Wires to Bromsgrove

[28XX]

There doesn't seem to be an existing topic on this scheme, so here goes.

 

Work to raise the overbridges seems to be complete. Here is a pic of the accommodation bridge 110 just north of the M42.

 

I'll have a little time to spare in this area over the next few weeks, so more to follow.

 

[phil-b259]

Mast  bases going in too by the look of things.

[28XX]

And, because not all concerned with work on the railway are die-hard rail historians these days, someone has usefully painted UP---> on the abutment shewing the direction of Derby.

[96701]

And, because not all concerned with work on the railway are die-hard rail historians these days, someone has usefully painted UP---> on the abutment shewing the direction of Derby.

That is more than useful, it could save lives when organising line blocks to carry out any sort of work.

[phil-b259]

That is more than useful, it could save lives when organising line blocks to carry out any sort of work.

 

You would like to think that staff were properly briefed beforehand and would know such things - but in an era where some staff (particularly contractors) don't have the time to become familiar with locations, its a case of 'every little helps'

[Bruce Depot]

Is the fast lines missing section Kings Norton-Longbridge being infilled at the same time? One of the worst decisions ever made when the OHLE was first installed around 1993.

[Titan]

A class 92 would make an awesome banker if the OLE was capable of feeding it!

[John_Miles]

The shame is that some attractive masonry arches have been destroyed between Barnt Green and Blackwell. Is it just me or is progress on this very slow. The installation of bases has been ongoing for at least a year and yet there is no sign of OHLE being installed and i suspect the job will drag on well into 2018.

[28XX]

A class 92 would make an awesome banker if the OLE was capable of feeding it!

There is no facility for banking anymore. The new station at Bromsgrove has no stabling point, Worcester is the next nearest, and I don't think they have any traction pottering about waiting for duty as in days of yore.

[rovex]

Is the fast lines missing section Kings Norton-Longbridge being infilled at the same time? One of the worst decisions ever made when the OHLE was first installed around 1993.

I would expect not. The electrification is intended to facilitate an extension of the cross city, so any trains using it will be stopping at all stations and not using the fast tracks

[TheSignalEngineer]

There is no facility for banking anymore. The new station at Bromsgrove has no stabling point, Worcester is the next nearest, and I don't think they have any traction pottering about waiting for duty as in days of yore.

Not sure if it is still happening but the last banking I saw there was done by LEs coming from Saltley or Bescot and waiting in the Up Loop.

[Fat Controller]

Whilst there are probably no coal trains from Avonmouth/Portbury any more, I believe there are still heavy coil trains for Corby and Teesside, and slab trains for Teesside.

[wombatofludham]

Is the fast lines missing section Kings Norton-Longbridge being infilled at the same time? One of the worst decisions ever made when the OHLE was first installed around 1993.

 

Whilst it seemed perverse not to wire up the fast lines it should be remembered the whole Cross City electrification was done on the cheap because the DfT in London didn't actually want to electrify what they patronisingly described as a "rural branch line" when the Chiltern and other SE commuter lines were not electrified.  When I worked at Centro at the time the bid to electrify the Cross City had been on the desk at Marsham St for years, and the DfT kept coming back with offers first of Railbus replacements for the ageing diesel fleet, then Sprinters which they claimed were as fast as electrics.  It took the suicide of the Lichfield MP and the impending loss of of the seat in a by-election to get Cecil Parkinson out from under his mistress long enough to sign off the approval in the vain hope of bribing the electors of Lichfield to vote for his party - only for the good commuters of Lichfield to say "Ta very muchly" and promptly vote Labour in gratitude.  However, the approval only got the go ahead after Regional Railways had worked extremely hard to scrape every last bit of fat from the bid, and it is to their credit that they managed to make the scheme work in the light of such cheeseparing and downright hostility and lack of vision from London.

 

To be honest I have a lot of admiration for the Centro and Regional Railways officers, and the much maligned politicians of the PTA, who oversaw what was in many respects a golden renaissance of the West Midlands rail network in the face of such hostility from the Government.  The Jewellery Line, partly paid for by the proceeds of selling off the bus company West Midlands Travel, the Cross City modernisation, the opening of the Chase Line and the introduction of Sprinters to the diesel network despite the attempts to persuade Centro to accept Pacers, plus rebuilding of many life expired or inadequate station facilities all required the patience of Job and a huge amount of determination on the part of those trying to prise money out of the Department.

[Bruce Depot]

I would expect not. The electrification is intended to facilitate an extension of the cross city, so any trains using it will be stopping at all stations and not using the fast tracks

If you had been involved with the day to day running of the X cityy service you would understand just how useful and flexible it would have been if the fasts had also been wired.

 

Whilst it seemed perverse not to wire up the fast lines it should be remembered the whole Cross City electrification was done on the cheap because the DfT in London didn't actually want to electrify what they patronisingly described as a "rural branch line" when the Chiltern and other SE commuter lines were not electrified.  When I worked at Centro at the time the bid to electrify the Cross City had been on the desk at Marsham St for years, and the DfT kept coming back with offers first of Railbus replacements for the ageing diesel fleet, then Sprinters which they claimed were as fast as electrics.  It took the suicide of the Lichfield MP and the impending loss of of the seat in a by-election to get Cecil Parkinson out from under his mistress long enough to sign off the approval in the vain hope of bribing the electors of Lichfield to vote for his party - only for the good commuters of Lichfield to say "Ta very muchly" and promptly vote Labour in gratitude.  However, the approval only got the go ahead after Regional Railways had worked extremely hard to scrape every last bit of fat from the bid, and it is to their credit that they managed to make the scheme work in the light of such cheeseparing and downright hostility and lack of vision from London.

 

To be honest I have a lot of admiration for the Centro and Regional Railways officers, and the much maligned politicians of the PTA, who oversaw what was in many respects a golden renaissance of the West Midlands rail network in the face of such hostility from the Government.  The Jewellery Line, partly paid for by the proceeds of selling off the bus company West Midlands Travel, the Cross City modernisation, the opening of the Chase Line and the introduction of Sprinters to the diesel network despite the attempts to persuade Centro to accept Pacers, plus rebuilding of many life expired or inadequate station facilities all required the patience of Job and a huge amount of determination on the part of those trying to prise money out of the Department.

You dont need to tell me how cheap the job was done on, saw the corners cut in Saltley PSB to save the pennies when the signalling had to be changed frem Reed to SSI, let alone the bits wired/not done!

[wombatofludham]

You dont need to tell me how cheap the job was done on, saw the corners cut in Saltley PSB to save the pennies when then singalling had to be changed frem Reed to SSI, let alone the bits wired/not done!

 

Sadly the whole issue of resignalling in the Midlands and the benefits it could bring seems to have been a catalogue of missed opportunities and dithering.  Some progress seems to be being made but I'm not sure to what extent things are improving no longer being in the area.

 

I understand resignalling New Street is proving "problematical".

[Dagworth]

to get Cecil Parkinson out from under his mistress

Would that be the era that saw Surrey Docks renamed as Surrey Quays as well?

 

Andi

[28XX]

Not sure if it is still happening but the last banking I saw there was done by LEs coming from Saltley or Bescot and waiting in the Up Loop.

If / when the Cross City service extends to Bromsgrove, you won't be able to do that easily because there will presumably be stock from a terminating service waiting in that loop for time to go back to Brum.

[Joseph_Pestell]

If / when the Cross City service extends to Bromsgrove, you won't be able to do that easily because there will presumably be stock from a terminating service waiting in that loop for time to go back to Brum.

The new station will have 4 platforms IIRC.

[28XX]

The new station will have 4 platforms IIRC.

It does. It's finished and it is a thing of beauty, complete with a big RED tower with the BR corporate logo on each of four sides.

 

The up and down main lines will need to be kept clear for NE - SW non stop services. The down terminating train could lie by in the down loop until its very nearly time, then nip across I suppose, but then it is all about timing.

 

Those who live longest will see most.

[Edwin_m]

Of the four platforms, two are for the main lines with the one between them for terminating electric trains so they can arrive and depart without conflicting with passing trains in the other direction.  The fourth platform is the Up loop, which I think can still be used for attaching a banking engine, although I read somewhere the drivers will communicate by radio not by the previous system of plungers and lights. 

[28XX]

Of the four platforms, two are for the main lines with the one between them for terminating electric trains so they can arrive and depart without conflicting with passing trains in the other direction. The fourth platform is the Up loop, which I think can still be used for attaching a banking engine, although I read somewhere the drivers will communicate by radio not by the previous system of plungers and lights.

Ahh that makes sense. It also minimises the amount of OLE required. The only snag I see is that down expresses, probably running at max line speed, will have to make the sharpest turn to take the left hand track. I'll have a look next week.

[Phil Bullock]

See posts on here for further gen on new Bromsgrove layout

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/11410-abbotswood-junction-youtube-landmark/page-32

 

#784 onwards - thanks to Gareth 73 for sharing them

 

Phil

[TheSignalEngineer]

 

I understand resignalling New Street is proving "problematical".

From my dealings with the place years ago, the biggest problem with trying to resignal New Street station area is that if you do it to current rules it doesn't work. The timetable as it stands would probably have to be cut by half or a second layer with another 12 platforms provided to get all of the rush hour trains in and out.

 

If you realise that Proof House Junction with all of its crossing moves has about the same number of trains passing through as the straight up and down section of the WCML between North Wembley and Watford. There's not many stopping for long on that stretch, but at New Street the dwell times for through trains are rarley lower than three minutes and sometimes in excess of ten. Lay overs for turnbacks can be from a few minutes up to three-quarters of an hour. 

[wombatofludham]

From my dealings with the place years ago, the biggest problem with trying to resignal New Street station area is that if you do it to current rules it doesn't work. The timetable as it stands would probably have to be cut by half or a second layer with another 12 platforms provided to get all of the rush hour trains in and out.

 

 

 

That's what I had heard as well, which does rather beg the question quite how are they going to square the circle as the current signalling presumably can't keep being patched up forever.  Of course if Birmingham could secure just a fraction of the money being spent in London we'd have an underground Cross City station beneath New Street with tunnel from Five Ways to Duddeston by now, which might just help reduce some of the pressure.

[Zomboid]

Tunneling under Birmingham would be very expensive. Maybe not as much as crossrail, since it would probably be considerably shorter, but unless by "fraction" you mean something like 3/4...

Haven't they just expanded the tram system?