Midland Main Line Electrification

[phil-b259]

52 minutes ago, Edwin_m said:

Raised pantographs can't be too close together, otherwise the first one sets up vibrations that prevent the second one making good contact.  This is one reason why the pan on an EMU is near the middle. 

 

 

 

This can be mitigated to a certain extent by the type of OLE used!

 

Many people have complained about the 'bulky' / 'over engineered' OLE used on the GWML but that is way way more tolerant of multiple pans up than the lightweight BR Mk3 headspan stuff use on the ECML.

[Zomboid]

Though even on the GWML there are reduced speed limits if the two pantographs are not at the outer ends of a set.

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

I don't understand why OHLE seems to cause such confusterucation here in Britain.... the continentals have been using it for years without all the flap doodle we seem to have to go through.

[Sir TophamHatt]

35 minutes ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

I don't understand why OHLE seems to cause such confusterucation here in Britain.... the continentals have been using it for years without all the flap doodle we seem to have to go through.

That's because their countries are bigger and perhaps the culture is to realise the need.

Ours is all "you'll spoil the view" - ugly - bulky...  it's OHLE, not going to look like a bunch of flowers is it.

 

Not the best view but:

 

I think the speed has increased to 25mph or something as just outside of the station round the corner there, work ha been on-going to increase the speed.

[Titan]

1 hour ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

I don't understand why OHLE seems to cause such confusterucation here in Britain.... the continentals have been using it for years without all the flap doodle we seem to have to go through.

 

Down to cost basically. Our OLE generally runs at lower tensions and wider mast spacings.  BR was given the choice of cheap OLE or no OLE by the government, and since cheap OLE was better than no OLE that's what we got.

[melmerby]

40 minutes ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

That's because their countries are bigger and perhaps the culture is to realise the need.

Ours is all "you'll spoil the view" - ugly - bulky...  it's OHLE, not going to look like a bunch of flowers is it.

 

 

Switzerland? Where most things seem to be done by referendum.

 

There: Lets have a referendum on electrifying X - Result: Nimbies 10%, Rest 90% - Passed.

Here: Lets electrify X - Nimbies 10% - 90% not bothered. - Result Public enquiry, consultation, ministerial review, further consultation etc etc.

[Edwin_m]

2 hours ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

That's because their countries are bigger and perhaps the culture is to realise the need.

Ours is all "you'll spoil the view" - ugly - bulky...  it's OHLE, not going to look like a bunch of flowers is it.

 

Not the best view but:

 

I think the speed has increased to 25mph or something as just outside of the station round the corner there, work ha been on-going to increase the speed.

That's the sort of picture I've seen.  It's difficult to tell for certain but there looks to me to be enough clearance above the train, certainly for the surge arrestor and insulating paint as per Cardiff if not for a conventional solution.  

 

There has indeed been some re-modelling just beyond the bridge.  Not sure if the track was lowered, if indeed it needed to be.  

[Hobby]

I've a feeling it has, but I think it was for container traffic as they go through Leicester and then down the Nuneaton line where the track has also been lowered under the bridges?

[Edwin_m]

3 hours ago, Hobby said:

I've a feeling it has, but I think it was for container traffic as they go through Leicester and then down the Nuneaton line where the track has also been lowered under the bridges?

There is certainly container traffic doing that, but it had been doing so for some years before the re-modelling and I don't think it's particularly gauge restricted.  This link is a structure gauge map showing it as W10 in 2016.  

 

https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-52e5892653ddf6641dbf340e68006211

 

Containers need extra space in the top corners of the gauge, so generally more of a problem for arches than for bridges like this one with horizontal beams.  

[ess1uk]

How are the “new” trains settling in?

[Titan]

On 05/04/2021 at 17:55, Edwin_m said:

That's the sort of picture I've seen.  It's difficult to tell for certain but there looks to me to be enough clearance above the train, certainly for the surge arrestor and insulating paint as per Cardiff if not for a conventional solution.  

 

 

This is exactly the sort of problem that stupid government made legally impossible.  By making European standards statutory, but forgetting that a) our platforms are taller, and b) our trains are shorter, it meant that the legal requirement for minimum wire height next to platforms is impossible to achieve in many locations, especially when there is a low bridge such as this near the station.

 

So in cases like this where in BR days it might just have been possible to work out a solution,  it is extremely difficult to come up with something today as you cannot get a derogation against a statutory requirement...

[Edwin_m]

3 hours ago, Titan said:

 

This is exactly the sort of problem that stupid government made legally impossible.  By making European standards statutory, but forgetting that a) our platforms are taller, and b) our trains are shorter, it meant that the legal requirement for minimum wire height next to platforms is impossible to achieve in many locations, especially when there is a low bridge such as this near the station.

 

So in cases like this where in BR days it might just have been possible to work out a solution,  it is extremely difficult to come up with something today as you cannot get a derogation against a statutory requirement...

Not quite that bad now, the industry has got used to the need to do risk assessment and obtain derogation and it doesn't seem to be a problem on recent schemes.  However a (safety) risk assessment is always itself a (project) risk, because if it doesn't give the answer you want or it isn't approved by the relevant people then you need to change your design and incur extra cost, quite possibly at a point where it delays completion of the whole scheme.  

Edited May 27, 2021 by Edwin_m

[geoff]

A couple of shots of the 360 units inaction on the Corby to St Pancras Service.

 

Geoff

 

360105, 360112 & 360108 Stand side by side at Kettering with the 1Y17 and 1H36 respectively.

An 8 car 360 set rolls down from Storefield towards Glendon South Junction with 1H42 12:11 CORBY. - 13:22 ST PANCRAS INTERNATIONAL running on 15/06/2021

[great central]

On 27/05/2021 at 08:32, ess1uk said:

How are the “new” trains settling in?

 

Best place to get some idea is on Twitter using @eastmidrailway, I think that's right, if you view 'latest' comments.

[Shed]

Is the OLE progressing north much ?

[geoff]

I haven't recently travelled north of Kettering on the main line so I cannot say how much progress there has been. Certainly at the Kettering end the hasn't been much activity bar cutting back some vegetation north of Glendon South where the Manton line branches off. I had heard that work was supposedly taking place from both ends and the main line was closed between Kettering and Leicester this last weekend and also appears to have been closed overnight on various days, if the replacement bus service to Market Harborough late at night and early morning is anything to go by.

 

Geoff

[Hairy Bear Digital]

The line has been shut for relaying of the junction at Kilby bridge.

After the initial installing of about 2 dozen structures north of Kettering station, there has been nothing else done that I can see.

Edited June 30, 2021 by Hairy Bear Digital

[geoff]

There has been a fair amount of line side work near Braybrooke. An access has been created off the Dingley road and some land alongside the line (perhaps a former loop) has been cleared of vegetation. There is now quite a good viewing opportunity from the "Plant Man" garden centre car park.

 

Geoff

[SouthernMafia]

https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2021/07/06/bidders-days-for-500m-midland-mainline-electrification/

 

Interesting.

[jamie92208]

32 minutes ago, SouthernMafia said:

https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2021/07/06/bidders-days-for-500m-midland-mainline-electrification/

 

Interesting.

That's good news, presumably Sheffield via Derby and the Nottingham loop. It will be interesting  to see if the Erewash Valley line is included.

 

Jamie

[Zomboid]

11 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

That's good news, presumably Sheffield via Derby and the Nottingham loop. It will be interesting  to see if the Erewash Valley line is included.

 

Jamie

The Erewash valley isn't really used by MML trains, so unlikely. HS2 will need to do a large chunk of it for it's Sheffield services though.

[ess1uk]

that's good news

[PenrithBeacon]

1 hour ago, Zomboid said:

The Erewash valley isn't really used by MML trains, so unlikely. HS2 will need to do a large chunk of it for it's Sheffield services though.

Isn't it used for freight?

[jamie92208]

Once the Midland route to Sheffield is wired then there are several fill in bits that will really start to create s network. Eg, Derbt to Birmingham, Doncaster to Sheffield and then Moorthorpe to Swinton.  Cross country would then be able to run from Edinburgh to Bromsgrove under the wires.it will also be interesting to see if 'the old road' from Tapton to Rotherham is included along with Beighton Junction to Sheffield.

 

Jamie

Edited July 8, 2021 by jamie92208

[Edwin_m]

45 minutes ago, PenrithBeacon said:

Isn't it used for freight?

Quite a lot of freight uses it, but even if it comes from the MML rather than via Burton, it will be using other non-electrified lines on its journey.  So it would remain diesel unless there was some major initiative on freight decarbonisation.