Recent content by McRhu

I always took that to be MK II (albeit on the experimental masts). I may well be wrong!

I took advantage of that £5 ticket to London and certainly did regard it as a bargain. Having said that, my first (proper) wage was something like £17 per week in 1974 so it was a consideration, but well worth it. As regards the pre-existing OLE between Motherwell and Newton on the WCML it was...

Talking of the wiring between Motherwell and Newton (and hence to GLC via Kirkhill, etc,) on the WCML section, this was originally wired with compound catenary to accommodate potentially higher speeds (the 303's being limited to 75mph). Was this done in anticipation of the Weaver Junction extension?

An excellent tome - even if the headspan diagram is missing. I don't think the excitement of the WCML Weaver Junction - Glasgow electrification (not forgetting the already wired MK I section between Motherwell and Newton) has ever been equalled since.

The one thing that school was good for - its proximity to the West Highland Line. :)

My recollection of the Highers exams is very hazy. I sat them, passed most of them, but can't actually remember anything about them! The excitement of electric operation on the full WCML eclipsed any scholastic considerations I may have harboured. Study leave does ring faint bells though. My...

I was there, but out at the end of Platform whatever. Unfortunately almost all of my photos have long since disappeared and the one I already posted is the only survivor.

I remember the electrification very well. I would've been approx 17 1/2 when electric traction started in earnest. The anticipation was immense. I saw my first MKIIIa OLE (all silvery and copper and shiny) on a trip to south to Carlisle in 1973 and was captivated by this innovative technology...

Quick question for the venerable and wise... Did any of you ever work with Mk II OLE? What were its advantages over MK I and disadvantages compared to MKIII? I did hear it being disparaged a long time ago, but was it poor design? Many thanks.

That's right. The other hot-spot was a place called Craigendoran; not entirely unfamiliar to us both. I only ever recall porcelain insulators in use there and never glass, but I suppose the heavier MK1 insulators' longer creepage path saw off Poseidon's best efforts more easily than the lighter...

Thanks very much for that; very informative. I had wondered about the glass insulators and liked the look and wondered why they weren't more widely used. I think the epitome of OLE aesthetic would be MKIIIa with armoured Triplex glass insulators to resist shattering, and titanium tubes for...

Glass insulators replaced porcelain insulators at the infamous sea wall spot near Largs where waves often crash over the line. (I'm not sure of they in turn have been replaced by something else.) What was the advantage of glass in that scenario?

Many thanks 59CosG95. I quite like it - not too alien (in the way that Series 2 and Series 1 are) to my eyes at least.

That's interesting... Looks like a mash-up up UK1 and Series 1 with a touch of Siemens thrown in. Is this the official MK1 replacement system?

Many thanks for that trainlogger. Hmmm - interesting times to be an OLE enthusiast.