Bicester Military Railway
Encyclopedia
The Bicester Military Railway (BMR) is a railway in Oxfordshire
, England
belonging to the Ministry of Defence. It links military depots at Piddington
, Arncott
and Graven Hill with the Oxford to Bicester Line
.
The line has no road bridges. All of its crossings of public roads at Ambrosden, Arncott and between Arncott and Piddington are by level crossing
s.
The Bicester Military Railway was built in 1941 within the Bicester
Central Ordnance Depot and was used extensively in the Second World War
.
The British Prime Minister
Harold Wilson
visited the BMR in mid 1965 prior to a government spending review. On his orders it was spared from the railway cutbacks that were left over from Lord Beeching's railway review of the early 1960s .
The BMR has about 40 miles of standard gauge
track in use. The BMR is the main base for 275 Railway Squadron, a unit of the Royal Logistic Corps
. Before 1999, 275 Railway Squadron was a stand-alone Squadron. Other RLC Regiments refer to the squadron colloquially as the Railway Children. The Sub Unit recruits exclusively from the railway industry. Every soldier in the unit is a tradesman, able to drive a locomotive, operate railway signals, shunt, and do permanent way work. The unit's regular sister unit is 79 Railway Squadron
and sometimes undertakes permanent way work with the Royal Engineers
unit 507 STRE.
275 Railway Squadron's now defunct insignia is a cross section of flat bottom rail in a blue diamond. This dates back to unit's involvement with the Longmoor Military Railway
.
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
belonging to the Ministry of Defence. It links military depots at Piddington
Piddington, Oxfordshire
Piddington is a village and civil parish about southeast of Bicester in Oxfordshire, England. Its toponym has been attributed to the Old English Pyda's tun.-Churches:...
, Arncott
Arncott
Arncott or Arncot is a village and civil parish about southeast of Bicester in Oxfordshire. It consists of two neighbourhoods: Lower and Upper Arncott....
and Graven Hill with the Oxford to Bicester Line
Oxford to Bicester Line
The Oxford to Bicester Line is a branch line linking Oxford and Bicester in Oxfordshire, England.-History:The line was opened in 1850 as part of the Buckinghamshire Railway, which in 1879 became part of the London and North Western Railway...
.
The line has no road bridges. All of its crossings of public roads at Ambrosden, Arncott and between Arncott and Piddington are by level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
s.
The Bicester Military Railway was built in 1941 within the Bicester
Bicester
Bicester is a town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in England.This historic market centre is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and...
Central Ordnance Depot and was used extensively in the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The British Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
visited the BMR in mid 1965 prior to a government spending review. On his orders it was spared from the railway cutbacks that were left over from Lord Beeching's railway review of the early 1960s .
The BMR has about 40 miles of standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
track in use. The BMR is the main base for 275 Railway Squadron, a unit of the Royal Logistic Corps
Royal Logistic Corps
The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength...
. Before 1999, 275 Railway Squadron was a stand-alone Squadron. Other RLC Regiments refer to the squadron colloquially as the Railway Children. The Sub Unit recruits exclusively from the railway industry. Every soldier in the unit is a tradesman, able to drive a locomotive, operate railway signals, shunt, and do permanent way work. The unit's regular sister unit is 79 Railway Squadron
79 Railway Squadron (United Kingdom)
The modern day 79 Railway Squadron is part of the 17 Port and Maritime Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps of the British Army. They are responsible for maintaining and providing the British Army with its railway transportation requirements....
and sometimes undertakes permanent way work with the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
unit 507 STRE.
275 Railway Squadron's now defunct insignia is a cross section of flat bottom rail in a blue diamond. This dates back to unit's involvement with the Longmoor Military Railway
Longmoor Military Railway
The Longmoor Military Railway was a British military railway in Hampshire, built by the Royal Engineers from 1903 in order to train soldiers on railway construction and operations.-Route:...
.