Bath electrification

[Edwin_m]

9 hours ago, Ken.W said:

 

I believe the 800s take more power than the 91s, combined with as I said previously a greater number of trains operating on electric.

As the 800s don't need to be at a stand to change over, I'd have thought the Aberdeens should have been able to run on electric as far as Saughton Jn (is it? I never worked beyond Haymarket in that direction). Not a lot further, but given the 800s performance on diesel (ie absence of it) it would make a big difference in getting away from Haymarket and up to linespeed.

The last I heard, just last month, they were also still having to run on diesel between Waverley and Stirling.

 

As for Glasgow, as I said I'm not sure of, but aren't the SR via Shotts now also electric? Again extra electric trains, and I remember when we did work through to Glasgow, the 91s often suffered from voltage drop on the Haymarket - Carstairs line and the via Shotts were still diesel at that time

Saughton Junction hasn't been an actual junction since the Edinburgh re-signaling in the late 1970s and possibly even longer than that.  The lines diverge there but the crossovers where trains are routed onto the correct pair are much closer to Haymarket.  I assume the northern pair are unelectrified between these crossovers and Saughton, and raising the pan in areas of switches and crossings isn't favoured, so the first feasible changeover point is probably so close to Haymarket that it might as well be done during the station stop.  

 

Shotts is indeed electrified.  I presume, but don't know for certain, that this has improved the feed arrangements to the electrification on the Carstairs route, which was done in around 1990 when BR had become expert at producing cheap electrification but less so at making it reliable.