Blackpool - Manchester Electrification

[Senex]

The curve south of Chorley Tunnel is only good for 75mph and most trains call at Chorley, so there's no point pushing the 75MU95 north of the station as it would mean higher cant or cant deficiency through the station.

The existing 50 and 60 are due to level crossings that aren't there any more ...

Thanks -- that curve before the tunnel must be sharper than I remembered. I suppose the only regular passenger traffic to go through Chorley non-stop is likely to be the hourly Scotlands in each direction.

If only more level crossings could simply go away .... Is it my imagination, or was there a proliferation of new speed restrictions for sighting of level crossings some 15 to 20 years ago?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

If only more level crossings could simply go away .

Are you talking nationally because AFAIK most of the crossings on this route (certainly footpath crossings ) have been removed/replaced with something safer?.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The curve south of Chorley Tunnel is only good for 75mph and most trains call at Chorley, so there's no point pushing the 75MU95 north of the station as it would mean higher cant or cant deficiency through the station.

So is that (75MU95) going to be the line speed profile for the Windsor Bridge North to Chorley section after all the upgrades?
Not through Bolton of course.

 

[Mordac]

Are you talking nationally because AFAIK most of the crossings on this route (certainly footpath crossings ) have been removed/replaced with something safer?.

Looking at the SA, there don't seem to be any level crossings left on this route, actually.

 

[LDECRexile]

Are you talking nationally because AFAIK most of the crossings on this route (certainly footpath crossings ) have been removed/replaced with something safer?.

I'm afraid only the one between Kearsley station and Farnworth Tunnel has been got rid of in recent times.

I've attached our old friend the Bridgeoscope which shows those which remain, split into Salford-Euxton and Preston-Blackpool, if it's out of date please let me know.

I'm very pleased that Wrinkley has been allowed out to Salford, complete with camera.

He's sent us a batch of shots of the Ordsall work and one at Lostock. I've added them to his album here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/albums/72157654034635234

and to the Combined Volume here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/albums/72157661069863633

All errors in the first draft captions are mine; please let me know....

 

[Mordac]

Latest video from Network Rail, via Northern Programme twitter account: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSz-biYYPPQ

Is that a class 385 at 2:38?

 

[deltic08]

Missed a bit: demolish and rebuild the Down line platform >800mm to the west, lift and slue the Down line to suit, lift and slue the up line 200mm and rebuild the Up platform coper edge, remove the long-timber-in-trough deck off the station subway and replace it with a new two-part precast direct fastened deck on a different track alignment, redeck chapel street for structural reasons.

All that work and cost just to slew track just over two feet? For why? I thought the reason was to lower not slew.
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Not speed; it was fit for 75mph anyway (which is the speed Hub is proposing) - its clearances. The new electric rolling stock would have clashed with both platform front walls, there was no safety roll space in front of the platform (a requirement which is triggered by doing "significant works") and the sixfoot was substandard (just).

To provide a compliant roll space both sides and widen the sixfoot by at least 100mm without moving both platform walls meant that (after some thought) the project made the narrowest (Up) platform 250mm wider (leaving the front wall where it was), slued the Up line to suit, corrected the sixfoot and moved the Down platform front wall 800mm (and put the copings back to provide a compliant safety roll space on this side. This meant that the subway deck had to be replaced, but that would have been required by raising the speed from 50 to 75 anyway.

Chapel Street subway deck had longitudinal beams and plate diaphragms that weren't in the right places for the new alignment, so that went too. Simples!

BTW - slue, sluing, slued. Slew is what cranes do.

Whoops, didn't read far enough before posting. Question answered.

 

[Domh245]

Is that a class 385 at 2:38?

Nope, a 350. It's got a desiro style light cluster

 

[Mordac]

Nope, a 350. It's got a desiro style light cluster

I thought it looked like a hybrid of a 380 and a 385, not sure why I didn't recognize the 350, maybe because the livery threw me off.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I'm afraid only the one between Kearsley station and Farnworth Tunnel has been got rid of in recent times.

What I did notice in the Works Engineering notices, is that 19/12 - 23/12 lines closed at Orsdall and 24/12-3012 lines closed west of Manchester. So some serious work could get done then - if wires are getting strung next year they need to get a crack on.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

What I did notice in the Works Engineering notices, is that 19/12 - 23/12 lines closed at Orsdall and 24/12-3012 lines closed west of Manchester. So some serious work could get done then - if wires are getting strung next year they need to get a crack on.

I should think that is for remodelling and resignalling ready for the Ordsall Chord to open.
Probably not much to do with electrification as such, where work seems to be concentrated on regular weekday nights rather than during one-off blockades.

 

[Senex]

Are you talking nationally because AFAIK most of the crossings on this route (certainly footpath crossings ) have been removed/replaced with something safer?.

Nationally.

 

[Joseph_Locke]

So is that (75MU95) going to be the line speed profile for the Windsor Bridge North to Chorley section after all the upgrades?
Not through Bolton of course.

Nope. Maximum seems to be 80/MU100 for most of Bolton / Euxton.

 

[Howardh]

According to the Bolton Evening News, (re)building Platform 5 will start in the new year. Good news, but seems we will lose a lot of the car-parking space! Wonder if they have given any thought to another level where cars could park (for a fee) or would they never make a profit from it? There will be no parking at the bus end of the interchange, and a car-park has been lost there too - so there must be demand?

 

[LDECRexile]

I had a modest jaunt today until bad light and rain stopped play.

Photos in the Combined Volume here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/albums/72157661069863633

 

[driver9000]

Looking at the SA, there don't seem to be any level crossings left on this route, actually.

There are no road level crossings but a few UWC footpaths still exist.

Gillets (Chorley)
Bradshaws (Adlington)
Anderton Hall (Blackrod)
Robin Hood (Clifton)

 

[Mordac]

There are no road level crossings but a few UWC footpaths still exist.

Gillets (Chorley)
Bradshaws (Adlington)
Anderton Hall (Blackrod)
Robin Hood (Clifton)

Thanks for that. I'd kinda realised I got something wrong from the posts after mine. Do footpath crossings generally not show up on the SA then? I thinki remember seeing a couple on Carstairs to Edinburgh.

 

[Joseph_Locke]

There are no road level crossings but a few UWC footpaths still exist.

Gillets (Chorley)
Bradshaws (Adlington)
Anderton Hall (Blackrod)
Robin Hood (Clifton)

Gillets has been closed and fenced off (it was UWC(t))

There are two at Clifton, Country Park and Motorway Bridge, plus, as you say, Anderton Hall and Bradshaws. There is also Red Moss at Horwich and Heath Charnock south of Chorley These are all FP crossings, not UWC, as they are not vehicular crossings.
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Thanks for that. I'd kinda realised I got something wrong from the posts after mine. Do footpath crossings generally not show up on the SA then? I thinki remember seeing a couple on Carstairs to Edinburgh.

FP crossings generally don't unless that have miniature warning lights, but these will often be labelled "MSL".

 

[driver9000]

Gillets has been closed and fenced off (it was UWC(t))

There are two at Clifton, Country Park and Motorway Bridge, plus, as you say, Anderton Hall and Bradshaws. There is also Red Moss at Horwich and Heath Charnock south of Chorley These are all FP crossings, not UWC, as they are not vehicular crossings.

I knew Gillets had closed but there were 2 crossings there and the remaining one looks to be open. I didn't know the names of the others you mentioned.
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Thanks for that. I'd kinda realised I got something wrong from the posts after mine. Do footpath crossings generally not show up on the SA then? I thinki remember seeing a couple on Carstairs to Edinburgh.

If they have a telephone or some notable feature (red/green lights for example) they tend to be listed.

 

[LDECRexile]

Gillets has been closed and fenced off (it was UWC(t))

There are two at Clifton, Country Park and Motorway Bridge, plus, as you say, Anderton Hall and Bradshaws. There is also Red Moss at Horwich and Heath Charnock south of Chorley These are all FP crossings, not UWC, as they are not vehicular crossings.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


FP crossings generally don't unless that have miniature warning lights, but these will often be labelled "MSL".

Thanks for the info on Gillets, I've updated the Bridgeoscope accordingly and attach it below.

For anyone unfamiliar with this old friend, please see lines 41 to 58 where the crossings appear. Does anyone have any updates on those between Preston and Blackpool?

 

[Codville]

I believe they're all still open.

 

[Elecman]

Afaik they are all still open and in use.

 

[driver9000]

Thanks for the info on Gillets, I've updated the Bridgeoscope accordingly and attach it below.

For anyone unfamiliar with this old friend, please see lines 41 to 58 where the crossings appear. Does anyone have any updates on those between Preston and Blackpool?

Foot crossings on the Blackpool North line are all still open.

 

[LDECRexile]

Foot crossings on the Blackpool North line are all still open.

Thank you and to Codville and Elecman.

Then there's quite bit of engineering work to do on them all I'm afraid, unless any can be shut or the two near each other at Clifton be combined. I imagine seeking closure might be a protracted process fraught with Gremlins.

 

[42626]

I believe they're all still open.

I can confirm that Blackrod (Anderton Lane) crossing is still open as I walk the dog across it. Some new (last month) key-clamp type handrailing has also appeared there.

 

[LDECRexile]

I can confirm that Blackrod (Anderton Lane) crossing is still open as I walk the dog across it. Some new (last month) key-clamp type handrailing has also appeared there.

Thank you.

Please may I add the photo to the Combined Volume?

If I may, do you have any others?

Dave
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Bill Morton has kindly sent a photo of Anderton Hall Level Crossing he took yesterday.

I've added it to his album here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/albums/72157650900509369

and to the Combined Volume here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/albums/72157661069863633

Bill added this note:

Whilst on the subject of pedestrian crossings, I am reminded that sometime ago, it might be 3 or 4 years, a CCTV camera was installed on the top of a high pole at the crossing near Gillets UWC at Heath Charnock. It was there for several weeks. It could have been to deter cable thieves, or it could have been to count pedestrian usage in order to make a case for closure or providing a bridge.

Thanks Bill, I hope you'll soon be run off your feet recording action, action, action round your patch.

 

[iandavid59]

12 Weekends of Rail Replacement between Preston and Blackpool North and Blackpool South beginning on Saturday 21st January.

 

[cool2005]

12 Weekends of Rail Replacement between Preston and Blackpool North and Blackpool South beginning on Saturday 21st January.

so its just be busses?

 

[rebmcr]

so its just be busses?

No, as it's Blackpool they will be providing Rail Replacement Donkeys.

 

[Joseph_Locke]

Bill added this note:

Whilst on the subject of pedestrian crossings, I am reminded that sometime ago, it might be 3 or 4 years, a CCTV camera was installed on the top of a high pole at the crossing near Gillets UWC at Heath Charnock. It was there for several weeks. It could have been to deter cable thieves, or it could have been to count pedestrian usage in order to make a case for closure or providing a bridge.

9 - day crossing census for use in the risk assessments. It's SOP and has also recently happened between Oxenholme and Windermere.