Great Western Electrification Progress

[Trailfinder]

This weekend at Acton, they were installing the eastern connection of the dive-under into the Up Relief line, although the pointwork at the western end had been previously installed, it was not connected to the track through the dive-under.

It cannot be much longer until it is completed!

 

[jimm]

3D cross-section of the catenary design for Sydney Gardens in Bath

https://twitter.com/NoelDolphin/status/723532084359385088

 

[Domh245]

3D cross-section of the catenary design for Sydney Gardens in Bath

https://twitter.com/NoelDolphin/status/723532084359385088

Looks very neat - but I wonder why the mast runs as far down the wall as it does. It doesn't appear to be attached to the wall at the bottom?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

3D cross-section of the catenary design for Sydney Gardens in Bath

https://twitter.com/NoelDolphin/status/723532084359385088

Will our friend want a special for the AONB in Goring Gap?

 

[AM9]

Will our friend want a special for the AONB in Goring Gap?

Given that Sydney Gardens aren't a 'natural' beauty the such a human contraption would be inappropriate, even for the man-made environment of Goring Gap. Maybe Atkins could design a mast and cantilever like a tree, complete with fake leaves. It's been done before with some GSM base stations along the M4.

 

[snowball]

Looks very neat - but I wonder why the mast runs as far down the wall as it does. It doesn't appear to be attached to the wall at the bottom?

Probably the render is a bit simplified and doesn't include full details of the fixings to the wall.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

It does look neat - even the spiked fence (is that the right phrase?) does not seem too obtrusive. Will it remain black/grey or will it be the usual green that Network Rail have for example installed at the bottom of my garden on the WCML north of Preston?

 

[NSEFAN]

Will our friend want a special for the AONB in Goring Gap?

Presumably this design won't be feasible because of the higher linespeed at Goring compared to Sydney Gardens?

 

[JamesT]

Presumably this design won't be feasible because of the higher linespeed at Goring compared to Sydney Gardens?

Not to mention the lack of a wall to attach it to.

There's a thought, we could build a wall either side of the railway line that this could be attached to, as a bonus the Goring residents wouldn't have to see the trains running through their neighbourhood.

 

[jimm]

Looks very neat - but I wonder why the mast runs as far down the wall as it does. It doesn't appear to be attached to the wall at the bottom?

Certainly neater than a previous design:

https://richardwyattblog.files.word...holder-event-presentation-2-dragged.jpg?w=640

Presumably it still needs to be pretty firmly anchored, hence the length of the mounting, but I think there is a slight lip running along the stonework near the foot of the wall, which may explain why the bottom of the mounting ends where it does.

 

[D1009]

It does look neat - even the spiked fence (is that the right phrase?) does not seem too obtrusive.

I'm fairly sure the fence is already there.

 

[Philip Phlopp]

I'm fairly sure the fence is already there.

It's just a tiny little fence, there's a huge ditch in front of it which raises the effective top of the fence to something like 6ft though.

The masts for Sydney Garden are sort of cantilevered, they need to be a sensible length to counterbalance the weight. Fulcrums and levers and all that if you did O-Level Physics.

 

[59CosG95]

It's just a tiny little fence, there's a huge ditch in front of it which raises the effective top of the fence to something like 6ft though.

The masts for Sydney Garden are sort of cantilevered, they need to be a sensible length to counterbalance the weight. Fulcrums and levers and all that if you did O-Level Physics.

Or GCSE Physics, for the younger members (self-included) among us...

 

[HowardGWR]

Saw the artist impressions of Severn tunnel overhead 'rails' for the OHLE. Will those be used in Foxes Wood No 3 (the long one)?

 

[33Hz]

3D cross-section of the catenary design for Sydney Gardens in Bath

https://twitter.com/NoelDolphin/status/723532084359385088

This actually has some design to it (a bit like the Dutch HSL Zuid OHLE), unlike the mishmash of kit used elsewhere on the GWML. I drove through Goring to Reading the other day and you can see portals with solid bar horizontal members, horizontal members with diamond shaped holes and then horizontal members with square shaped holes on three consecutive portals.

 

[QueensCurve]

It does look neat - even the spiked fence (is that the right phrase?) does not seem too obtrusive. Will it remain black/grey or will it be the usual green that Network Rail have for example installed at the bottom of my garden on the WCML north of Preston?

I still don't see why the wall needs to be changed at all. There are no new hazards introduced at that location. Surely nobody is tall enough to touch the 25kV if they stood on the wall?

 

[snowball]

I still don't see why the wall needs to be changed at all. There are no new hazards introduced at that location. Surely nobody is tall enough to touch the 25kV if they stood on the wall?

The wall must already be substandard even without electrification. It doesn't look capable of preventing children from trespassing on the line.

 

[QueensCurve]

The wall must already be substandard even without electrification. It doesn't look capable of preventing children from trespassing on the line.

And yet I am not aware of that ever having been a problem at that location.

Not only did I live in Bath for several years both enjoying the gardens and "Brunel's theatre of Railway" without ever hearing of a problem, I don't recall NRE ever having tweeted about a "trespass incident near #Bath Spa".

 

[snowball]

Nevertheless there are rules and standards. A site can be non-compliant for many years, but when any major work is done, it gets brought into line.

 

[Bald Rick]

I still don't see why the wall needs to be changed at all. There are no new hazards introduced at that location. Surely nobody is tall enough to touch the 25kV if they stood on the wall?

The new hazard is the OLE. All it takes is a kid with a balloon. Or an adult for that matter.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Don't forget also that the line is lower than the gardens therefore the overheads will not be quite so high relative to the wall as they would be elsewhere.

 

[Philip Phlopp]

The new hazard is the OLE. All it takes is a kid with a balloon. Or an adult for that matter.

Or Phil Verster and Scottish Transport secretary Derek Mackay.

Seen at Waverley with a helium filled foil balloon for the Borders Rail 500,000th passengers.

And Sydney Gardens has been a bit of a trespass hotspot in the past, usually numpty photographs, and as a result it's had a crummy fence up for the last few years.

 

[alxndr]

I still don't see why the wall needs to be changed at all. There are no new hazards introduced at that location. Surely nobody is tall enough to touch the 25kV if they stood on the wall?

You don't have to physically touch it to be in danger, the ruling is to keep you and anything you're holding 9ft away at all times. That's not very close at all, and a distance that most people would probably think of as being "safe".

 

[HowardGWR]

In an attempt to answer my own question, posed in #2474, about the eastern Bristol tunnels, I had another look at the NR project updates for the area. They have two, one is for Bristol and the other for BANES. The latter only mentions the Keynsham track lowering work, recently completed. The Bristol one, only updated two days ago on the 26th, mentions, as follows:
"Bristol East Junction
In preparation for the new fleet of electric trains, we will be re-modelling the junction to
improve the track layout and reduce congestion.
Upgrading the track in this area will support the provision of additional fast train services
between Bristol and London"

So a gap on anything between there and Keynsham. I assume thus, that there is no preparatory work needed. That surprises me as, although the short tunnel, No 2, at St Annes is cavernous, about 30 feet tall at the roof apex, I did not think the long one, No 3 Foxes Wood, was. As in the case of Box Tunnel, I thought it was only huge at the entrances.

Any inside knowledge about this?

 

[AM9]

You don't have to physically touch it to be in danger, the ruling is to keep you and anything you're holding 9ft away at all times. That's not very close at all, and a distance that most people would probably think of as being "safe".

When I used to commute on the GEML in the '70s, I would use an umbrella whilst standing on open platforms. The capacitance between the OLE and the large wet area of the brolly skin would give me a mild electric shock on the metal ferrule of the handle. The nearer I went to the platform edge, the greater the shock was. Interestingly, on the homeward journey, from inner suburban platforms (and Shenfield) where the OLE was much lower, heavier gauge cable but only 6.25kV, I don't remember getting the same effect.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

When I used to commute on the GEML in the '70s, I would use an umbrella whilst standing on open platforms. The capacitance between the OLE and the large wet area of the brolly skin would give me a mild electric shock on the metal ferrule of the handle. The nearer I went to the platform edge, the greater the shock was. Interestingly, on the homeward journey, from inner suburban platforms (and Shenfield) where the OLE was much lower, heavier gauge cable but only 6.25kV, I don't remember getting the same effect.

I remember also at Crewe - a FootEx stopped on a platform (Man Utd heading to London - 1980s IIRC) and a Man U follower had this great big flag on a pole waving out of the window and a police man warned him of the dangers of the overhead. These days you can not lean out of windows of course. Unfortunately , you cannot totally prevent stupidity. On the GWML electrification, I assume all precautions will be taken but -----

 

[jimm]

Observations from today's trip into Reading for work.

All the steelwork through Cholsey station now looks to be in place and there seems to be only one portal missing at the northern end of Goring now, but still several gaps just east of Didcot.

Power supply equipment is now starting to appear on the tall uprights at the feeder site north of Moulsford and a start has been made on wiring the relief lines in the gap through Pangbourne station. Not sure of the state of wiring on the fast lines heading towards Didcot as I wasn't sat in the right place in either direction to see.

 

[McRhu]

As in the case of Box Tunnel...

Has the Series 1 OLE through this tunnel been immunised from the effects of all the smoke and steam generated by the Strategic Reserve loco fleet (which is of course located here) should it ever need to be fired up and sally forth?

 

[deltic08]

Has the Series 1 OLE through this tunnel been immunised from the effects of all the smoke and steam generated by the Strategic Reserve loco fleet (which is of course located here) should it ever need to be fired up and sally forth?

Can't be done. How long will it take to install enough water columns and water troughs. 5-10 years?

 

[Philip Phlopp]

Has the Series 1 OLE through this tunnel been immunised from the effects of all the smoke and steam generated by the Strategic Reserve loco fleet (which is of course located here) should it ever need to be fired up and sally forth?

It comes with the cutest little plastic water cover for the top and sides, actually.