Mike Storey Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 the comment about the headspan used is more along the fact that they have ignored what went before and started from scratch. A development of the designs before, but using a beam instead of the wires, with the new design of arms to make individually insulated lines, would have been better. The comments from the article imply that they assumed the headspan was worse than it was, so ignored previous designs. I have just been reading the july issue of modern railways, and in it there is a very good piece on the GW electrification, but what specifically caught my attention was the comments on the F&F equiptment, and questons have been asked about the designs. Things like if the traditional H section uprights have done so well after X number of years, why change to box sections? Why the larger diameter and deeper piles when the older sizes and depth have worked? And the fact the reliability of the headspan used on the ECML is nowhere near as bad as has been made out in the past, it just required proper maintenace. Well worth a read if you are into any of the technical stuff involved in this. I agree it is a very worthwhile read, but I am not sure we have read the same article? All your questions were answered within the article. I used to occasionally work alongside Peter Dearman back in ECML days, and I seriously respect his views and experience. Roger Ford may well have disagreed on certain matters, but who is the OLE engineer? Specifically, the Mark 3B H masts were considered but the method of assembly of the spans to masts plus the greater forces arising from the much thicker gauge contact wires suggested in the original calculations, concluded that box section masts were more efficient. Having realised the original design team supplied F&F with the wrong design parameters (or "code"), they now believe they can reduce the steelwork in the over-engineered masts, spans and bores, but the whole-life costs, mainly including increased maintenance intervals and reduced maintenance and repair possession lengths, and impact on service operation in failure, are significantly lower in comparison to the Mark 3 design. .ECML are certainly trialling catenary to span modifications (at Potters Bar) to the mark 3, in readiness for SET introduction, and this may well be the compromise solution that suits them best, but it is not optimal when starting from scratch. ECML also continues to suffer from high winds damage, particularly in very localised, extreme gusting, and this is a lesson that appears to have been learnt well for GWML, at least I hope so. I have seen H sections visibly "bent" after such effects. ECML will always remain a very high maintenance system, to maintain tension, alignment and integrity. Mark 1, c.1939 design, as being replaced progressively on Anglia, was to battleship standards at fixed tension, but it had its own dramatic failure problems and also ongoing problems, as we found out when trying to modify it around Stratford prior to the 2012 Games. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpb56125 Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 First GWR 387 unit left Derby for Bletchley Depot this afternoon. Seen from a passing train in Derby station. Mark 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 (edited) Any ideas if a pantograph would get past this once you have a bit of upward preassure at Didcot? The support needs to go up a bit but there are no more holes to allow you to do this. Edited July 8, 2016 by brian daniels 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 Any ideas if a pantograph would get past this once you have a bit of upward preassure at Didcot? The support needs to go up a bit but there are no more holes to allow you to do this. That is not the final position, It has probably got temporary droppers or possibly blue rope either side of the support. When the correct droppers are fitted it will all drop in to place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 (edited) All your questions were answered within the article. I used to occasionally work alongside Peter Dearman back in ECML days, and I seriously respect his views and experience. Roger Ford may well have disagreed on certain matters, but who is the OLE engineer? I have also worked for Peter Dearman and he also has my utmost respect. I doubt if there is anyone who knows OLE better than he does. Edited July 8, 2016 by Titan 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Western Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Bridge Street (Newport) bridge removal operation Sunday 10th July 2016. The lifted started after a few false starts just after 0300hrs and the touch down in its scrapping site in the car park was 0405hrs. The new bridge is planned to go in, in a similar manner is in September. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frappington Jct Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Bridge Street (Newport) bridge removal operation Sunday 10th July 2016. The lifted started after a few false starts just after 0300hrs and the touch down in its scrapping site in the car park was 0405hrs. The new bridge is planned to go in, in a similar manner is in September. Does anyone know what sort of bridge they're replacing this with? Is it going to be sympathetic or a cold and horrible concrete example? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Western Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 It'll be a single span steel and concrete job according to the information poster pasted to the hoardings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D1059 Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Is it going to be sympathetic ? That'll be a NO then Sounds like it will be the same as all those replaced this side of the Severn - bare galvanised metal and concrete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 96701 Posted July 11, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 11, 2016 That'll be a NO then Sounds like it will be the same as all those replaced this side of the Severn - bare galvanised metal and concrete Like that is really going to spoil the look of Newport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan452 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Not much to see at Swindon yet from what I could see on last night's BBC4 'Trainspotting' programme. Other than the (previously mentioned) new signal gantry at the west end of the platforms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St. Simon Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 (edited) DSCN0300.JPGConcrete-paved track on the new flyover. Is this just a temporary arrangement? To my eyes it looks like it needs some tweaking.Hi, I can confirm that this is a most permernant arrangement, this track will be in place in this state when the line is commissioned at Christmas, but no trains wheels will ever touch it. Confused? I'll clarify I had a meeting today to discuss the state of the Stockley signalling scheme plan with various other disciplines, including track. During the course of the meeting, I discovered what those rails are, they are construction rails, they are basically slab track and will be used to transport the concrete cradles for the new Up Airport ramp into their final position, the final running rails (on top of a layer of ballast) will sit in these. This means that the construction rails will be encased in concrete and not removed. They are the only way that they can construct the ramp around an operational railway, the Up Airport (or the Down Airport Relief come Christmas) ramp is built the exact same way. Simon Edited July 13, 2016 by St. Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Thanks Simon. That use for those rails never crossed my mind..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted July 13, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 13, 2016 Does anyone know what sort of bridge they're replacing this with? Is it going to be sympathetic or a cold and horrible concrete example? I don't know about the bridge but an extremely large crane was in course of being assembled today on the Godfrey Road site so it looks as if some big lifts will be happening soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St. Simon Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Thanks Simon. That use for those rails never crossed my mind..... Same here, niether me nor my designer thought about it either, although I suspect we were in a minority as we were the only ones to go 'oooohhh' when the explanation was given! Simon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS1977 Posted July 14, 2016 Share Posted July 14, 2016 Thanks Simon. That use for those rails never crossed my mind..... "Unexploded German skulls? I hadn’t thought of that." "Elephant soup with sqad spuds." "I hadn’t thought of that, either." "Sabrina in the bath." "I do have some spare time..." - Quatermass and Bloodnok, "The Scarlet Capsule" 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frappington Jct Posted July 14, 2016 Share Posted July 14, 2016 I don't know about the bridge but an extremely large crane was in course of being assembled today on the Godfrey Road site so it looks as if some big lifts will be happening soon. If you mean the massive crawler crane, then I think they may actually be dismantling it - it was used to take the old bridge out on Sunday night but the new one isn't going in till September time according to an engineer at the sight u talked to, so the crane is probably going off to do something else in the meantime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Western Posted July 14, 2016 Share Posted July 14, 2016 I don't know about the bridge but an extremely large crane was in course of being assembled today on the Godfrey Road site so it looks as if some big lifts will be happening soon. It was being taken apart after the lift on Sunday morning....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted July 18, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 18, 2016 A bit of an update - although in this case not heavy on detail as on the trips involved I was there for matters other than counting masts and bases etc. 1. Noticed on Saturday that there are some masts now in place east of Twyford - mostly beyond Twyford Cutting but at least one, with a boom, on the Up side in the cutting 2. Some bases now in position on the Down side in Sonning Cutting and seemingly working westwards although not all trial digs seem to be complete - then a gap (after a couple of bases in situ for sometime) between Sonning Sidings (site) and almost to Kennet Bridge. 3. Many more masts and booms now in position west of Reading station on all lines although still plenty in the Cow Lane stockpile. Relief Line booms look to be more or less complete through to Scours Lane. 4. One section of Down Relief now wired immediately east of Scours Lane but not yet fully assembled and tensioned. Not much new progress noted on the Reliefs from Scours Lane to Foxhall Jcn but not checked against previous recorded observations. 5. Noted the Down side and Down Main Line wiring in the vicinity of Moreton Cutting is far from complete - there is even one structure carrying the catenary wire on temporary strapping and the return (?) wire is not in position on that section. 6. Main Lines wiring extends to c.54m50ch but is basically 'straight line' with no wiring through junctions or pointwork as far as I could see so in reality far from complete. 7. Still no signs of progress immediately east of Steventon overbridge although mast bases are now in position on the Up side through the station site. 8. Typical shambles now emerging between Wantage Road and Challow - in some places the bases are not in or are not fully in while elsewhere some masts (there are gaps) are erected, some of them on the Up side have booms while some others have the top insulator arrangement for the return(?) wire. 8. Some mast bases now in position on the Up side between Knighton Crossing (site) and Ashbury Crossing (site) - strangely they are sited far enough back from the Up Main to allow the Up Goods to be relaid, weird! A couple of mast bases have also appeared on the Up side alongside Highworth Loop 9. Everywhere - including locations well away from signs of not much else happening - the various substations etc are seemingly fairly complete. Looks like ABB are better at meeting NR timescales and projected dates than NR itself can manage. 10. There are signs in various places (pics to follow) of new cable routes going in which appear to be for high tension cables - I'm not at all sure if that is what they're actually for but their installation very much postdates signalling changeovers; the pics might answer that one once I get them posted. 11. Noted that in various places what will clearly be new workbases are under construction with access roads, room for portacabins/storage etc, and access to the running lines. this suggests that far more use is going to be made of road-rail machines and roadborne supply of materials than was originally the case - I trust the revised budget reflects this change? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St. Simon Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Hi, I've just seen on the Network Rail Facebook page that a pair of IEPs were tested under electric Power last night on the Reading - Didcot section. There is a video, but I can't link it to here Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ron Ron Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 ......There is a video, but I can't link it to here Simon It can be seen here..... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted July 18, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 18, 2016 It can be seen here..... Thanks for that. There didn't appear to be any bounce in the wire as they passed through at speed. Jamie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted July 18, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 18, 2016 Thanks for that. There didn't appear to be any bounce in the wire as they passed through at speed. Jamie There shouldn't be with that new catenary - it is much stiffer than the likes of BR Mk3 (and probably stiffer than the WCML catenary other than the original Styal Loop wiring). But intersting to see it was under power at Moreton Cutting which suggests that some of the 'missing' bits of wiring aren't critically important at this stage in the game. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Connell Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 News on work in the Severn Tunnel. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-36837623 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted July 20, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 20, 2016 News on work in the Severn Tunnel. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-36837623 Apart from the length and line speed I wonder how different it is from the solid overhead on Trowse swing bridge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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