphore signalling and a working box at the Greenford triangle. See between 6:20 and 7:40. Little trace of the former GW Greenford station platforms (4 tracks with centre roads) and the Central Line station (with centre bay platform for Greenford shuttle) is only just visible on the right.
As far as I'm aware Greenford East box is still there are so are the semaphores.
Hard to believe this was once a mainline! I’m surprised no open access operator has tried to bring back Paddington - Birkenhead.
Ued this service several times 4-5 years ago. At no time was my train travelling as fast as the train on this video.
Depends who's driving :)
@@driverskid Why? surely the driver would always travel at maximum speed within the limit?
@@MichaelBeeny The Paddington service was very generously timed, so you could take it quite steadily and still arrive on time, or go a bit faster and end up being held at Royal Oak for several minutes.
It used take the old GWR to Birmingham Chester and North Wales a rival to the LNWR/LMS
Just found and subscribed to your channel. Great video. Thanks for posting it
Can't understand why the powers that be would let a valuable alternative route to Oxford and beyond fall apart like they have - but they have a track record of this of course, going back all the way to Beeching..
I think you will find this line goes to Banbury and not Oxford. In years gone by the route from Paddington to Banbury was used by expresses to Birmingham and Birkenhead to avoid Reading/Oxford. Services to Banbury from London are nowadays provided by Chiltern Railways and GWR no longer routes train to Banbury along this route. Whether this is a decision made by the GWR or the DfT who laid down the franchise is another matter.
don't forget transport minister Marples with his mates in road building....who had to leg it as he was about to be nicked for tax fraud
@@andrewlong6438 Was not capacity at Paddington for West of England / South Wales the problem with not using Banbury and North as services to Paddington. Of course there is now Crossrail coming , which would free Paddington platforms
A trackless record methinks!
Very good, good job filming.
If Chiltern Railways didn’t want to operate a “Parliamentary service” from West Ruislip to West Ealing. Maybe operate a community railway scheme (open access) and to inherit the Class 230 Vivarail DMUs to operate the new service.
Why when London Underground operates on next to it or as near as dam it.. makes no business sense ...or
@@StuAnderson90 London Overground I meant to say and to inherit the Class 230s for the West Ealing-Greenford line.
@@Andrewjg_89 no what I mean I why would a community rail group operate the line when their customers currently and probably still use London Underground so it would be classed as abstractive to London underground.. it wouldn't keep the cost of hire of the class 230
Why is HS2 burning through stupid money boring tunnels under west London when this alignment is sitting, rotting away? The tunnels on the London approaches aren't going to be at full speed anyway so might as well use this and save an awful lot of work and disruption shifting millions of tons of spoil and making the project slightly less absurdly over-engineered and over-priced.
This bit of HS2 was originally planned to run on the surface but it was moved underground to placate the locals.
@@driverskid Nimbyism.... it's helluva drug.
Nimbys those wonderful upstanding members of society who possibly had a couple of inheritances, bought property when prices were sensible and had secure pensionable employment, possibly only the public sector is like that now. We have hope, some will be mortgaged up to the eyeballs and their cars etc will still have to be paid for if we finally have a total economic collapse. Welcome to the real world and see how most of us have to live Nimbys.
Love this
Amazing video
Bloody brilliant. Am I right in thinking that further back from WR there is a junction that allows access to the Central Line? My friend Nikki drives for Chiltern now.
Yes, there's a connection at the north end of West Ruislip, via a reversing siding. Used quite regularly for ballast deliveries and for occasional stock movements.
@@driverskid I love the infrastructure of the old lines, what a shame the London extension at Ashendon was removed!
Meant to say earlier, if you get to do the Wembley/Willesden run I'd love to see that as well :)
What was a slow and rough ride for sure, hope it's improved since 2011.
It doesn't run any more.
C Stock compressor at 21:00 😇
Thanks. Anybody know if this route is to be restored once the HS2 work at Old Oak Common is completed ? There is a proposal to use Old Oak Common as a second London terminal for Chiltern. Not much of a stretch to extend this to Paddington. Crossrail will add capacity to Paddington.
I understand if the funding is available the Northolt line will revert from single to double line into the new station at OOC and Chiltern will be given a couple of platforms at the new OOC. There is no spare capacity at Marylebone station to expand so this is a good option.
@@paulgame7098 OOC is close enough to London to be a London Terminal, the days of getting to central london as such are less relevant compared to connectivity within and to other parts of london, so OOC just as well connected to Crossrail, needs something better to the south with the NLR route to Richmond being interchangeable , etc
Why the long 20mph stretch after Greenford?
Permanant speed restriction owing to the state of the embankment.
@@driverskid I see, thanks.
@@driverskid but typical network rail won't do much until the embankment is literally on the tracks 😂 network slow I call them.. once I did some station adoption I requested something from network rail took 6 months to a year to sort 😂😂 even slugs would be proud of that record
The lengths people go to to avoid paperwork! I guess when one falls off the rails due to the appauling state of that track, they will have an excuse not to run them.
Terrible state the track's in.
Clickety clack and semaphore signals in 2011. Now that is surprising for the even the outer London region? Ah wait, I get it, they were going to close this line anyway. What a shame!
13:00 is that Hanger Lane?
Yes it is
@@driverskid Ohhh... so THIS is the route of the train I see passing the station sometimes.
Wot? no leccy lines yet.
Such a useful bit of line. Shame😢
Please on on