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Manchester - Liverpool Electrification

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Dixie

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19 Feb 2012
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The left hand end of the portal in 2936m very much looks like it will have a second half added to the left when the fourth rail is added, as the top member is rebated to the left end. I wonder if they will just add registration arms to the left upright in the meantime?
 
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LDECRexile

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Plenty of action this morning between Huyton to Roby, with plenty of cherry pickers on the line west of Roby.

Interesting and clear, thank you.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
The left hand end of the portal in 2936m very much looks like it will have a second half added to the left when the fourth rail is added, as the top member is rebated to the left end. I wonder if they will just add registration arms to the left upright in the meantime?

Indeed; I reckon yes to the first and I don't know to the second.

PS: any chance you might be able to visit Dixie's Gap again?

Dave
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I'm delighted that both Paul Gaskell and Dixie Dean have sent material for publication.

Dixie has developed a detailed map of the area of land needed for the fourth track east of Huyton station.

I have added it to Dixie's album here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/sets/72157649752701067/

Paul has sent more images of the Island Brow bridge in St Helens, which is likely to see the next stretch of electrification on the Wigan Branch, maybe during the blockade this coming Sunday.

I have added them to Paul's album here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/sets/72157649792560381/

I have woven all this material into the Combined Volume here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/sets/72157648494725811/

Thank you Paul and thank you Dixie.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Made a flying visit to Mill Lane Bridge, Roby and Huyton today, in which time I encountered:

Rain
Hail
Snow
Dazzling sunshine
A bitter wind
Loads of Orangemen, many feeding wires through underground conduits
Roby lifts still not available for public use.

Dave

PS: I nearly forgot-

More wires over Pilch Lane Bridge
A wire under Bridge Road bridge and through Roby station as far as I could see eastwards to wards Huyton
A wire as far as I could see from the west towards Huyton, through Huyton station and meeting up with the one reported as up on Monday (I hope someone can confirm or otherwise that the wire is continuous between Roby and Huyton.)

The eastern limit appears to be unchanged from Monday.

This means that the only stretches of the whole project which are completely wireless are:

1. Huyton Junction from approx the eastern end of the bus station to the Vee where the Wigan trackbed veers north
2. From the same Vee along the Wigan branch to just past Longview Drive bridge
3. Ince Moss Curve (ie just north of Ince Moss Jct northwards to Springs Branch Jct
4. Ince Moss Chord (aka the Bamfurlong Branch)
5. Sankey Viaduct.

No. 4 seems a lower priority to me.

Yippee!

Pictures and Progressometer later.
 
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Billyblue

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A stretch of return wiring is now in place through Huyton station.

I've just come home from Huyton village via the subway and the railway footpath. It was almost dark so a bit difficult to see properly but the new second wire seemed to start/end just east of the station, one stanchion further west than the first wire. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to go back to the station to properly check it out. Will try to do that, tomorrow, weather permitting.
 

DJH1971

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I've just come home from Huyton village via the subway and the railway footpath. It was almost dark so a bit difficult to see properly but the new second wire seemed to start/end just east of the station, one stanchion further west than the first wire. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to go back to the station to properly check it out. Will try to do that, tomorrow, weather permitting.

It is on the Liverpool -bound line.
 

driver_m

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There is a switch on date in the weekly ops notices. Tuesday the 10th of February. Edge hill to earlestown.
 

8A Rail

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Mars
I think it may happen. Section by section it may get turned on.
Even if they did trains still wont operate then - there is at least two sections missing at moment, one between Roby and Huyton and also Sankey Viaduct area. The section in between - mmm be pointless to switch it on assuming it is possible and if so probably to check if "live" and ready.

Does this mean 319s could be in use by Feb?
Just dont see that happening.
 
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nw-sparks

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Liverpool
I've grumbled about short notice engineering works before but they've really outdone themselves now!

According to National Rail, Realtimetrains, Opentraintimes and my timetable database we have a normal service at Huyton tomorrow (Saturday 31 January)

However, according to Northern Rail's web site and posters displayed at Huyton Station, there are no trains via St Helen's Central and Liverpool to Blackpool trains are running via Newton.

Do any of our inside sources know what's actually happening?

To me, Northern's replacement timetable looks more like a Sunday one (First arrival at Lime Street 09.35, first service from Lime Street 07:30 bus), so I wonder if someone's read their calendar wrong. Let's hope so. But what if it's got as far as driver rostering?
 

DJH1971

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I've grumbled about short notice engineering works before but they've really outdone themselves now!

According to National Rail, Realtimetrains, Opentraintimes and my timetable database we have a normal service at Huyton tomorrow (Saturday 31 January)

However, according to Northern Rail's web site and posters displayed at Huyton Station, there are no trains via St Helen's Central and Liverpool to Blackpool trains are running via Newton.

Do any of our inside sources know what's actually happening?

To me, Northern's replacement timetable looks more like a Sunday one (First arrival at Lime Street 09.35, first service from Lime Street 07:30 bus), so I wonder if someone's read their calendar wrong. Let's hope so. But what if it's got as far as driver rostering?


Sounds like they're getting scared now!
 

nw-sparks

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...
According to National Rail, Realtimetrains, Opentraintimes and my timetable database we have a normal service at Huyton tomorrow (Saturday 31 January)

However, according to Northern Rail's web site and posters displayed at Huyton Station, there are no trains via St Helen's Central and Liverpool to Blackpool trains are running via Newton.
...

I gave Northern Rail a kick up the Twitter Feed and they apologised and said normal trains tomorrow. Due to a couple of flakes of snow I expect they're all "working" from home today, so I'm not expecting them to correct their web site any time soon. As for the posters at Huyton, perhaps I should nip up there with a pot of whitewash.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I've just come home from Huyton village via the subway and the railway footpath. It was almost dark so a bit difficult to see properly but the new second wire seemed to start/end just east of the station, one stanchion further west than the first wire. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to go back to the station to properly check it out. Will try to do that, tomorrow, weather permitting.

The wires through Huyton are catenary wire on the Down Slow and Down Fast. I'm afraid I was too lazy to check further than the platform ends, to see how far they run.

Picture on my blog at http://nw-sparks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/progress-at-huyton.html

Phil
 

LDECRexile

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Leaps and bounds.

Alas, Paul was poorly, so I went a wandering on my own.

Headlines:

1. One wire up from Ewart Road, St Helens to north end of Carr Mill Viaduct. That means that at least one wire runs from Longview Lane, Huyton to Ince Moss Junction.
2. Second wire up from Roby Junction through Roby station and Huyton station almost to the Mickey Mouse position opposite Huyton bus station. That means that at least two wires run from Lime St to Huyton Junction.

Notes:

3. Eleven cherrypickers parked on Track 4 at Roby - an impressive sight
4, No Return Wires yet Roby-Huyton Jct, all wires up there are plain copper
5. The lone wire up at Carr Mill etc is also plain copper
6. Quite a lot of Orange activity visible
7. No wires over Sankey Viaduct
8. Return Wire now also up in most places around St Helens Central
9. The wiring put up last weekend around St Helens Central looks a lot more finished, there are notably fewer temporary fixings
10. Roby lifts still not available for public use, no obvious reason why.
11. The steps up to Huyton station from Blacklow Brow still fenced off, no obvious reason why.

Photos and Progressometer later.
 

ChiefPlanner

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More weekend blocks planned by all accounts + late night possessions according to a rail business journal.

NR / TPE not happy - as it busts the 12 week engineering "plan" for public timetables. Am tempted to use the "How long , Dear Lord , how long" quote.....
 

Billyblue

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24 Aug 2014
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Leaps and bounds.

Alas, Paul was poorly, so I went a wandering on my own.

Headlines:

1. One wire up from Ewart Road, St Helens to north end of Carr Mill Viaduct. That means that at least one wire runs from Longview Lane, Huyton to Ince Moss Junction.
2. Second wire up from Roby Junction through Roby station and Huyton station almost to the Mickey Mouse position opposite Huyton bus station. That means that at least two wires run from Lime St to Huyton Junction.

Notes:

3. Eleven cherrypickers parked on Track 4 at Roby - an impressive sight
4, No Return Wires yet Roby-Huyton Jct, all wires up there are plain copper
5. The lone wire up at Carr Mill etc is also plain copper
6. Quite a lot of Orange activity visible
7. No wires over Sankey Viaduct
8. Return Wire now also up in most places around St Helens Central
9. The wiring put up last weekend around St Helens Central looks a lot more finished, there are notably fewer temporary fixings
10. Roby lifts still not available for public use, no obvious reason why.
11. The steps up to Huyton station from Blacklow Brow still fenced off, no obvious reason why.

Photos and Progressometer later.

11) These steps have been blocked off for weeks (probably a couple of months now). I asked an Orangeman why this was and he didn't know. Very odd and very inconvenient if you're running for a train (often).
 

LDECRexile

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I went to the GCR Winter Gala at Loughborough yesterday for my annual unashamed nostalgia bash, my highlight? a dirty 8F.

On my way I admired two pristine 319s getting some fresh air at Allerton Depot.

I've done some tidying up of the Combined Volume, notably:

1. Corrections to my notes about Island/Islands Brow, thanks to info from Paul Gaskell
2. An additional Photo 2988l which relates particularly to the slightly earlier 2906 series
3. A set of eight photos of the line of cherrypickers at Roby kindly noted by DJH1971.

These can all be seen here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/sets/72157648494725811/

My old camera is on the blink (the black blob is getting bigger, among other things) so I've treated myself to a new one. I'm off out shortly to give it a go. I wonder that Carr Mill has in store?
 

Billyblue

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Lots of activity, at lunchtime, east of Huyton Station towards Huyton Junction. At least 5 cherry pickers at work on wiring over tracks 1 and 2.
 

DJH1971

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St Helens, Merseyside
Lots of activity, at lunchtime, east of Huyton Station towards Huyton Junction. At least 5 cherry pickers at work on wiring over tracks 1 and 2.

Encouraging news.

Traveling into Manchester yesterday, still no wires between Collins Green to the Sankey Valley Viaduct, although wiring is in place throught Earlestown station, including the west to south single track towards Warrington.
 

mcnw35282

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Sin Tellins
It's a bit hard to be absolutely certain, but when I was driving on Wharf Road towards Earlestown, I thought I spotted a couple of wires crossing Sankey Viaduct!
 

LDECRexile

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Fab news

1. Two wires up over Sankey Viaduct: this has closed the gap between the Henry situated between Broad Lane, Collins Green and Penkford Lane Collins Green and the Henry at Sankey Junction, immediately east of Sankey Viaduct. I shot the second one going up.

2. Two wires up from the Henry behind Ewart Road, St Helens to the Henry immediately north of Carr Mill Viaduct. I shot the second one going up.

Apart from finding two dead horses in a lane at Collins Green (tied to a fence and left to die, utterly appalling) and scraping my car against a telegraph pole near Sankey Viaduct I had a fab day!

Can anyone add any detail to the reports of Huyton activity? eg 'now seventeen wires up and Pendolinos plying back and forth' or 'wires continue eastwards to join up at the Vee of Huyton Junction' or similar?

Photos and Progressometer later.
 
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