roythebus

Although the British and French networks are both three-phase systems running at a nominal 50Hz, they are controlled independently so the phases can shift slightly between the two. The DC link across the Channel is a bit like a much larger version of a three-phase traction package on an EMU, with electronics rectifying the AC to DC at one end and at the other producing AC in exact phase with the local network.

 

Separately from this, because a particular section of AC railway only has one conductor it can only be supplied with one of the three phases of the high voltage distribution network. One way of maintaining balance between the phases is to feed nearby sections from different phases, but connecting the phases together would result in a huge short-circuit so they have to be separated by neutral sections.

Thanks Edwin for putting my slightly tongue-in-cheek comment into more technical terms! I speak with Dungeness power station engineers quite a lot, so pick up an awful lot of info about power supply problems and the phase differences. I KNOW what happens when you connect 2 phases together, having done so when trying to get a set of vehicle lifts to work by holding in a contactor. There was a big flash and a bang, and a couple of burnt out circuit breakers, and that was on 440v! I hate to think what it would do to the grid...

 

Re dual-voltage Basing-Soton, this would make sense to retain the operating flexibility the Southern has always had. What would happen beyond Soton to Weymouth?

Really glad to see the Welsh valleys getting the wires up, They always seem to be very well used but commuting on them pacers every day has to be very tedious.

Im sure they will get cast aways from another region but as long as its got bogies that has to be an upgrade.

That'll be novel, Wales getting electricity!

 

But, back to post 180, according to son, they could use Turbostars on the Uckfield line, but the standard length Turbostar is 11cars not 10...harumph.

 

Power imported from France is DC and has to be converted back to AC when it gets here, something to do with Europe being out of phase with us.

Some interesting stuff indeed.

 

I note the proposal to lengthen the Uckfield line platforms to 10 cars. 10 cars of what? The present 171 fleet is currently at full capacity and there's none to spare at the moment, so juice rails at dawn?

 

To move the Marsh line units would mean electrification of the Marsh line...

 

As for National Grid ISTR there were recent proposals to upgrade the entire grid. It might also mean good news for us on the Romney Marsh who are campaigning for Dungeness C power station.

Thinking about the finances for this project and comparing it (as someone ought to) with the finance of the football world (about which I know very little), a google search of player transfer fees/match ticket prices etc. throws up some interesting comparisons.

 

£5bn to electrify the railway is 100 player transfer fees at £50m each;

or at an average of £50 per match ticket is 1bn tickets;

or with £40m annual sponsorship from Barclays (boo hiss)for premier league is 125 seasons of sponsorship;

1bn match tickets makes it 2500 football matches to pay for the electrification!

 

(if my maths are right)...

Don't dangle a tape measure off it if they put wires under there!!

Thanks John, I did notice that, but on mine there was a lot of side slop on the leading axle which caused the problem. I've had the same problem on a BR standard class 5 (Bachy).

I was just about to post the same problem...with mine, the problem isn't the gears, but the connecting rod getting bent on the leading axle crank pin. Have a close look and you may find yours is bent.

 

There is insufficient clearance on these parts. The easy cure is to bend the coupling rod outwards. this jamming initially may cause the gears to crack under the strain. I haven't had a problem with my Q1 yet.

 

The other thing I done with the Bullieds was to insert fibre washers behind the leading driving wheels to alleviate some of the side play. This is the other cause of the coupling rods jamming. No need to take the wheels out, get some Romford 1/8" fibre washers and cut a bit out, keyhole shape, and force them between the wheels and the chassis. this is more important for me because I use 14.8mm back to back for DOOGAF standards.

I remember the 1967(?) open day at OOC where they had a Blue Pullman on display. there was a DMU shuttle from Paddington and I still have the souvenir ticket around somewhere.

 

Some nice pics there Mike.

Mr.Rush is probably the man to know. ISTR he was in CONtrol at Liverpool Street in that era.

Remember in earlier times there was Mile End Goods yard which was actually a driver booking on point too, and a source of ferry van traffic (see separate post on here for pics).

I was going to mention the Graham Farish suburbans as a good conversion, but beaten to it.

Ah, the old MSJA. Many Short Jerks and Away! Went on them in 1968ish whilst doing the Manchester show. From what I remember they had quite a good rate of acceleration.

Isn't that something of a fourgon conclusion?

Ferry funny...

There's a good site called District Dave which has a historical section dealing with closed stations.

 

Link: http://districtdave.proboards.com/index.cgi

Just wondering who BoxBrownie's uncle is.

 

My memories of Deltics as a secondman at Kings Cross from december 1975 till about August 1978 when I got promoted to driver at Addiscombe. some promotion...

 

But, the thrill of the twin engines pulling out of the Cross, the chance to race along the main line at speeds in excess of the ton (see my thread about fastest Deltics elsewhere on here).

 

They gave a good ride, a good view from high up, but the cab seats, oie most EE locos, were bloody uncomfortable. and the draughts from the side windows were something else. the Deltics took a good bit of skill especially when pulling away; you had to open up then sut off as the amps went up, or the overloads would trip out and you'd have to start again!

 

But they were a legend and a good replacement for the Gresley pacifics they replaced.

20 years to reach Leeds/Bradford on C5 News. WTF, the French and Germans built their entire HS network in less time than that!

I wonder how the anti's get to their assumption that 2/3 of the population don't want HS2? Have they any survey figures to prove their point? They also spout on about the cost, yet we hear nothing about the cost of motorway building!

 

I agree with some earlier sentiments about it not being considered as part of a longer term transport strategy, but then this country is renowned for lack of forward thinking when it comes to transport.

Reminds me of a conversation with a friend from Finland; I asked him if he spoke German. Yes, achtung Spitfeuer arghh was his reply. I learn it from English war comics.

 

Meanwhile, back on thread, Pete Waterman on BBC Breakfast this morning, absolutely brilliant. The other side, ranting loonies; the chap from Rail magazine was shot down by Waterman too! Achtung Waterman aarghh. Waterman for transport minister?

 

As for the report from Ashford, the usual uninformed biased crap we've come to expect.BBC Kent no better either. HS1 "underused capacity". Have they not heard of DB's intention to run to St.Pancras or the other proposals to run commuter services Lille to Ashford?

 

My reservations against HS2, not enough, not far enough, and too long time scale to build it. As for the loony who said the WCML can increase capacity by a third, what planet does he live on?

How does the Heljan compare with the Lima model?

Remember there's an SECR utility van fully restored on the KESR known as the Cavell Van.

If ever anyone removes the false walls from the Northern city line stations they'll find a treasure trove of LT signs and posters from 1976behind them. I wish I'd had a decent camera in those days!

funnily enough there is a temporary AA road sign just over the railway bridge near the new college that says "access to hartwell sidings only", no sidings to be seen though

 

D826, what night were you at the panto? if it was saturday it was my lad up on stage with johnothan wilkes

Oh no he wasn't; oh yes he was...

 

Don't forget the ECS DMUs from Bletchley to Aylersbury at about 0430 every morning in the mid-70's. The Bletchley brickliners ran via the WCML; One was a Rugby turn, empty from Crewe to Bletchley with 2x25s. a couple of times I worked Bletchley-Kings Cross goods with a Bletchley driver.

 

In the early 70's there was no freight via the Met to Aylesbury that I know of.

 

You might ask on the District Dave Underground site for more info, they're quite friendly on there.

Seeing that clerestory coach a few threads up, reminds me of a set of similar coaches I saw in a cupboard when I worked at the Kings Cross shop in about 1967; from memory there were 4 of them, but to HO scale. whether they were Exley or Kings Cross build I don't know.

Andy C says " Whilst the decision is to be applauded the cynic in me cant help feeling a tad suspicious about this. For a start funding is mainly dependant on getting pensions schemes to invest in Infrastructure rather than the quicker and often more lucrative wins of the bond market. Now would someone who has a stake in a private pension be happy about that? worth thinking about, they haven't invested in this sector before, why would they now?"

 

ISTR a big Canadian pension company buying HS1 recently. No-one said anything about the investment being limited to UK pension companies! In my view, UK railways and probably most railways are a big market for growth and will probably provide a good return on investment over a period of time.

The KESR nearly lost a brake van the other week after a pway turn. luckily the guard on the evening pullman saw the glow from the brake van floor, stopped the pullman and put the smouldering floorboards out.

 

The pway guard had used the stove during the day, put it out in the manner prescribed in the rule book,but the floor got rather hot during the day!

 

Another one, when i was a 2nd man at rugby in 1974, there was a guard Brian B, had a big garden layout, very keen but a bit on the slow side. We put the train away in the down goods yard and he asked the driver how to put the fire out in the stove. the driver, a Brummie called Jackie Jones, said, (engage Brummie accent) "aar, use some of the water from the tail lamps"..which Brian did, and set fire to the 20T brake van!! Wipeout.