Manchester - Liverpool Electrification

[LNW-GW Joint]

Mast bases now installed just east of Rainhill station, on the "Trials" section.
4 on the Down and 8-ish on the Up.
This is the first sign of electrification work on the Huyton-Earlestown section.

 

[DJH1971]

Mast bases now installed just east of Rainhill station, on the "Trials" section.
4 on the Down and 8-ish on the Up.
This is the first sign of electrification work on the Huyton-Earlestown section.

Great to be hearing this!

Should be seeing them shortly between Lea Green to Earlestown.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Went into Liverpool this morning and saw more preparation work for mast bases underway near Lea Green and also between Broad Green and Roby.

 

[8A Rail]

Mast bases now installed just east of Rainhill station, on the "Trials" section.
4 on the Down and 8-ish on the Up.
This is the first sign of electrification work on the Huyton-Earlestown section.

I noted the concrete base's either side of the Rainhill 76 Steps Footbridge and sadly when the mast's are placed into position, the east bound photoshot will definitely be no longer possible unfortunately. The westbound is really no better either. But regardless, nice to see in progress.

 

[Dixie]

Lots of masts in place between Huyton Junction and Rainhill as well now.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Lots of masts in place between Huyton Junction and Rainhill as well now.

Do you really mean Rainhill?
There was nothing on that stretch last Monday (no bases, even).
Masts are only on the Wigan branch.
I didn't think they could work that fast.

 

[8A Rail]

Lots of masts in place between Huyton Junction and Rainhill as well now.

May be concrete bases but not masts! My previous message above was from observation on Thursday gone and also I live around the corner from Whiston Station.

 

[Geeves]

A slight change to the usual locations. Concrete bases and foundations are now starting to appear more visibly between Salford Central and Manchester Victoria

Also one of the low bridges on the climb up from Vic up to Collyhurst is now history, some works going on Rochdale Rd bridge for the future electrification towards Stalybridge

 

[Dunc108]

A slight change to the usual locations. Concrete bases and foundations are now starting to appear more visibly between Salford Central and Manchester Victoria

Also one of the low bridges on the climb up from Vic up to Collyhurst is now history, some works going on Rochdale Rd bridge for the future electrification towards Stalybridge

Saw all that coming through Vic last Thursday - all systems go at Vic even saw a 185 on lunchtime ECS! Must be route learning for next May..

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Saw all that coming through Vic last Thursday - all systems go at Vic even saw a 185 on lunchtime ECS! Must be route learning for next May..

Vic is a regular diversionary route for TPE, so I'd hope their drivers/guards are already up-to-speed on the route!

 

[Geeves]

Most sign Vic - Ashton and then normal route to Huddersfield but they have been learning via Brighouse recently, will the the Liverpool - Manchester Victoria - Newcastle expresses be running via the old L&Y/Calder Valley?

I did notice after Manchester it will be first stop Leeds.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Most sign Vic - Ashton and then normal route to Huddersfield but they have been learning via Brighouse recently, will the the Liverpool - Manchester Victoria - Newcastle expresses be running via the old L&Y/Calder Valley?

I did notice after Manchester it will be first stop Leeds.

This is incorrect. It will run non-stop from Vic via Ashton and Stalybridge to Huddersfield where it WILL call, before running fast to Leeds, omitting Dewsbury. I don't think there are any paths down the Calder Valley, certainly not fast ones even without the Tod curve service! The new service runs Liverpool LS-MCV-HUD-LDS-YRK and so on.

Though via Brighouse is a regular diversion too, both reversing at Huddersfield and missing it, as when the Stalybridge blockade was on some of the TPE services called at Huddersfield and reversed, running via the Bradley curve to access the L&Y, whilst some missed Huddersfield and ran via Cooper Bridge. The Hulls terminated at Huddersfield and formed the next Eastbound back out.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Lots of masts in place between Huyton Junction and Rainhill as well now.

For the record, there are NO masts in place, or bases even, between Huyton and Rainhill.
The only electrification work on that stretch is construction of the switchgear site at Huyton Quarry.
East of Rainhill, however, the bases are going in quickly, almost up to Lea Green.
Bases are also marching gradually east of Broad Green towards Roby.

At Huyton, the subway is now closed for reconstruction and you have to use the public tunnel towards the town.
The old subway between platforms 3/4 now has a steel frame and a concrete top.
They were excavating more of the fill in the old platforms today, revealing some nice brickwork.

East of Orsdall Lane a few new mast bases are in on the south side of the viaduct, and the big holes towards Victoria are being concreted.
Nothing seems to have changed on the Wigan branch in the last week or so:
bases mostly complete to just beyond Bryn, masts also mostly in up to St Helens, extending intermittently to Garswood.
Still plenty of work to do before wiring can start. Nothing near St Helens station, for instance.
There are still plenty of mobile lift platforms parked at various points off the line east of Astley, so the OHLE work mustn't be quite finished yet.

The new masts are plated "LMxx" where xx is the kilometre distance from Lime St, and "HGxx" on the Wigan branch measured from Huyton Jn.
I was intrigued to see that this matched the plates on the old OHL masts at Newton-le-Willows - must have been surveyed as long ago as 1974!
You can see where masts are due to go where these references are painted on the platforms/cutting/viaduct walls etc.

Incidentally, I have a hunch that the line designation (Up/Down) was at some time reversed on the L&M main line, probably when the LNWR took over.
I think it would originally have been "Down" from Liverpool (mileposts on the left).
But that line is now "Up" (to Euston), to match the LNWR directions at Edge Hill, Earlestown and the Manchester South Jn line.
Just a theory.

 

[steverailer]

Phase 1 full power up for the first time tonight between Windsor Street and Parkside.

Still alot of work to be done on registration and snagging for trains to run, but power up testing tonight and Thursday.

 

[edwin_m]

Incidentally, I have a hunch that the line designation (Up/Down) was at some time reversed on the L&M main line, probably when the LNWR took over.
I think it would originally have been "Down" from Liverpool (mileposts on the left).
But that line is now "Up" (to Euston), to match the LNWR directions at Edge Hill, Earlestown and the Manchester South Jn line.
Just a theory.

May well be. "Down" is usually, but not always, the direction of increasing mileage, although I'm not sure when the terms came into use. The L&M is measured today from a zero at Lime Street so increases mileage in the Up direction. This measurement can't be original as Lime Street didn't exist at the time, but Google turns up a couple of old accounts referring to mileages that are similar to today's, suggesting that the original zero was at one of the termini in the Liverpool area.

 

[Geeves]

61653 you are indeed correct, I thought I Had read it was to run none stop

Cheers for the heads up!

 

[DJH1971]

Phase 1 full power up for the first time tonight between Windsor Street and Parkside.

Still alot of work to be done on registration and snagging for trains to run, but power up testing tonight and Thursday.

Wonder when the 92's will start their tests runs?

Plus the 350's for TPE will be in the UK very shortly.

 

[The Planner]

No idea about 92s but Virgin are rumoured to be running a couple of instrumented test Pendos along there around the 24th/25th November.

 

[DJH1971]

No idea about 92s but Virgin are rumoured to be running a couple of instrumented test Pendos along there around the 24th/25th November.

Potential diversionary routes lie ahead then!

 

[ianhr]

May well be. "Down" is usually, but not always, the direction of increasing mileage, although I'm not sure when the terms came into use. The L&M is measured today from a zero at Lime Street so increases mileage in the Up direction. This measurement can't be original as Lime Street didn't exist at the time, but Google turns up a couple of old accounts referring to mileages that are similar to today's, suggesting that the original zero was at one of the termini in the Liverpool area.

The L&YR designations were unique in that UP was towards Manchester Vic rather than London, as on all other systems, but The L&YR was an east-west railway which did not serve London. I'm not sure what happened after the amalgamation. The L&M was of course LNWR but originally first connected to London by the Grand Junction Railway at Winwick/Earlestown so at that point UP and DOWN could have been from both Manchester and Liverpool towards Earlestown?!

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Some of the old documents refer to the "Northerly" or "Southerly" track respectively.
That would work fine on an isolated line pretty much on an east-west axis, but not when it was part of a larger system.
The initial zero point when construction started in 1825 may well have been the Crown St terminus, but Lime St soon followed (authorised in 1832, opened in 1836).

 

[edwin_m]

The L&YR designations were unique in that UP was towards Manchester Vic rather than London, as on all other systems, but The L&YR was an east-west railway which did not serve London. I'm not sure what happened after the amalgamation. The L&M was of course LNWR but originally first connected to London by the Grand Junction Railway at Winwick/Earlestown so at that point UP and DOWN could have been from both Manchester and Liverpool towards Earlestown?!

All the ex-L&Y routes are still "up" to Victoria so I doubt they have been changed at all. This also "joins up" at the main junctions with other companies, with the exception of Farington Curve where there were several triangles so something would have had to "give" whatever way round things were.

This would have been much less of a concern in the days of the L&M. However a "down" WCML journey from Warrington to Wigan on the old route via Earlestown involves running "up" for the short distance on the L&M, so I think this change would not have happened until after the cut-off was built and WCML trains didn't regularly run via Earlestown.

 

[Dixie]

For the record, there are NO masts in place, or bases even, between Huyton and Rainhill.

I must disagree, there are masts up either side of the M57 motorway bridge, including the uprights for at least one portal, most of which have the arms in place, pulled off to the side.

I drove past there again today, just to make sure I hadn't been seeing things!

There are also masts up around Prescot station.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I must disagree, there are masts up either side of the M57 motorway bridge, including the uprights for at least one portal, most of which have the arms in place, pulled off to the side.
I drove past there again today, just to make sure I hadn't been seeing things!
There are also masts up around Prescot station.

I think you might have the wrong M57 bridge.
That is probably on the Huyton-Prescot-St Helens stretch, which certainly has masts.
The bridge for the main line via Rainhill to Manchester is 500m to the south, and has no masts.
My views were from trains along the routes.

 

[Dixie]

I think you might have the wrong M57 bridge.
That is probably on the Huyton-Prescot-St Helens stretch, wich certainly has masts.
The bridge for the main line via Rainhill to Manchester is 500m to the south, and has no masts.
My views were from trains along the routes.

My apologies, LNW-GW Joint, you are quite right, I am referring to the more northerly route. Actually, the clue was in the fact that I travelled to Garswood and back to have a look at what was going on, and confused Prescot with Rainhill!

Detention for me tonight I fear :cry:

I could see why the passengers on this route are fed up with their lot. All the trains were crammed. The 156's seemed totally unsuitable for stopping services, with no centre doors and small vestibules.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

My apologies, LNW-GW Joint, you are quite right, I am referring to the more northerly route. Actually, the clue was in the fact that I travelled to Garswood and back to have a look at what was going on, and confused Prescot with Rainhill!
Detention for me tonight I fear :cry:
I could see why the passengers on this route are fed up with their lot. All the trains were crammed. The 156's seemed totally unsuitable for stopping services, with no centre doors and small vestibules.

Great, that's sorted.
I don't know the area well, but I have been surprised how local some of the travel is.
Large numbers of people seem to get on after Huyton for St Helens, and after they have all gone another lot then climb on for Wigan.
Most stopping trains I have used into Liverpool are standing after Huyton, sometimes from St Helens.
The Blackpool train is always stuffed.

 

[steverailer]

No idea about 92s but Virgin are rumoured to be running a couple of instrumented test Pendos along there around the 24th/25th November.

TBH can't see it being ready for test trains till early Dec. They didn't power up last night, not sure why or when they are hoping for atm would think it will be this week though. Its just been made electrically safe so they can do some power up tests. Still alot of snagging to be done before its ready for trains, several wire runs have serious twists in them and need chasing out/replacing (down to not having the SPS in place to hold the wire when they ran it) meaning that droppers are not either in place or are places incorrectly for the pantographs, and the majority from Patricroft to Chat Moss pub is not properly registered.

 

[The Planner]

People better be prepared to board 1P45 on the 8th Dec if it isn't ready by then.....

 

[YorkshireBear]

People better be prepared to board 1P45 on the 8th Dec if it isn't ready by then.....

Doesn't need to be ready by then, 350s are behind.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

People better be prepared to board 1P45 on the 8th Dec if it isn't ready by then.....

I just looked up TPE's 1P45 (1350 Middlesbrough-Manchester Airport) before realising we were in black railspeak mode.
I just hope they (I don't really know who "they" are - NR or BB) are learning the lessons for Phase 2.
In the grand scheme of things it's not that critical to make 8 December (it's not the Olympics, after all) but the fall-out won't be nice (project management etc).

 

[YorkshireBear]

I just looked up TPE's 1P45 (1350 Middlesbrough-Manchester Airport) before realising we were in black railspeak mode.
I just hope they (I don't really know who "they" are - NR or BB) are learning the lessons for Phase 2.
In the grand scheme of things it's not that critical to make 8 December (it's not the Olympics, after all) but the fall-out won't be nice (project management etc).

I think work has slowed down as they know full well there are no EMUs to operate it!