Didcot latest

One of the few exceptions is of course the SVR. It should be noted that our Kidderminster station is nearer the town centre than NR's

This seems oxymoronic to me.

 

Good point, had forgotten about the SVR. Apologies for the grammar slip up, been a long day!

 

How can you forget about the SVR!!!!! John Leach needs to get busier!

On a serious note, I have always admired the facilities at Didcot and the work carried out. The GWS has always made a point of trains being demonstration and so sets its stall out clearly to its visitors. It is such a pity that access to the site is so restricted - maybe consultation with NR and the setting up of a Crossrail facility will help imporve road access so that non mainline certified locos and wooden bodied stock can be hired out (and in). Just look at the pallava of getting the Railmotor body to Llangollen - which will of course have to be repeated when it comes back.

Good luck to everyone at Didcot and I am sure that with common sense all round the outcome will be good for all.

 

Wouldnt a level crossing and signal box look just fine across the main line into the car park at the front of the Station...for occasional use....


no? well then across the loop into the park and ride car park might be do-able...

 

For some reason as someone who reads these forums everyday this is the first time that I have actually picked up on this topic.

After years of threatening to join GWS (we were family members in the 1980's) I have finally got my life in order and joined the other week , used to go to Didcot about once a fortnight when I was a kid but now living 200 odd miles away it doesnt seem much of an option - how the hell do you manage a 400 mile round trip regularly KC??

in answer to many of the points mentioned in this topic, moving didcot means that it would cease to be didcot, if you see what I mean. The appeal and uniqueness of didcot is not really the collection (although this is fantastic) but the whole environment, its history, its aesthetic, its architecture and the link it gives back to the social history of both the GWR but also the wider Late 19th and early to mid 20th century. The collection is a peripheral element to this and whilst it is ideally suited to the location and to a degree animates it, it is not the be all and end all.

Equally again whilst there has been talk of 4-6-0's etc on the demo line, in terms of historical significance this demonstartion run is irrelevant really - it would be interesting to see what the average visitors thoughts would be on this as I would suggest that a 3/8 mile run probably is sufficient for most of them. I am sure this has been covered elsewhere, but have they ever considered keeping a loco for regular trips to Oxford at weekend (capacity permitting).

The designation of the site could help, but only to a certain degree as obviously rail expansion would have all manner of CPO powers etc. The listing of certain elements of the site will afford protection to them - I would actually suggest that there would be scope of someone to suggest to EH that they be upgraded to grade II* or even grade I being very rare survivors of an important part of history - this would at least mean that English Hertitage would be involved in any redevelopment process should it happen. At this stage I would also argue that any building remaining in anything like original condition could be considered as essentially listed through its curtilage relationship to the shed etc.

They could also be designated as a Conservation Area as again they meet the criteria - again limited statutory value but would further emphasise histoircal significance. WHS designation is unlikley in the short term as ICOMOS and the government have essentially said we have enough already. Perhaps early dialogue with the council and EH working on designations etc would help.

I may be somewhat bias on this, but I honestly believe that Didcot, with Carnforth, Barrow Hill and a couple more I have probably forgotten, are unique survivors of a historical period which has been greatly lost over comparitively recent years, and thus have national if not international significance. Such sites need urgent protection and promotion before we sleepwalk towards another loss of the heritage of this country.

 

Fewer trips, just a much longer stay... and a wallet that looks like it's been on a hunger strike. 8-[

 

Mybe this is heresey and totally imractical, but would a shuttle to Cholsey be totally impractical...come to think of it, is there a reason why C&W dont seem to borrow GWS stcck?...Please delete this Mods if its a nest of vipers and too contraversial...

 

Borrow or hire?? The cost of moving Didcot's locos to Milton for road transport seems to be prohibitive these days, especially for smaller locos with smaller hire fees. With Cholsey not being rail connected, any shuttle would have to go all the way to Reading, and there's no hope of that these days with lack of paths and re-development looming.

 

Being a life long didcot fan, and indeed didcot was the place that started it all for me when I was a young'un!! I would say there is nothing wrong with the short line, I don't really want to be paying a bomb for a long ride when I can hop onto then hop off old carriages and locos and not become tired of sitting on them for hours! Didcot does give you a unique sample of life then and the nature of these places! One thing I am going to ask though...... is the workshop all closed up for good now, I went a month ago and was shocked to find my favorite feature closed!!!! I understand health and safety have put an end to it but will there be monitored tours or something along those lines? So that we can all see at first hand the wonderful work being done!!!
m0rris

 

It was open during the last bank holiday weekend even though the locos in there were being worked on but it has appeared closed on previous visits in the last 12 months. I guess there is a difficult balancing act - with no viewing platform you end up walking very close to the locos that are being worked on, and if people stopped work on every open weekend not a lot would get finished.

 

Unfortuantely we are having to make changes to the loco works (not the main shed), the public entrance will be via the main roller shutter doors, this means that in the cold weather we may keep the doors closed. When the doors are open, depending on the work going on, the barriers may be moved down the shed to allow the public in as far as we can. We do realise that many people want to see in the works, and we are trying to keep it as open as possible, however if there is a barrier there please do not move it or squeeze past it, they are there for a reason. If there is a worker there they may show you round, it depends on what they are doing, on busyier weekends we hope to have someone avaialble to show you round, but this is not guaranteed. FYI there are ongoing discussions about how we can give greater access while still being able to work in a safe manner.

 

Just to re-iterate what's already been said...
4079 and 6023 groups work on alternate weekends. Some times when 6023 group are not working, the barriers are moved further into the shed so that the public can walk down past 6023/2999, and are able to view 4079/1014 from a safe distance. However, this can still depend what's going on elsewhere, as any work on 2999 and 1014 can also have an impact.
In the past we have been our own worst enemies. Some of the volunteers regarded the barriers an inconvenience and left them open, especially the old retractable tape ones. Gradually, most of the volunteers are now realising that if we want to give the public access, not only to view the works, but have access to donation boxes etc, we have to take our duty of care seriously. Hence the new rigid metal barriers.
Also as Baldric says, don’t treat the smallest of gaps as an open invite to get that picture you are so desperate for. Didcot is one of the few places in the UK where you can really get up close, and none of us want anything happening that will change that.
On the bigger open days there are guided tours. Ask at the enquiry office. Or try asking some of the volunteers. Some may well be happy to stop what they are doing and show you around. But please remember, doing the guide thing is not everyone’s cup of tea.

 

Good post (below). Maybe World Heritage Site status is pushing it a bit far, but maybe the most appropriate form of designation could be to declare the whole site a Scheduled Ancient Monument. This should kiabosh any proposals to remove the GWS from their site, and has plenty of precedent on the Waterway network. In Scotland, the entire Canal network (Forth & Clyde, Union, Caledonian & Crinan) are all Scheduled Ancient Monuments.

It would not necessarily mean introducing a huge level of bureaucracy every time the GWS wanted to alter something on the site either - a number of Scheduled Ancient Monuments have management agreements in place, where consent to alter something is only required if the proposal has major implications.

 

Flew over Didcot in a WW2 aircraft this weekend, didn't see any sign of life but good to see the place after over a year!

 

Off topic but which WW2 aircraft?

 

Not sure when you flew over but there were 2 trains running on Satruday with a 3rd engine being tested. On Sunday there were meant to be 2 engines on them main line, I wasn't there on Sunday but certainly heard them.

 

It was Saturday at approximately 11am - could make out items of stock (but not what they were) but couldn't see anything on either line, and didn't see any smoke. Although didn't spend too long looking at it, was mostly several second glimpses as was keeping an eye out for other aircraft. Corbs, this is the aircraft (on the left), landed in Normandy 2 days after the invasion in 1944

 

Didn't see you fly over,... I was too busy hiding in the newly restored air raid shelter.
If I'd known it was a friendly, I'd have come out and given you a wave!!
5322 was on the main demonstration line and 3650 on the branch.