Scarborough Station Trackworks

[swissrailpassion]

Some pictures of the work at Scarborough during the first week of the blockade
New link added
http://s1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb470/railpassion/Scarborough Railway Track Renewal/
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Pictures of the Falsgrave Box and gantry in the last days and hours plus the dismantling last week.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44289089@N03/with/5064520641/

 

[YorkshireBear]

didn't realise they were replacing track, what are they doing there anyway?

 

[jopsuk]

there was a Pres Release earlier in the year. Not sure about exact details, but note that the works take into consideration the steam charter services.

 

[swissrailpassion]

They are renewing all track and signalling. The existing platform 1 is being lengthened a little and a new connection to the sidings and turntable is to be installed which will mean trains can shunt clear of the mainline. The blockade continues until November 1st.

 

[transportphoto]

http://adrian.fotopic.net/c1906937.html

URL returns a gallery not found / unavailable message

 

[John Webb]

Adrian's gallery was fine around 10am this morning (15/10/10) when I tried it, but is now unavailable, as you say.

 

[swissrailpassion]

New link added at the top of post
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
More pictures of the work ongoing. The new Up Down lines are in and today they are connecting platform 1 via a new crossover in front of the old box. A new "gantry" was hoisted into place on Sunday afternoon. It's a bracket signal with walkway.
http://s1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb470/railpassion/Scarborough Railway Track Renewal/

 

[Ploughman]

Any idea if the works will be complete on time?
I believe its due back to traffic Monday morning.

 

[swissrailpassion]

We shall see!
Last Monday all the track was in place and ballasted ready for use. At Weaverthorpe a crossover has been replaced and the level crossing surface renewed. The road was closed for one week for this work.
Other works include plain line replacement around Heslerton and bridge replacement at Huttons Ambo.
Alan Williams, in Modern Railways this month, blasts NR over the time taken for this work. Certainly to have no trains for 25 days on both lines out of Scarborough would have seemed inconceivable a few years ago.

After 29 million pounds has been spent you will find that the York(TPE) train still arrives at Seamer 8 minutes after the Hull Train (Northern) has left. Connecting passengers have just under two hours wait for the next train. Trains run roughly every two hours on both lines but for most of the day they do not connect!

 

[blackfive460]

Trains run roughly every two hours on both lines but for most of the day they do not connect!

Trains are generally hourly from York and, aside from a couple, give reasonable connection times at Seamer for Hull trains. Those with longer connection times give more reasonable waits at Scarborough and most TPE guards seem to be aware of the easement and inform passengers accordingly.

 

[swissrailpassion]

Sorry I meant to say on SUNDAYS the connections are poor. The new Sunday service on the Hull line avoids connecting with TPE for most of the day. The new Sunday service is a vast improvement on no trains at all which used to be the case. However, to see two lines operating a basic two hourly pattern but trains missing by as little as 8 minutes seems perverse. A connecting service from York to the coast would encourage travel I'm sure.

Back to topic, the new trackwork looks quite smart.

 

[blackfive460]

Sorry I meant to say on SUNDAYS the connections are poor. The new Sunday service on the Hull line avoids connecting with TPE for most of the day. The new Sunday service is a vast improvement on no trains at all which used to be the case.

I dis wonder if you meant Sundays after i posted. Quite agree. It's almost as though they want passengers to use the competing
EYMS bus service which connects nicely at Scarborough.

Back to topic, the new trackwork looks quite smart.

Indeed. And the improved visibility of the new LED signals is striking.
Fingers crossed that it all works in the morning. The novelty of using the A64 has worn off now...

 

[9K43]

I first went road learning the Scarborough Branch in May 1981.
We had a SO job that started in Manchester via Leeds,York to Scarboro.
This was normally a class 40 with a rake of 8 MK 1 coaches.
We waited at Scarbro for the back working to Manchester.
Also we had a DMU working to Scarboro comprised a 3+2 set. This was when I was at Huddersfield.
A couple of years ago we had continolus ballast trains every week end relaying track from Strensall down through Malton, to a big relaying job at Weaverthorpe, next to the Golf club.
These trains ran round at Seamer.
At HM we were never away from this railway with special trains powered by Deltics, Class 40's, A4's and Green Arrow and other charter trains.
The BT's were a pain but the charters were day jobs and the icing on the cake.

 

[yorkie]

Someone is very unhappy at the new gantry!

http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news/local/fury_over_horrendous_gantry_1_2724738

Fury over ‘horrendous’ gantry

A SCARBOROUGH man has railed against contractors building a huge gantry outside his home which he fears has wiped thousands off its value.

Tony Flinton, of Westover Road, has been left incensed after Network Rail put up the “monstrosity” just yards from his living room window.

Mr Flinton said he was given no prior consultation on the plans and has accused the company of ignoring his pleas to take it down.

The structure is part of a £29 million project to upgrade the rail network around Scarborough Railway Station, and replaces the former 1911 signal bridge gantry which was dismantled earlier this month.

However, the new gantry has been relocated hundreds of yards further down the line, in front of Mr Flinton’s property, and he has threatened legal action if Network Rail does not find an amicable solution to the situation. He said: “I have spoken to Network Rail a couple of times but haven’t got anywhere.

“When I first contacted them they said they understood our concerns and that it shouldn’t have been put up without consultation, but when I rang back I got nowhere at all.

“They could have put it anywhere further up or down the line and it wouldn’t have affected anyone..... (more)

All I will say is I hope no taxpayers money is wasted dealing with this daft complaint.

 

[142094]

He seems to have some leylandii in his garden, perhaps needs a few more to block it out. Wonder how often he uses the train from Scarborough, I bet he'd be the first to complain if there were delays if Network Rail hadn't done the work.

 

[jopsuk]

I'm struggling to figure out where the house is- the line goes into a cutting as it passes Westover Road. The only possibility is one of these modern (90s?) houses.. Are the new signals really that far from the old gantry?

 

[swissrailpassion]

I think this house is before the bridge just after the underpass at the Londesborough Rd sidings. Certainly the new gantry is not by any stretch small. It supports two signals, one over the down main and the other from departure line(shunting signal) to platform 1.

 

[Tomnick]

The old gantry was located midway over the station throat pointwork, so there would obviously have been a need for a signal in rear to protect certain movements - from memory, I believe that was a colour-light signal quite some way out. With a much simplified scheme, there'd be little benefit to locating a (main) signal in the position of the current gantry for incoming trains - I wouldn't have thought that much would be brought forward to wait for a conflicting move currently anyway.

 

[blackfive460]

There's an article about the work in this months 'The Rail Engineer'. The article is available on-line here.
Those in the business might like to note that they can get a free subscription to this magazine.

 

[Ploughman]

I remember being on an OHLE walkout for Leeds North West.
Discussing the position of every mast and moving if required prior to final lockdown of design.
While we were stood outside one property gathered around a wooden peg, a house holder asked what the peg was for. We said it was for an OHLE mast at that she asked "Any chance of moving it from outside my windows?" "Certainly" replied the OHLE boss from Derby and removed the peg and planted it outside her neighbours.
I wonder if she ever told the neighbours?