West Midlands Metro Tracklaying in Brum

[dcroz]

Hi Keith,

 

Definitely an awful lot left to do! - is any of the OLE up yet? - September sounds highly ambitious.

 

I look forward as always to seeing your next batch of photos.

 

David

[melmerby]

Hi Keith,

 

Definitely an awful lot left to do! - is any of the OLE up yet? - September sounds highly ambitious.

 

I look forward as always to seeing your next batch of photos.

 

David

No overhead, no poles and no headspan yet, although the first eye-bolt has been fitted to a building at the corner of Bull Street & Temple Row.

Where there are to be poles the foundations are in place so the installation should be quite straightforward, elsewhere though the fittings for wiring to be strung between buildings (most of it) has barely started. There is also a gap in the trackwork where the inbound track is to cross New St. Hardly anything has yet been done however work was in progress at Temple Row for the track towards Wolves

 

Keith

[melmerby]

Here is the latest update taken this Tuesday and the previous Tuesday

 

Preparing the Crossover in Stephenson Street Close to Ian Allan

 

 

Getting a joint ready for a weld:

 

 

Crucibles well ablaze:

 

 

A week later all welding done at the crossover and track alignment going on:

 

 

Over to Snow Hill where the Grass is now down:

 

 

However it was already looking bare one week after laying:

 

 

A week later it is open to the public:

 

 

At Great Charles St. the grassy bit joins the bridge trackwork:

Note the track goes back onto lightweight sleepers and clamps but isn't grooved as it is on the street section.

 

 

Up toward the existing formation another turnback is taking shape:

 

 

Meanwhile at the corner of Temple Row and Bull Street where there is a small bit of missing track.

 

Breaking the road surface:

 

 

A week later using a vacuum excavator:

 

 

I wonder whether they broke this water pipe before or after the vacuum excavator arrived?

 

 

And on the building above the first eyebolt which is to be used for string the wires:

 

 

Enjoy

 

Keith

 

 

 

 

Edited August 13, 2015 by melmerby

[jamie92208]

I'm very glad that they are using eyebolts, or rosettes as they were known.  They were hardly used in the first 2nd generation British schemes and a retired architect friend told me that insurance problems and the structural cladding type of many modern buildings were to blame.  However I've seen them used in Nice and the Overhead is hardly noticeable.  I am told that they need to be able to take a force of 700 lbs pull. (or did in the 1930's)

 

Jamie

[Edwin_m]

I'm very glad that they are using eyebolts, or rosettes as they were known.  They were hardly used in the first 2nd generation British schemes and a retired architect friend told me that insurance problems and the structural cladding type of many modern buildings were to blame.  However I've seen them used in Nice and the Overhead is hardly noticeable.  I am told that they need to be able to take a force of 700 lbs pull. (or did in the 1930's)

 

Jamie

Probably a lot more than that these days.  HMRI specifies that the loss of any one fixing shouldn't cause any of the overhead to sag below a particular safe height (which I can't remember at present) and in the situation where a fixing has broken the nearby ones will be taking a much greater load. 

[melmerby]

I took a few more photos on Tuesday.

 

The thing that strikes me is that with three weeks to go to completion of the main infrastructure there is still an awful lot of work to.

According to Centro's website the "Testing and Commisioning" phase should start on 7th September and continue into December when it opens to the public.

 

Corporation Street / New Street Junction.

Rails in place to close the gap (view both ways):

 

Further up Corporation Street on the other missing bit work is progressing (two views):

 

At the Bull Street / Temple Row junction, still only at the excavation stage:

 

Meanwhile in Stephenson Street :

 

Close up of fettling work on crossover:

 

View back towards New Street Station taken from the road junction with Ethel Street:

 

Centro say that preparatory work has already started for the next phase to the ICC

I assume this work at the top of Pinfold Street is to do with it:

 

 

Keith

[James Harrison]

It rather looked like work was progressing on the OHLE when I was in Birmingham earlier today.  Certainly there were a couple of wires being suspended at 2nd floor level between buildings along Corporation Street. 

[melmerby]

Progress as of yesterday with one week to go to completion (well according to the publicised work plan anyway!)

The work phase is supposed to finish by 7th September and testing and commision should start that day.

 

Judge for yourselves.

 

Corporation Street/New Street junction:

 

Still excavating next to the track:

 

Futher up Corporation Street (looking back towards New Street):

 

 

Bull Street/Temple Row Junction:

 

(There were 22 men in this small work area at this time!)

 

Stephenson Street:

 

 

Close of location for as yet unfitted point motor (Seep or Tortoise?):

 

 

Over at Great Charles Street on the old GWR formation (Still lots to do):

 

(I notice it is back to concrete slab)

 

I assume there still has to be a temporary junction laid so that service trams can access Snow Hill whilst testing is carried out on the street running section.

 

Keith

 

 

[melmerby]

It rather looked like work was progressing on the OHLE when I was in Birmingham earlier today.  Certainly there were a couple of wires being suspended at 2nd floor level between buildings along Corporation Street. 

I didn't notice any yesterday, at least it wasn't obvious.

 

There are some eyebolts appearing in one or two places but not yet very many.

 

Keith

[melmerby]

It rather looked like work was progressing on the OHLE when I was in Birmingham earlier today.  Certainly there were a couple of wires being suspended at 2nd floor level between buildings along Corporation Street. 

I had a good look today.

 

I think what you thought might be OHLE is some of the wiring for Christmas lights which is left in place year on year.

This is the only cross span I could find on the tram route and it has a 110v socket on it!:

 

There are similar wires across several other city centre streets.

 

However below it's fixings are new eyebolts which have been recently fitted.

Here is a view of one end with the two fixings, one a complete storey above the other:

The new one is just below the drain pipe.

 

Another one just above the Corporation Street entrance to the North Western Arcade.

You can see the shadow it casts on the column:

 

According to Centro the cross spans are approximately 35 metres apart and will be synthetic rope with a plastic sheath capable of insulating the wiring (so presumably no obvious insulators!)

 

Cheers

 

Keith

Edited September 10, 2015 by melmerby

[melmerby]

Update Thursday 10th September

 

Stephenson Street near to Ian Allan (View both ways):

 

Point motor now fitted and Tarmaced over:

 

Junction of New Street and Corporation Street:

 

Up by North Western Arcade:

 

Bull Street / Temple Row gap progress:

 

Alongside is this jumble of services!:

 

Great Charles Street, still plenty to do:

 

Close up of the crossover, concreted in place but seemly no further progress:

 

Is the tram extension going to be open to the public in time for Christmas?

IMHO unless they really get a move on in the next couple of weeks it seems unlikely.

 

Cheers

 

Keith

Edited September 11, 2015 by melmerby

[melmerby]

There's a bit of artistic license on the Centro website:

Quote:

"Birmingham City Centre Works

Thursday 20th August saw the track complete on the in-to Birmingham street section of the route. Work is continuing in Bull Street and shortly the out of Birmingham track on the street section of the route will be complete.

Work will then take place to complete the off street section and tie-in to the existing Metro Route. This will mean, for a short while, we will be stopping the trams at St Paul's and when complete we will be using the new Snow Hill stop."

 

Not what I would call complete!:

18th August

 

25th August

 

At least it answers the question of how the two sections tie together

 

Cheers

 

Keith

Edited September 11, 2015 by melmerby

[jamie92208]

I've been lurking and following this thread with interest for some time.   The pictures are great and thanks for posting them.   Presumably when the tie in to the existing route is done the route will be slewed to allow a through heavy rail route to be laid into what was the tram platform at Snow Hill.  I suspect that some sort of possession of the rwilway route will be required for that.

 

Jamie

[melmerby]

Presumably when the tie in to the existing route is done the route will be slewed to allow a through heavy rail route to be laid into what was the tram platform at Snow Hill.  I suspect that some sort of possession of the rwilway route will be required for that.

 

Jamie

The platform will be given back to Network Rail but AFAIK there are no immediate plans to incorporate it into the station layout.

No doubt that will happen in the future.

 

The tram route as being constructed starts to curve toward the existing lines quite close to the end of the existing platforms.

I assumed they would use as much of the old trackbed as possible before slewing, but apparantly not.

 

Any heavy rail use would appear to need trimming of the end of the platform, else it's going to need a pretty sharp curve!

 

Cheers

 

Keith

[James Harrison]

I had a good look today.

 

I think what you thought might be OHLE is some of the wiring for Christmas lights which is left in place year on year.

This is the only cross span I could find on the tram route and it has a 110v socket on it!:

wiring1.jpg

 

 

Aah; oops (!)  (This is what comes of casually looking up Corporation Street whilst trying to pick my way through the throngs of New Street...)

[melmerby]

Aah; oops (!)  (This is what comes of casually looking up Corporation Street whilst trying to pick my way through the throngs of New Street...)

Some seem to get left in place each year, some apparently taken down

I presume before Christmas someone comes along on a hoist of some sort to reach the cabling/fixing bolts.

I wonder how they will go about hanging the lights once there are cables carrying 750v nearby?

 

Keith

[The Stationmaster]

Carefully?

[Edwin_m]

Carefully?

Indeed so.  All tramways can provide guidance and codes of practice for anyone that needs to do work at height in streets with OLE. 

[melmerby]

Aah; oops (!)  (This is what comes of casually looking up Corporation Street whilst trying to pick my way through the throngs of New Street...)

I believe I was mistaken as well.

Looking again I think the lower eyebolt below that wiring was already there, so probably not part of the tram works.

However the shiny one above the arcade with one directly opposite by Poundland definitely is new.

 

Keith

Edited September 16, 2015 by melmerby

[melmerby]

As the works approach an end I will try and post more often, so these were taken yesterday, Tuesday 15th.

 

Barriers are being removed in several places such as Stephenson Street:

 

A bit of detail of the crossover, for anybody who's interested.

 

Written description on rail:

 

Notice the squeezing of the flangeway in line with the frog:

 

New Street/Corporation Street, almost finished:

 

Barriers coming down in Corporation Street also:

(note the raised kerb for a tram stop)

 

Up at the Bull Street corner:

 

However around the corner by Temple Row no work going on at all.

It looks as far forward as it did last Thursday:

 

Likewise on the Great Charles Street viaduct.

No progress since last time and no work going on.

 

There were however some of the orange army milling around up by where the new track will meet the old:

 

In contrast to the overrunning tram works, the New Street station rebuild will open on schedule, this Sunday 20th September, with the shopping centre, now called "Grand Central" opening during the following week.

 

Keith

Edited September 16, 2015 by melmerby

[Lemmy282]

According to Centro the cross spans are approximately 35 metres apart and will be synthetic rope with a plastic sheath capable of insulating the wiring (so presumably no obvious insulators!)

 

 

Probably some stuff called Parafil, this was used on Sheffield Supertram back in the 90's. There were also quite a lot of wall fixings (rosettes) used back then, the main problem with using them is finding buildings that will support them, the usual problem is that they can't be fixed to cladding and need to be fixed to the actual structure. Aslo problems in getting permission for fixing, it can be a nightmare finding who actually owns buildings these days, a lot are owned by pension/corporate institutions.

 

Nigel L

[Edwin_m]

One senior tramway person told a conference a few years back that if building owners wouldn't agree to a wall fixing, the alternative option would "require" a pole right outside the front door of that building. 

[melmerby]

I was told by somebody a few weeks ago that they had heard, on good authority from Centro, (direct from the horses mouth they claimed), that there were going to be no wall fixings and it was all going to be poles!

 

I didn't like to tell him that on the Centro website it said precisely the opposite.

 

Keith

[jamie92208]

I was told by somebody a few weeks ago that they had heard, on good authority from Centro, (direct from the horses mouth they claimed), that there were going to be no wall fixings and it was all going to be poles!

 

I didn't like to tell him that on the Centro website it said precisely the opposite.

 

Keith

The horse wasn't called Shergar was it.

 

Jamie

[melmerby]

Yesterday  22nd September the situation was as follows:

 

Stephenson Street almost clear of work.

 

Looking West:

 

Looking East:

 

Stephenson Place

Putting finishing touches to ramp into Grand Central:

 

Looking North up Corporation Street from Stephenson Place:

 

In Corporation Street

Looking south, back towards station:

 

Bull Street/Temple Row

Work Progressing again, concrete was being poured:

 

Great Charles Street

Work has also re-commenced here with some more re-inforcing now in place:

 

More new eyebolts are appearing by the day

Three vertically placed on the side of the Colmore Gate building:

 

 

Interestingly the pavements in some places (along Stephenson Street especially) are in a terrible state and will need upgrading some time, hopefully before the trams start!

In other places they have been completely re-laid with new paving blocks.

 

Edited to remove surplus picture from previous week - now OK

Keith

Edited September 24, 2015 by melmerby