I have enjoyed cycling past the station since 1976 and once or twice walking by as well. I was lucky enough to be given a tour of the old station buildings which still contained an original poster of the closing of the line. I once travelled on one of the special trains that Milton Keynes Development subsidised along the line to support Xmas shopping in the early days of MK Shopping Building. In my case I travelled down to Euston early in the morning, crossed to Paddington and caught the train direct to MK. I remember there were two trains that day at Aylesbury Station waiting to go up to MK. I seem to remember that there was once a special train from Paddington to Corby. A friend was a Bletchley driver who often worked the Saturday morning Ackerman Street freights. I regret not going with him but I did go with him on a Northampton to Paddington parcels which needed me to keep a low profile in the cab when we took a pilot aboard for the final miles into Paddington. I noticed someone has nicked the ex MKDC seat. I have to say the East-West Rail project is a painfully slow affair. The Victorians built railways with pick and shovel quicker than we do today with all our mechanical aids. The upgrade is still up for public consultation. Cyclists and ramblers are concerned about possible road and public rights of way severance. The great disappointment is the replacement of the original proposed electrification with air and noise polluting diesel. This is thanks to a government claiming to be at the forefront of the battle against climate change yet happy to cut funding for electrification. Many thanks for the video. I look forward to more showing the upgrade progress.
The Down and Up sides from Oxford reversed to Up and Down. I can't remember exactly where now but between Bicester and Verney Junction. This was because that before the Bletchley viaduct was built in the 50's the junction at Bletchley was southwards towards London.
I have been popping across from Berkhamsted to watch progress especially prior to 2017,when then new line was scheduled to open. Years ago,I broiught my father over and we had a beer in the pub at Verney Junction. Must of been 1980s-90s. The bar on the right had loads of railway books ,as well. I seem to remember Visted Swanbourne again last week,the area looks very bland compared to it's former state.In fact boring.
Disgraceful a lovely old station building has been demolished. The guy who owned it was a former P-Way man, and he'd spent a lot on that old station. Could have remained with the new line,as has at some stations on the Borders/Waverley line! Yet another bit of history wiped out 🤬
@ Michael G.P. The permanent way is being upgraded in size for 100 mph running, W10 loading gauge for freight, modern signalling, and provision for future electrification. There simply wasn't the space to keep it.
@@ds1868 Indeed. Progress I know,but such a shame it couldn't be moved back or even preserved elsewhere. Good to see an old line returning as new though. Hope Beechings ears are twitching!
@@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf To be fair to Beeching (if that is at all possible) he recommended in the report this line stay open, which it did. It was subsequent problems on the agreement of maintenance costs and allocation that some parts of the line were downgraded to freight only, others such as the Marston Vale line stay open for passenger traffic. We can blame quite a lot on Dr Beeching but not this one.
@@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf Having moved several station buildings to a preserved railway in the 21980s, it is one HECK of a lot of work needed to move any lump of infrastructure. I reckon that the overall EWR will be a far better benefit to our country in the 2020s than an old, 150-year-old building with no disabled access and primitive plumbing. At least it has been well-recorded for posterity.
@@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf Beeching recommended the development of the Varsity line. It was closed later by the Wilson Gov against his advice. Yet another thing Beeching got right. He would be pleased to see it reopen.
I'm not 100% sure but sidings were put down at Swanbourne and a signal box was definitely built and was still in use in the eighties, why was the old station demolished?.
The station was too close to the new track alignment. The line is being built to electrification clearances, although it won't be electrified at first. Some materials from Swanbourne and Verney Junction were reclaimed by the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, and will be re-used. Details and pictures here (go back quite a long way!) haylesabbeyhalt.blogspot.com A lot of it did go to landfill, though. The GWR tried to find takers for the stuff they couldn't use, but nobody stepped up. That does tend to be the problem in this sort of situation. There's a lot of armchair interest, but when it comes right down to it hardly anybody wants bits of an old station - and nobody is willing to turn up with a truck and spend a day loading paving slabs.
@@michaeljohnson9421 Thank you for your reply Michael, it's good to hear that the track bed is being built wide enough with the future electricfication in mind, I have been watching progress on the Waverley line and can't believe how they built new track over bridges to single track width and are now cancelling service trains when specials are using the line due to lack of capacity, that shows the same madness from when they closed it in 1969, ie, no forward thinking.
@@michaeljohnson9421 Do you know the likely speed classification for the line? See they are planning on freight trains to Felixstowe presumably to miss through London Will they also build chords for Aylesbury connection in both directions ie Oxford Bicester Aylesbury? Just interested as to what future proofing they are integrating Electrification scope is a sensible move
I have enjoyed cycling past the station since 1976 and once or twice walking by as well. I was lucky enough to be given a tour of the old station buildings which still contained an original poster of the closing of the line. I once travelled on one of the special trains that Milton Keynes Development subsidised along the line to support Xmas shopping in the early days of MK Shopping Building. In my case I travelled down to Euston early in the morning, crossed to Paddington and caught the train direct to MK. I remember there were two trains that day at Aylesbury Station waiting to go up to MK. I seem to remember that there was once a special train from Paddington to Corby.
A friend was a Bletchley driver who often worked the Saturday morning Ackerman Street freights. I regret not going with him but I did go with him on a Northampton to Paddington parcels which needed me to keep a low profile in the cab when we took a pilot aboard for the final miles into Paddington.
I noticed someone has nicked the ex MKDC seat.
I have to say the East-West Rail project is a painfully slow affair. The Victorians built railways with pick and shovel quicker than we do today with all our mechanical aids. The upgrade is still up for public consultation. Cyclists and ramblers are concerned about possible road and public rights of way severance. The great disappointment is the replacement of the original proposed electrification with air and noise polluting diesel. This is thanks to a government claiming to be at the forefront of the battle against climate change yet happy to cut funding for electrification.
Many thanks for the video. I look forward to more showing the upgrade progress.
Used to be a beautiful building. I remember the privet hedge next to the entrance was clipped into the shape of a locomotive.
I hate how they haft to knock down stations of history like the Brackley stations and viaduct
Reminds me of when you are on the motorway, and see a giant line of cones, but no workers. And people wonder why things take so long....
Wow I didn’t know it has been knocked down. I loved that station and would sit on the platform and soak up the atmosphere and now it is gone.
The Down and Up sides from Oxford reversed to Up and Down. I can't remember exactly where now but between Bicester and Verney Junction. This was because that before the Bletchley viaduct was built in the 50's the junction at Bletchley was southwards towards London.
Thanks for this, as you said, sads but at least the raiway will be back.
Remember train spotting there in the late 70s would sit on the station for hours awaiting the stone trains
Would have been nice to see at least part of it relocated to a preserved line.
it was too rotten
I have been popping across from Berkhamsted to watch progress especially prior to 2017,when then new line was scheduled to open. Years ago,I broiught my father over and we had a beer in the pub at Verney Junction. Must of been 1980s-90s. The bar on the right had loads of railway books ,as well. I seem to remember Visted Swanbourne again last week,the area looks very bland compared to it's former state.In fact boring.
Disgraceful a lovely old station building has been demolished. The guy who owned it was a former P-Way man, and he'd spent a lot on that old station. Could have remained with the new line,as has at some stations on the Borders/Waverley line! Yet another bit of history wiped out 🤬
@ Michael G.P. The permanent way is being upgraded in size for 100 mph running, W10 loading gauge for freight, modern signalling, and provision for future electrification. There simply wasn't the space to keep it.
@@ds1868 Indeed. Progress I know,but such a shame it couldn't be moved back or even preserved elsewhere. Good to see an old line returning as new though. Hope Beechings ears are twitching!
@@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf To be fair to Beeching (if that is at all possible) he recommended in the report this line stay open, which it did. It was subsequent problems on the agreement of maintenance costs and allocation that some parts of the line were downgraded to freight only, others such as the Marston Vale line stay open for passenger traffic. We can blame quite a lot on Dr Beeching but not this one.
@@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf Having moved several station buildings to a preserved railway in the 21980s, it is one HECK of a lot of work needed to move any lump of infrastructure. I reckon that the overall EWR will be a far better benefit to our country in the 2020s than an old, 150-year-old building with no disabled access and primitive plumbing. At least it has been well-recorded for posterity.
@@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf Beeching recommended the development of the Varsity line. It was closed later by the Wilson Gov against his advice. Yet another thing Beeching got right. He would be pleased to see it reopen.
Pity the people who bought a house on a quiet road with nothing but a disused railway opposite. Yikes!
The railway was there first
Such a waste when it could have gone to a heritage railway
Nice video chap
Was planned to be a huge new marshalling yard at Swanbourne but it got cancelled.
I'm not 100% sure but sidings were put down at Swanbourne and a signal box was definitely built and was still in use in the eighties, why was the old station demolished?.
The station was too close to the new track alignment. The line is being built to electrification clearances, although it won't be electrified at first.
Some materials from Swanbourne and Verney Junction were reclaimed by the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, and will be re-used. Details and pictures here (go back quite a long way!) haylesabbeyhalt.blogspot.com
A lot of it did go to landfill, though. The GWR tried to find takers for the stuff they couldn't use, but nobody stepped up. That does tend to be the problem in this sort of situation. There's a lot of armchair interest, but when it comes right down to it hardly anybody wants bits of an old station - and nobody is willing to turn up with a truck and spend a day loading paving slabs.
@@michaeljohnson9421 Thank you for your reply Michael, it's good to hear that the track bed is being built wide enough with the future electricfication in mind, I have been watching progress on the Waverley line and can't believe how they built new track over bridges to single track width and are now cancelling service trains when specials are using the line due to lack of capacity, that shows the same madness from when they closed it in 1969, ie, no forward thinking.
@@michaeljohnson9421 Do you know the likely speed classification for the line? See they are planning on freight trains to Felixstowe presumably to miss through London Will they also build chords for Aylesbury connection in both directions ie Oxford Bicester Aylesbury? Just interested as to what future proofing they are integrating Electrification scope is a sensible move
0:45 when vandals are legally allowed to destroy history!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vandals are legally allowed to ruin the country: we elect them to Parliament.
Are they not re-instating this station?
No lost forever.
What's the completion year for this link?
bad to knock down the stations
Cultural vandalism
Build a mosque there.