Mintona
Established Member
Just a small update, the overhead wires on the Up and Down Tunnel lines between Stoke Gifford Junction (Bristol Parkway) and Patchway Junction are being energised from 0220 on Sunday 12th May.
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Great Western Electrification Progress
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59CosG95
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Small, but by no means insignificant.
Linda.smith
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Work in progress at Severn tunnel station yesterday
59CosG95
Established Member
Fantastic images! Looks like they've focused on getting all the STJ lines wired yesterday and today too; suspect they'll march westwards tomorrow and Monday.Work in progress at Severn tunnel station yesterday
Dren Ahmeti
Member
First public electric train ran on the Chippenham to Wootton Bassett section of electrification today.
First train was 1A07, the 0749 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington.
Photo is said train climbing Dauntsey Bank, at Christian Malford.
Thank you to Garry - @25Kv on Twitter - for the heads-up.
First train was 1A07, the 0749 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington.
Photo is said train climbing Dauntsey Bank, at Christian Malford.
Thank you to Garry - @25Kv on Twitter - for the heads-up.
Last edited:
First public electric train ran on the Chippenham to Wootton Bassett section of electrification today.
First train was 1A07, the 0749 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington.
Photo is said train climbing Dauntsey Bank, at Christian Malford.
Thank you to Gary - @25Kv on Twitter - for the heads-up.
Good news!
K.o.R
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Why only 3-aspect signals?
Brissle Girl
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Not enough traffic to justify 4 aspect.
K.o.R
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Is it really that big a difference in cost and complexity?
kevin_roche
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Maybe not worth it with ETCS eventally replacing the lights.
K.o.R
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That's true. I forget that it'll all be replaced (some day).
Signals have to be spaced braking distance from the first cautionary aspect to the red - so in 4 aspect territory the signal spacing is halved so you need twice as many signals.
Dren Ahmeti
Member
@25Kv:
Acceleration chart on Electric.
“First time on electric up Dauntsey Bank... 120mph at the top of the bank, comfortably doing 125 before we hit Wootton Bassett.
And diesel for comparison:
“Here is a trace from last week, same trip on diesel. Max speed 99mph Remember, acceleration = capacity”
PS: Sorry to mods/viewers about format, currently on mobile as I’m on holiday in the Netherlands!
Acceleration chart on Electric.
“First time on electric up Dauntsey Bank... 120mph at the top of the bank, comfortably doing 125 before we hit Wootton Bassett.
And diesel for comparison:
“Here is a trace from last week, same trip on diesel. Max speed 99mph Remember, acceleration = capacity”
PS: Sorry to mods/viewers about format, currently on mobile as I’m on holiday in the Netherlands!
GRALISTAIR
Established Member
Looks great to me - thanks
Pete_uk
Established Member
The dust seems to have settled somewhat on this project and it's just bumbling along in it's own sweet way now.
Brissle Girl
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Well only the South Wales stretch to go now and that’s a fair way through, so not so much bumbling as nearing the finishing post.
Hopefully South Wales won't be the end of it and they will get authorisation to finish the job around Bristol and Didcot - Oxford.
jyte
Member
The low telephoto angle compresses the depth of field and doesn't help...
alxndr
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It changes—briefly—on the Down at 92 miles, but the Up remains 3 aspect through Chippenham.
Malcolmffc
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And the Thames Valley branches. Madness to keep the silly little diesel shuttles.
59CosG95
Established Member
Hopefully they'll be electrified too - albeit in this control period. Henley & Windsor should be simple enough - Marlow is still a nightmare.
Thunderer
Member
How far west from Severn Tunnel Jcn (Towards Newport) is planned to be wired by the end of today (Easter Monday)? Are thry going to wire as far as Newport station in this period of possession?
59CosG95
Established Member
There's at least 1 boom still missing over the Usk bridge (on the western side) - that was the state of play on Easter Saturday (the 20th). There is of course next weekend's possession too...
Thunderer
Member
Excellent, many thanks for the update. I'll be riding along the line tomorrow from South Wales to Bristol, so hopefully I'll be able to take a good look at the progress. I guess by the back end of summer, the project will be more or less complete to Cardiff?
Linda.smith
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I had a look yesterday, and all 4 lanes seemed to be close to completion west of Severn tunnel station, thou i suspect that this ends at, or around the point where the lines go under the M4 motorway. At undy, there is still a short gap where piling was competed friday, and is the same in Magor. Yesterday, they were busy laying trackside trunking through to magor bridge.
As far as Newport is concerned, this posession was only a partial one, as the coil trains from Port talbot to Llanwern, and passenger services to Hollyhead have still been running through Newport station. In saying that, they have only been using the up main & not the down relief. East of Newport station, there was (yesterday) only 3 booms to lift between the station and the eastern side of the usk bridge. From that point on towards Somerton bridge (where the last gap begins) a lot of masts, booms & portals have been put in place over the past few weeks, and a lot of piling has been done. This includes some of the tensorex type between the Careleon and Maindee bridges, and one that is visable to the east of Maindee bridge.
As far as Newport is concerned, this posession was only a partial one, as the coil trains from Port talbot to Llanwern, and passenger services to Hollyhead have still been running through Newport station. In saying that, they have only been using the up main & not the down relief. East of Newport station, there was (yesterday) only 3 booms to lift between the station and the eastern side of the usk bridge. From that point on towards Somerton bridge (where the last gap begins) a lot of masts, booms & portals have been put in place over the past few weeks, and a lot of piling has been done. This includes some of the tensorex type between the Careleon and Maindee bridges, and one that is visable to the east of Maindee bridge.
swt_passenger
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Marlow was specifically removed from the specification, unlike the other deferred branches, so it’s no longer really a ‘nightmare’...
59CosG95
Established Member
In relation to the spec, it was indeed a nightmare (due to the Bourne End layout), so that's why it was removed.
You are correct with regard to it no longer being a nightmare in the current programme though!
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