Manchester - Liverpool Electrification

[LDECRexile]

East of Roby Station is on the right of the unit in this image:- https://picasaweb.google.com/104517...icationWorkMerseyside2014#6037481461291024194

As for the one on the platform, no image but I can assure you it is there although been covered up (large cover on it?) - I did actually see it when completed some weeks ago - about 2' wide with 4 very large blots and nuts - clearly they were for a mast and given the distance between the mast bases roughly either end of the station, it was about the correct spot. You will note the platform has not received its top suface yet unlike Huyton station for Platforms 2 &3.

Thank you very much for taking the trouble to reply.

It was the mid-platform base which had me flummoxed, putting a cover on it fooled my brain cell. I had been told that the interim surfacing was because a mast is to be installed where the kink is in the drain about half way along platform 2/3. Did I fall for a jape, I wonder?

 

[Joseph_Locke]

Thank you very much for taking the trouble to reply.

It was the mid-platform base which had me flummoxed, putting a cover on it fooled my brain cell. I had been told that the interim surfacing was because a mast is to be installed where the kink is in the drain about half way along platform 2/3. Did I fall for a jape, I wonder?

Yes - it's awaiting a different tentacle of the programme making a decision on additional ductwork, so they're holding off on the top coat until that's been done/abondoned.

 

[Starmill]

I can't believe the departure screen at Huyton P4 has been switched on such a long time before that platform will see a departure!

 

[LDECRexile]

After many trials and even more errors I have finally managed to put a selection of the photos I've taken of the project since January onto here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/110155...ctrification2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCJe_4d32ifS5bA

 

[DJH1971]

After many trials and even more errors I have finally managed to put a selection of the photos I've taken of the project since January onto here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/110155...ctrification2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCJe_4d32ifS5bA

Nicely documented!

 

[Grumpy]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Yes, great sequence of pictures.
That Kirow crane's a real beast isn't it.
The only thing I don't like about the new view are the enormous bracket signal gantries on the Down Slow at Huyton and Roby.
Is there no better way of dangling coloured lights in front of the driver?
All the other signals are small, light and easily accessible for maintenance.

 

[HSTEd]

Its like that collosal hook over signal that has appeared in Nottingham for no apparent reason.

(They didn't consider slewing the line over into empty space more so they could put in a little stub mast?)

 

[The Planner]

Depends if you are allowed to put the down slow signal in the 6 foot. I was under the impression that signals on adjacent lines needed to be next to each other but I assume there would be an issue with having the down slow signal on the right of the down fast so therefore they go above the line?? Slewing the line may have caused geometry issues and slowed the linespeed.

 

[nw-sparks]

The new timetable (from 14/12/14) has started appearing in my database and on a first scan I was surprised to see it looks like they're still showing only P1 and P2 for Huyton.

To update my own report, I've noticed some timetable updates delivered this morning showing the correct platform numbers at Huyton, so it looks like someone's told the planners.

 

[LDECRexile]

The only thing I don't like about the new view are the enormous bracket signal gantries on the Down Slow at Huyton and Roby.
Is there no better way of dangling coloured lights in front of the driver?

I may well be wrong, but I reckon that dangling a signal is the easy bit and could be done much more daintily, the hard bit is giving staff safe access to it for repairs, maintenance etc, hence the massive structures.

 

[swt_passenger]

The only thing I don't like about the new view are the enormous bracket signal gantries on the Down Slow at Huyton and Roby.
Is there no better way of dangling coloured lights in front of the driver?

I may well be wrong, but I reckon that dangling a signal is the easy bit and could be done much more daintily, the hard bit is giving staff safe access to it for repairs, maintenance etc, hence the massive structures.

They also include that safety cage round the signal so that it can be maintained with the OHLE power on, people sometimes forget that.

 

[LDECRexile]

Thanks to those people who made kind remarks about the photos I've posted.

Thus encouraged I've added some more, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to put them in order, so the new ones are just added at the end. If anyone could post a Plain English guide how to reorder Picasa images I would really appreciate it.

I particularly draw your attention to the third and seventh last images which show the mysterious missing mast base on Roby Platform 2/3 which 8A_Rail had remembered but not photographed and I had photographed but not remembered. What a team!

https://picasaweb.google.com/110155...ctrification2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCJe_4d32ifS5bA

 

[8A Rail]

Thanks to those people who made kind remarks about the photos I've posted.

Thus encouraged I've added some more, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to put them in order, so the new ones are just added at the end. If anyone could post a Plain English guide how to reorder Picasa images I would really appreciate it.

Easy! Go into your folder, click on "organise" and the folder comes up with all your images in it, then just left click (& hold) on the relevant image and drag to were ever amongst all the images to get them in order.

I particularly draw your attention to the third and seventh last images which show the mysterious missing mast base on Roby Platform 2/3 which 8A_Rail had remembered but not photographed and I had photographed but not remembered. What a team!

We got there in the end!

 

[LDECRexile]

Easy! Go into your folder, click on "organise" and the folder comes up with all your images in it, then just left click (& hold) on the relevant image and drag to were ever amongst all the images to get them in order.

We got there in the end!

Sorted, literally and metaphorically! Warm thanks.

https://picasaweb.google.com/110155...ctrification2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCJe_4d32ifS5bA

Dave

 

[PDG1949]

I therefore reckon we only have the following complete gaps over the whole project. (By "complete gap" I mean no masts, bases or scrapes at all.)

Wigan line bridge over East Lancs Road

As far as I can see there are masts either end of the A580 bridge at Carr Mill - maybe sufficient to take in a span?

 

[LDECRexile]

We only have the following complete gaps over the whole project. (By "complete gap" I mean no masts, bases or scrapes at all.)

Earlestown Station, platforms 1 & 2
Sankey Viaduct
Rainhill Station
Chat Moss bridge over the M57
Huyton Junction to western end of Huyton Station

Wigan line bridge over the M57
Wigan line bridge over East Lancs Road
Wigan line viaduct at Carr Mill
Wigan line viaduct over the M6

As far as I can see there are masts either end of the A580 bridge at Carr Mill - maybe sufficient to take in a span?

It might indeed, hope so! Likewise the three motorway bridges.

We'll see.

 

[Ploughman]

If the gap between masts is more than about 40m then a mast will be needed of some description.

 

[snowball]

The A580 bridge looks quite short on Google Streetview. It's at a slight skew and is no longer than needed to cross dual 2-lane carriageways and footpaths.

The motorway bridges are doubtful, we'll have to wait and see.

I think they usually try to avoid putting supports on bridges if the bridges are short enough to get away with it.

 

[507 001]

Yes, great sequence of pictures.
That Kirow crane's a real beast isn't it.
The only thing I don't like about the new view are the enormous bracket signal gantries on the Down Slow at Huyton and Roby.
Is there no better way of dangling coloured lights in front of the driver?
All the other signals are small, light and easily accessible for maintenance.

Funny, I much prefer the look of the big gantry signals, they look "proper".

 

[LDECRexile]

Did a tour Lime St-Wigan NW-Roby-Earlestown-Lime St today, findings below:

Headlines:

1. First wires up East of Huyton Junction on Chat Moss
2. First "masts" up in Thatto Heath "canyon"
3. Visible signalling progress North of St Helens Central
4. Steady drip, drip, drip of masts put on top of bases

1. "Return Wires" now run on both sides of the track from about half way from Rainhill eastwards to immediately West of Lea Green station.

2. Eight (I think, I was distracted by another pasenger) "masts" have been attached to the fixings on both sides of the "canyon" between Eccleston Park and Thatto Heath. I write masts in inverted commas because they appear to be sections of standard masts, but only a few feet long and suspended above carriage roof height. This seems a really nifty way of dealing with the problem of such a steep-sided cutting. If the masts really are bog-standard mast sections or the bog-standard hangers protruding down at places such as Man Vic then bog standard arms etc can be attached to them using bog-standard methods. The arms won't know the masts they're attached to are suspended rather than stood.

3. There are now at least three signals lying flat, one signal up and bagged and two half signals on the Wigan Branch North of St Helens Central. There are also at least two signal bases in the area.

4. I counted 164 bases without masts, a net decrease of two, which isn't a huge amount, except it is a net loss, ie some bases have been installed, notably just East of Huyton Junction but two more have been "topped" with a mast.

Otherwise, Roby is still liftless, though it now has some outside seats on platforms 1 & 2/3, though none in the shelter on P2/3. A substantial trench has been dug to the North of track 4-to-be, purpose seems to be for cabling, but wasn't really clear. No-one to hand to explain.

Between Roby and Huyton the trackbed of track 4 is being scraped down to bottom-of-ballast level. I have heard a rumour that track 4 will be laid earlier than expected, but have no corroboration for this. No masts or bases visible to the North of track 4 Roby-Huyton.

Two bases between tracks 2 & 3 immediately East of Huyton station. I can't fugure out where the masts for tracks 3 & 4 will go until installers have access to the new land North of track 4, anyone any ideas?

I estimate that the Wigan Branch bridge over the M6 will need a mast midway, the structure seems significantly longer than other mast spacings.

Two men in orange (one carrying a clipboard!!) on Rainhill station.

Two men painting the railings at Earlestown station.

Just one extra photo, not especially exciting: https://picasaweb.google.com/110155...hkey=Gv1sRgCJe_4d32ifS5bA#6043727916948023634

 

[DJH1971]

Did a tour Lime St-Wigan NW-Roby-Earlestown-Lime St today, findings below:

Headlines:

1. First wires up East of Huyton Junction on Chat Moss
2. First "masts" up in Thatto Heath "canyon"
3. Visible signalling progress North of St Helens Central
4. Steady drip, drip, drip of masts put on top of bases

1. "Return Wires" now run on both sides of the track from about half way from Rainhill eastwards to immediately West of Lea Green station.

Just one extra photo, not especially exciting: https://picasaweb.google.com/110155...hkey=Gv1sRgCJe_4d32ifS5bA#6043727916948023634


2. Eight (I think, I was distracted by another pasenger) "masts" have been attached to the fixings on both sides of the "canyon" between Eccleston Park and Thatto Heath. I write masts in inverted commas because they appear to be sections of standard masts, but only a few feet long and suspended above carriage roof height. This seems a really nifty way of dealing with the problem of such a steep-sided cutting. If the masts really are bog-standard mast sections or the bog-standard hangers protruding down at places such as Man Vic then bog standard arms etc can be attached to them using bog-standard methods. The arms won't know the masts they're attached to are suspended rather than stood.

3. There are now at least three signals lying flat, one signal up and bagged and two half signals on the Wigan Branch North of St Helens Central. There are also at least two signal bases in the area.

4. I counted 164 bases without masts, a net decrease of two, which isn't a huge amount, except it is a net loss, ie some bases have been installed, notably just East of Huyton Junction but two more have been "topped" with a mast.

Otherwise, Roby is still liftless, though it now has some outside seats on platforms 1 & 2/3, though none in the shelter on P2/3. A substantial trench has been dug to the North of track 4-to-be, purpose seems to be for cabling, but wasn't really clear. No-one to hand to explain.

Between Roby and Huyton the trackbed of track 4 is being scraped down to bottom-of-ballast level. I have heard a rumour that track 4 will be laid earlier than expected, but have no corroboration for this. No masts or bases visible to the North of track 4 Roby-Huyton.

Two bases between tracks 2 & 3 immediately East of Huyton station. I can't fugure out where the masts for tracks 3 & 4 will go until installers have access to the new land North of track 4, anyone any ideas?

I estimate that the Wigan Branch bridge over the M6 will need a mast midway, the structure seems significantly longer than other mast spacings.

Two men in orange (one carrying a clipboard!!) on Rainhill station.

Two men painting the railings at Earlestown station.

Did I hear that right?

Return wires are now running half east of Rainhill to Lea Green on both sides of track?

Nice welcome bit of progress.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Two bases between tracks 2 & 3 immediately East of Huyton station. I can't fugure out where the masts for tracks 3 & 4 will go until installers have access to the new land North of track 4, anyone any ideas?

For a different view of the world today, I did a tour past the Norton Bridge/Stafford upgrade work (nothing much to see!) and on down the WCML to Tamworth.
I noticed that the new Trent Valley 4-track section has a wide variety of structures carrying the OHLE.
This includes some central masts with double cantilevers on each side (ie a long T-shape). Maybe that is part of the solution for the Huyton Jn-Roby Jn section?
There are also sections looking like 2 separate 2-track lines with 4 masts and cantilevers, sometimes offset from each other; and sections with full portals with 4 sets of registration gear.

 

[DJH1971]

I noticed that the new Trent Valley 4-track section has a wide variety of structures carrying the OHLE.
This includes some central masts with double cantilevers on each side (ie a long T-shape). Maybe that is part of the solution for the Huyton Jn-Roby Jn section?

There appears to be some of these too as well between Manchester Victoria and Deal Street Junction.

 

[LDECRexile]

For a different view of the world today, I did a tour past the Norton Bridge/Stafford upgrade work (nothing much to see!) and on down the WCML to Tamworth.
I noticed that the new Trent Valley 4-track section has a wide variety of structures carrying the OHLE.
This includes some central masts with double cantilevers on each side (ie a long T-shape). Maybe that is part of the solution for the Huyton Jn-Roby Jn section?
There are also sections looking like 2 separate 2-track lines with 4 masts and cantilevers, sometimes offset from each other; and sections with full portals with 4 sets of registration gear.

I'm sure Ts will figure in the Roby Junction-Huyton Junction section, but not everywhere. The gap between tracks 2 and 3 is wide enough for masts in the "Vees" either side of the two stations and on the stations themselves, but tracks 2&3 converge for most of the length between the stations.

Between Huyton Station and Huyton Junction there are places where I reckon a T could stand, but not all the way along. Others have commented earlier that track 1 is now further from the fence than it was pre-relaying, maybe masts could fit there somewhere? All sorts of yellow paint marks have appeared on trackside of the fence, I don't know if they're anything to do with electrification.

Intriguing!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Did I hear that right?

Return wires are now running half east of Rainhill to Lea Green on both sides of track?

Nice welcome bit of progress.

Yes
Yes
Agreed

 

[8A Rail]

I'm sure Ts will figure in the Roby Junction-Huyton Junction section, but not everywhere. The gap between tracks 2 and 3 is wide enough for masts in the "Vees" either side of the two stations and on the stations themselves, but tracks 2&3 converge for most of the length between the stations.

Certainly there will be a "T" type structure on Roby Station its self (the base is there although not currently visible) and to the east of Roby Platforms, the first structure looks like spanning all 3(4) lines as the new signal (LL3590) is near by but there may be a base already there (hidden) but if a mast goes there, it will be in front and could obstruct the vison of the signal, so that what makes me think it is spanning all 3(4) tracks. Will find out in due course.

 

[LDECRexile]

I have to drive along the M57 most Tuesdays and did so today.

I was pleased to see that a mast ("a gallows" one, I can't remember their correct name) has appeared at the East end of the Chat Moss line over the motorway.

Looking at it and the other two motorway bridges on "our patch" I offer the following odds:

Chat Moss over M57: 3 to 2 On that no mid-bridge masts will be needed.
Wigan Branch over M57: Evens that mid-bridge masts will be needed.
Wigan Branch over M6: 3 to 2 On that mid-bridge masts will be needed.

Any takers?

 

[DJH1971]

I have to drive along the M57 most Tuesdays and did so today.

I was pleased to see that a mast ("a gallows" one, I can't remember their correct name) has appeared at the East end of the Chat Moss line over the motorway.

Looking at it and the other two motorway bridges on "our patch" I offer the following odds:

Chat Moss over M57: 3 to 2 On that no mid-bridge masts will be needed.
Wigan Branch over M57: Evens that mid-bridge masts will be needed.
Wigan Branch over M6: 3 to 2 On that mid-bridge masts will be needed.

Any takers?

Sounds like decent odds.

Wonder what the odds are for the Sankey Viaduct?

 

[kevconnor]

Sounds like decent odds.

Wonder what the odds are for the Sankey Viaduct?

To quote the much maligned Les Dennis: If that answer's there, I'll give you the money myself!

 

[DJH1971]

To quote the much maligned Les Dennis: If that answer's there, I'll give you the money myself!

:roll: