Quinton Rail Technology Centre at Long Marston was originally a large Ministry of Defence site established early in World War II which boasted an extensive private railway. Main line rail access was provided via the adjacent Great Western Birmingham-Stratford-Cheltenham Line which crossed the Great Western's Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton line about two miles south of Long Marston at Honeybourne where elaborate junctions between the two lines gave good rail connections in various directions.
Post-war, military use steadily declined. British Railways withdrew passenger services through Long Marston around 1966 and, by 1976, the line to Stratford had been lifted north of Long Marston, retaining a single line south of Long Marston to a connection with the Oxford and Worcester line at Honeybourne so as to maintain rail connections to the Ministry of Defence site. South of Honeybourne, the Stratford-Cheltenham route was removed but the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway have restored operations between Toddington and Cheltenham.
With further reductions in Ministry of Defence use, Bird's Commercial Motors took over part of the site as a scrapyard with the advantage of rail connections. The Wikipedia article here and the Warwickshire Railways site here document this period, together with various Open Days held at the site for enthusiasts. Initiatives to establish a permanent preservation presence were not successful.
Following the privatisation of British Rail, completed in 1997, the extensive sidings proved attractive to various ROSCOs (the Rolling Stock operating companies) for storage of out-of-use rail vehicles. This gave rise to various comings-and-goings of rolling stock to and from the site which are documented on Peter Tandy's photograph site here.
In 2004 the 479 acre site was sold to 'regeneration specialists' St. Modwen who, with Bird's, proposed to redevelop the site as 'Middle Quinton Eco-town'. The present plan retains the rail storage and railway equipment restoration facilities with the eastern part of the site developed as a "100 million pound mixed-use leisure-based scheme" called Meon Vale.
The site in 2017
On 21st November 2017, a wet, wintery day, I visited the site for a meeting and managed to take a few indifferent pictures. The remaining railway facilities are operated by Motorail Enterprises as Quinton Rail Technology Centre. Rail vehicle storage mentioned above is still important and I saw various freight vehicles and a number of Class 319 Electric Multiple Units.
Quinton Rail Technology Centre, Long Marston: Class 319 EMU in store.
I didn't have an opportunity to explore but I also saw a number of taken-out-of-service light-rail trams and London Underground D78 vehicles.
Quinton Rail Technology Centre, Long Marston: Light Rail units in store.
Quinton Rail Technology Centre, Long Marston: former London Underground D78 vehicle in store.
There was a Class 01 diesel shunter, 01547, in the purple and white livery of the Defence Logistics Organisation, and two rubber-tyred 'shunting locomotives' complete with buffers, drawhooks and air brake connections in the same livery.
Quinton Rail Technology Centre, Long Marston: Diesel shunter 01547 in the purple and white livery of the Defence Logistics Organisation.
Quinton Rail Technology Centre, Long Marston: Two rubber-tyred 'shunting locomotives' in the purple and white livery of the Defence Logistics Organisation.
A number of companies involved in various aspects of modern railway operation have established a presence on the site.
The Rail Alliance is a B2B (business to business) networking organisation "that sits at the very heart of the rail supply chain". In partnership with RAIL Magazine, an annual outdoor exhibition called 'Rail Live' is staged at Quinton Rail Technology Centre. Rail Alliance works closely with the Rail Research UK Association (RRUKA) which is also based at Long Marston. Various rail-related tests can be carried out at Quinton Rail Technology Centre in connection with product development, certification and training. One section of the continuous test track is equipped with overhead catenary and, on the day of my visit, Keltbray Rail had a selection of road/rail Overhead Line Equipment maintenance vehicles operating, carrying out what looked like training.
Quinton Rail Technology Centre, Long Marston: Road/Rail vehicle in use on the section of test track with overhead catenary.
Perhaps the highest-profile company on site is Vivarail, who are producing Class 230 trainsets using redundant London Underground D78 vehicles.
Quinton Rail Technology Centre, Long Marston: Vivarail DMU 230001.
Track diagram
There a simplified track diagram of the system when owned by the Ministry of Defence in the publication:-
‘Railway Track Diagrams Book 3: Western’ (TRACKmaps: 4th edition) ISBN: 0-9549866-1-X.
Related posts on other websites
Although the links worked at the time this post was published, changes made by that website's owner may 'break' the link.
Long Marston railway station (Wikipedia).
Long Marston (Warwickshire Railways).
Long Marston (Peter Tandy's photograph site).
Meon Vale (St. Modwen).
Quinton Rail Technology Centre.
Keltbray Rail.
Vivarail.
London Underground D78 vehicles.
Related posts on this website
Rail Research UK Association Annual Conference 2017
My pictures
Where necessary, clicking on an image above will display an 'uncropped' view or, alternately, pictures may be selected, viewed or downloaded, in various sizes, from the albums listed:-
Quinton Rail Technology Centre.
