Varsity Line
• "The Varsity Line and the lines it meets. Disused or freight-only sections are in blue." Source of svg file: Wikipedia (2008)
- "Cambridge—Milton Keynes loose links may well provide additionsl fragmented educational servicing web (cf. Atom, AD 5/68)."
- (Cedric Price, AD 5/69)
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
When I first started my slot as Designing Buildings' Guest Editor I searched the site using the term 'Varsity Line'. There's a particular and personal reason for this: I worked in Oxford and lived In Cambridge (late nineties) and there was no direct railway route linking these university cities - in this particular case the line between Bicester and Oxford was closed to passengers and the line from Bedford (Goldington Power Station) to the junction at Cambridge was closed completely. In fact, I don't think anyone had seriously considered an alternative to travel by road.
The results of my search on the site stated:—
- "This page does not exist. Click here to create the page "Varsity Line"
I therefore created the page "Varsity Line" with a copy of the image shown above:—
- 10:42, 11 March 2024 Archiblog (Talk | contribs) (274 bytes) (Created page with "File:Item 24789 - Varsity Line.png • The Varsity Line and the lines it meets. Disused or freight-only sections are in blue. (By Dtcdthingy - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0) [[http...")
My next step was to search the web using the same term - see Appendix.
Below are my reasons for having chosen two articles describing the Varsity Line.
[edit] Why have I chosen the following articles?
I have chosen two related articles:—
- Wikipedia contributors (last edited 12 March 2024, at 12:16) 'Varsity Line', Wikipedia;
- Disused Stations contributors (last updated 2019-06-10) 'Disused Stations', disused-stations.org
[edit] Wikipedia contributors (last edited 12 March 2024, at 12:16) 'Varsity Line'The Varsity Line was the main railway line that linked the English university cities of Oxford and Cambridge before January 1968. The article draws my attention because of my interest in the need to reconstruct the line as part of an egalitarian educational system. According to the Wikipedia article entitled 'Varsity Line', the railway was built by three local schemes, namely:—
• Table 1: The three sections which became incorporated into the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). [5] In 1923, the LNWR became a constituent of the London, Midland and Scottish (LMS) railway, one of the 'Big Four' group of companies [6] According to Wikipedia, there were also five intersecting trunk lines running north-south, namely:–
In addition, two other trunk routes were built later, namely:—
In 1948, the LMS was nationalised to form part of British Railways [9] as a result of the Transport Act 1947 [10]. [edit] Disused Stations contributors (last updated 2019-06-10) 'Disused Stations'The Disused Stations website draws my attention because of my interest in the Varsity Line and in the reconstruction of the Bedford-Cambridge section in particular. In addition to photographs it also provides maps and detailed information about all of these stations.
• Table 2: Disused stations on the Bedford-Cambridge section of the Varsity Line. |
[edit] Notes
[1] Wikipedia contributors (2024) 'Bedford Railway', in 'Varsity Line', Wikipedia.
[2] Wikipedia contributors (2024) 'Buckinghamshire Railway', in 'Varsity Line', Wikipedia. (Also 'Buckinghamshire Railway', Wikipedia.)
[3] Wikipedia contributors (2024) 'Bedford and Cambridge Railway', in 'Varsity Line', Wikipedia. According to Wikipedia:—
- "(the Bedford and Cambridge Railway) adopted the alignment of an earlier private scheme, the Sandy and Potton Railway."
See also note [4] below.
[4] Wikipedia contributors (2023) 'Sandy and Potton Railway', in 'Potton railway station', Wikipedia.
[5] Wikipedia contributors (2024) 'London and North Western Railway', Wikipedia.
[6] Wikipedia contributors (2023) 'Big Four (British railway companies)', Wikipedia.
[7] Wikipedia contributors (2024) 'The Bicester cut-off', Wikipedia.
[8] Wikipedia contributors (2024) 'Great Central Main Line', Wikipedia.
[9] Wikipedia contributors (2024) 'British Rail', Wikipedia.
[10] Wikipedia contributors (2024) 'Transport Act 1947', Wikipedia.
[edit] Reference
Wikipedia contributors (2024) 'Varsity Line', Wikipedia.
[edit] Further reading
Wikimedia Commons contributors (2018) 'Category:Varsity Line', Wikimedai Commons.
[edit] Appendix (incomplete)
Frearson, A. (2017-11-30) 'Oxford and Cambridge need good design to become "UK's Silicon Valley" say architects', dezeen.
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (2018-09-27) 'BBOWT launches legal challenge against government's Oxford to Cambridge Expressway proposal', Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.
Harrabin, R. (2018-10-27) 'Oxford-Cambridge Arc: Row over central England mega-plan', BBC.
Bidwells (2018-04-05) 'Introducing the Oxbridge Growth Corridor', bidwells.co.uk
Kindersley, S. (2018-10-22) 'Open Letter to Mr R Brighouse', CamBedRailRoad.
Beament, E. (2018-10-27) 'Campaigners warn thousands of acres of woodland could be destroyed by Oxford to Cambridge development', Cambridgeshire News.
Johnson, B. (2018-09) 'Notes on Preliminary Railway Alignment', CamBedRailRoad.
The countryside charity (2018-10-25) 'Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford: A Corridor of Uncertainty for the Countryside', cpre.org.uk
East West Rail (2019-01) 'Eastern Section: Prospectus for Growth', East West Rail.
East West Rail (2019-01) 'East West Rail Bedford to Cambridge Route Option Consultation', East West Rail.
East West Rail (2019-01) 'East West Rail Bedford to Cambridge Route Option Consultation: Route Option Maps', East West Rail.
East West Rail (2019-01) 'East West Rail Bedford to Cambridge Route Option Consultation: Technical Report', East West Rail.
CamBedRaiRoad (2019-01) 'Arguments for a Northern Approach into Cambridge', CamBedRailRoad.
CamBedRaiRoad (undated) 'EWR – CS: CBRR route & Cambridge North Station', CamBedRailRoad.
CamBedRaiRoad (undated) 'CamBedRaiRoad Proposal', CamBedRailRoad.
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (2021-03-18) 'The Oxford to Cambridge Expressway: a threat to wildlife', Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.
Lock, D. (2023) 'Oxford MK Cambridge (O2C)', David Lock Associates.
Bidwells (2024) 'Oxford to Cambridge Arc', bidwells.co.uk
CamBedRaiRoad (2024) 'CBRR's Guidance Notes and more detailed maps', CamBedRailRoad.
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