RMweb Premium melmerby Posted November 9, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted November 9, 2015 At last, they are admitting they are running out of time! So much for running to New Street Station by Christmas. Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted November 9, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 9, 2015 At last, they are admitting they are running out of time! So much for running to New Street Station by Christmas. Keith No, actually you've got it all wrong - they're scaling back work and progress to avoid interfering with the pre-Christmas shopping rush so it's nothing at all to do with the project being behind its original planned dates. Is it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Robert Shrives Posted November 9, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 9, 2015 Hi , Last week saw overnight working on the Snow Hill track slabs - Ro rail machines moving spoil about - site is very tight and with the rush of work now looks a real mess with discarded equipment and ducting just thrown aside - ducting was a playground for rats and I saw a fox on platforms heading towards Moor st. - no orange jacket but a red bushy tail! Today walked up from New St to Bull st for a bus and at a quick glance all the street running cross spans now up . missing from link track works to Snow Hill Queensway roundabout. No contact wire up yet. Quite a bit of pavement works to finish, I have to agree that that the planners are fans of fifty shades of grey !! So dull dull dull and dull. It will not be kept clean - well not sofar so the split drinks and worse stains disfigure the way already and the inevitable removal of the lovely trees have left a visually barren street view - even if one or two non concrete buildings attmept to enliven the greyness. Mind you the Pink trams and grey streets are on trend fashion colours.. Can`t wait not long now for the first tram to get into the LM messrooms on the station ! Robert 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcroz Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 (edited) .. site is very tight and with the rush of work now looks a real mess with discarded equipment and ducting just thrown aside - ducting was a playground for rats and I saw a fox on platforms heading towards Moor st. - no orange jacket but a red bushy tail! Robert The site may need some urgent tidying before Thursday next week: Queen heads to city to see New Street and Birmingham Metro trams http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/queen-heads-city-see-new-10419985 "The Queen is heading to Birmingham next week for her first glimpse of New Street Station and the new city centre trams. The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, will visit Birmingham on Thursday, November 19, with a long itinerary in the city. After taking in the improved New Street, Her Majesty will be shown the new Midland Metro extension, which will go to Bull Street. The Queen will name and then board one of the new trams – although she will not be able to see them travel to New Street after it was delayed. The Queen and The Duke will pause at the Pals War Memorial, which commemorates railwaymen who died during the First World War. There, they will take part in a dedication and wreath-laying ceremony. They will then head to the is the official opening of the new Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry. The Queen will tour the facility and unveil a plaque to mark the official opening of the site at Pebble Mill." Interesting to see which bit of the tram extension they actually take her to ... Edited November 10, 2015 by dcroz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted November 10, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted November 10, 2015 (edited) Interesting to see which bit of the tram extension they actually take her to ... I'll have another look on Thursday to see how progress by Gt Charles Street is going. They will (based on last week's state) need to get their skates on to have a working bit of extension by November 19th (They could always move a tram on a low loader and put it on a piece of the completed track by the tram stop in Bull Street ) Keith Edit As an aside the Queen is opening the New Dental Hospital which is on the site of the old BBC Pebble Mill Studios which AFAIK she also opened! Edited November 10, 2015 by melmerby 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted November 10, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 10, 2015 (edited) There's no platform sharing being designed for Redhill "so no mid-platform signals or marker boards". Permissive working is provided for joining/splitting trains only Apologies to Birmingham tram enthusiasts but... How is allowing to trains into the same platform for them to join up not platform sharing? Think about it from the perspective of the signalling system - how exactly is the signalling system supposed to differentiate between a train which has split and two trains that have entered the same platform - but not coupled, leaving as two separate parts. Things like the prohibition of platform sharing (where call ons are provided) can only be done via paperwork and box instructions - the signalling system itself cannot prevent such moves happening. So Platform 0 WILL get the signalling facility to allow platform sharing - otherwise the joining and splitting of services cannot take place. Whether the written procedures will allow the signallers to perform such moves is a different matter (there are places where call on signals are provided and still maintained in working order - yet the signal box instructions prevent their use), however given the need to Reverse trains from Reading / Gatwick (and Tonbridge at some times of the day), frankly I would be surprised if platform 0 is treated any differently from platforms 1 & 2 which have never had mid platform marker boards or mid platform signals but quite happily utilise platform sharing many times a day. (Note Brighton and London Victoria use platform sharing with no intermediate marker boards / signals, while Haywards Heath, Three Bridges, Gatwick, Purley and East Croydon all have signalling capable of doing so) Edited November 11, 2015 by phil-b259 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Robert Shrives Posted November 11, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 11, 2015 Hi Last night noted rails joined up on Snow Hill link work. Robert 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted November 12, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted November 12, 2015 Hi Last night noted rails joined up on Snow Hill link work. Robert Yes - All track now down but still some concreting in to do by the look of it. Hi , Today walked up from New St to Bull st for a bus and at a quick glance all the street running cross spans now up . missing from link track works to Snow Hill Queensway roundabout. Can`t wait not long now for the first tram to get into the LM messrooms on the station ! Robert Still a few gaps in the cross spans today Today's photos to follow! Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Robert Shrives Posted November 12, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 12, 2015 Hi Noted from bus today poles up on bridges over Great Chales st Queensway and most brackets on poles , Last night poles been dealt with between Bull st and back of Snow Hill one. It would fair to say route ready for contact wire by the weekend. Almost all paving repairs done in Bull St - I guess this is where Her Madge will see tram on 19th - even if towed in ? but might be powered up by then. Hopefully the project nears conclusion for 2016. Railway Herald latest issue has a review and futures statement on extensions - all very worthy but dates may be a bit like model suppliers subject to change!!!! Working lates this week so will keep you up todate on what I see. Robert 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ian Smeeton Posted November 12, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 12, 2015 They will then head to the is the official opening of the new Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry. The Queen will tour the facility and unveil a plaque to mark the official opening of the site at Pebble Mill." Interesting to see which bit of the tram extension they actually take her to ... How long does someone expect the plaque to last at the Dental Hospital. Surely a lot of Dentistry is the removal of Plaque! Regards Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted November 12, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted November 12, 2015 (edited) Today's photos as promised. Stephenson Street by Ian Allan All holes covered by temporary boarding for the duration: Corporation Street/New Steet showing tensioned pole wiring (and Christmas Market stall!): Close up of arm in Stephenson Place outside the old Waterstones, soon to be Apple, store!: Corner of Corporation Street & Bull Street: (Note outward lean of poles, also not all cross spans up) At the side of Snow Hill most of the poles are up and have the arms and drops fitted: Close up of arm: Up by the connexion between old and new tracks: Still a few poles to go up by the "joint" and some cross spans: The track also appears to need finishing concreting in over a stretch from Great Charles St. to the ballasted track. There are no cross spans up between Colmore Gate and the back of Snow Hill One and possibly one or two more poles required at the road crossing also there appears to be one or two poles required up by the junction between the old and new track as well as some cross spans. There are one or two places where the cross span wiring isn't quite completed although that shouldn't take long to do. Roll on next next Thursday, although I won't be able to see what happens as I will be away from Brum for a week! Cheers Keith Edited November 12, 2015 by melmerby 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium uax6 Posted November 12, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 12, 2015 Looking at those photos I notice that the traction poles haven't got any sort of cap (Finials would be out of the question these days I bet, but I miss a nice ball on a spike!) so rain is going to get down the inside of them. Presumably the flange at the butt of the pole has a drain arrangement to prevent the foot corroding off? Andy G Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted November 13, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted November 13, 2015 (edited) Looking at those photos I notice that the traction poles haven't got any sort of cap (Finials would be out of the question these days I bet, but I miss a nice ball on a spike!) so rain is going to get down the inside of them. Presumably the flange at the butt of the pole has a drain arrangement to prevent the foot corroding off? Andy G I noticed that. The old poles, which are also less substantial, do have an angled top. In some places the new poles seem to be on a sort of spacer between the mounting pad and the pole flange itself. Keith EDIT maybe there's some sort of plastic plug/cap to be fitted later - the old poles are red at the top. Like this: Certainly looks like it could be a plastic "finial" Edited November 13, 2015 by melmerby Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium uax6 Posted November 13, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 13, 2015 Hideous though aren't they? Andy G Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arun Sharma Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 Had a wander around Birmingham [en-route CMA] today in heavy rain on a day when OHLE had been bought down in the Coventry area. It seems I chose the day when HM The Queen was visiting. Around 1330 [after the Visitors, police and press had gone] only unit 35 was left with its display commemorating the event. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcroz Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 (edited) From today's Birmingham Mail: Royal seal of approval for Midland Metro She may have toured a new tram in Birmingham city centre – but there was no danger of the Queen getting carried away. Because the showpiece Midland Metro extension is not yet ready to accommodate passengers. And that meant the tram dedicated by Her Majesty at the Bull Street stop had to be TOWED into position by a big truck. The £127 million Metro extension scheme does not launch until December 6, with the line to New Street not expected to be open until February next year. http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/queen-birmingham-tram-inspected-royal-10471311Photos are available on the Centro website: http://centro.org.uk/transport/metro/photos-and-videos/photos/royal-visit/ Centro's own press release is rather more upbeat than the Birmingham Mail's: Royal seal of approval for Midland Metro Her Majesty the Queen gave the Midland Metro tram system the Royal seal of approval in a visit to Birmingham. Despite heavy rain a large crowd defied the weather to cheer the monarch, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, at the new Bull Street stop in the city centre. There the Queen named a tram after the late Councillor Angus Adams, the former chairman of Centro. Cllr Adams was a popular member of Dudley Council and a key figure behind the £128 million Midland Metro extension from Snow Hill station to New Street station, which is now nearing completion, before his sudden death in 2012. The Queen was then given a tour of the vehicle where she met workers behind the Birmingham city centre Metro extension, and even got in the driving seat herself for a look around the cab. Addressing the crowd before inviting Her Majesty to unveil the name of the tram, Centro chief executive Geoff Inskip said the Metro would reduce congestion and boost the regional economy by creating jobs and growth. "Already we are seeing inward investment coming to Birmingham and Wolverhampton because of our new trams," he said. "The next phase of getting the trams to New Street station will really transform the city and our passenger experience. "We have secured further funding which will see £1.2 billion invested in the Midland Metro network over the next 10 years - important new links in Wolverhampton, to Edgbaston, and to Brierley Hill will be enhanced with passengers being able to get straight to our High Speed 2 rail stations at Curzon Street and the NEC/Airport by 2026." Centro is the delivery arm of the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority. Chairman Cllr Roger Lawrence said: "I am - and I know Angus certainly was - a passionate advocate of public transport and of the Black Country. "He would be delighted to see this extension which links the route from Wolverhampton and the heartland of the Black Country into the centre of Birmingham and the iconic New Street station. "I cannot think of a more fitting legacy for a tram to be named in Angus' honour as he did so much to make this ambition a reality, and this is just the start of what we are certain will be a more far-reaching tram network for the West Midlands." The Sandwell Youth Brass Band provided a musical accompaniment to the visit, which concluded with a posy to the Monarch presented by four-year-old Taahlia Cameron of Erdington, Birmingham. http://centro.org.uk/about-us/news/2015/royal-seal-of-approval-for-midland-metro/ Edited November 20, 2015 by dcroz 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Robert Shrives Posted November 19, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 19, 2015 Hi , By 1350 Tram had gone - towed away by a unimog, a shore supply gen set kept lights on for the Royal visit. The security fencing had quiclkygone back up around Bull st stop - I guess its aming for a Turner Art prize as still life ! or waiting transfer to Tate modern! All contact wire on mains done but no crossover wires up yet. Pre visit I did comment to the please access chamber sealing team it was nice to see even the police working on getting the trams open - they laughed, every cover lifted and checked - police freeded off stuck ones and cleaned mortar out of bolt holes - so much for the installing teams work. It is good to see a shinny copper wire glinting in the lights around New st tonight! Not long now folks until the first tram gets into the London midland Mess room - sweep stake anyone! Robert 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted November 21, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted November 21, 2015 It's all a bit sad really. Nobody in charge had the guts to admit weeks, Nay months ago, that the work was falling behind schedule. We kept getting "forecasts" that showed some but not all the slippage that was taking place but still with a hopelessly optomistic start date for the services. IMHO if somebody had grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and commited more work parties to getting (at least) the section from St Pauls to Bull Street open more or less on time we wouldn't have had the ridiculous situation of HM Queen "opening" the new Metro extension from a tram that had to be hauled dead to the unveiling place! I suppose the visit was booked up years ago when the forecast that the work would have been complete by 7th September gave plenty of lee-way for a November 19th "Official" opening. I trust the new Dental Hospital/Dental School in pebble Mill was ready for opening and not just a construction site. Another case of British way of doing things, Over Budget, Over Time, and UnderSpecified! Keith 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted November 27, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted November 27, 2015 Some pictures taken today. As reported the contact wire is, more or less, up. It hasn't however been fitted into the clips at more than about 50% of the route, the rest currently (sic) just runs through pulleys! Stephenson Street: Corporation Street: Colmore Gate: Alongside Snow Hill: Workmen connecting power feeds in Corporation Street: Looking over by Great Charles Street a fair bit of work still needs to be done View of Tram Stop with re-inforcing mats for "platform" just being laid: General view showing state of play: Close of the join between the old and new showing the tangle of poles and wiring: (note some old poles still in position) Still plenty to do to get the section from St Pauls to Bull Street open by December 6th! Meanwhile this tram stop in Corporation Street still needs some work done: Keith 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard brown Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 I am looking forward to my walk along the tram way today see how it have changed in the last year. Richard 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcroz Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 (edited) Advent of the Tram At 15.36 on 1st December 2015, Midland Metro 35, the Royal tram, arrived at the Bull Street stop in Birmingham under its own power.Two visits had been made to this stop in November, but pulled by a Unimog, so this was the first running of an electric tram in Birmingham for 62 years. The initial journey was a slow one as many tests had to be made, however, it was followed by a further run at speed. Videos of the test are available on: BBC News website - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-34979366 Network West Midlands Facebook account (for those on Facebook) - https://www.facebook.com/networkwestmidlands/videos/907111862671946/ Passenger services are planned to commence to Bull Street on Sunday 6th December, but look out for test trams over the next few days. Over the coming weeks trams should be running along Corporation Street to New Street Station as Centro aims to carry out testing and commissioning of the entire extension during December. Edited December 2, 2015 by dcroz 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Robert Shrives Posted December 3, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 3, 2015 Hi gang , well trams start running to Bull st on 6th December - yipee! Yesterday two trams on new section undergoing trials - all seemed well bar a door fault on one tram. Engineering types in very clean orange and hard hats - well it was raining a bit were nurse maiding trams around platforms. If I get chance I will upload a couple of pics later. Nearly there, wherever there is!! Robert 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted December 3, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 3, 2015 Advent of the Tram At 15.36 on 1st December 2015, Midland Metro 35, the Royal tram, arrived at the Bull Street stop in Birmingham under its own power.Two visits had been made to this stop in November, but pulled by a Unimog, so this was the first running of an electric tram in Birmingham for 62 years. The initial journey was a slow one as many tests had to be made, however, it was followed by a further run at speed. Network West Midlands Facebook account (for those on Facebook) - https://www.facebook.com/networkwestmidlands/videos/907111862671946/ Passenger services are planned to commence to Bull Street on Sunday 6th December, but look out for test trams over the next few days. Over the coming weeks trams should be running along Corporation Street to New Street Station as Centro aims to carry out testing and commissioning of the entire extension during December. I like the "whiskers" on the tram, presumably for gauging purposes. Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted December 3, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 3, 2015 I like the "whiskers" on the tram, presumably for gauging purposes. Keith A tad late to find out if they got it wrong or are there any structures which are still not in final positions? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave47549 Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) . Edited October 4, 2021 by Dave47549 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now