Tram-Trains for Sheffield to Rotherham

[eastwestdivide]

When it comes to the new stops on the heavy-rail section I assume they will have to have some form of grade-seperated pedestrian crossing between platforms?  One of the benefits of drive-on-sight light rail is you can have pedestrians crossing at track level, saving quite a lot of money but I can't see Network Rail agreeing to new "barrow crossings" on their network...

 

Parkgate is the only new stop on the heavy rail section, at least for now. Just a single turnback platform on the site photographed above.

The other tram-train stop on the heavy rail section will be at Rotherham Central station, where they're putting in low-height platform extensions to match the door sill height of the existing Sheffield tram network, so access between platforms there will be via the existing stairs/lift and footbridge.

Edited April 13, 2016 by eastwestdivide

[wombatofludham]

Thanks for the clarification.  I thought the new stop was an intermediate stop with two platforms. 

 

Neatly sidesteps the issue until the next tram-train installation then!

[Edwin_m]

An interesting question could arise if passengers decide to step onto the track from a low platform,  either because they are allowed to do that on tramways or simply to take a short cut between platforms.  It doesn't really arise at Rotherham because the platforms are for opposite directions and the exits are at the far end, so there is no "desire line" across the track.  However future low platform tram-train stops may need some measures to deter access to the tracks. 

[Alan J Kirkman]

The "Continentals" seem to often use a fence in the Six Foot as a deterrent but I have no idea if that would be acceptable to HMRI etc. over here.

[SharpSharp]

An interesting question could arise if passengers decide to step onto the track from a low platform,  either because they are allowed to do that on tramways or simply to take a short cut between platforms.  It doesn't really arise at Rotherham because the platforms are for opposite directions and the exits are at the far end, so there is no "desire line" across the track.  However future low platform tram-train stops may need some measures to deter access to the tracks. 

 

That's a really interesting point. I'd not thought of that issue.  A tram platform on a railway line is, in effect, an unfenced section.

 

I foresee linespeed restrictions going along with staggered platforms and, as Alan said, fences in the 6 foot.

[Edwin_m]

That's a really interesting point. I'd not thought of that issue.  A tram platform on a railway line is, in effect, an unfenced section.

 

I foresee linespeed restrictions going along with staggered platforms and, as Alan said, fences in the 6 foot.

My then colleagues did quite a lot of investigation into this issue in the 1990s when it was suggested that the Nottingham tram would run as a tram-train on the Robin Hood Line.  This didn't happen, probably because rail privatisation made it all too difficult. 

[eastwestdivide]

Last weekend, noticed these metal extensions to the bridge parapets on Main Street, Rotherham. Anti-climb coping (that's what Network Rail calls it) for the forthcoming tram electrification.

(New York stadium on the right)

 

No trains at all around Sheffield this coming Sun and disruption Bank Holiday Mon as well, for some resignalling. I wonder if they'll use the opportunity for some civils work on the tram-train scheme?

[eastwestdivide]

Another Sunday of bus replacements on the Rotherham Central loop, so a quick tour round found two work sites:
 
Greasbrough Road bridge, with extensions being finished off:

 
And over at the Parkgate tram stop, by mid-morning they had already offloaded some 4-wheel wagons of ballast:

 
and were about to unload 4 wagons of concrete sleepers for the new platform line:

 
 
Compare February and April on page 4 of this thread.

[eastwestdivide]

In related news, three of the seven new trams are now in Sheffield, pics from various people on Flickr (a search for the word "tram" with the numbers 399201 -2 or -3 should find them). As far as I can discover, none in passenger service yet.

[eastwestdivide]

By Monday afternoon, they'd added some rails to the pile of track on the Parkgate tram stop site. Not sure where they came from or how they got there, but they didn't appear to be on site when I took the pics yesterday, 2 posts above:

 

 

Anyone fancy Photoshopping a tram into the photo?

Edited July 4, 2016 by eastwestdivide

[PLD]

In related news, three of the seven new trams are now in Sheffield, pics from various people on Flickr (a search for the word "tram" with the numbers 399201 -2 or -3 should find them). As far as I can discover, none in passenger service yet.

Believe that so far only 201 has ventured outside the confines of the depot, and that only out of hours. They have yet to even run on trial alongside the original cars, so still a long way off carrying paying passengers...

[eastwestdivide]

Progress report:

Tthe fourth tram has arrived in Sheffield.

 

Not much new visible in civil engineering terms, but the trace of the new chord is now visible, with some more groundworks. Compare to the view in this post

Taken from the Rotherham side of the lower deck of the Tinsley viaduct yesterday.

They appear to be using concrete mast bases here, whereas they've used piles beside the existing railway.

The orange thing in the top left is the biomass power station in the next picture.

 

 

This shot, from Rotherham's Boston Castle a few weeks back, shows the overhead line equipment (minus wires) in place on the freight-only section past Magna/Templeborough:

I don't think anyone's complained about the visual intrusion of the masts.

 

 

[eastwestdivide]

Bit more activity Sunday morning, 21/8. Went for a quick look, and a road-railer with cable drums rolled along Sheffield-bound on the "wrong" line, shuffled the drums, and deposited one next to the Parkgate tram stop site.

Also visible is the start of some concrete shuttering around the base of the old footbridge there. It looks like possibly the base for a bigger (ramped?) footbridge. They've surrounded the legs of the old bridge with "stuff", presumably so that they can lay the foundation and only take the old bridge out later. I'm only speculating though.

 

Edited much later - see post 117

Edited August 24, 2016 by eastwestdivide

[jamie92208]

Bit more activity Sunday morning, 21/8. Went for a quick look, and a road-railer with cable drums rolled along Sheffield-bound on the "wrong" line, shuffled the drums, and deposited one next to the Parkgate tram stop site.

Also visible is the start of some concrete shuttering around the base of the old footbridge there. It looks like possibly the base for a bigger (ramped?) footbridge. They've surrounded the legs of the old bridge with "stuff", presumably so that they can lay the foundation and only take the old bridge out later. I'm only speculating though.

Parkgate cable drum 1.jpg

Parkgate cable drum 2.jpg

Parkgate cable drum 3.jpg

Thanks for that.  I hope they chain that cable drum down tightly, lots of metal fairies around.

 

Jamie

[eastwestdivide]

Thanks for that.  I hope they chain that cable drum down tightly, lots of metal fairies around.

 

Jamie

 

Think they spooled it out and buried it before sundown. Certainly neither the drums nor cable were visible today.

[Talltim]

I really will have to ask someone at work what the delays really are. My friend who was the project manager from the SYPTE side has moved on to another company (probably a good career move to go before the delays became even longer!) so I have had less insight into it, but there must still be people who know what is happening. I even speak to the NR project manager regularly, but only at the level of setting him up guest wifi access!

[eastwestdivide]

A chance encounter with a sergeant in the Orange Army today clarified the position on the bridge in post 113 above - the concrete thing being built around one side of the footbridge is actually a crash prevention barrier (against a rail crash into bridge), and the bridge itself is to remain there, but with a "new top section". 

[eastwestdivide]

They've got a 3-day possession this bank holiday weekend. A quick recce Sat am saw:

- a road-railer taking some 1 tonne bags of ballast along towards Parkgate,

- vegetation clearance with chainsaws at the Sheffield end of the "from Sheffield" platform at Rotherham Central, presumably preparing for the tram-level platform extension,

- a few orange army soldiers walking the line,

- not a lot else.

May have another look over the next couple of days, but I don't think there are any "big trains" scheduled in and out of the possession.

 

Elsewhere, the new Tinsley link road*, which crosses the freight-only section at the River Don bridge close to Meadowhall, looks nearly ready to open, and will provide a new vantage point over the line.

*visible in post 84

[unlevel42]

The new road link from Tinsley to Meadowhall crosses the tram train route just east of the junction with the heavy line.

It the passes under the Tinsley Viaduct.

Good view from the bridge particularly from the top deck of the new frequent X1.

 

NR track is blocked to Carbrook- daytime at least. 

Track now laid under the viaduct.

[eastwestdivide]

Bit late, but a few shots from the August bank holiday weekend (27-29th):

 

Vegetation clearance for low-height platform extension at Rotherham Central, "during" and "after" shots.

 

And progress on the chord taken from the lower deck of the Tinsley viaduct looking towards Rotherham:

 

[eastwestdivide]

And some from today:

 

The footbridge at Parkgate as it was a few weeks back:

 

and with its new crash protection:

 

From the same vantage point on the canal footbridge, the site for tram stop at Parkgate, not much progress recently:

 

And new bits (technical term?) on the pointwork at Rotherham Central junction:

 

which weren't there (edit: or to be precise the new larger ones weren't there) when I last took a pic there on 16 August:

(some Pullman dining special, non-stop)

Edited September 11, 2016 by eastwestdivide

[eastwestdivide]

Oh, they were there alright, but you didn't spot them These are strike rails, guiding the wheels on the right side of the gap in the frog. The only points where these are missing are points with movable frogs

OK then, new larger strike rails.

Here's a better shot, from Nov 2015, of the old smaller ones:

Edited September 11, 2016 by eastwestdivide

[Edwin_m]

They are known in the UK as check rails.  The reason they have been replaced is that they have to be higher, above the top of the running rail, which in my experience they generally are on the Continent but not in the UK. 

 

This is because the wheel flanges on the tram-trains need to be much thinner than those of normal trains, so they can fit in the grooves on street track.  It's not only models where the back-to-back is important; the result with a normal check rail would be that the opposite flange could go the wrong way at the crossing (frog) before the back (inner face) of the thinner flange came into contact with the check rail to prevent it.  Hence the tram-train wheel thickens at the back just above the top of the running rail to be the same back-to-back as heavy rail wheels, and this thicker part engages with the raised check rail.  You'll see the same on the off-street points of Manchester Metrolink. 

Edited September 11, 2016 by Edwin_m

[Talltim]

Slightly off topic, but

Sheffield. by Keith Long, on Flickr

http://www.lrta.org/shphoto.html

[eastwestdivide]

Coming back to those check rails a few posts back, the "trackwatch" section of October's Modern Railways has an entry about the installation in July of a new set of points (for the new Tinsley chord), to be known as Tinsley North Junction. They have "raised check rails for the future operation of Tram-Train services". The raised check rails mean a prohibition on some types of vehicles (snowploughs, class 33 and wheel skates).