An Impressive Visualisation
The Croxley Rail Link is a major project to improve the links of the Metropolitan line into Watford and connect the line to Watford Junction station.
Out of curiosity I looked at this 3d visualisation of the new link.
I found it very impressive.
Note the following.
1. After Croxley station, the line bends away to the right on a viaduct.
2. At present the line goes straight on at this point to the current Watford station. This line will become a siding, when the Croxley Rail Link is built.
3. As the Grand Union Canal is crossed, this is in the area of this post.
4. Ascot Road station shown in the visualisation is now to be called Cassiobridge station.
5. The next station is Watford Vicarage Road, which serves the football ground and the hospital.
6. The existing Watford DC Line of the London Overground joins before Watford High Street station, from where the two lines share the same track to Watford Junction.
Hopefully, I’ll still be here and can try this route for real to get to the football ground in 2017.
But I don’t think that the project will be implemented as is currently planned. The Watford Observer is reporting that London Underground is taking over the responsibility for the project and I think this will result bin some changes, most likely for the better.
1. Some parties want Watford station to stay open. As it will be possible to run trains from the Croxley Rail Link through Rickmansworth and on to Amersham, could a shuttle be introduced between Amersham and Watford stations? There is a precedent for this type of arrangement in that there is a shuttle between Dalston Junction and New Cross stations on the East London Line. The main purpose is to increase the service frequency on the core of the line through the Thames Tunnel.
2. Both Amersham and Chalfont & Latimer stations are served by Chiltern Railways, who may want to put their view forward.
3. Could the changes mean that costs rise further and a delay is introduced into the project?
Is Teddy Bishop Like Ray Wilkins?
Not my idea, but in this report on the BBC, Ipswich legend; Mick Mills compares Teddy Bishop to Ray Wilkins.
“He’s like a quarterback,” Mills told BBC Radio Suffolk.
“He’s so young to be doing that sort of thing. I remember playing with Ray and that is all he would do – never going beyond the ball but always supporting.”
I never saw Wilkins play so I can’t judge Mills’s statement.
However, the build-up to the second goal against Middlesbrough, where Bishop exchanged several close passes with David McGoldrick amongst others, and then the pinpoint curving and teasing cross was exactly what you might have expected from a certain David Beckham in his prime. But then so many of today’s young players have grown up watching Beckham, so how many have decided to follow his example?
One of the most important parts of football is the taking of corners and free-kicks, as properly taken they can lead to a goal and if taken badly they just give the ball away.
This season, Ipswich have improved in this area, with several players now taking corners that have led to quite a few goals. But the biggest surprise was one match, where Bishop was assigned to take the corners. In all my years of watching football, I’ve never seen the baby in a team given that job. Did Beckham and Gerrard take the corners, when they broke through into the first team?
The taking of corners, says that he has already earned that most rare of accolades from his team-mates; trust!
He’s certainly one of the best eighteen-year-olds, who’s come through the youth system at Ipswich.
How far he’ll go only time will tell!
Bills Gluten-Free Restaurant
I’ve passed Bill’s Restaurant at The Angel several times on the bus, but as it’s not on any of my walking routes between the tube station, the buses and any of the shops I use regularly, so I’d never checked it out.
Then today, I was looking for some string bags for Christmas present bags and I found that the restaurant sold them at a couple of quid a time. So I popped in to get them and try out the food at lunchtime.
I shall go again, as it’s well-placed for the M&S, Boots and Waitrose, I use several times a week. It’s also got decent wi-fi and is ideally placed to visit if I’m coming home on the bus from say Euston or Kings Cross.
The great thing about this chain, is that they have branches everywhere!
The Anonymous Widower 