Tram-Trains for Sheffield to Rotherham

[rue_d_etropal]

at least someone is planning in the right direction.

[Talltim]

If you want a ride on one of the new trams on Sunday (but only on the original network)

http://www.travelsouthyorkshire.com/news_charitytram/

Edited September 15, 2017 by Talltim

[Talltim]

Dunno what make of this

http://www.rmcmedia.co.uk/vibe/movers-and-makers/article/EXCLUSIVE-Supertram-could-get-IKEA-makeover-

Well it did happen

 

 

The outside is surprisingly subdued.

 

This Polish Ikea tram is a bit more extreme.

 

Edited September 15, 2017 by Talltim

[eastwestdivide]

Sundays at Rotherham Central are bus-only zones for the next few weeks. Today there was some construction activity...

 

Harking back to the post about overhead equipment that got removed after a story in the local paper, they were reinstalling it - a chap in orange said they had double-checked that the clearances were within spec, and that NR were also going to install specially-raised parapets on the road bridge there. You can already see some temporary fencing I think:

 

More road-rail access platforms nearer to the station, with equipment going in on the masts:

There's quite a few masts through the area now with the registration arms/small bits with insulators, some currently turned sideways or otherwise not in their final positions, as seen in the next pic.

 

And at the station itself, a huge crane was lifting in concrete panels for the tram platform extensions on the "from Sheffield" side:

The blue sign bottom left reads something like "keep 5 metres away from this board", presumably to prevent the road-railers getting too close to the crane work site. Best resolution I could manage - I only noticed it in the corner of the photo once I got home:

Edited September 24, 2017 by eastwestdivide

[eastwestdivide]

Another Sunday, another photo-opportunity. 

After dropping the other half at Meadowhall for a train, I had a drive round in the rain, and came across two road-railer access platforms actually on the new track at Parkgate. I was too slow parking to photo the first, but here's the second, trundling out of the tram terminus and over the new crossings towards Rotherham Central. I think they must have used the terminus line as an access point to go from road to rail.

That's the first rail vehicle that I've seen on the new bit of line at Parkgate - although I'm sure there must have been tampers etc previously.

 

[eastwestdivide]

A few bits of wire are now in the air, these by the former Rotherham Road, but also at other locations.

 

Most of the supports are this style, cantilevered:

 

But there are just a few like this:

[jamie92208]

From the size of the insulators on there it certainly looks as if it is all designed for 25Kv for future conversion, but perhaps with slightly heavier contact wires to carry the higher current at 750DC. Thanks for posting.

 

Jamie

[4630]

From the size of the insulators on there it certainly looks as if it is all designed for 25Kv for future conversion, but perhaps with slightly heavier contact wires to carry the higher current at 750DC. Thanks for posting.

 

Jamie

I guess there’s a sense of irony that the OHL has been designed for future 25Kv conversion, but that the MML to Sheffield is now unlikely to be wired in the foreseeable future. Well not until HS2 reaches South Yorkshire and that is still some way off.

[eastwestdivide]

Wiring team at work today, in the cutting by Rotherham Central:

 

(The black line is the road flyover)

 

Dangling my camera over the wall by the wrist strap and hoping for the best:

 

Into the sun:

[Edwin_m]

I guess there’s a sense of irony that the OHL has been designed for future 25Kv conversion, but that the MML to Sheffield is now unlikely to be wired in the foreseeable future. Well not until HS2 reaches South Yorkshire and that is still some way off.

It appears the DfT is still committed to electrifying from Sheffield to a junction with HS2 on the Swinton & Knottingley.  If the Rotherham loop is included then this would have to be done in around 2032, when the tram-trains will be about half way through their service lives and much of the OLE will have even more years of life remaining. 

[eastwestdivide]

Couple of pics from Sheffield yesterday. Tram-train 399205 was on a Cathedral-Herdings Park run, and I noticed that the wheel profile was indicated on the side of the vehicle. When they swap the wheelsets for dual-compatible tram-train ones, I suppose the sticker/transfer must get changed:

 

And some of the trams are carrying poppies on their wing mirrors:

 

 

Also from yesterday, detail of the overhead supports and shiny copper wires at Rotherham Central (taken from the glazed footbridge):

Also showing the fancy new road bridge behind.

Edited October 29, 2017 by eastwestdivide

[Talltim]

 

Dangling my camera over the wall by the wrist strap and hoping for the best:

wiring Rotherham 15oct17 b.jpg

 

The bridge abutment is one of the few remaining traces of the Sheffield and Rotherham railway. The bridge carried the line to Rotherham Westgate station on the east bank of the Rother, approximately where Royal Mail building is now.

The line into Booth's is the original alignment of this line, but is now at a lower level.

[Talltim]

The bridge abutment is one of the few remaining traces of the Sheffield and Rotherham railway. The bridge carried the line to Rotherham Westgate station on the east bank of the Rother, approximately where Royal Mail building is now.

The line into Booth's is the original alignment of this line, but is now at a lower level.

Having said that, I've just realised after looking at the photo larger, that it isn't the bridge abutment I was talking I was talking about, which is here https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.4283974,-1.3624364,63a,35y,270h,39.56t/data=!3m1!1e3

Apologies for the confusion.

[eastwestdivide]

Having said that, I've just realised after looking at the photo larger, that it isn't the bridge abutment I was talking I was talking about, which is here https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.4283974,-1.3624364,63a,35y,270h,39.56t/data=!3m1!1e3

Apologies for the confusion.

Also just visible on the right in the 2nd photo in this post:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/56672-tram-trains-for-sheffield-to-rotherham/?p=2864998

 

The S&R route is also just visible where it used to cross the Don, with different stonework near Main St river bridge

Edited October 30, 2017 by eastwestdivide

[eastwestdivide]

Work continuing on Sundays, including today.

 

60056 on a ballast train just the Sheffield side of Rotherham Central Junction (near Booths scrapyard, but on the freight line). I was told they've been lowering the track under the "Old Road" (visible in the background here) for the last couple of Sundays. The overhead wiring has been strung up from Rotherham station most of the way to Parkgate (with a couple of bits to fix), and in the other direction from Rotherham station to this point, where the new sub-station/electrical control building (?) is visible on the right.

 

Wiring at Rotherham Central Junction. It looks like the nearest crossover is wired, but I couldn't see any provision for "overrun" wiring onto the Holmes Chord (the rightmost line, the current passenger route to Meadowhall, which isn't part of the tram-train scheme). I wondered if there might be provision in the signalling/control systems (TPWS?) to stop any mis-signalled trams automatically before they run out of wires?

Yes, that's a single wagon on the middle line, a yellow bogie box ballast wagon, like those on the train behind the 60 in the 1st photo.

Edited November 19, 2017 by eastwestdivide

[eastwestdivide]

The wires are now strung up all the way from Parkgate terminus to the Network Rail end of the new Tinsley Chord, but no wires or masts on the sharply-curved section of the chord. 

 

Past Bessemer Way:

 

And Magna:

 

Rotherham end of Tinsley Chord, looking towards Rotherham:

 

Sheffield end of Tinsley Chord, no wires on the sharply-curved section, sections of rail temporarily removed, and tram signals bagged over:

 

You can see Sheffield's new IKEA in the background. There is a window in one of the "rooms" that looks over the tram track, so an opportunity for a shot of an IKEA-liveried tram with a KNUBBIG lamp in the foreground?

 

They've been working around the electric supply building/substation/feed point recently too, with a lot of foundations outside the building. Best view would be from a passing train on the "old road" south from Masboro (visible top right in the first photo), but as I'm not a train driver, there's not much chance of that.

Edited December 2, 2017 by eastwestdivide

[JDW]

Also just visible on the right in the 2nd photo in this post:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/56672-tram-trains-for-sheffield-to-rotherham/?p=2864998

 

The S&R route is also just visible where it used to cross the Don, with different stonework near Main St river bridge

 

Interesting, thanks for posting that.  If you scroll towards Booths scrap yard, there are the remains of the Network Rail 86s and 3 (possibly the floor of a 4th) Gatwick Express class 460 luggage vans too.  

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.4276519,-1.3705217,44a,35y,180h,39.56t/data=!3m1!1e3

 

Would I be right in thinking that the disused bridge here https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.4275741,-1.3731699,101a,35y,180h,39.52t/data=!3m1!1e3would have provided a link between Holmes Jct to the right and the higher level route crossing the viaduct?  Presumably abandoned long before the new chord was built to allow trains access to Rotherham Central.

[eastwestdivide]

Interesting, thanks for posting that.  If you scroll towards Booths scrap yard, there are the remains of the Network Rail 86s and 3 (possibly the floor of a 4th) Gatwick Express class 460 luggage vans too.  

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.4276519,-1.3705217,44a,35y,180h,39.56t/data=!3m1!1e3

 

Would I be right in thinking that the disused bridge here https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.4275741,-1.3731699,101a,35y,180h,39.52t/data=!3m1!1e3would have provided a link between Holmes Jct to the right and the higher level route crossing the viaduct?  Presumably abandoned long before the new chord was built to allow trains access to Rotherham Central.

Yes, that disused bridge was effectively the third side of a Midland triangle at Masbrough, linking Holmes Jn to Masbrough S Jn. Closed as late as 1978 according to the Cobb atlas, which also shows 1987 as the date of opening of the Holmes Chord linking Holmes Jn on the Midland lines to Rotherham Central on the GC lines.

Try also http://www.railmaponline.com/UKIEMap.php for a different perspective.

[eastwestdivide]

Intriguingly, the Opentraintimes website now has the May timetables uploaded, including paths for the tram-trains:

e.g.

http://www.opentraintimes.com/schedule/C00026/2018-05-22

 

2A29 1031 Parkgate - Sheffield Cathedral (SJ)

 

Parkgate dep 1031, Rotherham Central 1034, Tinsley Meadowhall 1040 and all tram stops to Sheffield Cathedral 1057

Technical information

Schedule

Type WTT from ITPS

Validity Valid SX from 2018-05-21 to 2018-12-07

Timings Class 63 EMU at 60 mph

Status Passenger/Parcels

Type

Category Ordinary Passenger

Service Code 21591001

Facilities

Accommodation Unknown

Characteristics None

Reservations Not available

Catering Not available

 

 

Edit: they don't appear to run to exact 20-min intervals, but fill the gaps between the train services through Rotherham, which are also unevenly-spaced around the hour.

 

Edited January 10, 2018 by eastwestdivide

[JDW]

Hmmm, that's interesting - a 10-20-30 minute frequency!  (Well, roughly - actually 02, 12 and 34 minutes past the hour from Parkgate).  Anyone missing the third is unlikely to wait half an hour when there's buses past the front of the retail park every few minutes!

[eastwestdivide]

I've always seen the decision to terminate the tram-train at Parkgate as more to do with operational convenience than serving a relatively minor shopping centre.

The uneven service pattern kind of makes sense when seen alongside the uneven train service at Rotherham, giving, in the above example, departures to Meadowhall (one side or the other) and Sheffield centre (station or Cathedral) from Rotherham at 02, 12, 28, 34, 44, 58 (trams in bold)

Bit different in the other direction, as you'd have to know the timetable to decide which station/stop to come from, dovetailing into 03, 19, 24, 28, 42, 51 at Rotherham. And work out if a quicker, later train departure is a better bet than a tram. 

And it's probably only provisional at this point anyway.

[MarshLane]

Also late running tram-trains reaching the delta at Tinsley will be diverted to Meadowhall instead of going to Rotherham, to avoid adding delay into the National Network service. The extent the late running gets to before diversion wasn’t specified but I suspect anything more than 5 or 7 minutes. It will also help Supertram to keep on schedule.

[Enterprisingwestern]

Could this be an interim, (inconvenient-ish), timetable whilst the passenger pattern is established and the main line services can be recast?

 

Mike.

[Edwin_m]

There must be a recast of the main line timetable in a couple of years time when Northern's franchise improvements start feeding through (changes to Sheffield-Leeds fasts etc).  I suspect however that tram-trains will still be "last on the graph" so their timings may not be much better. 

[eastwestdivide]

Another bus replacement Sunday at Rotherham Central, with work going on today in at least 3 locations. Pity about the gloomy conditions - it's been like that most of the week.

 

1. Lowering the track under Greasbrough Road bridge. The Network Rail chap taking photos said they're adding about 200mm of clearance, and coming back in Feb to do the same to the other line (the track that the road-railer is on in the 2nd pic).

 

The 2nd photo shows a road-railer with a kind of trolley grab attachment which runs along the rail being lifted onto the sleepers. It did one run moving the rail from the untouched track roughly into position onto the new sleepers, and then ran back positioning it more precisely over the fastenings.

 

There's a 66 either end of a materials+ballast train just under the arrow in the this photo:

 

2. Adding anti-climb coping stones to the rebuilt College Rd bridge at the station:

 

3. Continuing construction work on platforms 3 & 4 for the tram-trains at the station:

 

 

Later edit - by 3pm, the tamper was working directly under Greasbrough Road bridge, making photos difficult, but allowing a video of the "business end". Here's a still from that video:

Edited January 14, 2018 by eastwestdivide