MOD Bicester Military Railway - photos and history

[editor]

I'm amazed so much of this is still extant

Great piece this; MOD Bicester Military Railway

 

[Roger Farnworth]

I'm amazed so much of this is still extant

Great piece this; MOD Bicester Military Railway

Hi, I have just joined the forum, the piece above is mine. Might there be an appetite on the forum for further posts about military and other railways?

 

[iamwithnail]

I'd certainly read them!

 

[kebabking]

Ditton Priors!

 

[Roger Farnworth]

Very recently, I have been reading a book about the Bicester Military Railway which was published in 1992. It was published by the Oxford Publishing Company and is widely available to buy second-hand. It is worth a read. ...

Bicester Military Railway – Book Review

The Bicester Military Railway. ...

This book, written by E.R. Lawton and Major M.W. Sackett in 1992, [1] gives a comprehensive history of the Bicester site which extends from the original concept to the date of publication of the book.

In the 21st century, large areas of the complex have been given over to civilian use.

 

[editor]

Interesting update:

Rail Operations Group has agreed a deal to use MoD Bicester as a storage facility.

Speaking exclusively to RAIL, the company’s Chief Executive Officer Karl Watts said: “Bicester is massive. It has 5,200 metres of storage, and we will put anything there.”

As context, the site could hold 266 23-metre Mk 3 coaches, or 65 four-car electric multiple units (each vehicle being 20 metres).

Storage of rolling stock is set to be big business in the near future, according to Watts, which is why ROG set up Traxion last year. Traxion is one of four companies set up to deliver separate parts of the business, concentrating on storage.

Already the company has siding space at Castle Donington and Crewe South Yard. The latter is electrified and home to Government-owned Class 365s that Traxion is contracted to maintain in warm storage.

“Fleets are coming off-lease, and we are gearing ourselves for that,” said Watts. “Finding a place with wires up is a Godsend. We will continue to hunt, and we are looking at one or two places to put up the wires.”

Watts told RAIL that the company has to keep the stock ‘warm’ while owners explore opportunities for the trains.

EXCLUSIVE: Rail Operations Group to store stock at MoD Bicester

 

[StoneRoad]

Hi, I have just joined the forum, the piece above is mine. Might there be an appetite on the forum for further posts about military and other railways?

I would be interested !

 

[StoneRoad]

Ditton Priors!

If you are interested, one of the original carriages still survives.

1001 - NLR carriage par StoneRoad2013, on Ipernity

It is in private hands and the owner is seeking funding for the restoration ...

 

[StoneRoad]

Ditton Priors!

Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway or rather the extension to the RNAD near the latter.

 

[kebabking]

Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway or rather the extension to the RNAD near the latter.

I've been to what's now the industrial estate - it's all just old MOD buildings - I didn't see much in the way of railway left, just bits of scrap really...

There's the remains of the railway that went up to the quarry at Titterstone Clee as well - the path of the railway track is still in good nick, and the quarry buildings are pretty evocative.