Great Western Electrification Progress

[snowball]

The Empire Hotel looks too close to the Abbey to be the building in question. Also the top of the building in question seems to be higher than any part of the Abbey except the top of the tower. It seems very dominant in the picture.

I'm beginning to wonder if it might be the Hilton Bath City. Is that being refurbished too?

However pictures of the Hilton Bath City seem to show a basically flat roof and the mystery building seems to have a ridged roof.

 

[slinky1989]

I think it might be the Empire Hotel being refurbished?

From Google Streetview:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.3...kXOzJSr84uIt6c356t_Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

I was in Bath a couple of weeks ago and can confirm that this is the building in question.

It hasn't been that long since the last time it was surrounded by scaffolding either, I remember it looking the same about 6 or 7 years ago when I lived in the city for a short time.

 

[Henbury Loop]

Can anyone tell me why now the poles are going up, why they have put masts up on the first 1/2 mile or so of the Yate Branch?

 

[snowball]

Can anyone tell me why now the poles are going up, why they have put masts up on the first 1/2 mile or so of the Yate Branch?

Half a mile seems a bit much but it's probably an overrun in case an electric train gets accidentally routed the wrong way.

 

[edwin_m]

Can anyone tell me why now the poles are going up, why they have put masts up on the first 1/2 mile or so of the Yate Branch?

I presume you mean the line from Westerleigh towards Gloucester, not the freight-only branch that leaves it at Yate?

 

[Henbury Loop]

Yes indeed, I am not referring to the Tytherington branch.

 

[adrock1976]

A quick question has come into my mind here regarding Westerleigh Junction.

Has any thought ever been given to grade separation, or do geological conditions prevent that?

As it is a few miles to Bristol Parkway/Stoke Gifford, this section could be quad tracked for the approach there, switching to or from the relevant platforms.

An example: Trains from Birmingham/Gloucester - Bristol TM could use the outer westbound track, trains from London to Cardiff/Swansea use the inner westbound, trains from London - Bristol TM switch to the outer westbound. Likewise, the outer eastbound would be to Gloucester/Birmingham, and the inner eastbound would be for London.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Can anyone tell me why now the poles are going up, why they have put masts up on the first 1/2 mile or so of the Yate Branch?

Much the same thing happened at Lostock between Salford and Preston, where a decent length of the branch towards Wigan has been wired as an overrun.
It seems NR likes to wire to the site of a neutral section to avoid having to rewire later.
It may also be something to do with the electrical feeding of the area around Westerleigh Jn.
At least it reduces the length of eventual wiring from Birmingham!
Presumbly something similar will happen at Narroways Hill Jn towards Clifton when they get round to wiring Filton bank.

 

[snowball]

Much the same thing happened at Lostock between Salford and Preston, where a decent length of the branch towards Wigan has been wired as an overrun.
It seems NR likes to wire to the site of a neutral section to avoid having to rewire later.
It may also be something to do with the electrical feeding of the area around Westerleigh Jn.
At least it reduces the length of eventual wiring from Birmingham!
Presumbly something similar will happen at Narroways Hill Jn towards Clifton when they get round to wiring Filton bank.

Where two routes divide it would seem to be operationally a good idea to have two track sectioning cabins, each with its neutral section, one on each route, just after the divergence. There are many other locations where this happens and presumably it will happen at Westerleigh.

 

[edwin_m]

Grade separation at Westerleigh could be possible, putting a new curve in to punch through the GW embankment east of the junction. But with about 3TPH on the Midland and 4TPH on the GW, plus a bit of freight, it's not really necessary.

 

[SamYeager]

In the new issue of Rail magazine (no. 835 page 40) there's a picture of Bath taken last month.

Any chance of a quick screen grab of the relevant part of the page?

 

[QueensCurve]

I am surprised that west end trackwork has not been designed to allow a train from Wales into platform 4 simultaneously with a train from Bristol into platform 3. It works in the opposite direction.

It does seem like an opportunity missed. Platforms 1 and 3 could have been used for X country workings while 2 and 4 could have served Puddington to S Wales.

 

[FenMan]

Any chance of a quick screen grab of the relevant part of the page?

I rather suspect the Editor of Rail magazine would prefer that you purchase a copy!

 

[DidcotDickie]

Temporary measures announced by Network Rail to get the OLE under Steventon High St bridge. Main gist as follows:

Until now, we have planned to carry out a full reconstruction of Steventon bridge to facilitate the required clearances for installation of the overhead line equipment. It is now clear that reconstruction will not be possible before the introduction of electric train services in 2018.

To enable electrification to proceed, a temporary solution must now be introduced at Steventon bridge (B4017) to enable us to deliver the electrified railway through Steventon. In advance of this, some preparatory work on the track underneath the bridge will begin at the end of November 2017. In the longer term, to enable the introduction of timetabled electric train services, the temporary solution will also require a speed restriction on the railway, to ensure the safe passage of trains through Steventon.

The requirement to demolish and rebuild the bridge does not change. However, it is anticipated that the reconstruction - subject to approval of the Listed Building Consent (LBC), will now be delivered as early as possible in Control Period 6 (CP6), which starts in April 2019.

Full NR statement here: http://www.steventon.info/pdf conve...dge temporary solution statement 11-09-17.pdf

Possibly some limited track lowering under the bridge (though this option was rejected in their feasibility report) and a steeper than ideal contact wire gradient between the bridge and Stocks Lane crossing? At least it allows them to run the IETs on electric from the end of 2018.

Given that NR have only recently applied for planning permission for replacing the bridge and have numerous other consents to obtain, I'm not surprised that the actual bridge replacement has been pushed out to CP6

 

[Ploughman]

Cannot find a shot of Rail Magazine, will this do:-
Youtube clip of Bath station with a couple of locos passing through.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=TAu8iDr277A

 

[D6975]

Lawrence Hill is being tidied up ready for 4 tracking and electrification

 

[snowball]

Cannot find a shot of Rail Magazine, will this do:-
Youtube clip of Bath station with a couple of locos passing through.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=TAu8iDr277A

Many thanks for that.

The building that comes into view at right of shot at 2:05, and remains in view for the remaining seconds of the clip, and is currently clad with something that is white at the top, is the one, but the picture in the magazine is taken from a somewhat different viewpoint and a bit more zoomed in, and makes the building look much more dominant over the cityscape than in the video.

 

[SamYeager]

Many thanks for that.

The building that comes into view at right of shot at 2:05, and remains in view for the remaining seconds of the clip, and is currently clad with something that is white at the top, is the one, but the picture in the magazine is taken from a somewhat different viewpoint and a bit more zoomed in, and makes the building look much more dominant over the cityscape than in the video.

I agree with the other poster that it's almost certainly the Empire Hotel. If you look at the full screen version of the video you can see the right hand side of the hotel by the white cladding. The hotel is up to seven stories high.

Apologies to all for OT post.

 

[HowardGWR]

Cannot find a shot of Rail Magazine, will this do:-
Youtube clip of Bath station with a couple of locos passing through.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=TAu8iDr277A

Isn't that Bath rugby ground?

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

I heard mutterings that there might be problems with this weekend's blockade of Reading for electrification testing. Can anyone shed any light on this?

 

[MatthewRead]

I heard mutterings that there might be problems with this weekend's blockade of Reading for electrification testing. Can anyone shed any light on this?

Hope this doesn't affect the HST's on divert

 

[FGW_DID]

I heard mutterings that there might be problems with this weekend's blockade of Reading for electrification testing. Can anyone shed any light on this?

Hope this doesn't affect the HST's on divert

Have heard word it's cancelled!!! No idea why!

Perhaps too late in the day to reconfigure the service back to normal.

 

[50031]

Have heard word it's cancelled!!! No idea why!

Perhaps too late in the day to reconfigure the service back to normal.

If this is true.. YOU HONESTLY COULDN'T MAKE IT UP!

 

[bastien]

I agree with the other poster that it's almost certainly the Empire Hotel. If you look at the full screen version of the video you can see the right hand side of the hotel by the white cladding. The hotel is up to seven stories high.

Apologies to all for OT post.

Yes it is definitely the Empire. It has been covered in masses of scaffolding and white cladding for a few weeks now. This must be the first work done on the place since it was refurbished as flats back in the 1990s, it was quite derelict before that.

 

[FGW_DID]

I heard mutterings that there might be problems with this weekend's blockade of Reading for electrification testing. Can anyone shed any light on this?

Hope this doesn't affect the HST's on divert

Have heard word it's cancelled!!! No idea why!

Perhaps too late in the day to reconfigure the service back to normal.

Well there's a block to electric traction on, lots of OTP on the Reliefs and Mains and lots of orange hi-viz swarming around various bits of OLE so quite a lot going on. If its to the full extent of what was expected, that will remain to be seen.

 

[CardiffKid]

Network Rail have been criticised for using Portuguese Steel in stead of Welsh/British Steel in the new Splott Road Bridge.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/cardiffs-steelworks-snubbed-portuguese-steel-13628348

Cardiff's own steelworks has been snubbed for a major rail electrification project less than two miles away.

This photograph proves that Portuguese steel is being by Network Rail as part of work to the Splott Road bridge.


The work is being carried out under two miles from the site of Cardiff's Celsa steelworks, which makes exactly the same type of steel.

Celsa is the UK’s largest manufacturer of rebar, producing around 1.2m tonnes of finished steel every year.

It has previously called for more British steel to be used in major infrastructure works in the UK.

It has only came to light after campaigning MPs who have pressed for UK steel to be chosen for Government and other public contracts were tipped off.

They revealed how metal stamped with the imprint of Portuguese firm Megasa had been found at the Splott Road Bridge site.

To be truthful I can't see this being any different had there been a Labour government in Westminster so I think it's slightly opportunistic of them to complain.

 

[Dr A.Johnston]

Well there's a block to electric traction on, lots of OTP on the Reliefs and Mains and lots of orange hi-viz swarming around various bits of OLE so quite a lot going on. If its to the full extent of what was expected, that will remain to be seen.

Plenty of the Orange Army at work on the Reading West Curve, all other train movements stopped - Picture below is just before the Reading West Junction (On the West Curve). Taken at 15:20Hrs

 

[Peter Sarf]

Plenty of the Orange Army at work on the Reading West Curve, all other train movements stopped - Picture below is just before the Reading West Junction (On the West Curve). Taken at 15:20Hrs

Regarding the picture - is that some kind of new portal structure .

(in the foreground )

 

[Dr A.Johnston]

Regarding the picture - is that some kind of new portal structure .

(in the foreground )

Yep! A bit of vintage to add character to railway - Taken from back garden, will try and get some more interesting pictures later.

 

[furnessvale]

Network Rail have been criticised for using Portuguese Steel in stead of Welsh/British Steel in the new Splott Road Bridge.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/cardiffs-steelworks-snubbed-portuguese-steel-13628348



To be truthful I can't see this being any different had there been a Labour government in Westminster so I think it's slightly opportunistic of them to complain.

As members of the EU, there is no way we can legally stop this happening.