British electrification OHL dates (mainly 25kV plus the most significant 1.5KV DC)

[Harpo]

This is an odd one....
If one puts Fenchurch St in twice it just seems wrong !
So, if we're talking a route being electrified, was it Liverpool St and Fenchurch Street to Shenfield in 1949 then Stepney East (Limehouse) to Southend in 1961 ?

Agreed! I'd go with just 1949 for Fenchurch St. Then 1961 for Gas Factory Jn (between Stepney East and Bow Jn) to Shoeburyness.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

Yeah, most sources say something like
"Gas Factory Jnc to Shoeburyness via Upminster, Barking to Pitsea via Tilbury" since they happened all at once

 

[Justin Smith]

Agreed! I'd go with just 1949 for Fenchurch St. Then 1961 for Gas Factory Jn (between Stepney East and Bow Jn) to Shoeburyness.

I thought Southend to Shoeburyness was electrified in 1962 ?

 

[Magdalia]

I thought Southend to Shoeburyness was electrified in 1962 ?

The off peak service went over to EMUs in November 1961, but there were still some peak hour loco hauled trains, particularly via Tilbury, and these finished in June 1962.

 

[Justin Smith]

I have deleted Southend to Shoeburyness 1962, and updated 1961 to "Gas Factory Jct to Southend & Shoeburyness (via Laindon + via Tilbury loop)". In the notes (for that line of the database) I added "Plus the other pair of lines into Fenchurch St".
I have updated the original.

 

[Harpo]

I have deleted Southend to Shoeburyness 1962, and updated 1961 to "Gas Factory Jct to Southend & Shoeburyness (via Laindon + via Tilbury loop)". In the notes (for that line of the database) I added "Plus the other pair of lines into Fenchurch St".
I have updated the original.

Thanks for your work on this Justin.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

You've put in a note for the 6.25kV era on GEML routes but could you mention the low-voltage lines on Chenford (aka lea valley, 1960). And the LTS lines. I understand it could makes things messy - but it might at least be worth a footnote or asterisk.

 

[Harpo]

You've put in a note for the 6.25kV era on GEML routes but could you mention the low-voltage lines on Chenford (aka lea valley, 1960). And the LTS lines. I understand it could makes things messy - but it might at least be worth a footnote or asterisk.

In some places, there are running lines that are on their fourth form of electrification, 1500 DC, 6.25kv, 25kv, DLR.

It would need a lot of footnotes.

 

[Taunton]

Bow Junction - Gas Factory - Fenchurch Street was electrified at 1500 DC as part of the Liverpool Street to Shenfield scheme. Between Fenchurch Street and Stepney East (Limehouse today) only two of four running lines were wired.

The LTS electrification in 1961 wired the two remaining lines from Fenchurch Street to Stepney East, and from Gas Factory Jn towards Plaistow & Barking.


The LNER electrification was planned to provide a Fenchurch Street to Stratford service (a rump of the Ongar service) which never happened. The only electric passenger service at Fenchurch Street between 1949 & 1961 was a brief direct service from the GE during the East Coast floods of 1953 which cut off the LTS east of Benfleet. It was also (trivia alert) the only planned period of tender loco operation into Fenchurch Street working additional commuter services from Southend Victoria.

The rest of the 49-61 period, an occasional wire cleaning EMU ran as ECS from the GE to Fenchurch Street. Online photos of early 306 visits to Fenchurch Street record that.

The extra pair of tracks from Fenchurch Street station throat to Stepney East were removed again and the alignment handed over to the DLR when that was built in 1987.

The line from Stratford into Fenchurch Street was 1,500V electrified in 1949, then joined at Gas Factory Junction, which is further east from Stepney East, by the Shoeburyness electrification in 1961, and changed to AC. I think some of the overhead structures west of Gas Factory Junction still date from the DC times.

The 6.25kV system was initially quite extensive, the standard class only units, both types on the Shenfield and the Chingford lines, though capable, seem never to have gone beyond into 25kV territory.

Separately, regarding tender locos at Fenchurch Street, I did understand that when at the end Tilbury boat trains were run from there rather than St Pancras, they were handled by 4F 0-6-0s, and later by Brush Type 2 diesels. I think you also got tender locos from the multiple freight depots immediately outside the station, which would come into a platform to take water. There are photos of all of these around.

 

[AM9]

The extra pair of tracks from Fenchurch Street station throat to Stepney East were removed again and the alignment handed over to the DLR when that was built in 1987.

The line from Stratford into Fenchurch Street was 1,500V electrified in 1949, then joined at Gas Factory Junction, which is further east from Stepney East, by the Shoeburyness electrification in 1961, and changed to AC. I think some of the overhead structures west of Gas Factory Junction still date from the DC times.

The 6.25kV system was initially quite extensive, the standard class only units, both types on the Shenfield and the Chingford lines, though capable, seem never to have gone beyond into 25kV territory.

Separately, regarding tender locos at Fenchurch Street, I did understand that when at the end Tilbury boat trains were run from there rather than St Pancras, they were handled by 4F 0-6-0s, and later by Brush Type 2 diesels. I think you also got tender locos from the multiple freight depots immediately outside the station, which would come into a platform to take water. There are photos of all of these around.

What do you mean by "standard class only units"?

 

[GraphitProjekt]

In some places, there are running lines that are on their fourth form of electrification, 1500 DC, 6.25kv, 25kv, DLR.

It would need a lot of footnotes.

I guess if you're counting the rather small amount of Bow Curve that turned into DLR. I was under the impression that DLR parallel to GEML to stratford was new alignment.

If you wanna get really into the weeds, Bow Jnc to Fenchurch Street was used as a brief AC testbed in ~1957-8 while Clacton was under construction. It was 6.7kV 50hz which i think is because Lancaster-Morecombe/Heysham trains were being used.

So maybe 5 electrification systems!

 

[Harpo]

I guess if you're counting the rather small amount of Bow Curve that turned into DLR. I was under the impression that DLR parallel to GEML to stratford was new alignment.

Two places: The former slow lines from just outside Fenchurch Street to Limehouse, and the ‘Fenchurch Street single line’, the bi-di line that ran alongside the UE from Stratford London end to just short of Bow Jn and saw occasional use on LTS diversions.

 

[Justin Smith]

Thanks for your work on this Justin.

Thanks H.
It compliments my Cobbs very nicely !

 

[Taunton]

I was under the impression that DLR parallel to GEML to Stratford was new alignment.

Not initially, they took the southernmost track in their typical minimalist style, running under the old GEML electrification portals. Later it was moved to a new alignment alongside and the (extremely overbuilt, non-minimalist) new Pudding Mill station was built, along with new platforms at Stratford. First couple of minutes in this video here:

 

[Harpo]

Not initially, they took the southernmost track in their typical minimalist style, running under the old GEML electrification portals.

Quite. Thats the ‘Fenchurch Street single line’ as it was officially known.

For some reason it’s midpoint connection to the electric lines was unwired and caused at least one dewirement that I was aware of when an unused standby 306 was routed back to Ilford Car Sheds through it. Ouch.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

By the way, the Coryton line in Cardiff went live on the first of this month.

 

[Potteries 323]

Latest colour coded version, in two parts to enable printing out on two sheets of (landscape) A4. I have dropped the font size to 8 to enable it to fit on A4 sheets and give some spare lines for the next few years !
If anyone wants the original file (Microsoft Works Spreadsheet) POM me and I'll send it you. :


View attachment 173568

View attachment 173569

The Tring-Watford section was energised in 1964 and used for driver training as Watford Power Box was then operational.As Bletchley Power Box was not yet complete that section could not be energised so the electric trains had to be towed up to Watford.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Latest colour coded version, in two parts to enable printing out on two sheets of (landscape) A4. I have dropped the font size to 8 to enable it to fit on A4 sheets and give some spare lines for the next few years !
If anyone wants the original file (Microsoft Works Spreadsheet) POM me and I'll send it you. :


View attachment 173568

View attachment 173569

very useful indeed tank you

 

[GraphitProjekt]

Just looking at this again! Is it worth putting a small note that the first "West Anglia" in 1960 entry was 6.25kV as far as Cheshunt until ~1983, just because it might be confusing looking at the similar entry saying Liverpool Street to Southend Vic was 6.25kV at this time

 

[Mag_seven]

Just looking at this again! Is it worth putting a small note that the first "West Anglia" in 1960 entry was 6.25kV as far as Cheshunt until ~1983, just because it might be confusing looking at the similar entry saying Liverpool Street to Southend Vic was 6.25kV at this time

Thread reopened for an update from @Nicholas Lewis

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

I guess if you're counting the rather small amount of Bow Curve that turned into DLR. I was under the impression that DLR parallel to GEML to stratford was new alignment.

If you wanna get really into the weeds, Bow Jnc to Fenchurch Street was used as a brief AC testbed in ~1957-8 while Clacton was under construction. It was 6.7kV 50hz which i think is because Lancaster-Morecombe/Heysham trains were being used.

So maybe 5 electrification systems!

I was wading through old editions of The Engineer and they reported the following in March 1956 edition

At Fenchurch Street station last week we inspected the first electric train to be fitted, experimentally, with a germanium rectifier for converting 50c/s alternating current from overhead wires to direct current for the traction motors. After having completed its initial trials on the Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham line the train recently started trials on the Eastern Region line between Fenchurch Street and Bow Junction. This line is at present electrified at 1500 V, d.c. and the trial runs are therefore made from about midnight to 3 a.m. when a.c. supply at 6-6 KV can be substituted for d.c. The germanium rectifier is a forced-air-cooled equipment of 750 kW capacity. It is built up of racks of hermetically sealed 1 kW germanium rectifier cells connected for full-wave rectification. The overall efficiency is about 97 per cent and remains high down to about 10 per cent of full load.

 

[Justin Smith]

I was wading through old editions of The Engineer and they reported the following in March 1956 edition

Thanks for that though I must admit that with the advent of "discontinuous electrification" I am losing motivation to keep the list up to date as it becomes rather subjective and inaccurate....

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Thanks for that though I must admit that with the advent of "discontinuous electrification" I am losing motivation to keep the list up to date as it becomes rather subjective and inaccurate....

I totally understand. Keeping stuff up to date used to be a labour of love but as I have got older has become more tedious sadly.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

I was wading through old editions of The Engineer and they reported the following in March 1956 edition

Thanks for this, I was able to locate it online at this link (The Engineer, vol 201 issue 5226, 23 March 1956, p 261). I wonder from where 6.6kV power was sourced. The 1.5kV DC installation came with 33kV feeders so that would be my guess. Although at the same time it was only 4 years after this point that 6.25kV was installed in that area.

 

[Justin Smith]

I totally understand. Keeping stuff up to date used to be a labour of love but as I have got older has become more tedious sadly.

I didn't mind doing it whilst there was a definite objective goal (e.g. line from A to B electrified in 20XX) if you know what I mean ! But now, with the advent of "discontinuous electrification" this no longer seems to be the case.

 

[zwk500]

I didn't mind doing it whilst there was a definite objective goal (e.g. line from A to B electrified in 20XX) if you know what I mean ! But now, with the advent of "discontinuous electrification" this no longer seems to be the case.

At the level you're recording it, would 'Line from A to B electrified in X sections - [Date]' be suitable? The gaps on the TfW scheme are short enough that you can count it as a continuous scheme. It may get harder to draw the line on something like East-West Rail though.

Railway Codes (https://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/electrification/dates.shtm) just has 'Discontinuous Electrification' in a remark at the end of their table.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

Yeah I think it's reasonable to consider CVL to be contiguous but perhaps titled something like "sections between".

The Scottish schemes seem to be wiring many 10s of miles contiguously, so you could more easily describe them as individual sections (the dotted sections in these maps):

 

[45Fox]

Really you should have Lancaster - Morecambe twice. Once for the original scheme, and again for the conversion to 25Kv as a test bed for the new voltage.

I don't think Lancaster - Morcambe - Heysham was ever 25 kV.
Electrified at 6,600 volts 25 Hz AC by the Midland Railway.
The frequency was changed to 50 Hz in the late 1950s by BR but I'm pretty certain that the voltage remained 6.6 kV.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

Yeah it was definitely still 6.6kV but at 50hz. Just about every primary and secondary souce on the subject agrees with that as the scheme was to test on-board rectification of 50hz not to test 25kV clearances which would be the Styal line and the Clacton line.

 

[AM9]

I don't think Lancaster - Morcambe - Heysham was ever 25 kV.
Electrified at 6,600 volts 25 Hz AC by the Midland Railway.
The frequency was changed to 50 Hz in the late 1950s by BR but I'm pretty certain that the voltage remained 6.6 kV.

Although within the normal operating range of 6.25KV, was the 6.6KV maintained after the frequency change, or because of the planned 6.25KV elsewhere, were the components (mainly transformer) regarding the two nominal voltages as compatible?