South_Bedfordshire_Railway along old LNER Dunstable line

[alfredroberts]

South_Bedfordshire_Railway along old LNER Dunstable line

For more information: -

Website
https://sites.google.com/site/southbeds ... ocietyltd/

Facebook group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=101535814486

Face book Page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/South_Bed ... 4408429930

Purpose of the scheme

The scheme is for a short length of the old Dunstable to Luton railway line to be kept as a heritage railway alongside the Luton to Dunstable busway.

Luton Borough Council responsible for promoting the bus way along the old railway indicated that the potential heritage value of the Luton to Dunstable railway line had been realised and if practicable a short length of line could be retained.

The proposed heritage railway places great emphasis on assisting economic regeneration of the surrounding area and the conurbation in general.

The business plan for the proposal intends that it would create a lot of opportunities for volunteers to work on the proposed heritage railway which would take on trainees from the local colleges and job centre which should help people get jobs. People visiting the proposed heritage railway would be encouraged to use local shops and fast food takeaways.

The CORE proposal: -

Initial storage
The Siding space and road access (pallet yard) would not be available immediately as it is used by landowner Direct Pallets LTD. The use of Fire Station site for initial storage and visitor / museum facilities would form the earliest stage of the heritage railway project. BUT the Fire Station site could NOT be used as a 'depot' for and road access to the disused railway line EAST of A5 High Street North, BECAUSE it is to the WEST of A5 High Street North and the bridge across the road was demolished in 1969. In longer term the land would be used as a restoration area for rolling stock that needed heavy restoration and visitor facilities could be augmented. The Fire Station site adjoins the site of the old railway line and in later stages can easily be joined to any reinstated running line along the former railway boundary via point work at a rail junction.

Siding space and road access
There would be a 'compound' (supplying road access, public facilities and siding space) on land to North of Dunstable town centre (which was formerly the old oil depot), which is now occupied by a pallet store. The land is to be redeveloped. Space provided by the pallet store land would be more limited but WHEN THE LAND IS REDEVELOPED more land would become available at the machinary centre.

Core Running Line
There would be a short length of line along the old line between High Street North and South Apex of Triangle. The wide corridor of linear woodland and grassland surrounding the old line is designated as open space in the bus way proposal so the running line would operate within a very different environment to the area at the start.

Additional open space land
Under Land Compensation Act 1980 land taken as open space has to be replaced like - for - like: land area equivalent or in excess of the land taken. An area of waste land to the North of Dog Kennel Down would need to be acquired for use as replacement open space to replace land taken by the single - track railway line along the South face of the Triangle.

The OPTIONAL proposal: -

South Apex to Court Road
The core running line could extend from South Apex along the cutting running beneath Dog Kennel Path and beside Dunstable Park to Court Road.

This is very controversial indeed as there are concerns raised about the possible loss of open space at Dunstable Park. The design of the bus way at the cutting at Dog Kennel Path would have to be altered and due to changes in bus way design there would need to be a 'compensation event'.

At Dog Kennel Path: -
Concrete retaining wall along the South face of the Dog Kennel Cutting, the bus way would be moved 11 - 13 - 15 foot to the North, Northern retaining wall would be full height of cutting and the disused railway moved 6 - 4 - 2 foot to South, so that a single-track railway could run to the South of the bus way lanes.

At East end of Dog Kennel Cutting: -
East of the North West corner of the West Playing Court the single-track railway line would cross the boundary of the disused railway corridor with the Park.

Along Park: -
The single-track railway line would be slewed to South to run along a narrow strip of land on the Park beside the disused railway corridor, most of which is currently covered by encroaching undergrowth.

All trees in Park to remain in situ.

At Court Road: -
The single-track railway would terminate at Court Road. Surveys of the disused railway formation after the foliage was cleared raised the issue as to whether the design would raise the railway to the level of the bus way and Court Road (through route) on to a widened embankment or leave the railway at the level of the surrounding land.

Passengers on trains operating along the extended running line would have beautiful views across Dunstable Park to the town.

Operating methods
The train services would be operated by a Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) with steam following later on. The large front windows of DMUs give passengers unrivalled views to forward and rear of the train, which would allow them to appreciate the contrast between the drab landscape at the start of the running line and the linear corridor to South Apex, and the beautiful view across the grass land and beneath the trees at Dunstable Park.

Progress on the bus way
At present all of the track along the Dunstable line has been removed and almost all of the bridges are down. Telford way bridge is still in situ. The footbridge carrying Dog Kennel Path across the course of the railway line between High Street North and South Apex of the Triangle is still in situ. The bus way construction work is due to start in September - October 2011.

The Limited Company arm of the heritage railway organisation

The Limited Company arm of the Dunstable heritage railway organisation is now registered under name of
'South Bedfordshire Railway Society LTD'.

Company Articles are at: -
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=1 ... opic=13870 (Part 1)
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=1 ... opic=13869 (Part 2)

Company Memorandum is at: -
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=1 ... opic=13871

The work involved
The task of registering a Limited Company has been long and tortuous - it started on the Yahoo! group in May 2009 and has occupied me on and off for 22 months since then.

Under my supervision, work stalled and it took outside intervention before this essential step started to move forward again from July 2010 onwards.

It was a substantial task, because of the very detailed requirements in registering a LTD company as a non - profit - making society.

South Bedfordshire Railway GROUP - new constitution

The South Bedfordshire Railway GROUP now has a new constitution which is at: -
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=1 ... opic=13998 Part 1
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=1 ... opic=13997 Part 2

[Coboman]

Jesus, I cannot believe that idiotic council is still desperate to waste millions of taxpayers money on this ludicrous busway scheme, despite suposedly making cutbacks...vested interest anybody????

[hq1hitchin]

Jesus, I cannot believe that idiotic council is still desperate to waste millions of taxpayers money on this ludicrous busway scheme, despite suposedly making cutbacks...vested interest anybody????

Yes, odd indeed especially when you consider that the then mayor of Dunstable said that people didn't want the busway scheme. If only the layout at Luton could have been re-modelled, the line would have been electrified long ago. The Class 319 EMUs even had Dunstable on the destination blinds. Very sad.

[alfredroberts]

The guided bus way is very controversial indeed locally in Luton Dunstable and Houghton Regis.

I must admit some sympathy with what you all say there. One wonders how many people will actually use the bus way as it is so controversial. A local survey on facebook suggests 35 out of 186 - about 1 in 6 - of Dunstable's 36,000 people that is 6,000. That is half the 12,000 daily journeys predicted at start of scheme in 1994. If two thirds of users were off peak that is a peak hour usage of 2,000. BUT plus there is Houghton Regis to consider - what is population and how many will use that? Only minimal usage predicted from Luton people to and from Dunstable.

For details of my own proposals for a diverted single track railway line running beside the curtailed bus way (bus lanes only at Hatters Way) offering through services to and from London co - ordinated with buses to and from the bus way see

http://south_bedfordshire_railway.webs.com/retainlutondunstable.htm

[Coboman]

My feelings are either reopen it as a proper railway (by far the best option), or make it into a proper road that all traffic can use. A Busway costs the most and benefits the least, Its just pandering to the pretend greenies.

[60B]

My feelings are either reopen it as a proper railway (by far the best option), or make it into a proper road that all traffic can use. A Busway costs the most and benefits the least, Its just pandering to the pretend greenies.

Exactly. That and 400 yards of track aren't going to attract all and sundry (except the ones intent on damage).

[alfredroberts]

Could be an extended running line - 1000 yards of track - but very controversial.

[thesignalman]

I don't really understand the logic of what is going on here.

1. Some years ago, the single-track railway was re-aligned to the north to allow a road to be built along the trackbed.
2. Shortly afterwards, the railway closed
3. A new "guided busway" is presently being built along that railway alignment, In places, this double track "line" is distinctly cramped and appears to require some engineering to accommodate it.
4. This proposal is for the railway to again be re-aligned, along the north side of the re-alignment

This cannot be achieved without a considerable amount of further engineering - several new bridges would be needed and cutting walls would need to be opened out. Most critically, at one point the second alignment passes under a building. I'm not at all sure how this would be dealt with - there is mention of the length of the line being just 400 yards but I find that hard to imagine. I guess there could be a distance as short as that at some point between bridges and buildings but I would hardly call 400 yards a railway line.

To call a brand new piece of railway "heritage" is, in my view, distinctly questionable. This project seems to me to be politically driven ("we should have one") rather than having sought out a suitable location.

John