Manchester - Liverpool Electrification

[DJH1971]

I've also noticed today whilst on the train between St Helens Junction to Manchester that the mast supports which two weeks ago were in place just to the East of Parkside Junction, have now reached as far as Glazebury and some masts have already been put up.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I've also noticed today whilst on the train between St Helens Junction to Manchester that the mast supports which two weeks ago were in place just to the East of Parkside Junction, have now reached as far as Glazebury and some masts have already been put up.

Mast bases have now appeared either side of Patricroft, roughly from the Weaste branch junction to the M60 bridge.
Also extending west from Parkside Jn to Newton-le-Willows Jn, joining up with the existing WCML wired route.

 

[DJH1971]

Mast bases have now appeared either side of Patricroft, roughly from the Weaste branch juntion to the M60 bridge.
Also extending west from Parkside Jn to Newton-le-Willows Jn, joining up with the existing WCML wired route.

That's another sign it's picking up speed now!

 

[Durham Ox]

More gantries will be going up over Castlefield Viaduct in August. The ones over the River Irwell and a couple at the Deansgate end werent put up in the first phase.

 

[DJH1971]

More gantries will be going up over Castlefield Viaduct in August. The ones over the River Irwell and a couple at the Deansgate end werent put up in the first phase.

Where do you hear this?

BTW: I saw one or two mast bases in place yesterday between Roby and Broad Green.

 

[Joseph_Locke]

BTW: I saw one or two mast bases in place yesterday between Roby and Broad Green.

Are you sure? That's phase 2a area, and if it's the Roby end they're quite possibly in the wrong place, as the possible four-tracking of the Roby - Huyton bit might overtake them?

 

[DJH1971]

Are you sure? That's phase 2a area, and if it's the Roby end they're quite possibly in the wrong place, as the possible four-tracking of the Roby - Huyton bit might overtake them?

Yep, I saw one which is around half way between the two stations.

 

[WatcherZero]

Sure it was a mast base and not a base for something else like a monitoring station?

 

[DJH1971]

Sure it was a mast base and not a base for something else like a monitoring station?

It looked like a mast base.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I've noticed today between Parkside Junction and Glazebury that some of the masts already in place have been fitted with the triangular supports for the wires.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Excellent - keep the news coming.

(had something to do with getting this authorized , so real time reporting good stuff)

 

[John55]

Where do you hear this?

BTW: I saw one or two mast bases in place yesterday between Roby and Broad Green.

There are no new mast bases in this area. However there is at least one old concrete foundation for (probably) a signal post a couple of hundred yards west of Roby adjacent to the Liverpool bound track. It has 4 bolts protruding out of the top for a post to be fixed in place.

On the subject of the foundations does anyone know why the completed concrete foundations between Patricroft and Eccles are covered in a black coating?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Excellent - keep the news coming.
(had something to do with getting this authorized , so real time reporting good stuff)

Mast foundations now well east of Eccles, up to MP30 and within sight of Ordsall Lane.
Ground clearance going on at Newton le Willows just east of the station, including lifting old sidings.
Maybe something to do with connecting the new wires up to the grid power supply where the WCML goes under the Chat Moss line.

Sometimes watching project progress is more interesting than the finished product!
I was one of those saddos who rang up Eurotunnel every Tuesday morning at 0930 for 5 years to get the positions of the TBMs and measure the week's progress (went from awful to bad to good to amazing over that time).
Just to make sure my £350 stake was being spent properly...
Then Paddington remodelling and Heathrow Express.
Then WCRM (how painful that was, just like the 1960s all over again).
And now 10 years of electrification to look forward to.
Good fun.

 

[ole man]

Trianglular supports? Did you mean Cantilievers

 

[DJH1971]

Trianglular supports? Did you mean Cantilievers

If that's what they're known as, then yes!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

There are no new mast bases in this area. However there is at least one old concrete foundation for (probably) a signal post a couple of hundred yards west of Roby adjacent to the Liverpool bound track. It has 4 bolts protruding out of the top for a post to be fixed in place.

On the subject of the foundations does anyone know why the completed concrete foundations between Patricroft and Eccles are covered in a black coating?

The four bolts are what made me thought it was for a mast base as it looked very similar.

 

[John55]

Mast foundations now well east of Eccles, up to MP30 and within sight of Ordsall Lane.
Ground clearance going on at Newton le Willows just east of the station, including lifting old sidings.
Maybe something to do with connecting the new wires up to the grid power supply where the WCML goes under the Chat Moss line.

Good fun.

What you say is true however there are not continuous foundations along any part of the route yet with often large gaps and sometimes odd ones missing in a run.

So far there are no works to be seen over Chat Moss itself between the M60 bridge and mp 22 west of Astley yesterday.

As a casual observer it seems there are about 6 to 8 foundations on the go at any time some shuttered waiting for concrete and the rest waiting for the concrete to go off.

 

[DJH1971]

What you say is true however there are not continuous foundations along any part of the route yet with often large gaps and sometimes odd ones missing in a run.

So far there are no works to be seen over Chat Moss itself between the M60 bridge and mp 22 west of Astley yesterday.

As a casual observer it seems there are about 6 to 8 foundations on the go at any time some shuttered waiting for concrete and the rest waiting for the concrete to go off.

There's no denying it's starting to gather pace now though.

 

[ole man]

The Chat Moss swamp is causing a problem, some of the OLE structures are 9 metres away from the rail.
The preferred use of cantilevers is therefore a no go, some of the structures through this area will now become headspans

 

[Joseph_Locke]

The Chat Moss swamp is causing a problem, some of the OLE structures are 9 metres away from the rail.
The preferred use of cantilevers is therefore a no go, some of the structures through this area will now become headspans

Headspans? Really? I would have guessed at portals, as the ground is so poor the high lateral loads imposed by headspans wouldn't be supported either.

That and I thought headspans were very non-preferred these days, owing to the lack of mechanical independence ...

 

[MK Tom]

Anyone got any pictures? A Flickr search for 'electrification' brings up next to nothing.

 

[Durham Ox]

The second phase of Castlefield gantry erection has now been delayed due to planning issues but should still commence around the end of this month.

 

[Geeves]

You would have thought that planning application included the full viaduct? Or when you say planning issues do you mean regarding Network rail trying to find a gap to put the gantries up? I know the last series could only go up during the Christmas shut down

anyways

Couple more in here, not my photos btw but thanks to the photographer!

http://mark5812.smugmug.com/Trains2012/August-2012/24506236_pcF2Pv#!i=2005787677&k=wcS2nGD

 

[ole man]

Where are them pictures from? They look like trolley wire cantilevers not something that would be on network rail infrastructure

 

[John55]

Where are them pictures from? They look like trolley wire cantilevers not something that would be on network rail infrastructure

If you take the trouble to look at the link the poster provided you will see they were taken near Kenyon Junction.

 

[ole man]

Ok then they must be Bridge Cantilevers, which company is supplying the OHLE on this job, ive never seen this type of design?

 

[OxtedL]

You can match the foliage and whistle sign in the picture to this grainy streetview angle. http://goo.gl/maps/Px9Ps

 

[DJH1971]

The second phase of Castlefield gantry erection has now been delayed due to planning issues but should still commence around the end of this month.

So, still on track then?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

You would have thought that planning application included the full viaduct? Or when you say planning issues do you mean regarding Network rail trying to find a gap to put the gantries up? I know the last series could only go up during the Christmas shut down

anyways

Couple more in here, not my photos btw but thanks to the photographer!

http://mark5812.smugmug.com/Trains2012/August-2012/24506236_pcF2Pv#!i=2005787677&k=wcS2nGD

Cracking pics here!

Real proof that the work is stepping up a gear now.

 

[HSTEd]

Those cantilevers look very odd

 

[ainsworth74]

I thought we were using a new design on electrification rather than the BR design that's been used up to now? Therefore I'd expect them to look a bit different to what we're used to. Also they're still missing some bits, unless I'm mistaken they don't have registration arms yet.

 

[ole man]

They do look strange, are the reg arms hanging down?. Somebody must know what design this is and what type of Ohle.
Im going to say that it is a low bridge and that contenary will be run through this area that is why they are like that, they also look white

 

[John55]

They do look strange, are the reg arms hanging down?. Somebody must know what design this is and what type of Ohle.
Im going to say that it is a low bridge and that contenary will be run through this area that is why they are like that, they also look white

These fittings are not specifically fitted at low bridges as all the cantilevers fitted between Parkside and Astley look like this. While some are near bridges most are not. There are something like 50 fitted to masts now. I guess we will have to find a spotters book on OHLE to work out whos and what it is it is.

As an earlier poster said there are clearly bits missing for example no fittings for catenary wire yet and the registration arms look like they will be fitted to the arms hanging below the horizontal rods.


13/08/2012

I was interested to see the this afternoon that the design of the Chat Moss OHLE fittings bears a great deal of similarity to that installed between Wavertree Junction and Allerton Junction, on the slow lines at least. As this was installed in 1960-62 and is I assume original as the actual wiring is still compound catenary I think we can safely say there has been a complete revolution in OHLE design and we have now got back to the start!