QueensCurve
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I recall before the Weaver to Glasgow electrification, at Weaver Junction the wires extended along the main line as far as the short tunnel at Dutton.
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Great Western Electrification Progress
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I recall before the Weaver to Glasgow electrification, at Weaver Junction the wires extended along the main line as far as the short tunnel at Dutton.
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SpacePhoenix
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How long would the run off protection be? Braking distance from max line speed + 10%?
Yes - you can still see the evidence today. Mk2 masts up to and including the tunnel, then Mk3 starts immediately north of the tunnel.
Similar at Bishop's Stortford (where I type this) - Mk2 masts continue about a mile or so north of the station, before Mk3 (dating from 1987) takes over.
reddragon
Established Member
I need to get a better look, but it seems that the up relief has been wired into but not east of Tilehurst Station.
Anyone passing through on the mains able to get a better look?
Anyone passing through on the mains able to get a better look?
Basic overrun protection is 7.5m per kph of linespeed. However at a major future electrification location like Southcote we go further to provide train recovery provision through the signalling system, and passive provision for future electrification which involves providing a half tension length for electrical buffering purposes.
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Mk1, not Mk2. Mk2 can only be found in Glasgow.
Class 170101
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Interestingly Haughley Jn has no overrun towards Bury St Edmunds, nor does Trowse Jn towards Thetford or Ely towards both Soham, Thetford or Peterborough.
Alas Mk2 is now no more: it is an ex OLE. It has been replaced by Siemens SM1 but it can still be seen on Google Maps if you pick a streetview location close to the Gourock/ Wemyss Bay lines. It had a certain visual appeal but wasn't well thought of by OLE teams who maintained it.
That's the wrong way around. Track lowering is only considered where bridge reconstruction isn't feasible, either due to disruption of surrounding road infrastructure and buildings, or heritage reasons.
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Thanks; so are you saying that all the mk2 through to wemyss bay had been upgraded to Siecat?
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Ploughman
Established Member
When Leeds - Skipton was wired up the ratio of Track lowering to bridge lifts was about 6 lowers to 1 lift.
A definate reluctance to lift the offending structures especially if a major road.
Haven't been up that line for a few years, but as far as I know, yes; completely replaced by SM1. Ironic that one non-standard system has been replaced by another. I liked its very angular lines and it innovated the use of galvanised tubes instead of Mk1 copper, as well as metric dimensions (so I believe). It was immediately overtaken by MK3 so was never used anywhere else in the UK.
edwin_m
Veteran Member
The current Rail Engineer magazine has an article about a new technique for raising masonry bridges, involving cutting them away from their abutments, inserting vertical sliding bearings and lifting with synchronised jacks. I can see this being of value for heritage bridges (but not so heritage that they can't be touched!) but it clearly doesn't solve the problems that arise where it's not possible to raise the roadway.
And contributing to an increased number of line closures/service breakdowns as a result of flooding eg at Kirkstall.
reddragon
Established Member
New wiring in place: -
Acton dive under is partially wired with top wire complete.
DR from 12.75m to east end of West Drayton Station
DR from Langley depot to station
Slough east crossing between mains
east end of Burnham Station to east end of Taplow Station 4 tracks exc DR through Burnham Station
DR = down relief
Reading west old curve has fixings up
Reading depot track west to Scours Lane - fixings up
Up relief is wired east to Tilehurst Junction now and there are bits up to past the depot connection
Down relief is being wired from The Roebuck to Tilehusrt Station, then there is a gap at Tilehurst Junction, then is wired to Scours Lane.
It looks like the wires will be complete into the depot within a month in time for September 387 services at the current progress.
The local trains now also announce that the wires are live when you depart west from Reading
Acton dive under is partially wired with top wire complete.
DR from 12.75m to east end of West Drayton Station
DR from Langley depot to station
Slough east crossing between mains
east end of Burnham Station to east end of Taplow Station 4 tracks exc DR through Burnham Station
DR = down relief
Reading west old curve has fixings up
Reading depot track west to Scours Lane - fixings up
Up relief is wired east to Tilehurst Junction now and there are bits up to past the depot connection
Down relief is being wired from The Roebuck to Tilehusrt Station, then there is a gap at Tilehurst Junction, then is wired to Scours Lane.
It looks like the wires will be complete into the depot within a month in time for September 387 services at the current progress.
The local trains now also announce that the wires are live when you depart west from Reading
The 387s are only running between Padd and Hayes from September.
And within Reading depot, with a locomotive drag between the two ends IIRC
reddragon
Established Member
And driver training / testing from Reading depot to Didcot
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QueensCurve
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Is that part of a safety initiative?
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Ploughman
Established Member
Kirkstall Br 24 flooded even before track lowering. I think it even managed to flood the week before work started.
The original plan was for more lowering than was carried out coupled with a wall built to keep the water out, extending North and South of the bridge on the Horsforth side of the tracks.
Then somebody discovered an undertrack syphon just North of the bridge that limited the amount of dig possible.
I just worked as Tech on this job based at Leeds. The design work for this and most other lowerings on the line was carried out by CEDG at York
LexyBoy
Established Member
One would assume so - general awareness at least.
Always tickles me when it says "...an never carry items, such as umbrellas, above head height". Obviously I've been doing it wrong all these years
reddragon
Established Member
I know I had to laugh about the Umbrellas, especially as it was repeated at every station!
Where else are they supposed to be?
Where else are they supposed to be?
edwin_m
Veteran Member
Maybe they should provide some decent canopies on all platforms?
QueensCurve
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Always tickles me when it says "...an never carry items, such as umbrellas, above head height". Obviously I've been doing it wrong all these years
Strangely, I don't recall any such announcements.
That is why at times of heavy rain it acts like a sump under bridges and water pools above the railhead causing cancellation of services.
I did a trip from London to Newport and then Cardiff to London yesterday.
All the following is of the relief lines, so new to me:- there are a few short wire runs in and around the West Drayton area. From the train care depot at Reading to Tilehurst on the up relief only, support arms have appeared so maybe wiring from the depot to the eastern end of the wiring at Tilehurst will happen soon.
At the other end of the test track, new wiring has appeared on the up relief from Foxhall Junction, which is just west of Didcot, to match up with where the existing wiring ends on the main line at Milton sidings, therefore there is now a gap from Foxhall Junction to where the electrification depot is just east of Didcot on the relief lines.
Support arms have now appeared on the four track section between Didcot and Swindon on the up lines and there are two arms installed so it looks like the relief lines will be wired.
More piles are getting closer to Swindon from either end but there is still nothing in the station area itself.
About ten or so concrete foundations have appeared between Wootton Bassett and Bristol Parkway, about 5 miles west of the M4 bridge near Wootton Bassett.
In the Pilning area there are about ten masts installed on either side and the footbridge on the station in still there, not for much longer though.
Onto South Wales and opposite the Llanwern steelworks there are about 12 masts on the up and about 18 on the down installed.
Lastly again on the relief lines, this time between Cardiff and Newport, there are a lot of piles installed these are to cover all four tracks but it don't mean they will all be wired, I guess it is around 50% complete, they fizzle out at the Cardiff and Newport ends.
So more progress, there are quite a few places that wiring can start near West Drayton/Ivor for example and with the Severn tunnel closure not that far away they might be a lot of progress between Wootton Bassett and Severn Tunnel Junction, let's see.
All the following is of the relief lines, so new to me:- there are a few short wire runs in and around the West Drayton area. From the train care depot at Reading to Tilehurst on the up relief only, support arms have appeared so maybe wiring from the depot to the eastern end of the wiring at Tilehurst will happen soon.
At the other end of the test track, new wiring has appeared on the up relief from Foxhall Junction, which is just west of Didcot, to match up with where the existing wiring ends on the main line at Milton sidings, therefore there is now a gap from Foxhall Junction to where the electrification depot is just east of Didcot on the relief lines.
Support arms have now appeared on the four track section between Didcot and Swindon on the up lines and there are two arms installed so it looks like the relief lines will be wired.
More piles are getting closer to Swindon from either end but there is still nothing in the station area itself.
About ten or so concrete foundations have appeared between Wootton Bassett and Bristol Parkway, about 5 miles west of the M4 bridge near Wootton Bassett.
In the Pilning area there are about ten masts installed on either side and the footbridge on the station in still there, not for much longer though.
Onto South Wales and opposite the Llanwern steelworks there are about 12 masts on the up and about 18 on the down installed.
Lastly again on the relief lines, this time between Cardiff and Newport, there are a lot of piles installed these are to cover all four tracks but it don't mean they will all be wired, I guess it is around 50% complete, they fizzle out at the Cardiff and Newport ends.
So more progress, there are quite a few places that wiring can start near West Drayton/Ivor for example and with the Severn tunnel closure not that far away they might be a lot of progress between Wootton Bassett and Severn Tunnel Junction, let's see.
GRALISTAIR
Established Member
Absolutely outstanding news and thank you very much for this update.
No problem, I will not be going down that part of the world until just before Christmas now so it will be interesting what progress there will be in four months.
Don't forget the original completion dates were for Newbury, Oxford and Bristol all to be completed by Dec 2016!
YorkshireBear
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Sounds like they are going through the gears in terms of progress now. Lets just hope there is a big folder somewhere called lessons learned. While some may call this electrification a disaster it will only be so if we do not learn from it and apply the lessons to every electrification in the country.
Presence of the tension arms is no guarantee that wiring is imminent. The tension arms have been in place between Reading depot's west access and Tilehurst for weeks, similarly the ones at Didcot Parkway away from the fast lines have been attached for a long time.
The gaps in the wires on the relief lines at Cholsey and Goring have now been filled in and there are lots more lengths of autotransformer wire installed as well.
At Tilehurst station, as noted previously, the up (Reading-bound) relief is now wired. Passing through today, I saw that the up relief has the catenary wire (upper one) in place but the contact wire (lower one) is still to be installed.
Still no sign of any work at either Tilehurst, Moreton or Didcot to start wiring between the lines at the ladder junctions.
Have you missed Network Rail's PR offensive in just about any publication that moves in recent weeks saying that they have indeed learned lessons?
And other electrification schemes shouldn't have to contend with the BR Western Region legacy of buried, unmapped signal cables, which has been one of the key problems along the GWML.
Lots of steelwork now in place at Denchworth
http://hondawanderer.com/Recent_Additions.htm
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