Well, it's GSoP time again!
GSoP Post 22.1 - confirmed wires thro' Salford Central
Manchester Victoria - Preston; State of Play, week beginning 1st October 2018.
All masts in! Approx. 95/98 wire runs complete. Due to be treated as LIVE (Euxton Jct - Buckshaw Parkway; Ordsall Lane Jct - Salford Crescent; Deal St Jct - Windsor Bridge S Jct - Stanchion MG02 37) as of 1st October.
As wiring is not completed between Windsor Bridge South Jct & Buckshaw Parkway, testing has been postponed.
All mileages from Manchester Victoria. Bridge mileages are approximated where noted.
1. Man Vic Station (West End) - Man Vic West Jct - Deal Street Jct; 0m 0ch to 0m 32ch
Fully wired 2013-15. Platforms 1 & 2 at Man Vic have now been bedanglied. Already live.
2. Deal Street Jct - Salford Central (East End); 0m 32ch to 0m 59ch
Fully wired and LIVE as of 1/10/18.
3. Salford Central; 0m 59ch
Fully wired and LIVE as of 1/10/18. masted, most SPS (Small Part Steelwork e.g. dangly bits) up. The missing mast at the western end is now up, and is now in use as an SSA (self-supporting anchor), though insulators are yet to be spliced in.
The wires also overlap into the CEMEX (Hope Street) sidings. On the Down side (westbound) platform, protruding roof beams have been cut back, and earth wire (or Return Screening Conductor wire) ducting has been installed at shin height.
4. Salford Central (West End) - Windsor Bridge South Jct; 0m 59ch to 1m 46ch
Fully wired and LIVE as of 1/10/18.
5. Windsor Bridge South Jct - Windsor Bridge North Jct (inc. Salford Crescent); 1m 46ch to 1m 70ch
Windsor Bridge South Jct now wired (catenary/contact) from the Deal St direction on both the Salford Lines. Earth wires (+ AT wires) are also in situ here.
All lines through Salford Crescent are wired.
Repairs to the wooden fence on the eastern side have/are taken/taking place.
The crossovers at Agecroft South Jct, Windsor Bridge South Jct, and Windsor Bridge North Jct are also fully wired.
The "Windsor Link" (i.e. Windsor Bridge South Jct to Ordsall Lane Jct) is now LIVE.
6. Windsor Bridge North Jct - Bolton (South End); 1m 70ch to 10m 50ch
Both lines are FULLY wired from Windsor Bridge North Jct to Lever St Jct; wires continue through Bolton P3 & P4 towards Lostock & the WCML at Euxton Jct.
At Clifton, Drainage manhole modules are awaiting installation; temporary covers are over their future homes.
Bridge MVE1 27B (immediately NW of the M60 overbridge) is fully erected, but unopened, and work the walkway is not yet finished.
The Platform 5 Line is fully wired (C&C) from the points at Weston St to Orlando St Bridge.
South of Lever Street footbridge, the Up Line now has ATF wires installed.
7. Bolton Station; 10m 50ch
All masts in the station area are now in place. Earth wires now in. Canopies look complete, and platforms now fully open (i.e. no temp. fencing in sight).
Platform 1: ALL bolts & brackets now drilled into the glazed brick retaining wall opposite the platform, with cantilever arms swung into position.
Platform 2: Line is fully wired (C&C) from the points at Weston St to the SSA (Self-Supporting Anchor - aka "the wicketkeeper"). Insulators have yet to be installed on the wicketkeeper, and most fixings are still temporary. Buffers look finished.
Platform 3 (Up Bolton): Wired from Orlando St Bridge, through the station, and onwards to Lostock & the WCML. The majority of fixings used are permanent (some are still temporary). Blackburn Line overrun now installed.
Platform 4 (Down Bolton): Wired from Weston Street through P4 and onwards to Lostock & the WCML.
Platform 5: Wire-ready, with cantilever arms swung into position. Shin-high ducting is now installed.
8. Bolton (North End) - Lostock (South End); 10m 50ch to 13m 52ch
Both the Up (P3) & Down (P4) Bolton Lines have been wired from Deal St/Ordsall Lane Jcts, through Bolton station, past Lostock ATF Sectioning Station, over Lostock Jct and through Lostock Station to the existing wires at Golf Course Footbridge, thence continuing to the WCML.
The run of masts between Newport St & the NW end of P5 now have their earth wire affixed.
The crossover NW of Newport Street has not been wired yet.
Between the 2nd & 3rd bridges NW of Newport St (the unknown bridge & Dawes St), the mast in photo A732m has led a chequered life, being assembled, dismantled and then re-assembled! It has now been reinstated parallel to the two bridges it was installed between, and already bears the wires on the Down Bolton (temporary fixings, AFAIK).
Cable ducting troughs laid in the Down Side Cess between Bolton Station, past Newport Street, under Soho Street, Black Horse St & New St, and through Bullfield Tunnel.
The overrun along the line to Blackburn (as far as Bradshawgate Tunnel) has now been wired from P3; they have yet to reach there from P1.
Earth wire up on the Down side west of Moor St Tunnel.
Between Moor Lane & Lostock, Earth wires have already been strung.
Autotransformer wires now largely up between Moor Lane & Mayor St. Bridges, and between Lostock & Ladybridge (on both lines); they have now gone under Dean Clough Bridge & the Ladybridge on both sides.
A UTX has been installed in the "vee" in Lostock Jct; this now takes the ATF wires for both routes at Lostock Jct.
Most (if not all) wires are now up over Lostock Jct itself.
All masts now up on the Wigan overlap; earth wires now up too, in varying lengths on both sides. C&C wires also up on the overlap on both lines until the Limit of Wiring. Some dangly arms and all the termination insulators have not yet been installed.
9. Lostock Station; 13m 52ch
Switchgear box delivered 6th April '18. Over the August Bank Holiday Weekend, the two Autotransformers (AT1 & AT2) were delivered.
Both Preston Lines wired through the station to connect with the existing wires north of "Golf Course" footbridge.
Platform extension/resurfacing work complete on the Down platform (fully) and the Up platform (NW of the station bridge); work on the Up platform still ongoing east of the bridge.
ATF wires are in through the UTXs around the station; works are now presumed finished as the 4 drums of wire are now AWOL. (NB: ATF wires are confirmed only for the Preston lines; not sure if they were ever planned to go to Wigan. The UTX there may be future-proofing.)
10. Lostock (North End) - Euxton Jct; 13m 52ch to 25m 31ch
Two more UTXs have been installed in the "vee" between the Preston & Wigan lines, to the north of Lostock station; one takes the ATF wires for the Wigan Line, the other does the same for the Preston Line.
Immediately north of Lostock, the closest TTCs to the platforms have now sprouted part of their switchgear kit.
All C&C wires up on both lines from south of Bolton, through Lostock, Horwich, Blackrod & Adlington, over Yarrow Viaduct, through Chorley Station, Chorley Tunnel, the Flying Arches & Buckshaw Parkway to the WCML.
Temp. fixings still evident at Buckshaw Pkwy & Adlington stns. AT & earth wires not always present, but the C&C appears continuous.
On Yarrow Viaduct, the northern portal has now been installed. The Down side Earth wire is also up, but the Down side AT wire is still absent. (It is assumed this is replicated on the Up side.)
AT wires still need installation/remedial work at Station Rd Bridge (Blackrod; B5238; 17m 9ch).
At Railway Rd Bridge (Adlington; 19m 0148yds), AT wires (and some earth wires) still need to be installed.
Within Adlington Station, orangemen were digging ducting trenches for the Earthing bonds for the TTCs on the Up platform.
Orangemen at work on the footpath at the foot of the northern steps of Heath Charnock FB.
Through Chorley Station, all wires (including ATF wires) are installed.
The Buckshaw Parkway crossover is also wired.
Within Buckshaw Pkwy, the registration arms on the footbridge are now in position.
Do let me know if I've missed anything!
