Various trains and planes, April 2022

[True_British_Metal]

First time exploring in the UK since 2016... it's good to be back after being in Asia for approaching 6 years. How time flies.

Killing several birds with the proverbial stone, I found myself back in the UK for just over two weeks and have since returned to Taiwan. As I did in my previous reports, I have decided to merge the three sites into one so as to save time writing reports one by one. I didn't have any plans to do any real epic sites, rather my desire was to scratch some itches that have been bugging me in recent years. Side missions, if one were to use a video game analogy. Likewise, at least in the case of Chipping Norton and Watlington, they've always been around and although they progressively decay, nobody has any initiative to demolish them so they won't be going anywhere. No rush to see them, but if one feels the urge to go then off I go. As for Moreton, that's always been around but it's quite incredible to see how the props on the incident ground change over the years. I was looking at videos on YouTube and Google Maps and noticed some unidentified aircraft which had appeared recently, and so I contacted CookieRaider to go out there and see what they were.

Chipping Norton Railway tunnel
Closed since 1962, I've known about this for many years. I did actually go to Chipping Norton in 2013 to look at this tunnel, check out the War Memorial Hospital and look at the-then recently closed school at Penhurst, but this was a failed trip. The hospital was locked up tight along with Penhurst, and although it's so close to the road, the south portal of the tunnel was so deeply hidden in a cutting that I never found it. Likewise, the northern portal was impossible to find without the aid of Google Maps on a phone, so it was a wasted trip. I assumed it was locked anyway so I left it for years.

Fast forward to 2022, and here we are. With the help of coordinates posted online and a dog walker, we found the south portal. Instantly we see the signs which of all things, said Danger: Risk of drowning. An exaggeration for sure, but since the road bridge had been infilled after closure, this means rainwater has pooled and flooded the southern entrance. It's simply too flooded to get anywhere close to it without boots.

Though I nearly did Yelverton in Devon in 2010, I can't understand why I've never done a disused railway tunnel in the UK. I walked the entire length of the disused Old Mountain Line (舊山線鐵路) in Taiwan including its five or so tunnels, but all are made of reinforced concrete with little architectural appeal. I suppose it's more of a niche appeal like Victorian drains, but being inside one develops a real appreciation for the magnificent brickwork and unique decay that forms over time. Also of note is the sense of atmosphere you get inside the tunnels; the sound of rushing water, the damp but freezing cold air clinging to your skin, it's an experience that cannot be captured on any medium.

Taken at the southern end of the portal, this is as close as you can get to the entrance without being too deep in the water.

Moving back towards the northern portal, the varying states of decay on the walls are pretty fascinating to observe.

Wishful thinking, but I like to imagine that the black stains on the roof are from the lingering soot of steam trains which flew through here over 60 years ago.

A stunning contrast in decay; immaculate brickwork on the left, and a wall painted with calcite formations on the right.

 

[True_British_Metal]

Moreton-in-Marsh Fire Service College
Let's go back a decade. As you will know, I've known about this for many many years. The first visit was on an extremely rare open day in 2007, striking gold in seeing the rare Class 73 which was used for rail accident training until 2009, after which it went for scrap. At the time I saw plenty of aircraft, which then was nothing more than a passing interest until the beginning of 2012 when I had the idea to get up and close with the aircraft, which had been there since 1992-1994. Ten years has since passed, and Vickers Viscount G-BAPF was out of use by 2015 and scrapped on site in 2017, Hawker Hunter WT804 is now a mile north of the site on a farm, and Westland Wessex XP150 is now at the South Wales Aviation Museum as a source of spare parts. Jet Provost XM404 was moved to a discreet corner of the site so we assumed it was scrapped; however, it was moved to Bruntingthorpe for restoration in 2014 but the fuselage was scrapped after it was found that the college burned a hole all the way through the engine bay. The cockpit remains however, and has been restored and put on display in Bournemouth. Whether the wreck of a Jet Provost XP680 remains or not, god knows if it's still there hidden in the trees... As for the trains, everything except the EMU 508212 has been sold for scrap, with the shunter Yorkshire 2732 scrapped at Sims Metals in Newport.

Fast forward 10 years. So getting in was exactly the same as 2012, except like the first time I had no idea about security. Back then they were on half-hourly on the dot patrols, which meant you had to be VERY quick in getting in and out, because realistically you have virtually no space to hide when inside. You were a deer in the headlights of a very present patrol car. And you know what? It's only gotten harder.

As things stand, the place is even more secure than before. Not only do you have an active patrol car, you have CCTV cameras on the incident ground alongside subtly planted PIRs. Whether these are active or not I don't know, but it makes getting around a far riskier affair. But we get in away from them, and head for the aircraft first. There were two helicopter shells tipped on their sides, but we ignored these.

Cessna Skyhawk G-AZDZ. I don't know how long this has been here. I remember seeing it far back in 2012 but ignoring it in favour of the more interesting military aircraft. Since then it's been moved to the other side of the trees, and I honestly think it will go for scrap soon.

Our ultimate targets: two magnificent Panavia Tornado fighter jets, which moved here in November 2020. Their last flights were in 2008 (ZE165) and 2016 (ZG773), surprisingly recent compared to the Cessna which last flew in 1980!

This is Westland Lynx XZ187. It was in operational condition with Fleetlands 655 Squadron until being taken out of service at RAF Lyneham in 2015.

Back out we go. We headed back for the line of trees, making note of any escape routes along the way should the patrol car appear when we are inside, but more importantly to avoid the electric eyes of CCTV or the wails of a PIR. As I said before, the shunter that was here last time was since sold for scrap so we didn't really know what to expect.

This is Class 508, 508212. It's just another EMU to me, so little history behind other than that it last worked in 2006 before being stored at Gillingham and stripped for spares to keep the other units going. Eventually it moved for further storage at Eastleigh Works before being towed to Southampton Docks where it was moved by road to here.

One unit has been propped up against a makeshift platform to simulate a train that has crashed and been put into a precarious position. This means once you're inside it actually makes you feel a bit sick to move around in, ha!

Unfortunately it was at this very moment that everything was cut short. Being in completely the wrong place at the wrong time only by a few minutes, the silent but ever vigilant patrol car spots me through a window. We tried our luck and sat down to hide, but there was to be none. The car stops, and out steps two stern security guards who come over and order us to get out of the train by any means necessary. He was pretty intimidating...

"Get out of there right now."
Cookie Raider doesn't get out the same way as I do, so the man says: "Get out, or do you want me to come in there and get you?"

I follow his orders and stand by the car, with the woman security guard. "Right, stand there and keep your hands where I can see them," he says as he escorts Cookie Raider.

So there we stand, and it's time for us to be shot down. "Since you've come in here, I can think of a hundred things that could kill you. This is an MOD training site [it actually isn't, ha!], and you'd better not come back. If we catch you again, you will be detained. We're getting in the car now, and you can get out the way you came in."

And so begins the walk of shame, us walking back to the fence with the two guards slowly following us in the patrol car behind. We get to the fence, crawl through the hole, and the female guard calls out from a distance. "Hurry up, out you get!" So out we go, then two women in a car stop next to us on the public road. I don't know why they chose to take pictures of us, but they stop and tell us we shouldn't go in there because it's dangerous. What does it have to do with them?

 

[True_British_Metal]

Watlington Railway Station
Visited with Arold.

I should have done this years ago. Years and years ago. But it's weird, despite a passion for railways I never actually knew this existed until around 2015-2016. The Princes Risborough to Watlington railway is a perfect example of an idyllic British steam railway, originally built with the intention of going as far as Wallingford and onto the GWR, but the government would not provide the funding for it. Ever since it was built in the 1800s, because of its isolated location it was frequently loss making and upon being taken over by British Rail it closed to passengers in 1957. For four more years it was open to parcels traffic for the neighbouring villages, until it finally closed in 1961 and was abandoned. The line as far as Chinnor remained open until 1989 for the Chinnor Cement works, but beyond that little remains; the station at Aston Rowant is nowhere to be seen. All we have is this decaying time capsule.

It's not really worthy of a report on its own because so little remains, but because of my interest in railways I took the time to really capture the details of the station. I was a little bit nervous going in after hearing stories that the landowners were less than welcoming to rail enthusiasts going in, but not a peep was to be heard from them. All good for me!

The south end of the platform, barely visible.

The station building, slowly crumbling into dust.

The tiny waiting room, now with a tree growing out of the middle.

The waiting room on the right and the ladies' toilet on the left, with the platform door trapped under the thorns.

The main entrance part. On the left the booking office and its wooden window was intact about 10-15 years ago, but since then the wall collapsed and was nowhere to be seen.

The brickwork is uniform with other buildings in the local area, designed with a combination of red brick and flintstone.

Just next to the station was an old goods shed made of wood, but by around 2000 or so this collapsed under the weight of its own decay.

The rear of the station, looking into the male toilets.

The old carriage shed, which was used as a farm store after it closed but has since been left to rot too.

So there we have it, nothing particularly special, but I'm satisfied to have scratched the itch before it's too late.

Thanks as always,

TBM

 

[HughieD]

Welcome back to Blighty. Very decent trio of reports that.

 

[True_British_Metal]

Welcome back to Blighty. Very decent trio of reports that.

Thanks, but I'm back in Taiwan now.

 

[Wally_urbex]

Good report that mate. Loving the colours in them tunnels

 

[Bikin Glynn]

Excellent collection there, knew Morton was pretty high risk but well done for getting it done!

 

[westernsultan]

Nice reports - 508212 originally 3 car unit built 1979 /80 at BREL York. Last operator Connex SE. - 2013 - Converted for use in Fire Service Training at Moreton-in-Marsh

 

[Calamity Jane]

Welcome back to UK. Lovely trio. Each one is very comprehensive and beautifully covered. The contours & colours in the tunnel have come out really well. Planes etc, always a pleasure to see. The old railway station, my personal favourite bit is the chimney ; I do like a well built chimney

 

[True_British_Metal]

Welcome back to UK. Lovely trio. Each one is very comprehensive and beautifully covered. The contours & colours in the tunnel have come out really well. Planes etc, always a pleasure to see. The old railway station, my personal favourite bit is the chimney ; I do like a well built chimney

Which one, the station one or the goods shed one? Lol

 

[KPUrban_]

Oooo Clas 508. Nicely done.

I'm correct in thinking the coaches from the Pendolino that derailed at Grayrigg are there with a MK3 DVT slapped on the end?

 

[westernsultan]

Oooo Clas 508. Nicely done.

I'm correct in thinking the coaches from the Pendolino that derailed at Grayrigg are there with a MK3 DVT slapped on the end?

Originally numbered 508033, then renumbered 508133 before it became 508212. Existing 508 units on Merseyrail due to be replaced with class 777 units

 

[True_British_Metal]

Oooo Clas 508. Nicely done.

I'm correct in thinking the coaches from the Pendolino that derailed at Grayrigg are there with a MK3 DVT slapped on the end?

You were correct. Now scrapped and replaced with MK4s from the East Coast Mainline.

 

[True_British_Metal]

Originally numbered 508033, then renumbered 508133 before it became 508212. Existing 508 units on Merseyrail due to be replaced with class 777 units

He means 390033 which was in a crash, not 508212.

 

[westernsultan]

He means 390033 which was in a crash, not 508212.

Yes I'm aware of that so here is the information on the Pendolino I have
Driving Motor First 69133 and Pantograph Trailer Standard Buffet 69833 in use as training vehicles at Virgin's "Talent Academy" training centre at Crewe, now Avanti training centre, vehicles may no longer be there
Motor First 69633 and Motor Standard 69733 at the fire training college at Moreton in the Marsh, since replaced
Motor First 69433 and Pantograph Trailer First 69533 were stored at Long Marston, now cut up
Motor Standard 69933 at Cranfield Safety & Accident Investigation Centre in Bedfordshire.
Driving Motor Standard 69233, leading at the time of Grayrigg derailment, and Trailer Standard 68833 were cut up.
Picture of the two plus DVT at https://pathetic.org.uk/secretive/m96/photos/pages/DSC99999_JPG.shtml at the M96 at Moreton in the Marsh