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West Midlands Metro Tracklaying in Brum


melmerby
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Some more updates taken in the last couple of weeks:

 

Corporation Street, pouring concrete in the pouring rain!

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Tarmacing the track in.

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Stephenson Place (note the bases for the power columns appearing)

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Extending  further up Stephenson Street:

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The Traingular junction is obviously not going to be laid at this time even though a concrete foundation was made.

(IMHO a wasted opportunity as it will cause great disruption when it is eventually built!)

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Over at Great Charles Street:

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And by Snow Hill:

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Work is really moving apace now with rails appearing in several places.

Keith

Edited by melmerby
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I don't think they have any legal powers yet to lay any part of the extension to Curzon St etc.. So it would be ILLEGAL to lay in the junction point work now.

I  think it might be OK if within the limits of deviation of the powers they already have. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
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Latest updates from the last few weeks

 

Corner of Corporation Street and Bull Street:

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and later:

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Stephenson Street:

 

post-6208-0-42764700-1427645913_thumb.jpg

 

Snow Hill:

 

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Some of the services which have to be dealt with before the trackbed can be progressed:

 

Rusty Electricity Cables

post-6208-0-13767200-1427645932_thumb.jpg

 

Dealing with telecoms

post-6208-0-05987100-1427645954_thumb.jpg

 

Notice how the telecoms manhole above has been completely smashed up!

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Water and Gas

post-6208-0-41456200-1427645944_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

Keith

Edited by melmerby
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Anybody notice how close those high voltage cables (red, black and rusty ones) are to the telecoms cables?

What a mess!

 

Pity the poor engineers that have to deal with those.

 

Keith

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Bear in mind that the tramway has to pay about 90% of the cost of relocating the utilities, but the work has to be done by the utilities themselves.  So there may be scope for them to gold-plate the job at someone else's expense - although that's not how I would describe the mess in those photos!  Having each individual utility coming in at different times (so they don't get in each others' way) goes a long way to explaining why it takes so long to build a street tramway. 

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Bear in mind that the tramway has to pay about 90% of the cost of relocating the utilities, but the work has to be done by the utilities themselves.  So there may be scope for them to gold-plate the job at someone else's expense - although that's not how I would describe the mess in those photos!  Having each individual utility coming in at different times (so they don't get in each others' way) goes a long way to explaining why it takes so long to build a street tramway. 

And the fact that utility diversion is one of the major cots for new tramways.  And they always disover many more cables than there are supposed to be.

 

Jamie

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Some updates taken during April over a three week period:

 

Next to the Square Peg:

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Corporation Street:

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Stephenson Street:

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Those services outside Ian Allan now buried again and new footway boxes:

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Stephenson Place:

Notice the vacuum excavation, there has been a lot of this around the services, much better than a JCB!

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And alongside Snow Hill:

 

post-6208-0-01660800-1430648981_thumb.jpg              post-6208-0-00461900-1430652945_thumb.jpg

 

Keith

Edited by melmerby
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Another update with pictures up to last Thursday

 

Corner of Bull Street and Corporation St.

 

Excavating corner

post-6208-0-37054900-1432539465_thumb.jpg

 

The finished track towards New St with road open again:

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Top end of Corporation Street alongside Rackhams (H of F!):

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Alongside Snow Hill:

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(Note: Although this is still on a concrete foundation it is convention Light Rail track with Pandrol clips)

I was expection the "Light Rail" section to be ballasted etc. like convention track but it seems not to be so!

 

The transition from Tramway to Light Rail Track:

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Close up of transition betweenTramway Track and Light Rail track showing the angled groove :

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Stephenson Place:

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Stephenson Street between "Horntons Corner" and Ian Allan:

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Keith

Edited by melmerby
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As a postscript to the last set of photos are these three taken where the street track changes to the "light rail" track.

I managed to get much closer to show the detail.

 

Where the two types of rail are welded together:

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Shortly after they join is this splice type expansion joint:

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A close up of a spare tramway type sleeper block (notice the plastic 'rawlplugs' for the clamps!):

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It will be noticed that the tramway type sleeper is much lower height than the light rail type behind and it has two tie bars rather than one.

 

A couple of queries for those in the know.

 

Why use track with Pandrol clips?

The Pandrol clipped track seems to be at about it's finished height and there is no room for ballast under the sleepers.

 

How is expansion allowed for in the street track?

It all appears to be unstressed track, end welded and then set in concrete.

 

Keith

 

 

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Is Platform 4 at Snow hill going to be returned to heavy rail use? Worst thing they ever did taking that out when the Metro first opened.

cheers

Keith

Yes it is, but apparently NR wont be doing it immediately.

They had to use it for the Metro because some numpty removed the bridge over Gt Charles St which has now been replaced during the current works

 

Keith

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Is the track Standard Gauge as it may be an optical illusion but it looks very wide, maybe because we don't usually get such good quality close up pictures of track?

 

Pete

It is standard gauge, unlike the original West Midlands norm of 3' 6"

 

Keith

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Is the track Standard Gauge as it may be an optical illusion but it looks very wide, maybe because we don't usually get such good quality close up pictures of track?

 

Pete

Thats what happens when your used to 00 track. :jester:

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More on the Metro Progress

 

Concrete poured on Wolves bound track, corner Bull St/Corp. St:

 

post-6208-0-45696800-1434815577_thumb.jpg

 

Meanwhile around the corner alongside the North Western Arcade:

 

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More rails down up Stephenson St towards Ethel St:

(Horntons Corner to you oldies like me!)

 

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Concrete pouring alongside Waterstones:

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Another view of one of the pair of expansion joints now the track is set in concrete:

 

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There is a distinctive incline where the "street" track meets the track in the trough

The track here although laid into a previously provided trough is higher than the street track now it has been bed onto it's newly laid concrete. (Why?)

I tried to show it in this photo but it's not altogether obvious:

 

post-6208-0-08566900-1434816576_thumb.jpg

 

Keith

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More on the Metro Progress

 

Concrete poured on Wolves bound track, corner Bull St/Corp. St:

 

attachicon.gifBull Street 24.jpg

 

Meanwhile around the corner alongside the North Western Arcade:

 

attachicon.gifCorp St 27.jpg

 

More rails down up Stephenson St towards Ethel St:

(Horntons Corner to you oldies like me!)

 

attachicon.gifStephenson St 27.jpg

 

Concrete pouring alongside Waterstones:

attachicon.gifStephenson Place 12.jpg

attachicon.gifStephenson Place 13a.jpg

attachicon.gifStephenson Place 13b.jpg

attachicon.gifStephenson Place 13c.jpg

attachicon.gifStephenson Place 13d.jpg

 

Another view of one of the pair of expansion joints now the track is set in concrete:

 

attachicon.gifExpansion Joint 1.jpg

 

There is a distinctive incline where the "street" track meets the track in the trough

The track here although laid into a previously provided trough is higher than the street track now it has been bed onto it's newly laid concrete. (Why?)

I tried to show it in this photo but it's not altogether obvious:

 

attachicon.gifSnow Hill 15.jpg

 

Keith

 

Lovely pictures. Can't thank you enough for documenting all the normally hidden track details.

 

Andy

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Lovely pictures. Can't thank you enough for documenting all the normally hidden track details.

 

Andy

I tried to catch the actual concrete pour in Stephenson Place.

They were pumping from the machine at the bottom of the hill.

I was there 4 times but each time they had just poured and were dressing the level!

 

Keith

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Latest Update on the progress with some shots taken yesterday

 

Stephenson Place, one track complete, work on second continues:

 

post-6208-0-60271100-1436514462_thumb.jpg

 

Some shots of the transition area between the "Street" and "Grassed sections"

 

Expansion joint showing method of securing rail at joint:**

 

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View showing boxes and formwork to protect Pandrol clips etc:

 

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Nearly finished transition between Street and Grassed areas:

 

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Looks like some parts for a tram shelter have arrived in Bull street!:

 

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Some concreting in of Wolves bound track started at the corner of Bull Street and Corporation Street:

 

post-6208-0-19082700-1436514940_thumb.jpg

 

Keith

 

** those white plastic boxes look like general purpose IP55 electrical boxes cut to fit!!!

Edited by melmerby
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A few p[ictures from yesterday (Tuesday).

 

Track concreted in place at Corporation St/Bull Street stretch:

 

post-6208-0-52264600-1436947196_thumb.jpg

 

And around into Bull Street:

 

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Meanwhile a little further up the shelter is taking shape:

 

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Concurrently alongside Snow Hill the gardening has started:

 

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Including refreshing the planting in the "Green Wall":

 

post-6208-0-72637600-1436947368_thumb.jpg

 

Keith

Edited by melmerby
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  • 5 weeks later...

According to a news article in the Express and Star local newspaper, the final operational T69 tram (No. 16) is being withdrawn, with its final service being the 11.10 service from Wolverhampton - Birmingham Snow Hill this Friday (14th August).

 

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2015/08/12/end-of-the-line-for-original-metro-trams-2/

 

13664224944_9a05ca6eba_b.jpg

 

The T69 Ansaldo-Breda trams were introduced in 1999, but have gradually been replaced by the arrival of 20 CAF Urbos 3 trams.

 

Midland_Metro_tram_no._20_on_display_at_

 

Best wishes,

 

David

Edited by dcroz
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According to a news article in the Express and Star local newspaper, the final operational T69 tram (No. 16) is being withdrawn, with its final service being the 11.10 service from Wolverhampton - Birmingham Snow Hill this Friday (14th August).

 

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2015/08/12/end-of-the-line-for-original-metro-trams-2/

 

 

The T69 Ansaldo-Breda trams were introduced in 1999, but have gradually been replaced by the arrival of 20 CAF Urbos 3 trams.

 

 

Best wishes,

 

David

Interesting to hear that.

 

I haven't seen a T69 in Snow Hill for months and assumed they had all gone by now!

Not been the best investment according to reports, although the T68s in madchester seem to have had a better press.

 

Keith

 

P.S.

Some more of my pictures of the progress in Brum coming soon, it's supposed to be up and running by mid-late September for training/shake down etc. but there is still an awful lot to do including some bits of missing track.

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