Farnworth Tunnel Electrification.

[snowball]

I wonder why opening it out into a long cutting and creating a bridge for the A Road wasn't considered?

There was once a post by Joseph Locke (probably on here but possibly on SSC) saying it was being considered.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

User "dimlys1994" has found this video about the Farnworth tunnel project and posted it on Skyscrapercity:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=84503534&v=w591AQh7DT8&x-yt-ts=1421914688

Amazing video -thanks for posting.

 

[John Webb]

I recall reading somewhere that the contractor who built the Farnworth tunnel cheated the Midland Railway by not building it to spec - which is why they then had to add the extra brickwork!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I recall reading somewhere that the contractor who built the Farnworth tunnel cheated the Midland Railway by not building it to spec - which is why they then had to add the extra brickwork!

Your mention of the Midland Railway and the construction of the Farnworth Tunnels in the same connection will have caused "wailing and gnashing of teeth" amongst the devotees of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway that constantly are to be found upon this website, including I. I am sure that the accountants of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway would have been absolutely delighted if the Midland Railway would have borne the said tunnel costs ...

 

[Joseph_Locke]

There was once a post by Joseph Locke (probably on here but possibly on SSC) saying it was being considered.

It was considered (along with quite a few other solutions) but opening the tunnel out to make a cutting is no easier, no quicker and no less risky (it's still very close to the Down bore), plus you have to buy the land above.

 

[John Webb]

Your mention of the Midland Railway and the construction of the Farnworth Tunnels in the same connection will have caused "wailing and gnashing of teeth" amongst the devotees of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway that constantly are to be found upon this website, including I. I am sure that the accountants of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway would have been absolutely delighted if the Midland Railway would have borne the said tunnel costs ...

Sorry - I obviously didn't correctly remember what I'd read. Now I don't know if it was Farnworth and the L&Y, or the MR and another tunnel!

 

[snail]

User "dimlys1994" has found this video about the Farnworth tunnel project and posted it on Skyscrapercity:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=84503534&v=w591AQh7DT8&x-yt-ts=1421914688

It's also on the Network Rail website Farnworth Page.

You should try watching with subtitles. Very weird, worse than live text on TV.

A few quotes. See if you can guess the proper text:
"by bolting we'll be taking the lodge at the farm with titles"
"officially informed the station popcorn black shifted"
"better trains faster trains which means electric trains to replace a Leo basil's like this one" (gestures at a 142)
"Liverpool Manchester lead New York benefits which change how to make fight quieter faster changed times passengers into space"

 

[snowball]

It's also on the Network Rail website Farnworth Page.

I didn't know there was such a page! How long has that been there?

 

[mikestone1952]

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/farnworth/
;
says amended service is now from 2nd May.
;

 

[deltic08]

User "dimlys1994" has found this video about the Farnworth tunnel project and posted it on Skyscrapercity:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=84503534&v=w591AQh7DT8&x-yt-ts=1421914688

I hope more care is taken reboring the tunnel than was taken with making the video.

The road over the tunnel is marked as A66. This road runs across the Pennines between Workington and Middlesbrough many miles to the north of Greater Manchester!!

 

[Ironside]

IThanks for finding that Video - It's interesting to see a TBM type of machine in use for....

I thought that was very interesting too. Could this type of machine be used to bore out the london underground tunnels?

 

[AM9]

I thought that was very interesting too. Could this type of machine be used to bore out the london underground tunnels?

Why would they want to do that?

 

[HowardGWR]

Why would they want to do that?

So that they become bigger?

 

[Ironside]

So that they become bigger?

Exactly. I have heard that reboring the underground would be possible but as expencive and boring new tunnels, but I just wondered as a tbm is being used in farnworth whether the technology had moved on so we might see more of this elsewhere?

 

[NotATrainspott]

Exactly. I have heard that reboring the underground would be possible but as expencive and boring new tunnels, but I just wondered as a tbm is being used in farnworth whether the technology had moved on so we might see more of this elsewhere?

If you were able to close the tunnel completely for months during the works, then yes this tunnel boring technology would do wonders. However, the London Underground is pretty much as far away from that description as you can get, so there's really nowhere it would be that useful, other than to bore out the Charing Cross Jubilee Line tunnels for DLR trains.

 

[HowardGWR]

In fairness, it could be the technique to use if one wanted to be more certain that one would be less likely to interfere with nearby connections of other services, as opposed to digging an additional tunnel at the side. However, just to increase the size of stock to, say, S class, seems doubtfully worthwhile? Perhaps if existing station tunnels could be extended so as to have longer tube trains of the present size, that could be a better idea. I expect I am talking rubbish, as usual.

 

[snowball]

Most of the Underground has a cast iron segmental lining (concrete on some newer lines). Could the machine cut through that?

 

[Joseph_Locke]

Exactly. I have heard that reboring the underground would be possible but as expencive and boring new tunnels, but I just wondered as a tbm is being used in farnworth whether the technology had moved on so we might see more of this elsewhere?

Strictly it isn't TBM at Farnworth, as it doesn't bore as such; it's a jacked tunnelling shield that looks like a TBM.

Most of the Underground has a cast iron segmental lining (concrete on some newer lines). Could the machine cut through that?

If you had enough horsepower and diamonds then yes, probably.

 

[lancastrian]

I hope more care is taken reboring the tunnel than was taken with making the video.

The road over the tunnel is marked as A66. This road runs across the Pennines between Workington and Middlesbrough many miles to the north of Greater Manchester!!

The road over the top of the Farnworth Tunnel is the A666. This road continues through Bolton and through Darwen to Blackburn.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Your mention of the Midland Railway and the construction of the Farnworth Tunnels in the same connection will have caused "wailing and gnashing of teeth" amongst the devotees of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway that constantly are to be found upon this website, including I. I am sure that the accountants of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway would have been absolutely delighted if the Midland Railway would have borne the said tunnel costs ...

Just found this series of posts. I will check my history books and try to find out who paid for the second Farnworth Tunnel. I do know that it was done to accommodate the Midland Railway Pullmans travelling from Manchester over the L&YR through to Hellifield, for the trains to continue over the newly open Settle & Carlisle line.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Just found this series of posts. I will check my history books and try to find out who paid for the second Farnworth Tunnel. I do know that it was done to accommodate the Midland Railway Pullmans travelling from Manchester over the L&YR through to Hellifield, for the trains to continue over the newly open Settle & Carlisle line.

As it was the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway who were involved in the line construction of the route from Blackburn to Hellifield that was opened by 1st June 1880 and also the fact that the Farnworth new tunnel being of use to them for any onward Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway services that used the Manchester to Bolton section of such onward services to Blackburn and to Preston, I would be most interested in hearing of any financial matter that you can reveal.

 

[thealexweb]

How do people think the six paths per hour could be used?

For two of the paths I would recommend that the Blackpool North to Huddersfield stopper should be temporarily cut back to a Preston to Manchester Victoria stopper, run with 3 x Class 150s. This maxes out what can be used due to platform lengths at Blackrod and Adlington.

 

[Viscount702]

According to the NR press release they are to extend platforms to accommodate longer trains. Does anyone know which platforms are to be lengthening. Is this temporary or permanent and if only temporary is there any reason that the extensions can't remain.

 

[thealexweb]

According to the NR press release they are to extend platforms to accommodate longer trains. Does anyone know which platforms are to be lengthening. Is this temporary or permanent and if only temporary is there any reason that the extensions can't remain.

Some argue that Adlington's platforms are too short for six car 20m cars. I am fairly confident in saying that this is not true. I travelled between Bolton and Chorley during the summer blockade and one end door could not open at Adlington due to scaffolding and a temporary wooden barrier that was in place. The aforementioned door was not isolated but a second conductor stood in front of it barring its use. Presuming this work is now completed there should be no issues.

The platform lengthening works could refer readying Bolton to Blackburn for double Class 156s.

 

[snowball]

Some argue that Adlington's platforms are too short for six car 20m cars.

They're shown as six cars long on the Trackmaps map.

 

[thealexweb]

They're shown as six cars long on the Trackmaps map.

Thank you.What about Blackrod?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The platform lengthening works could refer readying Bolton to Blackburn for double Class 156s.

Which of the current stations from Hall i' th' Wood to Darwen would require such platform lengthening?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

How do people think the six paths per hour could be used?

For two of the paths I would recommend that the Blackpool North to Huddersfield stopper should be temporarily cut back to a Preston to Manchester Victoria stopper, run with 3 x Class 150s. This maxes out what can be used due to platform lengths at Blackrod and Adlington.

I'm not sure that would solve the problem, or at least would create more problems such platform congestion at Victoria, and possibly stock shortages or extra staffing costs due to less efficient diagramming.

 

[snowball]

Thank you.What about Blackrod?

Shown as 5.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Shown as 5.

What was involved with the upgrading works at Blackrod station a couple of years ago, that a million pounds was stated to be the cost?

 

[Sheepy1209]

How do people think the six paths per hour could be used?

For two of the paths I would recommend that the Blackpool North to Huddersfield stopper should be temporarily cut back to a Preston to Manchester Victoria stopper, run with 3 x Class 150s. This maxes out what can be used due to platform lengths at Blackrod and Adlington.

...after all, Blackpool North doesn't need many trains during the summer season.

I'm sure I'd heard that at least some of the Liverpool services were going to be cut back to Preston when they go electric, if that's still the case we're already on a reduced service to Blackpool (extra capacity on the airport trains, but not enough to compensate and Preston platform 1 won't be a pleasant place to be.).