GWML Electification

[The Stationmaster]

Update as of yesterday and the trip to/from Trainwest -

 

The missing masts at Twyford are still missing and no further progress re installation of detail bits & pieces since my last report but lots more registration arms etc are now visible on structure to the east of the station.

 

No additional wiring in Sonning Cutting (unless it's on the Up Relief where I couldn't see it.

 

Only two platform lines (No's 3 and 10) at reading now lack any form of wiring,  No.s 11 & 12 only have the catenary wire in place while all the others have full catenary.  Clearly work is being concentrated at the west end of the station at present with full wiring in place down the feeder lines dive under (although not beyond the diveunder itself).  A 387 noted moving under its own power on Reading depot.

 

Oddments of detail fitting work are still in hand between Scours Lane and Didcot in various places!  There are very large piles of metalwork present on the materais base at Moreton Cutting although soem items look substantial enough to more likely be for signal structures rather than ohle structures.

 

West of Didcot registration arm fitting and other fittings are now relatively complete up to and including 4 structures west of the A34 bridge although the catenary hasn't been extended.  Bases now appear to be more or less complete on the Up side between there and Steventon station site but there is no sign of any masts; situation with mast bases on the Down side not so easily observed.

 

With one or two exceptions structures, with a good percentage of fitings present, recommence west of Causeway Level Crossing and full catenary wiring commences about halfway between Causeway and Locking East and on the UP Main is complete over three successive sections to c.59m 60ch just east of Wantage Road.  There appear to be only two complete catenary sections over a similar distance on the Down Main.  

 

Most (all?) masts now appear to be in place at Wantage Road and on the UP side both running lines boast full catenary over a couple of sections (?3 on the Up Main) between approximately Circourt Bridge and a few hundred yards east of Challow station - some catenary is also present on the n Lines with the Main more advanced than the Relief.  This section is notable for the oddments of, and seemingly complete, foundation tubes lying about going rusty.

 

More masts have appeared in the vicinity of Uffington but no more catenary has appeared beyond the previously reported single section on each line between Challow and Uffington.  West of Uffington it is back to the good old 'dot one carry two' approach typical of the whole scheme with little clumps of masts here and there followed by long gaps.  although masts are far from complete over the section and thence to Shrivenham; the workbase at Knighton Crossing appears to be in the process of being returned to field status with topsoil already spread over a small part of it.  there seems to be some sort of worksite at Ashbury Crossing site but it is quite small. 

 

Some masts have appeared west of Shrivenham continuing not quite as far as Marston East on the Up side, beyond that most (all?) bases are in as far as the connection to the international depot and work has clearly been going on recently to install base tubes on the Up side between there and Highworth Branch Jcn but there is less visible progress on the Down side.  Bases are also gradually going in in the general Swindon area and there is a now a large workbase (with little visible equipment or components as yet) on the former timber yard site immediately west of the Rodbourne Road underbridge.  There has been no progress in replacing old signal structures in the Swindon area beyond the west end gantry (which was replaced last year).

 

Between there and Wootton Bassett there is little change although a few masts have appeared.  Some masts (as reported by others) have also appeared on Dauntsey Bank but the interesting bit is that as you near Chippenham there are on the Up side obvious base pile sites where nothing has happened since the exploratory dig.  Interestingly there is what appears to be a conduit route for 25kv cabling being installed on the Down side from Chippenham to around Dauntsey with stacks of material indicating that it will be going further east - presumably some sort of 25kv feeder route back from Thingley Jcn??

 

The high output trains were standing around in their yard very much spilt down to component sections (including some under maintenance).  Judging by the number of road-rail vehicles standing at workbases east of Didcot, especially in the Reading are and still a couple at Tilehurst I do wonder just how much work is being done using the trains?  There were even three road-rail vehicles near the former deiesel servicing shed at swindon with one fitted with the kit to handle the tubular piles while one of the others was next to what looked like a pile-drifving fitting.  The base pile in the V of the junction at the west end of Swindon is still standing well above its final level and hasn't been driven home since I last passed that way some weeks back  - I would have thought it wouldn't be too difficult for even the Project Manager to notice it!

[Oakydoke]

Reports elsewhere that Class 387 testing between Maidenhead and Southall and Hayes & Harlington took place last night.

On all 4 lines.

Edited April 9, 2017 by Oakydoke

[robertcwp]

Reports elsewhere that Class 387 testing between Maidenhead and Southall and Hayes & Harlington took place night.

On all 4 lines.

And west of Reading at up to 110 mph apparently.

[Edwin_m]

Interestingly there is what appears to be a conduit route for 25kv cabling being installed on the Down side from Chippenham to around Dauntsey with stacks of material indicating that it will be going further east - presumably some sort of 25kv feeder route back from Thingley Jcn??

Pretty sure I read somewhere (but don't ask me where) that the 25kV will be fed trackside from Thingley to Wootton Bassett so if the OLE on that section is isolated there will still be power for the route between Swindon and Bristol Parkway. 

[The Johnster]

What a way to electrify a railway when you think how one train did the lot with blokes on the roof pulling the wire and clipping things together did it way back when reason ruled over young men from uni who don't know how to actually do the job.

 

Four 'agrees' for this but I won't be joining you, chaps.  One train with a few less blokes on the roof pulling is exactly how they are going to do it this time; 'way back when reason ruled', which I am guessing is what you mean to be taken as  the Euston/Birminghm/Liverpool/Manchester scheme in the early 60s, had more or less the same amount of preparation work to do mile for mile, and a lot less in terms of H & S to comply with, not to mention a lot more in the way of diversionary routes to keep the traffic running amongst the chaos.  Fair play to NR, it's a massive job with the finances and time limits cut to the bone, not easy at any level.

 

And the WCML didn't have a Severn Tunnel!

[phil-b259]

Fair play to NR, it's a massive job with the finances and time limits cut to the bone, not easy at any level.

 

However NR have still made a bit of a pigs ear of things once problems started appearing and more significantly have been unable to stop the costs going through the roof or the timescales keep having to be put back due to slow progress.

 

As I remarked ages ago the project was forced on NR by HM Government (along with several other electrification schemes) despite NR or UK railway contractors more generally not having the resources to do it - precisely because same said Government had refused to push electrification in the previous two decades (preferring to try and run the next generation of trains on 'Bionic Duckweed' as Roger Ford put it) and had been content to see electrification knowledge skills and vital paperwork simply vanish. NR are also  not guilty of throwing away vital records relating to the grouting of embankments for example - that being a direct result of the creation of Railtrack and the Governments decision to hand all maintenance aspects to numerous engineering contractors.

[jonathan452]

Platform and track works to Bath Spa Station underway today.

But presumably not (now) connected with the electrification works?

Edited April 10, 2017 by jonathan452

[lmsforever]

I  also remember watching the electrification works on the eastern region done this way, the signals were dealt with on a rolling programme and the wiring pile driving etc by a single train.Disruption was kept to a minimum bridges were worked on several at a time and any associated trackworks were completed quickly.I personally watched the Chingford branch conversion in progress plus works at Liverpool St overall the works were planned properly with many difficult areas tackled quickly .All of this in the sixties seems a long time ago but watching the current works you wonder were it all went wrong .

[Geoff Endacott]

But presumably not (now) connected with the electrification works?

 

Indirectly. Connected with the introduction of the Class 800s. The platform faces are being moved out and made a little less bendy.

 

Geoff Endacott

[Zomboid]

It'll all be built so that it won't need changing when the wires do eventually get there, much like Reading station was.

 

And on that seamless transition, platform 3 at Reading now has its catenary wire installed.

[APOLLO]

What a way to electrify a railway when you think how one train did the lot with blokes on the roof pulling the wire and clipping things together did it way back when reason ruled over young men from uni who don't know how to actually do the job.

 

 Apologies if I posted these vids before - but worth a look. This is how they electrified through Wigan (part 2 - look out for Uncle Joes !!) back in 72/3.  Hard graft, high output human hands !!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Brit15

[Northroader]

On the news tonight, one stated advantage of the new Bath platforms is that being wider, the overhead is further away from the canopies which are listed, and so no need to mangle the edge like elsewhere. The platforms are also being lengthened for longer trains.

[The Stationmaster]

Four 'agrees' for this but I won't be joining you, chaps.  One train with a few less blokes on the roof pulling is exactly how they are going to do it this time; 'way back when reason ruled', which I am guessing is what you mean to be taken as  the Euston/Birminghm/Liverpool/Manchester scheme in the early 60s, had more or less the same amount of preparation work to do mile for mile, and a lot less in terms of H & S to comply with, not to mention a lot more in the way of diversionary routes to keep the traffic running amongst the chaos.  Fair play to NR, it's a massive job with the finances and time limits cut to the bone, not easy at any level.

 

And the WCML didn't have a Severn Tunnel!

 

Not exactly.  For example the workbase at Lands End (Twyford West might also describe it) today had 4 longer wheelbase road-rail lorries parked so they are no doubt responsible for the wiring in that area.

 

And a further update from today's observations.

 

A further short section has been wired on the UML at Twyford West Jcn.

I see both the Down Main Line is now fully wired to approximately the middle of Suttons Park (west of Sonning Sdgs) and there is also a catenary wire on the next DML section which then goes beyond Kennet Bridge and almost to Reading New Junction.  There is also a catenary wire on part of the Up Main but it crosses onto the Down Relief and back to the UML through the Kennet Bridge running junctions.

 

The Down Relief is wired from the east end of Reading station to Reading New Jcn.  as noted by 'Zomboid' a catenary wire has bow appeared on the No 3 platform line at Reading and I noted today that the Westbury Lines are wired for at least one section on both lines from Reading Westbury Line Jcn towards Oxford Road Jcn.

 

A DRS Class 47 was seen on Reading depot adjacent to (but not coupled to)  2 x Class 387 sets) - possibly from last night's test working mentioned above?

 

Further to 'west of Didcot information in my Saturday post -

There are actually 6 structures, with most of their fittings in place west of the A 34 bridge at Milton and bases appear to also be complete on the Down side from there to Steventon.

Between Causeway Crossing and Wantage Road they wired stretch on the Up Main is just shirt of two miles long ending at 59m60ch, the wired stretch on the Down Main is one section shorter (at the Wantage Road end).

 

Between Wantage Road and Challow the Up Lines wired section ends at c.63m50ch and the Down Lines wiring ends at about the same place but on the Down Main starts one catenary section short of Wantage Road, i.e considerably further east than the wiring on the Up Lines.  There are only 2 sections wired on the Down Relief.

 

West of Uffington most structures are in place on the Down side as far as Shrivenham but there is a significant gap (on both sides) on the stretch where repairs to a major embankment slip took place some years ago. Similarly there are some structures present on the Down side between Shrivenham and Marston East and looks as if around 50% of the Down side bases are in situ between Marston West and Highworth Loop.  there is a new workbase on the Down side at shrivenham

 

Many of the bases going in around Swindon are using the large diameter tubes filled with reinforced concrete.

 

There area number of workbases on the Badminton line and some masts are present at the Wootton Bassett end although as you go further west beyond the 90mp there is no sign of masts althopugh there are a few inplace from 91m40ch.  it looks as if problems have been encountered in some places with considerable use of the reinforced concrete style around Hullavington and towards Alderton Tunnel and there are signs that there have been some small slips where tubes are being installed.  There are workbases at Wootton Bassett West, two sites at/near Hullavington and also near Badminton plus another near the Westerleigh substation (which appears to be complete - as do all the other substations etc).  There are bases in place from Westerleigh Jcn to the site of Coalpit Heath station on both sides but looking far from complete on the Up side in particular

 

The presence of a number of workbases would seem to indicate that it is intended to make use of road rail machines on this section as well.  Interestingly the apparent cable/wiring capacity of the road-rail vehicles at Lands End looks in total to be similar to, if not greater than,  a formation of the high output train at Swindon which is clearly arranged for wiring (and looks to be the only part of the trains so arranged..

 

Overall the picture west of Wootton Bassett is not dissimilar from that seen on earlier sections with masts going in with gaps left while at the same time they can only go so far because we get to the end of prepared bases.

[Northroader]

Good god, from your description, those lonely little posts that went in at Kennet Bridge, how long ago was it, four years, or am I exaggerating? now actually have got their wires!

[QuoitsPlayer]

What a way to electrify a railway when you think how one train did the lot with blokes on the roof pulling the wire and clipping things together did it way back when reason ruled over young men from uni who don't know how to actually do the job.

 

The East Coast's wiring train is abandoned in a siding just south of Edinburgh, I think it even has the wiring drum wagons still coupled to the coaches....  

Edited April 10, 2017 by QuoitsPlayer

[96701]

The East Coast's wiring train is abandoned in a siding just south of Edinburgh, I think it even has the wiring drum wagons still coupled to the coaches....  

Best place for it as well, what with working at Height Regulations that were brought in because too many people were falling off things and getting hurt.

[QuoitsPlayer]

Best place for it as well, what with working at Height Regulations that were brought in because too many people were falling off things and getting hurt.

 

I was just surprised it is even still in existence over 25 years after the wires reached Edinburgh, and appears relatively complete. 

[millerhillboy]

Yes still lies at craigentinny wheel lathe, been there as long as i can remember just about.

[The Stationmaster]

Good god, from your description, those lonely little posts that went in at Kennet Bridge, how long ago was it, four years, or am I exaggerating? now actually have got their wires!

 

One or two wires to be precise (possibly three as there might well be an earth wire already there).

 

I have photos dated 20 February 2013 of various ohle structures in the vicinity of Kennet Bridge Jcn so actually it's slightly over 4 years.

[Banger Blue]

……A DRS Class 47 was seen on Reading depot adjacent to (but not coupled to)  2 x Class 387 sets) - possibly from last night's test working mentioned above?………

DRS 57310. Yes it had been used to haul the two 387s (387145 &142) to Hayes & Harlington prior to their test runs to Maidenhead on Sat night and back to the TCD on Sunday morning.

[SouthernMafia]

On the news tonight, one stated advantage of the new Bath platforms is that being wider, the overhead is further away from the canopies which are listed, and so no need to mangle the edge like elsewhere. The platforms are also being lengthened for longer trains.

Hmm I wouldn't be so sure about un-mangled edges:

 

 

Clearly shown to be cut back.

 

Few other phots. Thought this was interesting, there is a big focus on weight, or lack of it! The blocks the platform tops sit on are a composite, and ain't cheap! (I think they're carbon fibre - seen on the far right of pic 3) Yes those are polystyrene sheets going in underneath the new platform tops!

 

 

 

I was also at SPM today and happened to pass this beast on my way out

 

Edited April 12, 2017 by SouthernMafia

[Zomboid]

Polystyrene platforms aren't that new, I think the first one was when they extended Peterborough a few years back.

And as for mangled edges, I guess judge it when it's done. I've seen other stations where the track side finger boards (or whatever they're called) are replaced with new plastic ones of a sympathetic design - much easier to look after as they won't need painting and won't rot like the old wooden ones. Plus, what we don't know is how mangled they'd have been without the extra width to the platform...

[Not Jeremy]

Thanks for the pictures of the works at Bath station, it looks like they are doing a pretty good job.

 

I wouldn't worry about canopy mangled edges though, the edge of the canopy on the down platform was cut back donkeys years ago and is nothing to do with electrification.

 

What is a pity is that they destroyed the S&D overbridge next to Bellots Road on some pretext or other.

 

Still, mustn't grumble….

 

Simon

[Northroader]

I think the emphasis on lightness of construction is because the whole lot is in fact a glorified viaduct built on arches, not solid ground. Temple Meads is certainly done like that.

[Mark_A]

 

What is a pity is that they destroyed the S&D overbridge next to Bellots Road on some pretext or other.

 

 

Mauled it, certainly, but as a bridge, it's back.

http://www.twotunnels.org.uk/gallery/image_bellotts_small_trainspotters.html