GWML Electification

[andy stroud]

Yes, there was an anouncement that the next train at platform 1 was not stopping, stand well clear and all that, and then in rolled the 387. It was in the platform for about ten minutes then went back out.

[Banger Blue]

On 04/04/2019 at 00:32, andy stroud said:

I saw an empty  twelve car class 387 EMU at Swindon station this evening. Not sure how regular these are there. 

 

On 04/04/2019 at 09:00, The Stationmaster said:

Very regular at Swindon of course but interesting to hear that one was in the station.

 

On 04/04/2019 at 09:42, andy stroud said:

Yes, there was an anouncement that the next train at platform 1 was not stopping, stand well clear and all that, and then in rolled the 387. It was in the platform for about ten minutes then went back out.

 

The ECS moves have to reverse in Swindon Station to access Cocklebury Sidings.

On the current diagrams, Cocklebury sees a 12 car and 2x 8 car 387 s stabled overnight.

Edited April 5, 2019 by Banger Blue

[HillsideDepot]

And here they are, parked for the weekend

[St. Simon]

Hi,

 

This weekend, Sunday actually I think, should see the wires from Wootton Basset to (just outside) Chippenham energised.

 

This means technically that the last of OLE in England will be energised, the rest being in Wales.

 

Simon

[Edwin_m]

27 minutes ago, St. Simon said:

Hi,

 

This weekend, Sunday actually I think, should see the wires from Wootton Basset to (just outside) Chippenham energised.

 

This means technically that the last of OLE in England will be energised, the rest being in Wales.

 

Simon

Surely the Severn Tunnel hasn't been energised yet? 

 

First OLE energised (anywhere) in Wales will be a more significant milestone, and probably happens within a nanosecond. 

[Geoff Endacott]

30 minutes ago, St. Simon said:

Hi,

 

This weekend, Sunday actually I think, should see the wires from Wootton Basset to (just outside) Chippenham energised.

 

This means technically that the last of OLE in England will be energised, the rest being in Wales.

 

Simon

 

So has electrification through Chippenham to Bristol Temple Meads been abandoned for ever then?

 

Geoff Endacott

[St. Simon]

4 minutes ago, Edwin_m said:

Surely the Severn Tunnel hasn't been energised yet? 

 

First OLE energised (anywhere) in Wales will be a more significant milestone, and probably happens within a nanosecond. 

 

Hi,

 

Correct, Bristol Parkway through to Cardiff has yet to be energised, but that is in Wales as far as the project are concerned (considering the construction and engerisation of the OLE, BP is the easiest point to divide England and Wales).

 

i believe the current plan is for the entire section between Bristol Parkway and Cardiff to enter into service in one go.

 

Just now, Geoff Endacott said:

 

So has electrification through Chippenham to Bristol Temple Meads been abandoned for ever then?

 

Geoff Endacott

 

Not that I am aware, I suppose I mean the last bit in England for the current round of electrification on the Western.

 

Simon

[HillsideDepot]

 

1 hour ago, St. Simon said:

This weekend, Sunday actually I think, should see the wires from Wootton Basset to (just outside) Chippenham energised.

I believe it went live on 7th April - I saw 800002 running with its pan raised that night. 

 

I think this Sunday sees the first passenger service running on the juice on that section.

[St. Simon]

Just now, HillsideDepot said:

 

I believe it went live on 7th April - I saw 800002 running with its pan raised that night. 

 

I think this Sunday sees the first passenger service running on the juice on that section.

 

Sorry, yes, you're quite correct, Sunday is the first passenger service (I knew that's what I meant! ).

 

Simon

[phil-b259]

On 19/04/2019 at 22:08, Geoff Endacott said:

 

So has electrification through Chippenham to Bristol Temple Meads been abandoned for ever then?

 

Geoff Endacott

 

I doubt that said electrification has been abandoned ‘For ever’ as it were because with wires present at Bristol Parkway plus just east of Chippenham, the Bath route could be seen as an attractive candidate for an infill scheme in future decades should the DfT change their minds.

 

For the foreseeable future however wires look unlikely....

[Fat Controller]

On 19/04/2019 at 22:04, Edwin_m said:

Surely the Severn Tunnel hasn't been energised yet? 

 

First OLE energised (anywhere) in Wales will be a more significant milestone, and probably happens within a nanosecond. 

I believe Maliphant carriage sidings in Swansea have been energised for some time.

[phil-b259]

26 minutes ago, Fat Controller said:

I believe Maliphant carriage sidings in Swansea have been energised for some time.

 

Indeed they have - and for many years to come they will remain a stark reminder of just what was originally promised then abandoned.

[DY444]

On 21/04/2019 at 21:26, Fat Controller said:

I believe Maliphant carriage sidings in Swansea have been energised for some time.

 

My understanding is that there are ole structures at Maliphant but no wires and thus nothing to energise.

[DY444]

Reports circulating that the line speed for electric traction under the infamous Steventon bridge is to be raised to 115mph in September.

[Geoff Endacott]

2 hours ago, DY444 said:

 

My understanding is that there are ole structures at Maliphant but no wires and thus nothing to energise.

 

So it's a bit of a white maliphant then.

 

Geoff Endacott

[corneliuslundie]

"Reports circulating that the line speed for electric traction under the infamous Steventon bridge is to be raised to 115mph in September."

Is that in the hope that the vibration will bring it down?

Jonathan

Hat . . . coat . . gone

[Mike Storey]

6 hours ago, DY444 said:

Reports circulating that the line speed for electric traction under the infamous Steventon bridge is to be raised to 115mph in September.

 

Very interesting - the reasons for that being possible, after all this kerfuffle, will be very interesting.

 

[phil-b259]

6 hours ago, DY444 said:

 

My understanding is that there are ole structures at Maliphant but no wires and thus nothing to energise.

 

Wires* were definitely installed based on the pictures I have seen- for TWO very good reasons:-

 

(1) Units shuffling around while servicing can do so under electric power with minimal noise pollution to the surrounding area

(2) Given the use of OLE from Cardiff - Paddington, it will still be necessary for units being maintained at Swansea to test their ability to move under electric power before entering service.

 

* In view of the low speed usage I believe it is of the simple 'tramway' style which looks practically invisible compared to the rest of the GWML kit.

[jim.snowdon]

To quote Phil-B, 

 

* In view of the low speed usage I believe it is of the simple 'tramway' style which looks practically invisible compared to the rest of the GWML kit.

 

Even at the London end of the GWML, it's not the wiring that is obtrusive but the ironwork that they have planted to hold it up.

 

Jim

[dibber25]

They were passing under it quite fast last week. I tried to imagine it with a tall-chimneyed broad gauge loco passing underneath and I wonder just how much 150 years of (deep) ballasting has reduced the clearance. Certainly gave me an understanding of the local people's concerns. It seems to be the main link between the A34 and the village centre, and at 4.30pm there was stationary traffic queueing across it. Still can't get my head around what a hideous mess this GWR electrification looks. What was once 'the finest work in England' is utterly defaced.

[jim.snowdon]

A good example of clumsy ironwork. What would once have been a smaller section mast with a wire back stay attached much further up has become a stiff mast with a heavy compression strut attached at the front, right at the point of maximum bending moment from the ATF cable, which itself is not as highly tensioned as the contact wire and catenary. All capped by a pair of excessively long cantilevers where a simple portal would have been more appropriate. The old adage of if it looked right it probably was right still applies, except not here.

 

Jim

[DY444]

16 hours ago, phil-b259 said:

 

Wires* were definitely installed based on the pictures I have seen- for TWO very good reasons:-

 

(1) Units shuffling around while servicing can do so under electric power with minimal noise pollution to the surrounding area

(2) Given the use of OLE from Cardiff - Paddington, it will still be necessary for units being maintained at Swansea to test their ability to move under electric power before entering service.

 

* In view of the low speed usage I believe it is of the simple 'tramway' style which looks practically invisible compared to the rest of the GWML kit.

 

There are ole structures and some headspans at Maliphant and my understanding is that there is no contact wire at all however if there is any then it is not complete and there is no means of energising it anyway because there is no feeder infrastructure west of Cardiff.  All movements onto and within the depot are done using diesel power.  The units that stable overnight at Penzance, Plymouth, Exeter, Worcester etc have no means of testing the 25KV systems before entering service either and yet they are managing ok.

 

Edit.  Further to this.  I now have it on very good authority that the furthest the work got at Maliphant was the erection of masts, portals and the attachment of fittings such as insulators.  Since the decision not to proceed with Cardiff-Swansea was taken the fittings have been removed and all that remains is the structural steelwork.

Edited April 24, 2019 by DY444

[phil-b259]

12 hours ago, DY444 said:

 

 The units that stable overnight at Penzance, Plymouth, Exeter, Worcester etc have no means of testing the 25KV systems before entering service either and yet they are managing ok.

 

Edit.  Further to this.  I now have it on very good authority that the furthest the work got at Maliphant was the erection of masts, portals and the attachment of fittings such as insulators.  Since the decision not to proceed with Cardiff-Swansea was taken the fittings have been removed and all that remains is the structural steelwork.

 

Are you sure about that?

 

The HS1 Hitachi depot at Ashford and the Siemens Thameslink depot at Three Bridges* (and the Southern depot at Selhurst IIRC) all have short bits of 25KV OLE to test the dual voltage EMUs after servicing. The last thing GWR want is a 800 to become a total failure on the GWML when under electric power east of Cardiff.

 

If the Swansea facility undertakes maintenance activities (rather than simple stabling - which includes exterior + interior cleaning, washing / emptying toilet retention tanks etc) then I would expect it to have some form of OLE - and it would be sensible to do this via the bits already installed under the aborted SWML electrification plan

 

Thing is that if the OLE is only for depot purposes it doesn't have to be particularly big and as such will not necessarily require connection to the 33KV super-grid original required for the proper electrification scheme.

 

 

*Even though the test facility was small, the original plans required the removal of all AC 50Hz track circuits within 2 miles of the depot. Half way through doing this work a cost cutting exercise saw the conversion halted and (in shades of the GWR electrification) quite lot of newly installed equipment being scrapped! Fast forward a couple of years and the conversion programme has resumed as part of a project to improve the reliability of the BML......

Edited April 24, 2019 by phil-b259

[Coryton]

1 hour ago, phil-b259 said:

 

Are you sure about that?

 

The HS1 Hitachi depot at Ashford and the Siemens Thameslink depot at Three Bridges* (and the Southern depot at Selhurst IIRC) all have short bits of 25KV OLE to test the dual voltage EMUs after servicing. The last thing GWR want is a 800 to become a total failure on the GWML when under electric power east of Cardiff.

 

If it made it to Swansea, it is presumably a "full" bi-mode. So surely a failure to take electric power just results in it carrying on under diesel power rather than being a total failure?

 

On the other hand, a Thameslink train turning out to be third rail only is going to be a bit of an embarrassment if it's the rush hour and it fails to take overhead power at changeover. 

 

(I am writing this on an IET between Bristol Parkway and Newport which from the sounds underneath the floor has been on diesel power all the way from Paddington, as was the train to London earlier today).

[phil-b259]

5 minutes ago, Coryton said:

 

If it made it to Swansea, it is presumably a "full" bi-mode. So surely a failure to take electric power just results in it carrying on under diesel power rather than being a total failure?

 

On the other hand, a Thameslink train turning out to be third rail only is going to be a bit of an embarrassment if it's the rush hour and it fails to take overhead power at changeover. 

 

(I am writing this on an IET between Bristol Parkway and Newport which from the sounds underneath the floor has been on diesel power all the way from Paddington, as was the train to London earlier today).

 

I was thinking more of the 'driver switches to electric power and something goes bang' in a terminal sort of way causing the unit to end up stuck on the GWML - say due to fried electronics.

 

I take your point that if OLE power is not available after raising the pantograph an 800 can carry on under diesel though.

 

I guess it also depends on the maintenance requirements - if everything is arranged - if what might be termed 'invasive maintenance' is only done at Stoke Gifford / North Pole then maybe its deemed unnecessary.