Haymarket to Dalmeny electrification

[GraphitProjekt]

What do you mean by droppers?

 

[najaB]

Unfortunately not all of the masts are up. There is one double to have droppers added, two portals to be fully assembled and another to have droppers added, and one double to be put up closer to Lennymuir, all at the airport section.

Okay, thanks. I was that way a couple of times last week but not in good daylight so must've missed them.

 

[scotraildriver]

Unfortunately not all of the masts are up. There is one double to have droppers added, two portals to be fully assembled and another to have droppers added, and one double to be put up closer to Lennymuir, all at the airport section. Then there's the two random piles between Saughton Junction and Ladywell Avenue which still need to be put up. Not sure what the case is with them though, here's a screenshot of them with some weird material around them, looks like slabs. Any ideas as to what's going on?

View attachment 192422

They look like anchor points for the bracing members. There's usually a big hook on the top of them.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Nov 2025 ==

What do you mean by droppers?

I suspect they mean the registration arms. Droppers are the wires linking the catenary wire with the contact wire.

 

[TrainViation]

What do you mean by droppers?

The set of arms where the wires hang from.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Nov 2025 ==

I suspect they mean the registration arms. Droppers are the wires linking the catenary wire with the contact wire.

Ah, my apologies, that it was I was meaning. Thanks for the correction.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Nov 2025 ==

Okay, thanks. I was that way a couple of times last week but not in good daylight so must've missed them.

I have a video of the line between Dalmeny station and Haymarket West, which I will upload and link here once it’s online. I tried to get the best angle possible, though there was still some glare. I will report back with a link when it’s done.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

I suspect they mean the registration arms. Droppers are the wires linking the catenary wire with the contact wire.

yeah, I was going to say haha!

The set of arms where the wires hang from.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Nov 2025 ==


Ah, my apologies, that it was I was meaning. Thanks for the correction.

I have also seen this kind of thing called "small parts steel" or "SPS".

 

[TrainViation]

Another mast up on the section of line next next to the airport, the mast being a double on the Edinburgh direction of line.

This clip from Plane Sailing Aviation contains a panorama of the current progress of the masting and electrification next to the airport:

✂️ OLE Update (cheers)

17 seconds · Clipped by TrainViation · Original video "LIVE plane spotting✈️STRONG WINDS 45mph+ GUSTS FORECAST for Edinburgh airport" by Plane Sailing Avia...

www.youtube.com

 

[AMD]

Had a chance to have a look at progress today, it looks like the installation of masts is now complete as there's no obvious gaps.
Just bridge works to be done now - the bridge at South Gyle has the new deck in place ahead of the old bridge being removed from around it.

 

[TrainViation]

Thanks so much for sharing.

With the airport gap filled, and I'm assuming the two doubles towards Saughton Junction have as well, it's just a matter of time for the bridge works to finish off. I'm wondering if that green material border behind the scaffolding is the permanent bridge wall, or just a temporary barrier. (I hope it isn't, it doesn't suit it...)

I'm not sure if the railway bridge over the road at the airport is missing a mast or not. As a roadwork suggests it's having things added to it in February, and the gap between the other masts and that point is much larger than usual.

 

[TrainViation]

Had a chance to have a look at progress today, it looks like the installation of masts is now complete as there's no obvious gaps.
Just bridge works to be done now - the bridge at South Gyle has the new deck in place ahead of the old bridge being removed from around it.

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's another portal been put up on the airport section of line.
(Towards the very left of the image)

 

[59CosG95]

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's another portal been put up on the airport section of line.
(Towards the very left of the image)
View attachment 194640

Nope, you're right.

 

[TrainViation]

Wires are now up on the Fife Line! (Not all of them)

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day saw Network Rail’s team assembling wires on the second of track between Haymarket West Junction and Saughton where the lines to Glasgow diverge.

Here is a video by Scotland’s Railway, presenting the work:

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I love seeing nice steady progress. Great news. Well done Scotland.

 

[TrainViation]

Does anyone have any idea what’s going on here? Because this doesn’t look like complete OLE to me…

 

[Nottingham59]

Does anyone have any idea what’s going on here?

In the first image, you've got in the foreground an empty cantilever arm, with a up-facing triagular bracket to take the catenary wire, but no catenary wire and no pull off arm, registration arm or contact wire fitted.



In the background, there is wiring between catenary wire and the contact wire over another parallel track.
The equivalent can be see at 0m50s to 0m52s on the youtube video in post #941.



From the connections, I think it may be a temporary earthing wire, but I don't know enough about OHLE installation procedures to be sure.


[EDIT: Image from A GUIDE TO OVERHEAD ELECTRIFICATION: OCTOBER 2021, by Alan Baxter]

 

[59CosG95]

In the first image, you've got in the foreground an empty cantilever arm, with a up-facing triagular bracket to take the catenary wire, but no catenary wire and no pull off arm, registration arm or contact wire fitted.

View attachment 195231

In the background, there is wiring between catenary wire and the contact wire over another parallel track.
The equivalent can be see at 0m50s to 0m52s on the youtube video in post #941.

View attachment 195232

From the connections, I think it may be a temporary earthing wire, but I don't know enough about OHLE installation procedures to be sure.


[EDIT: Image from A GUIDE TO OVERHEAD ELECTRIFICATION: OCTOBER 2021, by Alan Baxter]

Looks like a Permanently Earthed Section (PES) to me, albeit a temporary PES. Might be to make sure there's no stray currents while they finish the job.

 

[QueensCurve]

Looks like a Permanently Earthed Section (PES) to me, albeit a temporary PES. Might be to make sure there's no stray currents while they finish the job.

Is that to protect against power being induced in the wire by proximity to live wires on adjacent tracks?

 

[59CosG95]

Is that to protect against power being induced in the wire by proximity to live wires on adjacent tracks?

Very probably. Also saves having to keep track of the temporary blue earths.

 

[TrainViation]

New Scotland's Railway video out about the January closure.
It tells us exactly what they'll be doing; installing OLE, lowering track and demolishing bridges.

(A YouTube video by Scotland's Railway, informing viewers of what work will be taking place during the closure between Haymarket and Dalmeny stations, over the 9-day blockade between January 17th and 25th.)

 

[GRALISTAIR]

That sounds like a fair amount of work in a short period of time. Mind you, he did say in the video that there has been preparatory work ongoing over the festive period.

 

[TrainViation]

That sounds like a fair amount of work in a short period of time. Mind you, he did say in the video that there has been preparatory work ongoing over the festive period.

There definitely was a decent amount of prep work. From what I could tell, they’ve fully wired all of the junctions at Haymarket Central and Haymarket West junctions. Since they would have to close the E-G line to finish wiring those section during our closure.

But everywhere else up until Ladywell Avenue bridge where the line straightens out, there is only the top wire installed out of the two wires but not the contact wire.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

That is good. Wiring those junctions definitely a good step.

 

[TrainViation]

Here’s an example of the “half-wired state” just next to Balgreen tram stop.

It is evident that only the respective junction wire is fully constructed.

 

[Scotrail344Lad]

Starting tommorow as far as I can tell. Rather excited

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Starting tommorow as far as I can tell. Rather excited

Wow that is great news.

 

[TrainViation]

The 1B16 Caledonian Sleeper service has left the Dalmeny section, and thus concludes the unelectrified nature of the Haymarket - Dalmeny line.

The line closure has now officially begun. See yous all in 9 days on the other (electrified) side.

 

[themiller]

Has there been any hint of the result of the testing of components for the Forth bridge electrification? It was supposed to have completed last year.

 

[Trackbasher84]

The 1B16 Caledonian Sleeper service has left the Dalmeny section, and thus concludes the unelectrified nature of the Haymarket - Dalmeny line.

The line closure has now officially begun. See yous all in 9 days on the other (electrified) side.

How do you mean?

 

[37025]

How do you mean?

That would have been the last sleeper to pass through Dalmeny before the overhead wires are put in place during the 9 day closure....I think

 

[Morayshire]

That would have been the last sleeper to pass through Dalmeny before the overhead wires are put in place during the 9 day closure....I think

Likewise I took it to mean that the southbound sleeper was the last public service through that area and that afterwards the lines were blocked/shut.

 

[Scotrail344Lad]

Yes

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Jan 2026 ==

You are correct