Great Western Electrification Progress

[reddragon]

Many thanks RD, but what does the highlighted sentence mean. Do you mean the roof? You obviously don't but could you explain please?

Quite difficult to describe (and been looking at photos of P1) - I should have taken a photo!

On P1, and visible from the footbridge, at around the base of the curved roof / above the curved windows, a number of galvanised fixings have appeared with hooks on them, I guess to hold cross wires. They are mid way between the arches, which I found odd. I couldn't see any fittings on P2.

As galvanised metal stands out and was clearly new, I could see no other purpose for them.

Forgot to add, they were also above a mini canopy section at the country end, I did not look elsewhere as I was off to the underground.

 

[jyte]

Haven't seen it on here -

Flash notices posted advising Airport Jn - Maidenhead will be energised on the 5th Feb

When will we start seeing 387s and 800s running on electric (on test) in this section?

 

[swt_passenger]

Haven't seen it on here -

Flash notices posted advising Airport Jn - Maidenhead will be energised on the 5th Feb

Letters went out locally mid November and were mentioned in this and the 387 threads at the time...

 

[HowardGWR]

Quite difficult to describe (and been looking at photos of P1) - I should have taken a photo!

On P1, and visible from the footbridge, at around the base of the curved roof / above the curved windows, a number of galvanised fixings have appeared with hooks on them, I guess to hold cross wires. They are mid way between the arches, which I found odd. I couldn't see any fittings on P2.

As galvanised metal stands out and was clearly new, I could see no other purpose for them.

Forgot to add, they were also above a mini canopy section at the country end, I did not look elsewhere as I was off to the underground.

I just wonder if such is permitted development or whether consent(s) was(were) already obtained. Paddington is grade 1 listed, I believe.

 

[w1bbl3]

I just wonder if such is permitted development or whether consent(s) was(were) already obtained. Paddington is grade 1 listed, I believe.

The bridge modification works to enable electrification had been applied for under listed building consent application 16/10069/LBC. The application includes various drawings of the proposed works.

 

[fgwrich]

The bridge modification works to enable electrification had been applied for under listed building consent application 16/10069/LBC. The application includes various drawings of the proposed works.

Speaking of the bridge, here is a photo I took yesterday. I believe it isn't finished yet as the floor is made of wood with an anti slip surface.

 

[QueensCurve]

The bridge modification works to enable electrification had been applied for under listed building consent application 16/10069/LBC. The application includes various drawings of the proposed works.

The URL for this:-

http://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/on...chString=rif&searchCriteria.simpleSearch=true

 

[Unclepete]

Never.

The Hayes services will remain as Hayes services until they're withdrawn and replaced with Crossrail 4tph to Heathrow (along with Connect)

Peak only running to and from Maidenhead is due to commence in May, subject to all station compatibility testing and verification being completed. The former Bourne End through services (that now terminate at Maidenhead) and a very small handful of stoppers which also start/terminate Maidenhead are the services you're looking for.

I maybe taking a very simplistic view here, but surely if the wires are not energised as far as Reading before December, then why would you want to introduce the IEP's before then? You would want to run on electric to Reading wouldn't you?

 

[MarlowDonkey]

then why would you want to introduce the IEP's before then?

Wouldn't a Maidenhead service use the same type of electric train (387?) as currently used on the Hayes shuttle? These are replacing in part the 165s and 166s used at present. IEPs are replacing the Inter City 125s.

 

[Unclepete]

Wouldn't a Maidenhead service use the same type of electric train (387?) as currently used on the Hayes shuttle? These are replacing in part the 165s and 166s used at present. IEPs are replacing the Inter City 125s.

Sorry, I was making a more general point about the timing of the IEP introduction.
As I understand it, they were expected to start in July, but due to various issues, we all know about, the latest date mentioned is October.

Will Maidenhead-Reading be switched on by October? If not, why would you introduce them?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Also please please someone post some photos or other good news so we can get back on topic and see some real progress.

 

[reddragon]

I maybe taking a very simplistic view here, but surely if the wires are not energised as far as Reading before December, then why would you want to introduce the IEP's before then? You would want to run on electric to Reading wouldn't you?

Because the class 180's go off hire in December 2017 and many HSTs have to be handed back for ScotRail in the autumn too.

The IEPs will just have to get by until each section gets switched on.

Paddington - West Drayton / Tilehurst to Didcot are ON.

West Drayton - Maidenhead should go live in February 2017

Maidenhead - Twyford / Reading Station look good for the early summer.

We can hope for the Sonning gap & west of Didcot, but Steventon is way behind

 

[Melancholia]

West Drayton - Maidenhead should go live in February 2017

This has been put back to March 2017.

 

[HowardGWR]

However, the last post to that thread was in June last year, whereas the much more recent #4329 in this thread is relevant:

Just because a thread is old does not prevent it being bumped. We agreed to keep it separate as it was very much in the political sphere. NR will not do anything it doesn't want to, and it doesn't have to do (as it has placed many caveats). We have enough airy fairy stuff on this thread already. I just wish we could discuss the same material as is done on the Ordsall Chord and Other Northern electrification threads.

 

[Unclepete]

Because the class 180's go off hire in December 2017 and many HSTs have to be handed back for ScotRail in the autumn too.

The IEPs will just have to get by until each section gets switched on.

Paddington - West Drayton / Tilehurst to Didcot are ON.

West Drayton - Maidenhead should go live in February 2017

Maidenhead - Twyford / Reading Station look good for the early summer.

We can hope for the Sonning gap & west of Didcot, but Steventon is way behind

ok, thanks I understand a little better now the reasons.
So, if we have live wires to Maidenhead, are non stopping services going to change power source at line speed?

 

[MarlowDonkey]

So, if we have live wires to Maidenhead, are non stopping services going to change power source at line speed?

I believe it has been announced that the IEPs can do this. I don't think there are any immediate plans to bring them into service. Otherwise the GWR units are electric only.

 

[Mintona]

There are a fair few masts around Brinkworth now. Hadn't noticed them until today.

 

[Taunton]

We now have electric services from Paddington to Hayes. They were described as taking the paths of the Greenford trains, which are now connections cut back to a bay at West Ealing.

Looking at the current timetable, this seems to have been taken literally. Throughout the morning these services arrive at West Ealing at 27 and 57 minutes past the hour. And the trains to Greenford, from over the footbridge, depart at ... 27 and 57 minutes past the hour. So no connection. And indeed, the timetable shows you now need to go on the previous stopping service to get the branch train.

I don't remember it being said that such an extraordinary attitude to the onetime through passengers was ever contemplated.

 

[edwin_m]

We now have electric services from Paddington to Hayes. They were described as taking the paths of the Greenford trains, which are now connections cut back to a bay at West Ealing.

Looking at the current timetable, this seems to have been taken literally. Throughout the morning these services arrive at West Ealing at 27 and 57 minutes past the hour. And the trains to Greenford, from over the footbridge, depart at ... 27 and 57 minutes past the hour. So no connection. And indeed, the timetable shows you now need to go on the previous stopping service to get the branch train.

I don't remember it being said that such an extraordinary attitude to the onetime through passengers was ever contemplated.

That's plain daft. Isn't the Greenford branch now fully self-contained? If so the whole timetable could be pushed round the clock by a few minutes to give a decent connection.

 

[D1009]

Because the class 180's go off hire in December 2017 and many HSTs have to be handed back for ScotRail in the autumn too.

The IEPs will just have to get by until each section gets switched on.

Paddington - West Drayton / Tilehurst to Didcot are ON.

West Drayton - Maidenhead should go live in February 2017

Maidenhead - Twyford / Reading Station look good for the early summer.

We can hope for the Sonning gap & west of Didcot, but Steventon is way behind

Does that mean say by Dec 18 we are likely to complete the wiring to Thingley Junction leaving a short gap at Steventon?

 

[Ianno87]

That's plain daft. Isn't the Greenford branch now fully self-contained? If so the whole timetable could be pushed round the clock by a few minutes to give a decent connection.

There a a few freight paths through the day that run between the Reliefs and the Greenford branch, which have to be pathed between the passenger trains. The longish headway on the Greenford branch means that the passenger paths have to coincide at the same time on Relief and branch to get a 'through' freight path. The tight running time of the single unit means that you can't adjust the time for a particular hour to fit a freight as there isn't enough flex at either end - the only other way would be to miss a trip while the freight runs through.

 

[SWT_USER]

That's plain daft. Isn't the Greenford branch now fully self-contained? If so the whole timetable could be pushed round the clock by a few minutes to give a decent connection.

Yep. Journey times effectively doubled for branch users. Awful planning

 

[Envoy]

I thought that they were going to put in extra tracks to make Didcot to Swindon 4 tracks? If that is so, why have they only put up headspans for the 2 present tracks only?

 

[Domh245]

I am not aware of the style of supports used on that section (but they almost certainly aren't headspans!) - but it is possible that should they 4 track it, they'll go with the seemingly preferred style of 2 twin track cantilevers, assuming that they lay an additional pair of tracks adjacent to it, rather than one new track on either side.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

No plans for more 4-tracking west of Didcot.
There is 4 miles of quad track at Wantage.

 

[Class 170101]

There a a few freight paths through the day that run between the Reliefs and the Greenford branch, which have to be pathed between the passenger trains. The longish headway on the Greenford branch means that the passenger paths have to coincide at the same time on Relief and branch to get a 'through' freight path. The tight running time of the single unit means that you can't adjust the time for a particular hour to fit a freight as there isn't enough flex at either end - the only other way would be to miss a trip while the freight runs through.

Or insert some intermediate block signals.

 

[ainsworth74]

I dunno what it is about the Goring Gap that gets people so worked up but can we please please use the Goring Gap thread for discussions about it? I've had to move 25 posts out of this thread to get us back on track and ensure that we can see the wires for the masts in this thread!

Many thanks

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

We now have electric services from Paddington to Hayes. They were described as taking the paths of the Greenford trains, which are now connections cut back to a bay at West Ealing.

Looking at the current timetable, this seems to have been taken literally. Throughout the morning these services arrive at West Ealing at 27 and 57 minutes past the hour. And the trains to Greenford, from over the footbridge, depart at ... 27 and 57 minutes past the hour. So no connection. And indeed, the timetable shows you now need to go on the previous stopping service to get the branch train.

I don't remember it being said that such an extraordinary attitude to the onetime through passengers was ever contemplated.

What complete and utter rubbish.

The actual arrangement is that a 3-min connection is provided from Greenford into the Hayes-Paddington EMU until about 1300hrs, after which time the branch timetable rotates slightly and provides a 3-min connection towards Greenford out of the Paddington-Hayes EMU until the end of play. Note it is not physically possible to provide the connection both ways, and the EMU paths are fixed by the available slots in/out of London Paddington.
That's the theory anyway. The reality is that some consecutive branch circuits are flexed for freight trains. The tight turnarounds (3/4 mins) at each end mean it takes a few circuits to recover the pattern if one is retimed. It's a known issue and various parties are working to improve the plan. 'Awful planning' it is not!
(If you want to see the ideal pattern look at the Saturday timetable on a date when there isn't engineering work, or in the pocket TT which shows the unamended base timetable.)

 

[Taunton]

I'm a bit at a loss to understand how the comments can be both

complete and utter rubbish

and

It's a known issue

at the same time.

 

[D1009]

I'm a bit at a loss to understand how the comments can be both
and at the same time.

It's the usual thing, branch lines can't dictate patterns on the main line.