Great Western Electrification Progress

[class26]

Is 83 mins the best we can expect?

I thought Bristol Parkway was do-able in about 65 non-stop (Paddington, not Reading) ?

Augusts Modern Railways give a best Bristol TM - Paddington timing of 79 minutes from December 2018 and typical time of 90 minutes

 

[HowardGWR]

Augusts Modern Railways give a best Bristol TM - Paddington timing of 79 minutes from December 2018 and typical time of 90 minutes

90 minutes is the kind of time that gives a location, superior in environmental quality, a reason to base and connect service industry with the capital. Bristol will become a very desirable location (it already is) for services that need brainy people. Thus the 'Norwich in 90' slogan. Birmingham will be nearer time-wise to London with HS2 but, er, environmental quality?

 

[Dixie]

For anyone interested in the rigid conductor to be used in the Severn Tunnel, there is an interesting set of videos on You Tube about the Ligne du Haut-Bugey in France which used this in some of the tunnels.

This was an old line, some of which had been closed, from Bourg en Bresse to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, which was rebuilt to be used as a short cut for TGVs from Geneva to Paris. It was totally rebuilt and electrified.

An excample of the rigid conductor can be seen on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-zCyoboILw at 2:50 and also at the start of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0G14ee3tR8

The website http://www.ligneduhautbugey.fr/ (in French but you can read it using Google translate) makes a great read with loads of photos of the rebuilt, very similar to what was done on the Liverpool to Manchester thread and is underway on the Preston to Manchester thread on this forum.

 

[russdx]

Thanks for your first post and welcome to the forum. It would be really wonderful if you could post regular updates for us please since you take the route so regularly.

Thanks

Yes i will keep an eye on progress

Regards
Russell

 

[leomartin125]

For anyone interested in the rigid conductor to be used in the Severn Tunnel, there is an interesting set of videos on You Tube about the Ligne du Haut-Bugey in France which used this in some of the tunnels.

This was an old line, some of which had been closed, from Bourg en Bresse to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, which was rebuilt to be used as a short cut for TGVs from Geneva to Paris. It was totally rebuilt and electrified.

An excample of the rigid conductor can be seen on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-zCyoboILw at 2:50 and also at the start of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0G14ee3tR8

The website http://www.ligneduhautbugey.fr/ (in French but you can read it using Google translate) makes a great read with loads of photos of the rebuilt, very similar to what was done on the Liverpool to Manchester thread and is underway on the Preston to Manchester thread on this forum.

Is a Rigid Conductor Rail like what they have at London St Pancras Thameslink? Instead of the wire, just a single metal bar conducting electricity? I was wondering about that when I was there yesterday...

 

[Domh245]

Is a Rigid Conductor Rail like what they have at London St Pancras Thameslink? Instead of the wire, just a single metal bar conducting electricity? I was wondering about that when I was there yesterday...

Correct, example installation photo, courtesy of Noel Dolphin:

https://twitter.com/NoelDolphin/status/734255368184967169

 

[Philip Phlopp]

Is a Rigid Conductor Rail like what they have at London St Pancras Thameslink? Instead of the wire, just a single metal bar conducting electricity? I was wondering about that when I was there yesterday...

It's not strictly a bar, it's normal contact wire. It has to be normal contact wire for wear behaviour on the pantograph carbon.

The contact wire is held in place within the metal extrusion, which is then held in place using accompanying mounting bracket insulators, which in turn bolt onto custom drop tubes or box section, which is what is bolted into the roof of each tunnel.

ROC can also be mounted 'outdoors' using a series of closely spaced masts and cable stays. There's a few installations outdoors in France and Switzerland, whilst Austria uses ROC at Salzburg station.

 

[swt_passenger]

Correct, example installation photo, courtesy of Noel Dolphin:

https://twitter.com/NoelDolphin/status/734255368184967169

The Furrer and Frey brochure has all the info anyone would ever need, including cross-sections of the beam showing exactly how normal conductor is clamped in the bottom, the two sides of what is effective a split box sort of spring apart:

http://www.furrerfrey.ch/dam/jcr:5beace53-28a1-40a4-92ab-fe91780f607d/ROCS brochure Sept 2015.pdf

 

[snowball]

There's also (as mentioned upthread) an article on the Severn Tunnel in the current Modern Railways.

There's at least one outdoor rigid overhead conductor in GB: Trowse swing bridge.

 

[cle]

Augusts Modern Railways give a best Bristol TM - Paddington timing of 79 minutes from December 2018 and typical time of 90 minutes

I thought it'd be better, but 79 is good. 90 meh, but an improvement of course from 100-110.

It'll make the economy there even more competitive. OOC to Heathrow connections no doubt will be a great boost too, albeit with a journey time impact stopping at OOC.

 

[QueensCurve]

(plus a resolution for the weed-killing HST stock).

Weed killing?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

For anyone interested in the rigid conductor to be used in the Severn Tunnel, there is an interesting set of videos on You Tube about the Ligne du Haut-Bugey in France which used this in some of the tunnels.

This was an old line, some of which had been closed, from Bourg en Bresse to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, which was rebuilt to be used as a short cut for TGVs from Geneva to Paris. It was totally rebuilt and electrified.

An excample of the rigid conductor can be seen on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-zCyoboILw at 2:50 and also at the start of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0G14ee3tR8

The website http://www.ligneduhautbugey.fr/ (in French but you can read it using Google translate) makes a great read with loads of photos of the rebuilt, very similar to what was done on the Liverpool to Manchester thread and is underway on the Preston to Manchester thread on this forum.

Many thanks for that.

I didn't no that work was so advanced, and Macon nach Genf was so slow.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Austria uses ROC at Salzburg station.

I don't recall that. Perhaps it has been installed since my last visit (2004)?

 

[Philip Phlopp]

Weed killing?


I don't recall that. Perhaps it has been installed since my last visit (2004)?

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=2647012&postcount=2940 and yes, relatively recently.

 

[Andrewlong]

Does anyone have an update on electrification progress in the Reading area?

 

[steevp]

Whilst making one of my infrequent visits to London last week, something occurred to me that made me wonder.

Please can somebody tell me - is the wiring in Reading depot live yet? If so, what was used to test it?

 

[coppercapped]

Does anyone have an update on electrification progress in the Reading area?

Not a lot has happened recently. Most (all?) of the stanchions and cross-beams for the wires were installed during the station rebuild. These stretch from (about) Kennet Bridge to just west of the new flyover. Some piling has been seen in Sonning Cutting but I have not been through in the last three weeks to see if any of the stanchions have been placed.

 

[FGW_DID]

Whilst making one of my infrequent visits to London last week, something occurred to me that made me wonder.

Please can somebody tell me - is the wiring in Reading depot live yet? If so, what was used to test it?

Reading TCD isn't live yet. The last incarnation of the "plan" is that the West Yard & Train Shed will go live first. Presumably the East Yard will go live when the Station does.

Any 387s heading to the TCD for maintenance work will be dragged by a 57, then move under their own power once under the depot's energised wires.

 

[reddragon]

Does anyone have an update on electrification progress in the Reading area?

I have seen no work, including on the reliefs around Tilehurst.

 

[steevp]

Thanks FGW-DID. I did wonder if that if that was the case

 

[Tio Terry]

There's also (as mentioned upthread) an article on the Severn Tunnel in the current Modern Railways.

There's at least one outdoor rigid overhead conductor in GB: Trowse swing bridge.

Think you'll also find it's being installed in the Thameslink tunnels at Kings Cross to allow access to ECML.

 

[snowball]

Think you'll also find it's being installed in the Thameslink tunnels at Kings Cross to allow access to ECML.

Yes, and several other UK tunnel sites have been discussed in these forums, but Philip in #2947 was distinguishing installations in tunnels from what he called outdoor installations.

 

[smiffy9373]

Both relief lines wired now in the Goring area. Only Tilehurst station area left to wire. I believe next will be joining the relief lines to Reading depot to enable training on the 387s over the test section.

 

[jimm]

Steelwork starting appear over the tracks at Denchworth now, with twin-track cantilevers rather than portals being used on the quadruple track section here. Picture by Stephen Dance.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/d1059/28641596616/

 

[MarlowDonkey]

Does anyone have an update on electrification progress in the Reading area?

Between Reading and Maidenhead, piling appears complete and some progress has been made erecting the vertical bits on top of the piling.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Hows the electrification going on the Thames Valley area branches?

 

[jimm]

Hows the electrification going on the Thames Valley area branches?

It isn't. The priority is the main line. Twyford-Henley and Slough-Windsor were shunted to Control Period 6 - ie some point in 2019-2024 - by the Hendy Report. Maidenhead-Marlow is up in the air.

 

[swt_passenger]

It isn't. The priority is the main line. Twyford-Henley and Slough-Windsor were shunted to Control Period 6 - ie some point in 2019-2024 - by the Hendy Report. Maidenhead-Marlow is up in the air.

To which we can add Reading (Southcote Jn) to Basingstoke, also deferred into CP6 after being moved from "Electric Spine" to "Thames Valley branches".

I've seen comments elsewhere suggesting that wire run over the S&C onto the future wired branches will be done with the main lines, so that they don't need further disruptive possessions to extend.

 

[Philip Phlopp]

To which we can add Reading (Southcote Jn) to Basingstoke, also deferred into CP6 after being moved from "Electric Spine" to "Thames Valley branches".

I've seen comments elsewhere suggesting that wire run over the S&C onto the future wired branches will be done with the main lines, so that they don't need further disruptive possessions to extend.

It has to be done to some extent, or an incorrectly routed train will bring the whole wiring across the crossover down.

If you provide a sensible length of OLE out onto the branch (think the WCML run offs are/were originally 40 chains) it also provides run off protection, hopefully an incorrectly routed train can stop before running off the OLE, and will be able to set back/reverse.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

There's also the interesting situation with the planned OHLE power feeder at Bramley (more than half way to Basingstoke from Southcote Jn).
You'd hope that putting that in would also trigger wiring of the branch.
Then we will be in interesting territory if GWR still has dual-voltage EMUs.

 

[Philip Phlopp]

There's also the interesting situation with the planned OHLE power feeder at Bramley (more than half way to Basingstoke from Southcote Jn).
You'd hope that putting that in would also trigger wiring of the branch.
Then we will be in interesting territory if GWR still has dual-voltage EMUs.

Bramley isn't really needed until you wire up Basingstoke to Reading and EMU demand increases, but yes. The Class 387s will always be dual-voltage, just as the Class 350/1 fleet is, so things from then on potentially become very interesting indeed.

 

[Ploughman]

It has to be done to some extent, or an incorrectly routed train will bring the whole wiring across the crossover down.

If you provide a sensible length of OLE out onto the branch (think the WCML run offs are/were originally 40 chains) it also provides run off protection, hopefully an incorrectly routed train can stop before running off the OLE, and will be able to set back/reverse.

As happened at York with a special train running on to the Scarborough line P4 on the opening day for electric traction. Straight off the end of the wire.

The special, I believe, was for the Electrification Engineers or similar.