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Great Western Electrification Progress

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Philip Phlopp

Philip Phlopp

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swt_passenger said:
A question that can be skipped by anyone not interested in the really detailed stuff...

Back in March I asked what they would do with the ATF through Pangbourne, as through the station they were using TTCs alongside the back of the down relief platform to support the main line side OHLE. Effectively there would be a gap the length of the station with nowhere to hang the down main side ATF on. http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=2504849&postcount=2278

I noticed a coupe of days ago (as highlighted in the photo below) that they seem to have fitted a special clamp to the ATF insulator on the last portal east of the station, with the cable coiled up and hanging below. This suggests that there will be a transition here from bare cable to insulated cable, that will presumably be run in trunking at ground level? Does anyone know exactly how they do this connection, as it must be required elsewhere on the various ATF systems around the country, typically through tunnels as discussed earlier in the thread. Does the connection take place on another insulator?

A supplementary question then, as previous posters have said the ATF is positioned where it cannot 'fall into danger' if damaged, so is the ATF always kept well clear of platforms?
Click to expand...

This is how ATF wire to cable transition is handled for the Linslade tunnels - the ATF wire is terminated by an insulator, prior to which a pair of wires take the feed into a suitable cable (or pair of cables) which then join into a single twin core cable to run through the tunnel.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/76/85/41/7685415bf594243d79364a1180fd28fc.png

The bare wires at the end of the two cables are generally held in place by an insulator, much like the cable retainer on a plug, before the fully insulated cables run down the mast.

It's really no different to the way we get 25kV into and out of the wiring.

And yes, ATF wiring always kept in a position of safety for passengers, whether through the use of earthing bars, by using cable runs etc.

EDIT - and as you've probably got GL/RT1210 about - "auto-transformer" is the word to look for, to see the requirements.
 
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sciisfun

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people are already planning the next extension!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36681121
A campaign to electrify 29 miles of railway has seen Surrey County Council (SCC) and Great Western Railway (GWR) join forces to seek government funds for the project.

County Councillor Mike Goodman said the work on the North Downs Line, between Reading and Gatwick Airport, could cost between £80m and £140m.
 
S

swt_passenger

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sciisfun said:
people are already planning the next extension!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36681121
A campaign to electrify 29 miles of railway has seen Surrey County Council (SCC) and Great Western Railway (GWR) join forces to seek government funds for the project.

County Councillor Mike Goodman said the work on the North Downs Line, between Reading and Gatwick Airport, could cost between £80m and £140m.
Click to expand...

We have a well established separate thread on the NDL that you must have just missed when you found this one...

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=128993
 
leomartin125

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swt_passenger said:
We have a well established separate thread on the NDL that you must have just missed when you found this one...

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=128993
Click to expand...

Personally I do not see any benefit from running AC trains down to a line solely operated by 3rd rail services with the exclusion of GWR. The Reading to Gatwick Airport route shouldn't be in the hands of GWR, it's completely incorrect to have a route that is 3rd rail from start to finish be operated by an operator with no 3rd rail services whatsoever. This route should be with South West Trains, who could operate faster services straight down to Gatwick Airport without the hassle of changing the infrastructure just because of the operator. I have never understood how this contract ended up in the hands of GWR...
 
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Nippy

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Because it isn't 3rd rail all the way?

Anyhow, if we are discussing the North Downs Line, it may be better if these were posted on that thread?
 
LNW-GW Joint

LNW-GW Joint

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leomartin125 said:
Personally I do not see any benefit from running AC trains down to a line solely operated by 3rd rail services with the exclusion of GWR. The Reading to Gatwick Airport route shouldn't be in the hands of GWR, it's completely incorrect to have a route that is 3rd rail from start to finish be operated by an operator with no 3rd rail services whatsoever. This route should be with South West Trains, who could operate faster services straight down to Gatwick Airport without the hassle of changing the infrastructure just because of the operator. I have never understood how this contract ended up in the hands of GWR...
Click to expand...

Historically it's a South Eastern Railway/Southern line (and pre-dates LSWR's Reading-Waterloo line).
It used to be BR SR operated, with DEMUs (to Redhill/Tonbridge).
When the DEMUs were consigned to the scrapheap, BR added it to the Thames and Chiltern routes of BR Western/NSE and bought Turbos to operate it (based in Reading).
The route was extended at one end to Gatwick and (occasionally) to Oxford at the other.
Reading-Basingstoke was also transferred from "Southern" to "Western" and its DEMUs replaced by Thames Turbos (it was originally a GWR route).
Then Thames was privatised and eventually merged back into the greater GW franchise.
XC also used to run from Reading to Gatwick/Brighton.

When GWR's Thames Valley services are all electric 387s (based in Reading), there's no reason why they should not operate to Gatwick with dual fitted versions.
The trend in franchising is to more/smaller franchises, not to add to already bloated operations like Southern or SWT.
The North Downs line was a backwater under "Southern" and strictly a local line. It only just escaped the Beeching axe.
"Western" operation gave it a lot more focus.

Off topic, sorry.
 
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DY444

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leomartin125 said:
Personally I do not see any benefit from running AC trains down to a line solely operated by 3rd rail services with the exclusion of GWR. The Reading to Gatwick Airport route shouldn't be in the hands of GWR, it's completely incorrect to have a route that is 3rd rail from start to finish be operated by an operator with no 3rd rail services whatsoever. This route should be with South West Trains, who could operate faster services straight down to Gatwick Airport without the hassle of changing the infrastructure just because of the operator. I have never understood how this contract ended up in the hands of GWR...
Click to expand...

Only one problem with that. It isn't 3rd rail all the way. There's two whopping great gaps. Wokingham to Ash and Guildford to Reigate
 
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jimm

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LNW-GW Joint said:
Historically it's a South Eastern Railway/Southern line (and pre-dates LSWR's Reading-Waterloo line).
It used to be BR SR operated, with DEMUs (to Redhill/Tonbridge).
When the DEMUs were consigned to the scrapheap, BR added it to the Thames and Chiltern routes of BR Western/NSE and bought Turbos to operate it (based in Reading).
The route was extended at one end to Gatwick and (occasionally) to Oxford at the other.
Reading-Basingstoke was also transferred from "Southern" to "Western" and its DEMUs replaced by Thames Turbos (it was originally a GWR route).
Then Thames was privatised and eventually merged back into the greater GW franchise.
XC also used to run from Reading to Gatwick/Brighton.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but you're getting the history all jumbled up. The changeover on the North Downs came back around 1980, when Reading-based Western Region dmus replaced the Southern DEMUs, long before anyone had heard of Network South East. Turbos then took over from dmus around 1992.

Reading-Basingstoke went straight from demus to Turbos around 1992-3.

And I would agree entirely with Nippy that if people want to talk further about the North Downs, do it in the relevant thread. Anything happening on this line will be a separate scheme, not an 'extension' of the GWML project.
 
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Hellzapoppin

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Yes it did CC. I'm just trying to find the email confirming it and if there's any more to add ill post it but good news anyway.
 
fgwrich

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coppercapped said:
So, did the OHLE between Tilehurst and Didcot go live on 2nd July?
Click to expand...

Yes, No and Yes.

Quote from Southernman46 on RMWeb, the official status is as this.

[Scours Lane (37m 63ch) and Milton Jcn (54m 51ch)]. = MAIN lines only - the reliefs are still under construction ................



"From the 2nd 9th, 16th and 23rd July the system will be live for the purposes of testing and commissioning on Saturday nights only. The system will then be isolated and earthed after testing on a Saturday is completed, so in effect there will be a blanket isolation from 2nd July (energisation date) for 12 weeks; until 24th September. There will be other times when the system will be energised and these will be managed in the same way."


"all work inside NR boundaries (including lineside work), within the mileages stated, will be subject to issue of a Form C permit" - (gets everybody used to the process)


"A Form C (isolation permit) will be issued to every COSS from 2nd July, [Scours Lane (37m 63ch) and Milton Jcn (54m 51ch)]. Form C covers the main lines. When working on the reliefs, a Form C will be issued for the main lines and an explanation that the relief lines are under construction will be provided at the start of each shift in a briefing that will be signed for."
Click to expand...
 
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JN114

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The notices have gone out saying it was energised on the 2nd - while the true status of the OHLE may be routinely Isolated, it's to be considered live at all times. Work may be cancelled, deferred, brought forward. Those needing to do engineering work on the line will be advised as part of the ordinary possession briefing process.
 
alxndr

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JN114 said:
The notices have gone out saying it was energised on the 2nd - while the true status of the OHLE may be routinely Isolated, it's to be considered live at all times. Work may be cancelled, deferred, brought forward. Those needing to do engineering work on the line will be advised as part of the ordinary possession briefing process.
Click to expand...

Exactly.

Unless you are in possession of a Form C (permit) then it must be treated as live, regardless of what day it is, or what time of day. There's absolutely no way that I would trust a few words in a presentation, or forum, to be correct and true when there's potentially 25kV buzzing around. Heck, even with a Form C I'll staying as far away as humanly possible from that stuff.
 
GRALISTAIR

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Philip Phlopp said:
On time but tight, given the summer we're having, is probably the best that can be hoped for.
Click to expand...

QUOTE - RAIL TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE

GWML electrification

However, it says the electrification of the Great Western Main Line remains “at risk”. The regulator says the key measure will be whether Network Rail is able to test and commission the ‘Series 1’ overhead line system between Tilehurst and Didcot by 20 September. This will provide evidence as to whether Network Rail will be able to successfully complete electrification to Wootton Bassett by December 2017.

The ORR is not currently implementing an incentive mechanism for efficient project delivery, because the cost of the Great Western electrification programme is already substantially greater than the baseline set. But the regulator is in the process of developing a new mechanism fit for purpose.

END QUOTE - Rail Technology Magazine

Bolding etc mine + spelling correction.
 
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Philip Phlopp

Philip Phlopp

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GRALISTAIR said:
QUOTE - RAIL TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE

GWML electrification

However, it says the electrification of the Great Western Main Line remains “at risk”. The regulator says the key measure will be whether Network Rail is able to test and commission the ‘Series 1’ overhead line system between Tilehurst and Didcot by 20 September. This will provide evidence as to whether Network Rail will be able to successfully complete electrification to Wootton Bassett by December 2017.

The ORR is not currently implementing an incentive mechanism for efficient project delivery, because the cost of the Great Western electrification programme is already substantially greater than the baseline set. But the regulator is in the process of developing a new mechanism fit for purpose.

END QUOTE - Rail Technology Magazine

Bolding etc mine + spelling correction.
Click to expand...

It's ORR and with the greatest will in the world, they don't have have a clue.

It's going to be "at risk" until it's energised to Wootton Bassett - there's all sorts of weather issues which could slow things done, any number of technical failures which require plant to be taken out of use, plus the unknown factors like Goring Gap still to come.

If we can have the test section fully energised by 20th September, it'll be a great morale boost, but it will generate lots of data in the process and if for any unknown reason there are remedial works needed, December 2017 could be an awful lot closer than we would like.
 
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jimm

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Went into Reading yesterday, but not too much progress to observe...

Gaps remain in one or other of the relief lines at Cholsey station, Goring station and a bit north to the edge of the village and over Moulsford bridge. Also both reliefs still lack wires from Moreton cutting into Didcot and the main lines (ie Swindon route) are still the only tracks wired at Didcot Parkway station.

I forget if someone has mentioned it already but a stretch of the Didcot-bound relief line now has overhead wires part of the way between Tilehurst and Scours Lane.
 
Kentish Paul

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smiffy9373

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I'm hoping that once the test section is finished we will see a more rapid advance of the OHLE west as they can have longer possessions at night, due to availability of diversionary routes, and a later start / earlier finish of services once you get east of Didcot. Although I still feel that station areas and anything slightly complicated track work is left until last.
I've noticed that there are now concrete bases on Maidenhead viaduct ready for the masts to go up.
 
reddragon

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Checked today the Tilehurst area.

I can confirm that the mains are both fully wired including both cross-overs between them, but not the cross-overs to the reliefs.

The down relief has just been wired from Scours Lane to Tilehurst junction, but the work is incomplete. That still leaves the rest of the reliefs east of The Roebuck without wires.

150001 looks very good in GWR green, beside a very tatty 150002 in FGW.
 
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My apologies if this has been answered before, but are they going to put a completely new bridge over the line at Newport Station, or will the old one be refurbished and returned at a higher height?

Thank you.
 
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