Great Western Electrification Progress

3973EXL · 24 Sep 2018

59CosG95 said:
Newbury Racecourse (excl.) - Newbury Town - Limit of Wiring

The canopy has now been completely cut back, and all the facing boards are removed.

New boards went up in one of the blocks sometime ago.

RailUK Forums

3973EXL · 24 Sep 2018

Platform extensions at Theale, Aldermaston and Thatcham look complete but not yet in use.

Reading West not far away.

Contact wires still to go up at Theale east.

ATW158Xpress · 24 Sep 2018

deltic08 said:
How is Cross Country diverting then, via Didcot?

Via Severn Tunnel and Chepstow during Bristol Parkway blockage.

Muzer · 24 Sep 2018

Apologies if this is considered offtopic, I just thought this would be interesting. I was on the GBRf 2018 charter recently, and on Thursday it had a loco change to a Class 87 at Didcot West End (ie the lines on one side of the triangle west of Didcot itself). Is this the first time a train in passenger service has run under electric power west of Didcot Parkway station?

59CosG95 · 24 Sep 2018

Muzer said:
Apologies if this is considered offtopic, I just thought this would be interesting. I was on the GBRf 2018 charter recently, and on Thursday it had a loco change to a Class 87 at Didcot West End (ie the lines on one side of the triangle west of Didcot itself). Is this the first time a train in passenger service has run under electric power west of Didcot Parkway station?

I was also on that tour, and yes - I do believe that that was the first passenger service west of Didcot Parkway.

deltic08 · 24 Sep 2018

59CosG95 said:
No, they were going via Newport.

And reversing?

59CosG95 · 24 Sep 2018

deltic08 said:
And reversing?

They were indeed.

-Colly405- · 24 Sep 2018

59CosG95 said:
They were indeed.

Some reverse just west of STJ...

deltic08 · 24 Sep 2018

-Colly405- said:
Some reverse just west of STJ...

They used to reverse at STJ in the 1960s until signals controlled from Newport power box were introduced and couldn't anymore. Newport station was the nearest run round.
When control was taken over from Newport by Cardiff ROC I thought a reversing headshunt was to be provided at STJ to save a journey to Newport and back. Obviously not.

-Colly405- · 24 Sep 2018

deltic08 said:
They used to reverse at STJ in the 1960s until signals controlled from Newport power box were introduced and couldn't anymore. Newport station was the nearest run round.
When control was taken over from Newport by Cardiff ROC I thought a reversing headshunt was to be provided at STJ to save a journey to Newport and back. Obviously not.

I was on 1V69 last Tuesday evening and it came through STJ platform 1, then crossed over and stopped on the down relief, before reversing back through platform 3 and then crossing to the up tunnel.

Dai Corner · 24 Sep 2018

-Colly405- said:
I was on 1V69 last Tuesday evening and it came through STJ platform 1, then crossed over and stopped on the down relief, before reversing back through platform 3 and then crossing to the up tunnel.

As I understand it, that's possible if the train is one unit, or gangwayed units, so the driver can walk through. Otherwise, reversal has to be in a Platform at Newport.

GRALISTAIR · 24 Sep 2018

59CosG95 said:
I was also on that tour, and yes - I do believe that that was the first passenger service west of Didcot Parkway.

It really sounds like it was a fun tour - electrical haulage over a fairly new energized bit too.

HowardGWR · 24 Sep 2018

ATW158Xpress said:
Going via Dr Days Junction and Bath Spa

Which is putting back the clock over 120 years, before they built the Badminton cut-off and before they built the Castle Cary cut-off. Everything went on a two track line via Keynsham. Imagine that now!

JN114 · 24 Sep 2018

HowardGWR said:
Which is putting back the clock over 120 years, before they built the Badminton cut-off and before they built the Castle Cary cut-off. Everything went on a two track line via Keynsham. Imagine that now!

Did the London - South Wales services not usually run via Stroud and Gloucester immediately prior to the Badminton line opening?

Telegram_Sam · 25 Sep 2018

Mintona said:
The bridge over the M4 at Bristol Parkway seems to be finished now. All wires look to be in place on all lines from the motorway.

Thanks Mintona. I've just been reporting what progress I could see from the roads as I'm usually driving around that way. Hopefully it was useful.

HowardGWR · 25 Sep 2018

JN114 said:
Did the London - South Wales services not usually run via Stroud and Gloucester immediately prior to the Badminton line opening?

I'm not sure about that, TBH, but the frequencies were so low, I would have thought via Bath would have been preferable commercially. Sorry, a bit OT. I'll look it up, as I have the Badminton line construction book somewhere.

oglord · 25 Sep 2018

deltic08 said:
They used to reverse at STJ in the 1960s until signals controlled from Newport power box were introduced and couldn't anymore. Newport station was the nearest run round.
When control was taken over from Newport by Cardiff ROC I thought a reversing headshunt was to be provided at STJ to save a journey to Newport and back. Obviously not.

There is: Signal NT 1730.

-Colly405- · 25 Sep 2018

HowardGWR said:
I'm not sure about that, TBH, but the frequencies were so low, I would have thought via Bath would have been preferable commercially. Sorry, a bit OT. I'll look it up, as I have the Badminton line construction book somewhere.

Wasn't it basically that they went Golden Valley until the Severn Tunnel opened, then via Stapleton Re?

4141 · 26 Sep 2018

-Colly405- said:
Wasn't it basically that they went Golden Valley until the Severn Tunnel opened, then via Stapleton Re?

Yes it was - which is why the mileages on bridge structures on the route via Gloucester are all prefixed with SWM (for South Wales Main)...

HowardGWR · 26 Sep 2018

Yes, I've looked it up now, and it was indeed the Severn Tunnel opening that was the clincher, as the route via Bath is shorter from STJ to Swindon, although there are of course banks both ways at either Box and Dauntsey or Sapperton. The Channel Tunnel (

) opened in 1887, so from then on.

bastien · 26 Sep 2018

GRALISTAIR said:
It really sounds like it was a fun tour - electrical haulage over a fairly new energized bit too.

How did the 87 get approval to run before anything else? Is it because it's a simpler machine?

3973EXL · 26 Sep 2018

GRALISTAIR said:
It really sounds like it was a fun tour - electrical haulage over a fairly new energized bit too.

bastien said:
How did the 87 get approval to run before anything else? Is it because it's a simpler machine?

If RTT is correct and the loco change took place at Didcot West end, it is not a newly energized section.

Didcot West End, between the station & Foxhall Junction was part of the Tilehurst to Didcot energization and been used by reversing 387's since then.

FGW_DID · 26 Sep 2018

GRALISTAIR said:
It really sounds like it was a fun tour - electrical haulage over a fairly new energized bit too.

Correct me if I’m wrong but the 87 only took over at Didcot West End to run to Paddington. Didcot West End was part of the first section to go live, it’s where the 387s reverse (between Foxhall Jn and the Station.)

When that section was first energised (EIS1) all the 387 Driver Training diagrams were Reading TCD - Didcot West End.

Beaten to it by 3973EXL

JN114 · 26 Sep 2018

bastien said:
How did the 87 get approval to run before anything else? Is it because it's a simpler machine?

Its electrical “output” is also well known, by virtue of being a much older design.

jimm · 26 Sep 2018

A good few pictures of work around Bristol Parkway, Winterbourne and Chipping Sodbury over the past week are on Network Rail Western's Twitter feed.

https://twitter.com/networkrailwest

FGW_DID · 27 Sep 2018

Mintona said:
Not a huge section, but I don’t think it’s been picked up on yet:

From 0005 on Sunday 14th October the current limit of electrification at Oxford Road Junction (Reading) to Southcote Junction will be energised at 25000v AC and must be considered live at all times from that point.

A week later (21st October) this is then extended to Newbury which will include platforms at Theale, Aldermaston, Newbury Racecourse & Newbury.

Edit to add photo:

59CosG95 · 27 Sep 2018

FGW_DID said:
A week later (21st October) this is then extended to Newbury which will include platforms at Theale, Aldermaston, Newbury Racecourse & Newbury.

Edit to add photo:

View attachment 53058

Hooray! Could this mean that testing with 387s/80Xs might begin before the timetable change?

Thatcham Xing · 27 Sep 2018

FGW_DID said:
which will include platforms at Theale, Aldermaston, Newbury Racecourse & Newbury.

Is it bypassing Midgham and Thatcham?

(not mentioned on the NR notice, which is a bit of an omission, surely)

59CosG95 · 27 Sep 2018

Thatcham Xing said:
Is it bypassing Midgham and Thatcham? (not mentioned on the NR notice, which is a bit of an omission, surely)

Perhaps it's due to the position of the masts on Theale, Aldermaston, and the Newbury stations, which might require the platforms to be earth-bonded?

FGW_DID · 27 Sep 2018

Thatcham Xing said:
Is it bypassing Midgham and Thatcham? (not mentioned on the NR notice, which is a bit of an omission, surely)

Good point, I was just going off the energisation notice.

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