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Bettina Grove, MILTON KEYNES, MK2 3AW

Various tracks, portacabins, sleeper and transformers stored by the West Coast Main Line.

Looking towards London from the south end of the station, anybody familiar with the location over the last 60 years will instantly see that something is missing. The rail flyover that was built in the early 1960s has had the spans crossing the West Coast Main Line removed pending the construction of a new bridge to accommodate East West Rail, that, under current proposals, will eventually link Oxford and Cambridge. The original purpose of the flyover was primarily to provide a route for freight trains that would avoid London; a major marshalling yard was to be built at Swanbourne, a short distance to the west, to deal with the traffic. In fact policy changed in the 1960s with a greatly reduced emphasis on unprofitable wagonload operations, in which each wagon was dealt with as a separate consignment requiring much sorting and re-sorting en route, and the yard was never built. This meant that the flyover was little used and came to be regarded as a white elephant; the line over it was eventually mothballed in 1993. Nevertheless, the future is exciting and work is evidently progressing well.

Looking underneath Bletchley Flyover before refurbishment works began. This view is from the old trackbed of the line into Bletchley Station before the flyover was built in 1959.

View SE, towards London on the WCML. The Class H freight is on the Down Slow, passing under the flyover connecting the Cambridge and Bedford line with the line to Oxford, which was recently built but little used because the planned marshalling yard at Swanbourne never materialised and line to Oxford was closed on 1/1/68. The locomotive is ex-Midland Fowler 4F 0-6-0 No. 43977 (withdrawn 11/63).