Ron Ron Ron

We've become familiar with the method being used to build the Colne Valley viaduct, using the launching girder "Dominique". Up in the Midlands, construction of the multiple viaducts that will form the "Delta Junction" and the adjoining sections of HS2, is using a couple of different techniques. Here is one of those...... .

The Treasury would like to sell off the Phase 2A land, but don’t want to sell it off too cheaply, so it could take years to dispose of it. Meanwhile, any alternative line will inevitably require further land acquisition, which will come at a great cost, especially if nearer to the existing WCML and built up areas. Also, there has been price inflation since the Phase 2 land was purchased, increasing the cost of such “new” land. Add on the time and cost of a public enquiry, planning processes, several tiers of consultation, planning approval, inevitable reviews etc, etc…… I don’t think I’m alone in thinking, the chances of building an alternative route at a lower cost than Phase 2A , are pie in the sky. I’m more than suspicious that it’ll end up costing far more than just pushing on with an accelerated Phase 2A build. It might make more sense and save an awful lot of time and money, to just hold on to the land already in HS2’s hands, with strategic planning approval already in place. Just push on with Phase 2A, even it it has to be done under a different project name. .

Originally there were no phases. In 2013 it was decided to build in 2 phases - Phase 1 - London to Birmingham (as detailed below) Phase 2 - both the western arm (Handsacre to Manchester + Golborne WCML link) and eastern arm (Water Orton to Leeds). Later on the western arm was divided into Phase 2A (Handsacre to Crewe) and Phase 2B Crewe to Manchester with the Golborne link dropped. The Phase 2 eastern arm was cut back to a link into the MML and last year canned completely. A cynic would wonder the real reason's why the Treasury and the DafT would want to split the project into such phases ? Up to Rishi Sunak's cancellation decision last year, this is how it stood..... Phase 1 London to Handsacre.... including the Delta Junction at Water Orton and the branch into Birmingham, plus.... the stub connections for both Phase 2A (just northwest of Lichfield) and for the now cancelled eastern leg of Phase 2A (just north of Water Orton). Four new HS2 stations - Euston, OOC, Birmingham Interchange and Curzon St. HS2 train depot and control centre at Washwood Heath. HS2 infrastructure maintenance depot at Calvert. Phase 2A Handsacre to Crewe. Connections to the WCML to provide for HS2 trains running to Manchester, Liverpool, the NW and Scotland, via the WCML. Plus the stub eastern arm, Water Orton to the MML connection. Phase 2B Crewe to Manchester, including... New HS2 stations at Manchester Airport and Piccadilly. Plus, to be determined connections to NPR (whatever that turns out to consist of). .

It's a remarkable turn around from historically offering decent, known brand, budget decoders under the Bachmann banner, to now offering the likes of the LokPilot 5 DCC** and quality Zimo decoders, as Bachmann catalogue items.; ....but why use the same catalogue no. with a suffix, rather than a new number? It's not as if there's shortage of cat. numbers in that series. Incidentally, Bachmann still offer the LokPilot Standard 1.0 's successor, the LokPilot 5 Basic, in 8-pin form, as model no. 36-566A (a.k.a. ESU no. 59020 ) ** LokPilot 5 DCC (ESU no. 59629) = Bachmann 36-557A .

Drone footage from inside the OOC station box. The awful and pointless, arty farty production and editing ruins it quite a bit, but you can get some sense of scale in parts, as the drone videos different sections of the station. Hopefully, we’ll eventually get a sensible, stable video from a drone flying from end to end, rather than this sort of nonsense. .

If Kaput doesn’t mind me adding a note to this, to flesh out the issue of green and blue…… For some unfathomable and stupid reason, Bachmann sold 2 completely different decoders under the same catalogue number (36-557). The (problematic) green one was from SoundTraxx and the blue one was from one of their usual suppliers, ESU. There was nothing in common between these two products, other them both being DCC decoders and having the same type of connector pin interface. .

I think you have the wrong DCC Concepts product there, Ian. Alpha Mimic allows you to build a mimic indicator panel, but does not provide for the use of any type of control (buttons, or switches). There are other Cobalt Alpha products that allow you to build a mimic control panel, using switches/ buttons and LEDs ( Alpha Encoder etc, etc.). Just 2 wires out of the control panel to the track or accessory bus, instead of several dozen wires routing out to feed every point on the layout. However, having chosen Tortoise motors, the OP would need to purchase a whole bunch of accessory decoders to operate those 37 points. .

As with his previous videos, he doesn’t seem to know much about what he’s filming. Again, no mention of the construction of the GWML platforms. The foundations of the first 2 island platforms can clearly be seen. Is he even aware of them? With regard to him talking about the uncertainty of what will happen at the eastern end of the OOC station box, he talks of a possible access or maintenance tunnel? Doh! That tunnel has been built and is currently being fitted out ! Over to the Willesden site, fine, but again he seems to be unaware of the other logistics site at Atlas Road. All the same, some drone footage is very welcome, so I’ll thank him for that. .

That bridge is wider, as it will not only span HS2, but also the new parallel Aylesbury to Calvert line, with the appropriate boundary segregation, between them. .

A new bridge to carry Edgcott Rd, near Quainton, over HS2. The original brick bridge carrying Edgcott Rd over the old GCR trace, can be seen just beyond the new structure. Greatmoor EfW power station can be seen in the distance, looking towards Calvert. .

Ian Visits has posted some detail of ongoing work at the Greenford tunnel vents, in West London. The 4 TBM's tunnelling the Northolt tunnels (Northolt West - coming in from West Ruislip and Northolt East - coming in from Victoria Rd at OOC) will emerge and be removed here. https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/engineering-marvel-how-hs2-is-using-giant-metal-cans-to-overcome-groundwater-hurdles-73801/ .

There won't be much of a view, in fact any view, for nearly half the journey between London and Birmingham. Tor example, between London and the other side of the Chilterns, the time above ground in the open air will be less than 2 minutes, but for a large part of that, the view will be restricted by barriers of one sort or another. Along the rest of the route, there are several tunnels and elsewhere the line will run in cuttings or behind earth barriers for a fair distance. Take a good book or an iPad, when it opens. .

Who's going to clean all those windows ? .

Copthall Tunnel to West Ruislip.... .

The southern (London bound) end is supposed to look like this..... (note, you can make out the already complete southern portal, as seen in the YouTube videos) As Jamie says, the northern (Birmingham bound) end will transition from tunnel, to a semi-open, concrete cutting, once clear of the village. The difference in construction between the tunnel and cutting, is noticeable in the drone videos. Beyond the concrete cutting, there will be concrete walls to cut down o noise (for whatever reason, as it's in open countryside at that point?). Cromwell Lane will be reinstated along its original path and a new bridge will be built, taking the lane across the Kenilworth Greenway, which will run on top of the cut & cover tunnel.... Have a look at these HS2 Ltd links, for more details...... https://assets.hs2.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Final-Burton-Green-KDE-Boards-March-2022.pdf https://www.hs2.org.uk/building-hs2/tunnels/green-tunnels/burton-green-tunnel/ .