GWML Electification

[RJS1977]

Only back that far? I knew a track engineer whose ambition was to reintroduce the Broad Gauge!

[Ron Ron Ron]

Apologies if this has been posted before.....

(Sorry, I can't be ar**d to look back through the thread)

 

 

https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=%22high%20marnham%22&sort=date-posted-desc

 

 

 

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[jonny777]

A colleague of mine was involved in putting the contact wire up in Anglia. When they got to the end of a particular wire run, they found it wouldn't tension and further investigations revealed that the first half wire run they'd just clipped up was missing. 

 

There is far more electrified railway on the continent. Do they have this persistent trouble with thieving?

[Joseph_Pestell]

There is far more electrified railway on the continent. Do they have this persistent trouble with thieving?

I can remember them having a lot of problems in the South-East suburbs of Paris a few years back.

[jamie92208]

Apologies if this has been posted before.....

(Sorry, I can't be ar**d to look back through the thread)

 

 

https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=%22high%20marnham%22&sort=date-posted-desc

 

 

 

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A very interesting set of pictures.  It looks a lot heavier than previous designs.

 

Jamie

[Peter Kazmierczak]

I know something a lot more robust that the ECML OHLE is needed, but is this how the GWML will look in a few years time?

 

Surely there must be someone out there who can design robust but elegant OHLE. That lot looks like Lego.....

[The Stationmaster]

I know something a lot more robust that the ECML OHLE is needed, but is this how the GWML will look in a few years time?

 

Surely there must be someone out there who can design robust but elegant OHLE. That lot looks like Lego.....

 

That's as nothing compared with some of the portal structures east of Reading station where there are two separate horizintal girders between the two uprights (some appearing on the GE ML too where ohle structures are being renewed).

 

[Peter Kazmierczak]

 

That's as nothing compared with some of the portal structures east of Reading station where there are two separate horizintal girders between the two uprights (some appearing on the GE ML too where ohle structures are being renewed).

 

 

 

Mike, I was hoping you were going to post something more reassuring about their appearance........

[The Stationmaster]

Mike, I was hoping you were going to post something more reassuring about their appearance........

Regrettably Peter I can't.  The ones east of Reading station are in a difficult spot for photography (maybe fortunately) and all that has appeared along the Thames Valley from Reading to Didcot so far is the uprights, which are pretty substantial square tube but I might get some pictures at a later date.  Older style things such as the bracket lattice style structures and straightforward 'H' section masts are also being used but I get the impression that the quadruple track structures might be veering away from the headspan idea of Mk3 catenary - we will see (or Titan will tell us?).

 

The latter two types of structure can be seen below on the flyover and on Oxford Road Curve just clear of where it passes through the flyover (pictures taken last Saturday).

 

 

[Re6/6]

It would seem that robustness will be the order of the day after the poor quality of the ECML kit.

 

The interesting bit will what it will look like through Bath. Lots of 'Victorianesque' wrought iron curlicues and fleur-de-lis I would have thought!

 

The designs submitted for HS2 would look a lot better aesthetically but one has to wonder about the strength of such designs.

http://www.ribacompetitions.com/ols/shortlisted.html

Edited October 23, 2014 by Re6/6

[jamie92208]

I know that headspans are talked of as being a major problem as all four wires usually have to be taken ouyt of action if one goes.  With portal structures I believe that they can all be isolated inividually thus making it possible to get trains running more quickly.   I've seen it written somewhere that that's why the WCML is much more robust than the ECML as most of it is portal structures on mutiple track sections.   However the new stuff does seem to be a tad over engineered.

 

Jamie

 

PS I've now built a 4 track lattice portal for Green Ayre and that has plenty of strength and is built of the correct scale thickness of brass.  Perhaps I should offer to lend the current generation of engineers some of the original drawings from 1907 as an example of how it can be done.  Though maybe that suggestion should be in the'How to Get Lynched thread).

Edited October 23, 2014 by jamie92208

[Ron Ron Ron]

Some photos of the structures around Reading station...

 

Photo 1

 

Photo2

 

Photo 3

 

Photo 4

 

 

Some more at Acton....

 

Photo 5

 

Photo 6

 

 

Similar double decker portals were tested near Old Dalby, if the following are taken there?

 

Photo 7

 

Photo 8  (may be a HS2 type)

 

 

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Edited October 23, 2014 by Ron Ron Ron

[Siberian Snooper]

The kniting structures are proceeding quite rapidly since my stay in Reading for Scaleforum.

[96701]

Well, Network Rail can't win. Castigated for having flimsy headspans on the East Coast, and over-engineered equipment on the Western.

 

http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Featured-Articles/successful-completion-of-series-1-ole-system-testing

[The Stationmaster]

Some photos of the structures around Reading station...

 

Photo 1

 

Photo2

 

Photo 3

 

Photo 4

 

 

Some more at Acton....

 

Photo 5

 

Photo 6

 

 

Similar double decker portals were tested near Old Dalby, if the following are taken there?

 

Photo 7

 

Photo 8  (may be a HS2 type)

 

 

.

The double deck portal is - in basic structure - very similar to those which have appeared east of Reading (including the one in your Photo 1 link).  There are several of them east of New Jcn where the new running junctions have been installed.  Presumably the new Series 1 catenary is designed to take higher uplift forces?

[Rob F]

Well, Network Rail can't win. Castigated for having flimsy headspans on the East Coast, and over-engineered equipment on the Western.

 

http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Featured-Articles/successful-completion-of-series-1-ole-system-testing

I'd go for over engineered, every time.

 

ROB

[Karhedron]

Some photos of the structures around Reading station...

I still can't quite get used to the appearance of Reading station without the centre roads.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Karhedron

[The Stationmaster]

I still can't quite get used to the appearance of Reading station without the centre roads.

Removing the Mains Through Line does seem to me to be a rather odd step based more on achieving a nice wide Platform 7 rather than a bit of operational commonsense.  Although it would lose its original Up Main through Line function with pointwork in the right place at the east end it would make a worthwhile recessing facility for freights heading towards the B&H whereas as things now stand they cannot be easily held anywhere in the area and have to go in order to avid delaying passenger trains only to then get involved in problems on teh very congested (at times) double line section between Oxford Road and Southcote junctions.

 

For a relatively minor cost within the whole scheme I can't quite see why this, or even just a sensible length for No.7 Platform line (with a proper approach speed from the east) wasn't incorporated (and neither can some NR operations people).

[Reorte]

I'd go for over engineered, every time.

There's such a thing as going too far in the other direction though.

 

I don't think you'll ever really win trying to improve the look of overhead electrification, there's probably no way possible of doing it without it looking pretty bad (and having the posts flicking past the windows). Mind you some of the newer stuff doesn't seem quite as ugly as the older parts.

[Ron Ron Ron]

Removing the Mains Through Line does seem to me to be a rather odd step based more on achieving a nice wide Platform 7 rather than a bit of operational commonsense.  

Bearing in mind the overall objective of increasing capacity to allow for up to DOUBLE the number of passengers using the station, increasing platform and circulation space must have been a very high priority.

 

With the (ill judged in my personal opinion) requirement to retain the old station building (The Three Guineas pub), it resulted in a problem with the narrow old platform 7 (nee 4) being a bottleneck for passenger flows between the Southern platforms and the new central hub of the station. Resolving that, must have been a high priority in the design.

 

The other thing to consider, for those not familiar with the new arrangements, is that the orientation of the main through lines has moved over to the middle of the station. The main lines are now on platforms 9 & 10, with platforms 8 & 11 being main loop platforms.

There are also 9 through lines in the new layout, instead of the previous 5.

 

I did read a somewhere that there was a rumour that NR are looking into increasing capacity between Oxford Road and Southcote junctions, with possibly another line?

I don't know how much credence can be put on that story though?

 

 

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[Ron Ron Ron]

"Fred. There's a fault on one of the wires. Can you go out and check it?"

 

 

http://www.agefotostock.com/previewimage/bajaage/fd4ed97e758ecefb770a42cfbc874b54/ibr-1534101.jpg

 

 

     

 

 

 

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Edited October 24, 2014 by Ron Ron Ron

[Titan]

 I get the impression that the quadruple track structures might be veering away from the headspan idea of Mk3 catenary - we will see (or Titan will tell us?).

 

 

 

Its much more than just veering away, more like completely kicked in to the long grass! Post privitisation, headspans are to all intents and purposes banned for new works.  There are some rare exceptions, but generally they are avoided like the plague. Even portals are on the hit list - The preferred method for four track areas on the GWML is pairs of two track cantilevers.  The new design is very quick to install, once the mast is up it takes as little as 2 mins from boom on the ground to fixed in position and ready to have stuff bolted/loaded on to it, you only require two tracks under possession rather than all four, and you can use a smaller crane. The emphasis is much more about minimum disruption, both in construction and operation.

 

The more substantial portal structures you can see are anchor structures.  The new system uses Tensorex constant force spring tensioners, which are not unlike in both looks and operation to a large measuring tape. Gone are the balance weights on the masts. Because of their compact size, it means that the wires can be terminated above the tracks. This means that we are returning to structures that are the modern equivalent of the old Mk1 A frame anchor portals, only without all the angles and pulleys. The operational advantage is that even on complicated junctions the layout can be designed so that not a single wire crosses another, either in running or out of running. The idea is that if one wire breaks, it should not be able to affect anything else.

 

Edit: Unlike the picture above!     

Edited October 24, 2014 by Titan

[jamie92208]

 

The more substantial portal structures you can see are anchor structures.  The new system uses Tensorex constant force spring tensioners, which are not unlike in both looks and operation to a large measuring tape. Gone are the balance weights on the masts. Because of their compact size, it means that the wires can be terminated above the tracks. This means that we are returning to structures that are the modern equivalent of the old Mk1 A frame anchor portals, only without all the angles and pulleys. The operational advantage is that even on complicated junctions the layout can be designed so that not a single wire crosses another, either in running or out of running. The idea is that if one wire breaks, it should not be able to affect anything else.

I suppose that another advantage is that the copper fairies will no longer be able to bring the wires down so that they can steal them by bolt cropping the wires that lead to the tensioning weights.

 

Jamie

[The Stationmaster]

Its much more than just veering away, more like completely kicked in to the long grass! Post privitisation, headspans are to all intents and purposes banned for new works.  There are some rare exceptions, but generally they are avoided like the plague. Even portals are on the hit list - The preferred method for four track areas on the GWML is pairs of two track cantilevers.  The new design is very quick to install, once the mast is up it takes as little as 2 mins from boom on the ground to fixed in position and ready to have stuff bolted/loaded on to it, you only require two tracks under possession rather than all four, and you can use a smaller crane. The emphasis is much more about minimum disruption, both in construction and operation.

 

The more substantial portal structures you can see are anchor structures.  The new system uses Tensorex constant force spring tensioners, which are not unlike in both looks and operation to a large measuring tape. Gone are the balance weights on the masts. Because of their compact size, it means that the wires can be terminated above the tracks. This means that we are returning to structures that are the modern equivalent of the old Mk1 A frame anchor portals, only without all the angles and pulleys. The operational advantage is that even on complicated junctions the layout can be designed so that not a single wire crosses another, either in running or out of running. The idea is that if one wire breaks, it should not be able to affect anything else.

 

Edit: Unlike the picture above!     

Very informative (as ever) thanks.  However I get the impression  - perhaps wrongly - that judging by the masts which have appeared between Reading and Didcot there are going to be portal structures crossing all four roads.  Is this a consequence of geology, or possibly design and installation programming do you know?  Or are we going to get some interesting sights when the horizontal bits are added?

 

And yes Ron, I'm sure I saw something somewhere a good time back about possibly adding a  third line between Reading West station and Southcote Junction - although they will have to move a few new structures etc if that is intended.

[Titan]

Very informative (as ever) thanks.  However I get the impression  - perhaps wrongly - that judging by the masts which have appeared between Reading and Didcot there are going to be portal structures crossing all four roads.  Is this a consequence of geology, or possibly design and installation programming do you know?  Or are we going to get some interesting sights when the horizontal bits are added?

 

 

The masts for the Two track cantilevers and most portals are very very similar, at least for the new design - I notice some older style ones creeping in to the pictures at Reading! If they are masts for the new style TTC's they will have a sort of ratchet like arrangement on which the boom sits, whereas the portal masts are completely plain as the boom is simply clamped. So yes, it will get a little more interesting when the horizontal bits are added!

Edited October 24, 2014 by Titan