LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
Did my quarterly run up the GW main line from Newport today, viewing electrification progress.
It you put a peg in at about MP74 (east of Swindon), nothing much has happened to the west of this point, while the entire line has changed to the east.
Essentially all the line eastwards is fully based, and most of it has masts.
I counted 162 masts on the north side, starting around Uffington, towards Milton (Didcot). This about a third of the route between Swindon and Didcot.
Wiring then starts at Milton, roughly opposite the Daily Mail office, obviously with a full set of masts/registration gear.
The main lines are then complete to Scours Lane (with some short gaps Didcot station-Moreton), while the relief lines have a couple of longer gaps around Goring and Cholsey.
Reading seems to have all its steelwork but no small parts yet. Still nothing much going on at Twyford.
East of Reading the masts restart around Ruscombe, and I counted 61 from there to Maidenhead. (Sorry, forgot a few isolated masts just to the east of Sonning Cutting).
The Crossrail section was a hive of activity, with more steelwork and registration gear than I expected, and much of it seemed ready for wiring.
The Balfour Beatty wiring train was parked up in the depot at Langley with a full load of bits including copper wire.
Sections not quite up with the rest were around West Drayton-Stockley and through Slough, where quite a few booms are still missing.
Maidenhead Bridge has fixings ready for masts, and the awnings at Maidenhead station look finished.
The only wiring on this section is between Taplow and Burnham, except for a very short length of return wire near Iver.
On the western section, there are 10-ish masts up between Pilning and Patchway Tunnel, and the eastern ramp into the Severn Tunnel is fully based.
But nothing much new to the west of the tunnel, other than work to cut back the awnings at Newport station
Between Wootton Bassett and Patchway, no progress at all.
What work there was seemed to be linked to resignalling rather than electrification.
There's still a 5-mile stretch through Swindon with no bases.
So overall, you can see where the priority is going.
Evidence of activity from the many RRVs parked up at access points, and new work sites being constructed alongside the railway throughout.
Another good sign is the supplies depot at Moreton, pretty much empty of piles.
It you put a peg in at about MP74 (east of Swindon), nothing much has happened to the west of this point, while the entire line has changed to the east.
Essentially all the line eastwards is fully based, and most of it has masts.
I counted 162 masts on the north side, starting around Uffington, towards Milton (Didcot). This about a third of the route between Swindon and Didcot.
Wiring then starts at Milton, roughly opposite the Daily Mail office, obviously with a full set of masts/registration gear.
The main lines are then complete to Scours Lane (with some short gaps Didcot station-Moreton), while the relief lines have a couple of longer gaps around Goring and Cholsey.
Reading seems to have all its steelwork but no small parts yet. Still nothing much going on at Twyford.
East of Reading the masts restart around Ruscombe, and I counted 61 from there to Maidenhead. (Sorry, forgot a few isolated masts just to the east of Sonning Cutting).
The Crossrail section was a hive of activity, with more steelwork and registration gear than I expected, and much of it seemed ready for wiring.
The Balfour Beatty wiring train was parked up in the depot at Langley with a full load of bits including copper wire.
Sections not quite up with the rest were around West Drayton-Stockley and through Slough, where quite a few booms are still missing.
Maidenhead Bridge has fixings ready for masts, and the awnings at Maidenhead station look finished.
The only wiring on this section is between Taplow and Burnham, except for a very short length of return wire near Iver.
On the western section, there are 10-ish masts up between Pilning and Patchway Tunnel, and the eastern ramp into the Severn Tunnel is fully based.
But nothing much new to the west of the tunnel, other than work to cut back the awnings at Newport station
Between Wootton Bassett and Patchway, no progress at all.
What work there was seemed to be linked to resignalling rather than electrification.
There's still a 5-mile stretch through Swindon with no bases.
So overall, you can see where the priority is going.
Evidence of activity from the many RRVs parked up at access points, and new work sites being constructed alongside the railway throughout.
Another good sign is the supplies depot at Moreton, pretty much empty of piles.
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