GWML Electification

[Richard E]

Recently a footbridge just north of Peterborough station has been refurbished. The sides were already high but another foot has been added to it and to the road bridge next to it by the simple process of taking galvanised steel U section and bolting it, channel down to the top of the footbridge and roadbridge sides. It is blooming ugly ...

[olivegreen]

In France on many of the older 1500V electrified lines, a lot of overbridges are 'protected' by a low metal railing parapet (think - the height of what used to be on the bridlepath bridge in Moreton Cutting, you could sit on it) - I don't recall mass incidents being reported from that side of the channel. Neither do I hear of work to raise the sides either

 

I just despair at where this country is going

 

I sympathise with you.  

 

I and others on this site have mentioned before that too many supposed 'experts' in the UK safety business wrongly interpret the 'P' in ALARP as 'possible', instead of (the correct) 'practicable'. Thereafter begins all manner of stupidity.

[The Stationmaster]

A trip up from Cornwall via Bristol yesterday showed a modicum of progress on the Up side west of Swindon with some masts erected on Wootton Bassett Incline and some east of Bassett.  east of Swindon the main progress appears to have been east of Shrivenham with more masts in place around Uffington and the from Wantage Road to Lockinge East they appear to be mostly in place but with a big gap of very little progress except some mast bases between there and through Steventon all the way to the A34 bridge.  east of there most masts and some booms appear to be in position up to the start of catenary at c54m40ch from where all lines are now wired right through to Tilehurst including the running junctions at Didcot east and Moreton Cutting and it also looked as if platform 5 at Didcot had been done.

 

we were going a bit fast to see if the final Relief Lines section from Tilehurst East Jcn to Scours Lane had been tidied up and completed but Simon's comment about the HOPS train suggests that might now be the case.  As far as i could see there was still only an earth wire in place east of Scours Lane bridge.

 

Fittings are now starting to appear on gantries etc in the Reading station area and there is a significant stockpile of materials in the compound at the north side of the station including several drums of both contact and catenary/earth wire.

 

east of Reading there are now some masts on both sides in Sonning Cutting and then they are fairly complete from there to the west end of Twyford station.  it all looks as if a possible waorkbase of some description is being eaestablished near the lineside access gates at Lands End (Twyford West) although some material and machines are still taking up space in Twyford car park.  It is not clear what progress, if any, has been made with the covered base foundations at Twyford station. 

[Brian Kirby]

I had a trip down from Paddington to Llanharan, on the last Saturday before the Severn Tunnel closure two weeks ago. On the ride down to Swindon, I witnessed most of what Mike has reported immediately above, but beyond Wootton Bassett on the Badminton route, there was no sign of any wires, masts or even mast bases (unless I missed them!), although here and there I did see plant and construction parts stacked up ready for action. Arriving at Bristol Parkway various masts were already erected, presumably in connection with the new depot at Stoke Gifford? No sign of masts down to the outside of the Severn Tunnel, perhaps the Badminton route will be dealt with at the same time as the tunnel closure, or would that be spreading the workforce too thin? Between STJ and Cardiff, a large overbridge was being worked on as we passed, was this the cause of the total blockage on this section, on the following weekend? I was expecting to change on to a local train at Cardiff, but it transpired the main line to Bridgend was closed for the engineers, everything was running via Barry and Rhoose, I got to LLanharan by replacement bus via the M4 (complete with unassisted three-point turn on the main road at Pontyclun).  

                                                                                                                                            Cheers, Brian. 

[John_Miles]

There are some masts in South Wales between STJ and Cardiff.

[Banger Blue]

Reports via Rumour Control are that Reading Depot (or parts thereof) will be energised towards the back end of November.

[John_Miles]

There is also a thread about South Wales structures here :-

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/102680-windsor-road-bridge-cardiff/

 

It's not comprehensive, there are several small bridges between Cardiff and Newport which have been or are in the process of being replaced.

 

The piles for the wiring only go as far west as Wentloog at present.

[Reorte]

The problem with that approach is that whenever you think you've made something idiot-proof they go and invent a better idiot....

Quite. No matter how far you go it's always possible to work out some (increasingly unlikely) risk and come up with (increasingly extreme) measures to deal with it. It's a question of when to stop, and there's no non-arbitrary answer to that. The UK may be getting safer to live in; it's certainly getting more depressing to live in. On the specifics a 25 kV overhead line would seem to present additional risks not present without one so fair dos, but does everything have to be so darned ugly? The next time I hear "it's not about aesthetics"...

Edited September 27, 2016 by Reorte

[Zomboid]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... I haven't seen the parapets/ the design so I've no idea what they'll be, but I would say a modern addition to a Brunel structure would be preferable to some pretend old stuff. It's more honest to the original structure to add something completely different, and pretend old is a bit Disneyland.

[SwissRailPassion]

The parapets are high because we did not claim a derogation years ago. Recently new work has to be even higher, again we failed to claim the derogation. We could blame Brussels but we were consulted and simply failed to register an exemption or claim a derogation. Other countries did and as a result it is possible to watch trains from bridges across Europe.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... I haven't seen the parapets/ the design so I've no idea what they'll be, but I would say a modern addition to a Brunel structure would be preferable to some pretend old stuff. It's more honest to the original structure to add something completely different, and pretend old is a bit Disneyland.

 

Indeed.

 

Though surely something more stylish could've been designed to be more pleasing to the eye rather than those horrid metal constructions which are blighting our bridges. The form vs function balance has swung too much towards the latter. Doubtless economics being the deciding factor.

[Geoff Endacott]

Maybe Banksy will improve them.

 

Geoff Endacott

[corneliuslundie]

"it's always possible to work out some (increasingly unlikely) risk and come up with (increasingly extreme) measures to deal with it. It's a question of when to stop, and there's no non-arbitrary answer to that."

As has been said above, it is supposed health and safety experts who simply do not know (or perhaps do not care) about the difference between P meaning Practicable (which is what the regislation requires) and P meaning possible - which is how it is too often interpreted.

There is surely meant to be a cost-benefit analysis, with the cost of a life fed in, the same as for motorway projects etc. But that does not seem to happen.

So we spend more and more money we cannot afford achieving less and less in increased safety.

BTW I remember being in a conference in Germany when someone asked about reducing injuries in accidents (eg increased end impact resistance). The answer was short and sweet: "We prefer to avoid having accidents in the first place."

I am not sure why the question came up. It must have been at a meeting about European standardisation.

Jonathan

[Great Western]

Great Western Route electrification work continues at Newport platform two 27/09/16.

[Fat Controller]

"it's always possible to work out some (increasingly unlikely) risk and come up with (increasingly extreme) measures to deal with it. It's a question of when to stop, and there's no non-arbitrary answer to that."

As has been said above, it is supposed health and safety experts who simply do not know (or perhaps do not care) about the difference between P meaning Practicable (which is what the regislation requires) and P meaning possible - which is how it is too often interpreted.

There is surely meant to be a cost-benefit analysis, with the cost of a life fed in, the same as for motorway projects etc. But that does not seem to happen.

So we spend more and more money we cannot afford achieving less and less in increased safety.

BTW I remember being in a conference in Germany when someone asked about reducing injuries in accidents (eg increased end impact resistance). The answer was short and sweet: "We prefer to avoid having accidents in the first place."

I am not sure why the question came up. It must have been at a meeting about European standardisation.

Jonathan

A 'value per casualty' is applied to rail, as it is to road; however, the figure for rail is several times higher (a 1999 reported £3 million per life saved on rail, as opposed to £1 million per road fatality). Part of this discrepancy is  probably due to railway accidents having a much higher profile: a look through the BBC News or Google News when a rail incident occurs shows this. A single fatality in a level crossing accident will make it to national headline levels, whilst several young people being killed in an RTA might make regional headlines at best.

The increasing cost per life saved with each new safety measure is not surprising; the 'cheap (or at least easy) fixes' will normally have been done first (continuous brakes, block signalling etc), so it's those initially seen as 'too difficult' or 'too expensive' which remain.

There has been mention on here of French railway bridge parapets; what I haven't seen mentioned is that the majority of such parapets in areas with overhead eletrification have brackets extending out some distance from the outer edge of the bridge, supporting wire mesh, and making it difficult to make contact with the knitting.

[D1059]

 

There has been mention on here of French railway bridge parapets; what I haven't seen mentioned is that the majority of such parapets in areas with overhead eletrification have brackets extending out some distance from the outer edge of the bridge, supporting wire mesh, and making it difficult to make contact with the knitting.

 

Indeed they do (or at least the ones that I've seen do) - they don't however stop idiots poking branches down at the wires, and in the event of falling over the parapet I still wouldn't fancy my chances of avoiding being fried !!

[Reorte]

Indeed they do (or at least the ones that I've seen do) - they don't however stop idiots poking branches down at the wires, and in the event of falling over the parapet I still wouldn't fancy my chances of avoiding being fried !!

Anyone falling over a parapet has only got themselves to blame (unless it collapses on them).  It's everyone who has to deal with the consequences that I've got sympathy for.

[roythebus]

You still can't legislate for stupid.

[D1059]

You still can't legislate for stupid.

 

Tell that to the H&S bods !!!

[PenrithBeacon]

Indeed.

 

Though surely something more stylish could've been designed to be more pleasing to the eye rather than those horrid metal constructions which are blighting our bridges. The form vs function balance has swung too much towards the latter. Doubtless economics being the deciding factor.

I'm sure this is true. A sheet of mild steel plate, bent and galvanised will probably last for at least thirty years without any maintenance at all. It is probably cheaper to make and install than the old fashioned BR style of electrification bridge as well. But it does look dreadful.

 

Regards

[Reorte]

I'm sure this is true. A sheet of mild steel plate, bent and galvanised will probably last for at least thirty years without any maintenance at all. It is probably cheaper to make and install than the old fashioned BR style of electrification bridge as well. But it does look dreadful.

Maybe just a lick of paint would help (or does that interfere with the galvanising?) The heavy-looking bits of metal I've seen appear on a few bridges to presumably protect against bridge strikes have been painted and at least aren't that obvious at a glance as a result.

[St. Simon]

Hi,

 

A sizeable fleet of electrification RRVs (about 10 I would of said) and man power were at Tilehurst access point about half an hour ago as I passed through, so presumably some hefty work being done.

 

Simon

[PenrithBeacon]

Maybe just a lick of paint would help (or does that interfere with the galvanising?) The heavy-looking bits of metal I've seen appear on a few bridges to presumably protect against bridge strikes have been painted and at least aren't that obvious at a glance as a result.

I doubt if it would interfere with the galvanising but it would need repainting every 5 years or so. To do so costs money, so I really don't think it will be NR preferred option. That said they could have used the sprayed/heated treated finish used on my garage door. But again it would cost money! The galvanising will tone down in time and become more of a grey.

 

Regards

[The Stationmaster]

Hi,

 

A sizeable fleet of electrification RRVs (about 10 I would of said) and man power were at Tilehurst access point about half an hour ago as I passed through, so presumably some hefty work being done.

 

Simon

 

Lots of detail bits & bobs still to sort on the Reliefs perhaps although they might be heading east of Scours as Tilehurst will I think be the nearest straightforward access point

[Karhedron]

Anyone falling over a parapet has only got themselves to blame (unless it collapses on them).  It's everyone who has to deal with the consequences that I've got sympathy for.

This happened just down the road from me. Not always the victim's fault.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-37501012