Chalfont & Latimer bay platform

not a lot can happen with the platform, the new trains don't fit and no space to extend it.

Indeed, I have a picture of a SCHWEERbau in that platform.

In terms of there not being enough space I was looking at this the other day. Given the tracks all run parallel for about 1/2 a mile, with some work I'm sure you could extent the bay platform with a shield similar to Baker Street bays.

I have always thought that there was enough room for an arrangement like this which quite separately occurred to me and no doubt to others on watching a northbound Chesham waiting at Chalfont and Latimer for the branch to clear. I imagine that the main problem is probably just a matter of £££

2thp in each direction has trains moving on the branch for 36 minutes in the hour which leaves little capacity for extras.

With the bay platform at Chesham relayed and the necessary signalling you could only fit in the extra round trips by running the through service and shuttle a couple of minutes apart. With a passing loop you could have 4thp, perhaps with alternate trains to London and Watford but without new housing built over all the town's green belt and even on some of the AONB I can't see the area having the population to justify it.

Quite a lot in the area as it happens. I presume it's to reduce the risk of land slip and related track movement as well as using it as a good time to remove various trees to reduce leaf fall.

I'd have thought if A stock fitted, a 165 Networker Turbo would fit too, never mind a 168/172 Turbostar which was built to a rather less generous loading gauge than the 165s.

And always assuming Chiltern have a Turbostar to spare - but maybe the redundant Cardiff Bay "Bubble Car" could find a new use: Chiltern already uses one on the Aylesbury/Risborough route.

It would certainly be far too small. There is quite a load on the early and late commuter trains...

A 3 car light weight rail set was used in the early 50s with poor riding qualities!

Before LU had the TRT, various BR stock were used for track inspection on the branch. Class 121 'bubble' cars have operated on the branch in the past. L123 was used to carry normal passengers as well as enthusiasts in 1994 during steam on the Met. I'm sure in the BR era, railtours using various stock worked the branch. Of course the 4TC has been hauled to and from the branch as well.

I'm sure that part of the reason for not lengthening the bay platform is a reluctance from TfL to spend money on a service that isn't in London; see, for example, the similar reluctance to introduce a Chesham - Watford Junction shuttle once the Croxley Rail Link is completed. There are plans to move the junction closer to the point where the track to Chesham diverges from the main line, but this would involve removing the existing line as far as Chalfont (as well as the junction there), thus reducing flexibility rather than increasing it as suggested above.

Any passing loop would be needed near the mid-point of the branch, which would place it near Holloway Lane. The line is on an embankment here, so considerable earthworks would be needed. To confirm a point above, there has been a lot of work stabilizing the embankments here in recent months.

The residents of Chesham (or at least, the local newspaper) campaigned for years to have through trains rather than shuttles, without realizing that there would be a significant impact on their service at times of disruption. At least with the shuttle service there was usually the ability to reach Chalfont, where Chiltern trains were available. I believe that experience of the through service has now made Cheshamites reconsider; however, the new rolling stock means that there is no way back to a shuttle service. The original requests were used by TfL in their 'consultation', which allowed them to rearrange the services at the northern end of the line, and avoid spending on bay platform works, whilst being able to claim that they were responding to passenger requests.

I visited on Monday as part of my #BirthdayTour and the bay was occupied by a very queer contraption; the Strabag rail grinder. From the front it almost looks like any other MAN articulated waggon, come to think of it - it is, complete with German registrations plates.

Are you sure that's not B for Berlin? All the photos I have seen of this machine in the UK show a Berlin registration B-RS 5421. There are publicity shots with a Gmunden (Austria) registration one GM-880EG - Strabag is an Austrian company.

Belgian plates are quite distinctive as they have red lettering. The country code (A for Austria, B for Belgium, D for Germany) is yellow on blue in a small panel at the left end of the plate.

Has anybody got a pic of this machine please?

Thanks.