GWML Electification

[billbedford]

Probably because some of those commenting have done it for 40-50 years. Things my Grandad taught me about sequencing jobs still hold true today in many instances and he learned his trade on the LNWR.

 

 

That's just the opposite of my reading of Moon's quote.

[The Stationmaster]

Well I took a trip eastwards today which revealed quite good, but again rather odd, progress east of Twyford where many masts have acquired booms but where there are still several masts missing in Twyford Cutting.  More booms have appeared between Twyford and the east end of Sonning Cutting by there are still a number of masts missing on the Down side.  At Twyford station most of the bases would appear to have been done and are boarded over although in a  number of cases the canopies will have to be pierced in order to erect the masts.

 

At long last the new signal structures are now in position east of Shottesbrook (to Maidenhead West) although most of them do not yet appear to have been commissioned but at least the old signal gantries should be readily removable before wiring commences.  East of Maidenhead/Taplow a lot more catenary has appeared in various places although there are gaps between many of the successive wired sections and there is wiring/work train in the BICC workbase at Langley although there is considerable evidence of road/rail vehicles at various access points (many of which are newly constructed on, presumably, rented land).

 

One interesting feature is the use of a number of lineside fields as what might best be called 'workbases' although the purpose of some - such as the one at Lands End west of Twyford (when there is another at Twyford station) in some respects escapes me.  I presume that the idea is that they will reduce the distance road rail vehicles will have to travel to site so enabling more work to be obtained within a possession which in turn suggests that having two high output trains is hardly sufficient and that efforts are being made to catch up on the schedule by continuing to use large numbers of hired-in road/rail vehicles ranging from cranes and cherry pickers to the wiring lorries.  When you see what is involved in terms of access and extra work bases it becomes even easier to understand why costs have continued to rocket.

 

An interesting thing about the NAO document is that it quotes - without adverse comment - £1.4 billion for Crossrail electrification (presumably including track layout changes and stations etc) for the 23 miles from Portobello Jcn to Maidenhead while questioning the currently estimated £2.8 billion for the GWML works (including track layout changes etc) from Maidenhead to Cardiff and Bristol.  IF, a very big IF of course, the GWML scheme part does come out at £2.8 billion that sounds like an absolute bargain per (more difficult) track mile compared with the Crossrail costs, odd.

[Zomboid]

A large part of the cost of any infrastructure project these days is the payments to the TOCs for the disruption. It wouldn't account for the entire difference, but it'll be much more expensive to get access to the route east of Reading. West of Reading there's a diversionary route available for just about every service.

[The Stationmaster]

A large part of the cost of any infrastructure project these days is the payments to the TOCs for the disruption. It wouldn't account for the entire difference, but it'll be much more expensive to get access to the route east of Reading. West of Reading there's a diversionary route available for just about every service.

 

The principle of a two-track timetable at weekends and on weekday nights has been in use east of Didcot/Reading for years when there are major engineering works (it goes back to BR days) and in reality the only times that four track possessions are needed are for really major work (which has been restricted mainly to Christmas and Easter for signalling changeovers and major electrification work).  But then in reality much the same has been the case off the Crossrail contract area with major shutdowns for signalling changeovers where the diversions and cancellations were even more onerous than those needed for Crossrail work and many of the 'normal' diversions are in any case expensive as they increase resource costs considerably or (like some of the major track schemes) have involved considerable 'bus hire contracts).   For example one of this Christmas holiday periods possessions involves total closure of the route between Newport and Bridgend with 'buses providing an alternative service and the Severn Tunnel diversions definitely weren't cheap.

[Edwin_m]

Where the booms span across all four tracks, a four-track possession will be needed to attach each one to its supports. 

[The Stationmaster]

Where the booms span across all four tracks, a four-track possession will be needed to attach each one to its supports. 

 

Very true but it lots of cases they can readily be done during 'no booked service' periods (or in the case of some even between trains) judging by the time at which some of them (e.g Tilehurst station) appeared  as there were no total blockades interfering with the passenger service in that particular week.

[jonny777]

It doesn't have to begin at Airrport Jcn and end at Cardif - it can be done in sensible sections although going from one end to another is obviously better better if it allows progressive introduction of new trains.  But they haven't even managed to get it right in a simple quadruple track section from Reading (effectively Scours Lane to Didcot (East End).  Because of the cock-eyed way in which stuff went in there were no successive sections at one stage which could be wired until various work - which had been done either side of those sections was finished.  And with only a couple of access points for road/rail vehicles which take time to get to site why go through the same few miles of railway doing the same job 4 times over when they could start at each access point doing one task, then come along behind that and do the next task and so on - it makes the bringing forward of materials a lot simpler for a kick-off.  That system seemed to work perfectly well on the WCML and the ECML and it seemed to be just as effective on Paddington - Airport Jcn.

 

Incidentally it is noticeable on the sections around Reading station that jobs are being done in a pretty logical sequence - first erect all the masts and booms then when that is complete and storage sites are clear bring in the fittings in sequence so they are simpler to organise. 

 

And why send a train to unload base piles into a section carrying just two of them and keep it in there for a whole shift doing nothing once those two piles have been unloaded - how much did that cost I wonder?

 

PS I see the report linked by MOW specifically mentions increased costs as a result of having to go back to 'fill in' gaps where masts have not been erected.

 

 

(O/T)

 

Mast erection - old style....

 

 

[talisman56]

(O/T)

 

Mast erection - old style....

 

 

IMG_0899.jpg

 

...and not a Hi-Viz in sight....

[caradoc]

From the National Rail Enquiries website today, created at 1136 and updated at 1302:

 

'Damage to the overhead wires between Didcot Parkway and Reading means that services between these stations may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or not call at stations between Didcot Parkway and Reading.  This is expected to continue until 13:45.

Customer Advice:

Services from Didcot Parkway  towards Reading / London Paddington will not call at Pangbourne. Customers travelling to Pangbourne from Didcot Parkway should travel to Reading and change for services to Pangbourne. Customers travelling from Pangbourne should take the first service towards Didcot Parkway and change for services to Reading and beyond.'

 

Electrification is certainly 'transforming travel' in the Thames Valley !

[Phil Bullock]

And with a kettle....!!!!

 

Phil

[jamie92208]

And with a kettle....!!!!

 

Phil

 

Agree, but any idea of where that is, it must be one of the early schemes.

 

Jamie

[Jon Fitness]

(O/T)

 

Mast erection - old style....

 

 

IMG_0899.jpg

....and I bet the other line is open to traffic too! (Lookout off to the right I think!)

[lmsforever]

Might be on Shenfield Southend line.

[The Stationmaster]

Agree, but any idea of where that is, it must be one of the early schemes.

 

Jamie

 

Looks like a J39 so definitely ER or possibly ScR if it is.. And I bet they planted more masts in a shift than the average rate on the GWML scheme.

[phil-b259]

The thing is, the actual foundations look like they might have been installed quite a few years earlier (well weathered and no signs of excavation). As such could we be looking a a place where the LNER started electrification work before WW2, with the actual mast installation following on a decade or more afterwards from the base installation?

[30851]

With those hills I would say that it may be the Woodhead electrification -  most likely somewhere on the Penistone to Wath section .

 

Rob

[TheSignalEngineer]

(O/T)

 

Mast erection - old style....

 

 

IMG_0899.jpg

What a fantastic train. Bagged cement in the 12T van fitted with end door so you don't have to unload onto the cess or opposite track. Man pushing barrow over boards laid on top of sand and gravel in 3-plank opens. Concrete mixing on a completely unguarded flat wagon and another flat with a water tank.

[Suzie]

What a fantastic train. Bagged cement in the 12T van fitted with end door so you don't have to unload onto the cess or opposite track. Man pushing barrow over boards laid on top of sand and gravel in 3-plank opens. Concrete mixing on a completely unguarded flat wagon and another flat with a water tank.

 

 

It just begs to be modelled.

[jamie92208]

It just begs to be modelled.

 

Somewhere I've got a photo of the Midland's 1907 wiring train.   It has a couple of vans and IIRC a couple of 3 plank wagons one with some sort of platform built on it and the other with a cable reel mounted on it.   Probably pushed by a Kirtley 0-6-0.  I'll see if I can find it.

 

Jamie

[APOLLO]

This is an interesting Video (from 14 mins), cab view of a high speed 125 run from Paddington to Bristol in the 70's - dig the 70's music !!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1EK1Md5-mc

 

Brit15

[billbedford]

What a fantastic train. Bagged cement in the 12T van fitted with end door so you don't have to unload onto the cess or opposite track. Man pushing barrow over boards laid on top of sand and gravel in 3-plank opens. Concrete mixing on a completely unguarded flat wagon and another flat with a water tank.

 

 

...and it appears to be working backwards, as all the uprights ahead of the train seem to be in place. Unless, of course, they were filling in gaps left by an earlier gang.

[jonny777]

I wonder if that could be slowed down and still be viewable? It would give a great record of the track layout from those days.

 

I don't think that is 1970s music, because when "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer came out it was regarded as a revolution in sound, and that was 1977.

 

It is more like 1980s music, when people realised they could link up any instrument to a synthesiser and play the sounds of another one. So drums could play any sounds, likewise keyboards. I remember a tv programme where quite famous musicians (can't remember their names now) demonstrated the 'music of the future' where a guitar was being played through a drum synthesiser and vice-versa.  The result sounded rubbish and thankfully didn't catch on.

[caradoc]

Super video Apollo, thanks for posting. For some odd reason the cab ride missed out Didcot, however the music was great (but then I am a child of the 70s !).

[caradoc]

One other thing the cab ride video shows is the absurd arrangement at Swindon after BR took the Down island platform out of use, with every Down train stopping at Swindon having to cross the Up line twice. In fact 2 trains are shown stopped by this, an Up freight when arriving and an up HST when departing. Thankfully that situation has been resolved. 

[lmsforever]

Very interesting article by Roger Ford In Modern Railways  on electrification and costs regulation etc shows how we have cocked things up due to more and more interference by legilators.