BYE-BYE BLETCHLEY

‘Deconstructing' the famous 1950s flyover.

Phil Marsh was given special permission this summer to document the 'deconstruction' of Bletchley Flyover - the infamous ‘White Elephant' of the 1950s Modernisation Plan - as it is set to be rebuilt by the East West Rail (EWR) project and finally fulfil its intended role as part of a modern link between Oxford, Bedford and beyond.

BLETCHLEY Flyover was conceived in the late-1950s as part of a wider plan to make more use of the Varsity Line between Oxford and Cambridge for passenger and freight traffic, including greater use of a freight yard at Swanbourne to the west of Bletchley, and as part of a through link from the South Wales coalfields to the East Coast ports.

Through trains had previously needed to cross the West Coast Main Line on the flat, creating conflicting moves and taking up valuable paths, whereas the viaduct allowed unrestricted access between east and west.

The viaduct was built using 37 concrete spans totalling slightly more than a third-of-amile long. To the east it has connections to the West Coast Main Line (WCML) and the Bedford Line (at Fenny Stratford), while the west end ran on to Claydon and the junction there to Quainton Road/Aylesbury and Bicester/Oxford.

Sadly, the freight plan never fulfilled its potential, while the end of 1967 saw Varsity Line passenger services cut back to the Bletchley to Bedford section only, meaning the viaduct saw little of its expected traffic.

However, it continued to be used by some freight, diverted passenger services and railtours until 1993, when the Bletchley to Claydon section was mothballed.

The flyover returned to active use in 2006 when track was relaid to a loop at Swanbourne, roughly a mile west of Bletchley. This allowed ballast trains loaded at Forders on the Bedford to Bletchley line to run round, reverse direction, and access the northbound West Coast

Main Line.

The route across Bletchley is now being further upgraded as part of the East-West Rail project, which will see passenger trains link Oxford and Aylesbury with Milton Keynes and Bedford.

Eventually, it is planned the line beyond Bedford will be reopened to connect with Cambridge and other destinations in East Anglia.

Almost half the flyover needs to be replaced, and a new structure across the West Coast Main Line will be built slightly to the south of the previous one.

The affected spans were removed between April and September, which was no mean feat considering around eight of them are over the busy WCML.

Engineers first removed the concrete edge-railings before a giant saw cut the spans into 300-ton sections, which were individually removed by a 1200-ton crane and broken up on site.

The rebuilt viaduct will include new high-level platforms connected to the main line station, something that was missing from the 1950s' scheme.

EWR has said construction is on target to open the route between

Oxford and Milton Keynes/Bedford in 2024, initially using diesel or hybrid trains, but the infrastructure will allow for future electrification.

All photos by Phil Marsh A view of the viaduct from the south end of Bletchley station on May 2 as EMU No. 350369 approaches on the slow lines from Euston. Only spans 17 and 18 (right) had been removed by this date.

1. A photo taken on the viaduct looking west on March 28, 2006, after new track had been laid to a runround loop at Swanbourne, just west of Bletchley, for ballast trains using Forders on the Bletchley to Bedford line. Heading north on the main line below is ‘Tug' No. 60099.

3. A historic shot on May 31, 1993, as DMU No. 117420 (with the BLS' ‘Thames & Chiltern Rambler II' tour) forms the last through passenger train to cross the flyover. The unit has just passed Flyover Junction and is on the line to Fenny Stratford; Bletchley station is on the right.

2. Looking north to Bletchley station on November 15, 1986, as No. 45110 crosses the viaduct with the ‘Red Brick Rambler' railtour from Marylebone to Hatfield & Stainforth.

4. Looking north-east under the concrete viaduct and across the WCML on April 20.