There is no 'Pan Up' symbol on the Sectional Appendix, so Newcastle bound trains cannot switch to electric on the move. Incidentally, I have seen Eastbound 802s Pan-Up on the end of the CLC route whilst being held at the signals protecting Castlefield Jcn. Therefore if stationary North of Church Fenton North Jcn I presume they could do the same here too (although that is much less likely to happen compared to Castlefield of course)!
The APCO balises are at the River Wharfe bridge by Ulleskelf station and have been for months.
Given the short time period when the changeover was located there, it's possible that this change was handled through processes for temporary situations and it was decided to not update the sectional appendix with information that would then be immediately superseded. Whereas the AC limit is far more critical for safety information, and would not be being removed but rather extended.
Visible from the train or will I need to go on foot or by car?
It's between the Leeds and Wakefield lines near the pylon, which presumably will be the power source, so should be visible from both lines.
You would have thought pushing onto Micklefield Jcn could be easily achieved in a couple of years and that section could be used by AC powered trains further reducing diesel working.
Indeed, Most of the work is done after this current blockage of the Leeds lines through Church Fenton with long stretches of knitting in place. I would of hoped at least 3 miles of juice could be activated next Christmas at the latest.
Are any new feeder station required for the Neville Hill - Colton junc section?
The ECML PSU put in a new SFC feeder station at Hambleton Junction which feeds to York, but it will also feed from Colton Junction substation to a new midpoint at Micklefield. Micklefield to Leeds I assume will be off of the existing Kirkstall FS but I don't know for sure. There's an interesting video about Hambleton Junction FS from PWI.
Thanks, most interesting. Looks like all the supply points from the grid are in place for the Nevill Hill - Colton section so once the wires are up just the testing and paper shuffling.
Oh my apologies,
If the FS is at Hambleton would it not make sense to electrify Micklefield to Hambleton South and provide another electrified route from Leeds to Doncaster?
Unfortunately, sense is not the key criterion for a Treasury decision...
Selby was in the original scope I believe for this reason. Back at the first announcement of TP electrification.
If you ask me it absolutely makes sense to electrify that and all the way to Hull too. But the Hambleton site was chosen specifically to serve that electrification should it happen as well as being a good location for ECML's needs as it was a project belonging to ECML PSU phase 2.
They did resignal over Xmas didn't they? If so, the OLE teams have likely headed further south towards Micklefield as there was at least one tension length on the Up Leeds (between Mile Hill/Laith Staid Lane & Barkston Ash if I recall) that couldn't be wired at the same time as the other parts as the signal sighting would have been all out of whack.
I used Micklefield station a few days ago. Looking east towards the junction it was somewhat strange to see the Church Fenton line with the knitting up right to the junction, but nothing at all in the Selby direction or towards Leeds.
As you say, very encouraging indeed.
Wasn't this passive provision added over a century ago by the original builders?
Yes, but the railway are past masters at putting things in the way of using that passive provision in the future.
Cable routes, signal structures, equipment cabinets and relay room buildings have often been placed on track alignments made redundant in simplification schemes. Flat, clear, well compacted and drained, using the ready-prepared ground often avoided earthworks to the side of the line during resignalling. Access for maintenance was great too, with the old track forming a safe walking route and continuous refuge. I'm pleased TRU are explicitly maintaining the safeguarding. I hope some outline design for the four tracking has been agreed on, so S&T and OHLE designers don't make mistakes in interpretation at this stage that add future difficulty.
Tell that to those who want to restore 4 tracks from Dore into Sheffield and think the old 1904 track configuration could easily be restored! The Beeching report didn't directly axe that, but 2 tracks had been slewed and bridges removed by the 1980s and who knows what has been erected on what's left.
That is my understanding - followed fairly quickly by E2 and E3 combined i.e. Leeds - Micklefield
I think Leeds to just beyond Neville Hill will take a while to see much progress until the big blockade (can't remember the year) but I'd expect Cross Gates to York to be done by year end.
