Midland Main Line Electrification

[melmerby]

2 hours ago, Mallard60022 said:

Pardon me for popping in to this thread. I was passing south through Bromsgrove last week on a Hereford train. Did I really see OHL; the train was so full and I was jammed in the Driving end bike store area and could only just see out! I know it's off MML but I thought you guys/gals would know. Thanks. I'll delete once the answer has been kindly given.

Phil (MML from Sheffield to Brum New Street that day)

 

Bromsgrove is now part of the Cross City line with usually 3 trains an hour to Lichfield or Four Oaks. Class 323s until new stock arrives.

The Hereford (diesel) service still stops at Bromsgrove to give a 4 train/hour service to Birmingham, plus an occasional XC

[Mallard60022]

Ah thanks everyone (well two of you & thanks for the link). I never noticed the  posts going down Lickey (that was at a really slow rate; why? Very disappointing), but I did see this concrete thing that turned out to be Bromsgrove (quite modern and clean of course) and I did just recognise the old area where the steam age bankers used to live. The wires stop there then? The Hereford appeared to be on the 'old line' without wires?

Other passengers told me that the 15.55 is always stuffed in the school holidays and they curse the lack of a three coach train.

Not been through there since about 2009/10 and then only came up the Lickey on my way back from Hereford to Sheffield; must get out more!

Oh, so where did my XC off Sheffield, to Reading, go from Platform 6 then at Brum. Did it reverse? It had pulled into 6 where the Hereford was already sitting at the south end.

P

Edited August 22, 2019 by Mallard60022

[DY444]

15 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

Ah thanks everyone (well two of you & thanks for the link). I never noticed the  posts going down Lickey (that was at a really slow rate; why? Very disappointing), but I did see this concrete thing that turned out to be Bromsgrove (quite modern and clean of course) and I did just recognise the old area where the steam age bankers used to live. The wires stop there then? The Hereford appeared to be on the 'old line' without wires?

Other passengers told me that the 15.55 is always stuffed in the school holidays and they curse the lack of a three coach train.

Not been through there since about 2009/10 and then only came up the Lickey on my way back from Hereford to Sheffield; must get out more!

Oh, so where did my XC off Sheffield, to Reading, go from Platform 6 then at Brum. Did it reverse? It had pulled into 6 where the Hereford was already sitting at the south end.

P

 

New St is East-West so your Hereford would have been at the West End.  And yes the Reading will have reversed.

[Mallard60022]

14 minutes ago, DY444 said:

 

New St is East-West so your Hereford would have been at the West End.  And yes the Reading will have reversed.

I must get out my Rail Atlas and look at the Brum arrangements. Thank you.

P

[Ian Hargrave]

Strange then that XC services from Manchester to Bristol and West do not reverse but travel onwards via Camp Hill to Kings Norton.

[caradoc]

7 minutes ago, Ian Hargrave said:

Strange then that XC services from Manchester to Bristol and West do not reverse but travel onwards via Camp Hill to Kings Norton.

 

Is that maybe for pathing reasons over the New St/Kings Norton section ?

[royaloak]

55 minutes ago, caradoc said:

 

Is that maybe for pathing reasons over the New St/Kings Norton section ?

Also an easy way to keep the train crews competent on the 'diversionary' route. 

[Ian Hargrave]

1 hour ago, caradoc said:

 

Is that maybe for pathing reasons over the New St/Kings Norton section ?

 

10 minutes ago, royaloak said:

Also an easy way to keep the train crews competent on the 'diversionary' route. 

 

IIRC in late BR days,services from the south via Oxford and Banbury to the north east used the Camp Hill route to access New Street from the south west avoiding a run round by the 47 in charge .

 

[DY444]

22 hours ago, Ian Hargrave said:

 

 

IIRC in late BR days,services from the south via Oxford and Banbury to the north east used the Camp Hill route to access New Street from the south west avoiding a run round by the 47 in charge .

 

 

The only way I can see of doing that is Leamington - Coventry - Nuneaton - Water Orton - Camp Hill - University which seems like a bit of a hike to me.  I would have thought it much easier to access New St from the east in the usual way and if you want to avoid a run round then depart via University and take the Camp Hill back to Landor St (or go Soho - Bescot - Water Orton)

Edited August 23, 2019 by DY444

[caradoc]

2 hours ago, DY444 said:

 

The only way I can see of doing that is Leamington - Coventry - Nuneaton - Water Orton - Camp Hill - University which seems like a bit of a hike to me.  I would have thought it much easier to access New St from the east in the usual way and if you want to avoid a run round then depart via University and take the Camp Hill back to Landor St (or go Soho - Bescot - Water Orton)

 

Agree; Did Ian perhaps mean to say that trains from the north east would arrive into New St via Camp Hill and depart towards Leamington as normal, trains from Leamington to the north east would arrive as normal and depart via Camp Hill ?

 

(I was however once on an excursion from Reading to Sheffield which simply avoided New St altogether, running direct from St Andrews Jc towards Saltley !)

 

[The Stationmaster]

21 hours ago, DY444 said:

 

The only way I can see of doing that is Leamington - Coventry - Nuneaton - Water Orton - Camp Hill - University which seems like a bit of a hike to me.  I would have thought it much easier to access New St from the east in the usual way and if you want to avoid a run round then depart via University and take the Camp Hill back to Landor St (or go Soho - Bescot - Water Orton)

What actually happened was rather different.  There was one train daily, and possibly more?. which arrived at New Street from the Derby direction via the Camp Hill line before heading on southwards to Coventry etc.  I wouldn't be surprised - but never rode on one - if the same happened with one (or possibly more) trains daily in the opposite direction.  From what I can remember, and I wasn't a regular user of trains on the SW?SE - NE route back then the idea didn't last for very long - maybe one or possibly a couple of timetables.

[DY444]

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

What actually happened was rather different.  There was one train daily, and possibly more?. which arrived at New Street from the Derby direction via the Camp Hill line before heading on southwards to Coventry etc.  I wouldn't be surprised - but never rode on one - if the same happened with one (or possibly more) trains daily in the opposite direction.  From what I can remember, and I wasn't a regular user of trains on the SW?SE - NE route back then the idea didn't last for very long - maybe one or possibly a couple of timetables.

 

Understood.  But I was responding to the suggestion that a train from the Oxford/Banbury direction arrived at the west end of New St having taken the Camp Hill line.  That would require the convoluted routeing I posted.    

 

I can recall an afternoon Brighton-Derby train which ran via Coventry (2112 ex New St iirc) but that one was re-engined at New St and departed via the east end.

[Shed]

Meanwhile back on the MML,

how is the knitting progressing?

[RANGERS]

So far so good, wires are progressing, I’d guess that around 2/3 of the length is at least partly wired and very few gaps in the masts.

 

The section through Wellingborough station and a short stretch south of Wymington are the last stretches of any significance without the fourth track in situ, still some slewing to do to join them all up.

 

The former up slow platform at Wellingborough has been removed and work on preparing the foundations for the new alignment is underway.

 

Track is now down in the new EMU sidings at Kettering. All looks promising for trains to start running in June/ July next year for testing and training ahead of the passenger services beginning in December 2020.

[ess1uk]

Work coming along at Sharnbrook PSP.

Western Power on site.

 

[JeffP]

2 hours ago, ess1uk said:

Work coming along at Sharnbrook PSP.

Western Power on site.

 

Western Power?

D1074?

[jamie92208]

42 minutes ago, JeffP said:

Western Power?

D1074?

Is that the new standby generator unit.

 

Jamie

[Diamond Gaz]

Found this video on Youtube, drivers view of the MML from St Pancras to Derby, shows a lot of the recent electricfication works, including loads of bridges that have had to be raised to accomotdate the wires. Bedford to Glendon Junction is 36:30 through to 50:30

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eC_x_kUCC0

Edited September 16, 2019 by Diamond Gaz

[Phil Traxson]

On 02/09/2019 at 15:41, jamie92208 said:

Is that the new standby generator unit.

 

Jamie

I doubt it, it was Diesel Hydraulic not DE!!!

[jamie92208]

44 minutes ago, Phil Traxson said:

I doubt it, it was Diesel Hydraulic not DE!!!

I was sort of aware of that Phil.  However  if the DaFT are involved in the contract, nothing would surprise me.

 

Jamie

[Crewlisle]

On 16/09/2019 at 14:51, Diamond Gaz said:

Found this video on Youtube, drivers view of the MML from St Pancras to Derby, shows a lot of the recent electricfication works, including loads of bridges that have had to be raised to accomotdate the wires. Bedford to Glendon Junction is 36:30 through to 50:30

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eC_x_kUCC0

 

Gaz,

 

Excellent video.  I lived in Market Harborough in the 1950's and often visited Rugby, Peterborough and London for train spotting trips. 

 

I could not believe the changes to the stations, sidings, etc as it is almost 50 years since I travelled the MML.  As for Leicester, when did it lose its overall Victorian roof?  The changes at Market Harborough are unbelievable.  I always remember trainspotting from the iron bridge spanning all the tracks 200 yards north of the station when you could see everything  looking south down to Little Bowden crossing (about 2 miles away), the MML reverse curves through the station, looking north to Great Bowden where there was the junction between the MML and the LNWR side of the station mostly used by the Nottingham coalfields to London coal trains via the WCML hauled by Stanier 8Fs or Standard 9Fs. Also the loco shed on the west side of the iron bridge and all the sidings between the MML and the engine shed.  In addition to the MML there were the lines north to Peterborough and the LNWR/GN joint line to Melton Mowbray and beyond.  To the south on the west side of the MML were platforms for the Rugby and Northampton branchlines.

 

In the early 1950s it was fantastic to see the Beyer Garratts with 60+ empty wagons snaking though the reverse curves with the coal empties heading north.  Oh happy days!

 

Peter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 21, 2019 by Crewlisle
Spelling mistake.

[RANGERS]

11 hours ago, Crewlisle said:

 

Gaz,

 

Excellent video.  I lived in Market Harborough in the 1950's and often visited Rugby, Peterborough and London for train spotting trips. 

 

I could not believe the changes to the stations, sidings, etc as it is almost 50 years since I travelled the MML.  As for Leicester, when did it lose its overall Victorian roof?  The changes at Market Harborough are unbelievable.  I always remember trainspotting from the iron bridge spanning all the tracks 200 yards north of the station when you could see everything  looking south down to Little Bowden crossing (about 2 miles away), the MML reverse curves through the station, looking north to Great Bowden where there was the junction between the MML and the LNWR side of the station mostly used by the Nottingham coalfields to London coal trains via the WCML hauled by Stanier 8Fs or Standard 9Fs. Also the loco shed on the west side of the iron bridge and all the sidings between the MML and the engine shed.  In addition to the MML there were the lines north to Peterborough and the LNWR/GN joint line to Melton Mowbray and beyond.  To the south on the west side of the MML were platforms for the Rugby and Northampton branchlines.

 

In the early 1950s it was fantastic to see the Beyer Garratts with 60+ empty wagons snaking though the reverse curves with the coal empties heading north.  Oh happy days!

 

Peter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can’t remember the exact year but Leicester lost its roof in the late 70s (1978 I think it was) when the station was rebuilt.

[geoff]

Platforms 1&2 at Kettering.

Electrification mast erected through the listed canopy on platform 1 at Kettering.

DR74501 running as 6J38 11:00 BEDFORD ENGINEERS SDGS - 16:14 DONCASTER D.C.E SDGS. running 23 minutes early at 12:28 on 09/10/2019 cruises through platform 4 at Kettering.

Train InformationTrain Running & Realtime Information
Runs on 09/10/2019 
VSTP schedule runs WO from 09/10/2019 - 09/10/2019 
Operated by Volker Rail 
Civil Engineers
Diesel Electric Multiple Unit
Timed to run at 134mph09/10/2019 09:00
Train Activated
Train ID - 62657V2I09 (Masked ID 657V)

 

 

Some photographs taken on Wednesday 9 October 2019 to show the current state of the electrification project at Kettering station. I have not heard of any announcement about dealing with the canopies to provide a safe working clearance for the wires..

 

Geoff

 

 

[jamie92208]

I would doubt that there will be any problem with clearances between the wires and fixed structures like the canopies.As I understand  it the clearance problem is to do with moving objects such as people  with brollies and pantographs.  However I would not claim to have any specialist knowledge.

 

As an aside, when The Midland electrified at Lancaster in 1907 the altered the outer edges of the canopy suppirts and bolted support girders to them spanning between the canopies. There was plenty of clearance for the , then, quite high voltage of 6.6Kv.

 

Jamie

[geoff]

2 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

I would doubt that there will be any problem with clearances between the wires and fixed structures like the canopies.As I understand  it the clearance problem is to do with moving objects such as people  with brollies and pantographs.  However I would not claim to have any specialist knowledge.

 

As an aside, when The Midland electrified at Lancaster in 1907 the altered the outer edges of the canopy suppirts and bolted support girders to them spanning between the canopies. There was plenty of clearance for the , then, quite high voltage of 6.6Kv.

 

Jamie

 

 

That may well be the case but a section has been removed from the canopies at the northern end of both platforms 2&3 and platform 4 for examination or discussion about how they can be altered to accommodate the necessary clearances for the 25kv catenary. That work was undertaken in December 2017 and involves all the interested parties, NR, English Heritage or some other preservation body and presumably the local council or whoever controls the listing of buildings. As far as I am aware both Kettering and Wellingborough stations are listed and the canopies are included in the listing.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 10, 2019 by geoff
Punctuation.