• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Great Western Electrification Progress

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jimm

Established Member
Joined
6 Apr 2012
Messages
5,231
steverailer said:
Not for the want of trying :D:D The weight of them means they need heavy cranes to lift them into place, Several attempts have been made up to yet but the weather keeps throwing up high winds on the night so not able to get them in
Click to expand...

Everything is presumably crossed that the weather gods are smiling during the Didcot area Sunday closures from February 28th until March 25th...
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

J

jimm

Established Member
Joined
6 Apr 2012
Messages
5,231
CapitalStar378 said:
Does anyone know what the lines coming out of Cardiff in purple are? It looks like more than just electrification to Cardiff Central and Canton TMD.
Click to expand...

Presumably the intention is to wire the triangle around Canton depot and a section down to the Grangetown area on the Barry/Vale of Glamorgan line to give them the ability to turn round an electric train at Cardiff for various reasons, such as first class being at the "wrong" end, or a cab fault, windscreen damage, etc meaning the train can't be driven from one end.

The other bit sticking out to the north appears to be a slightly exaggerated diagrammatic way of portraying a stub of overhead wiring part of the way towards Queen Street, reflecting the intention to electrify the whole of the Central station area as part of the main line project, including the Valley Lines platforms.
 
Domh245

Domh245

Established Member
Joined
6 Apr 2013
Messages
8,426
Location
nowhere
S

Steve14

Member
Joined
25 Apr 2015
Messages
145
mathmo said:
Thanks! Great to see some masts within the station at last! I wonder if anything has happened in the other nearby stations.
Click to expand...

It's very exciting seeing all this change, i think with stations like Slough is the canopy which needs to be adjusted to allow the equipment to be added. Can't wait!
 
Mintona

Mintona

Established Member
Joined
8 Jan 2006
Messages
3,592
Location
South West
In slightly exciting news, I've noticed this morning the first piles in west of Newport. Alongside the up main on the approach to Ebbw Junction (coming from Cardiff) are about 8-10 piles. I didn't notice them yesterday so would presume they went in last night, although it may just be that I wasn't very observant yesterday!

More and more slowly going in around Patchway station too.
 
R

RP

Member
Joined
9 Dec 2008
Messages
54
Location
Risca
Mintona said:
In slightly exciting news, I've noticed this morning the first piles in west of Newport. Alongside the up main on the approach to Ebbw Junction (coming from Cardiff) are about 8-10 piles. I didn't notice them yesterday so would presume they went in last night, although it may just be that I wasn't very observant yesterday!

More and more slowly going in around Patchway station too.
Click to expand...

I noticed these when travelling on a westbound Ebbw Vale to Cardiff train on Monday morning, and they seemed to be on just that side. Some piling must have taken place at the end of the last week judging by the number of complaints about overnight noise in the Duffryn area of Newport in a South Wales Argus story on their website! No more apparent progress east of Newport at present.

However on another note, the bridge reconstructions seem to be progressing well in several locations on the SWML.
 
H

HowardGWR

Established Member
Joined
30 Jan 2013
Messages
4,983
RP said:
However on another note, the bridge reconstructions seem to be progressing well in several locations on the SWML.
Click to expand...

I was totally confused by that acronym (but I've got it now :D), so we have acronyms that are homonyms! I just wonder if B&SWUR is a better one ( and L&SWR better for the other) but I appreciate that the B&SWUR never actually managed to cross the Severn until after it was absorbed!

Great to hear the reports for those of us who live far away. I know NR publishes its plans but the photos (if you have a camera in your phone - do snap away please) are much appreciated.
 
Mintona

Mintona

Established Member
Joined
8 Jan 2006
Messages
3,592
Location
South West
Thanks for the clarification RP, I must've been concentrating on other things yesterday then. It does appear to me that there are more piles installed east of Newport too, alongside Llanwern steelworks pretty much the whole way now with more holes drilled ready for 'missing gap' piles to go in.

I'm not sure it'd go down too well if I started taking phone photos whilst I'm passing, sorry!
 
R

RP

Member
Joined
9 Dec 2008
Messages
54
Location
Risca
Yes, I'm sure it wouldn't! I'll try and take some photos next time.

Sorry, HowardGWR for confusion - assumed the reference to Newport would have clarified. I see the Quail map uses SWM 2; original railway in 1850s was of course the South Wales Railway.
 
H

HowardGWR

Established Member
Joined
30 Jan 2013
Messages
4,983
Mintona said:
I'm not sure it'd go down too well if I started taking phone photos whilst I'm passing, sorry!
Click to expand...

I didn't see you are a driver. perhaps when 'on the cushions' then? :D
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
RP said:
Yes, I'm sure it wouldn't! I'll try and take some photos next time.

Sorry, HowardGWR for confusion - assumed the reference to Newport would have clarified. I see the Quail map uses SWM 2; original railway in 1850s was of course the South Wales Railway.
Click to expand...
That's true and in historical terms is a better term than my effort, although I suspect that SWR applies to any number of lines!.
 
A

adrock1976

Established Member
Joined
10 Dec 2013
Messages
4,450
Location
What's it called? It's called Cumbernauld
HowardGWR said:
That's true and in historical terms is a better term than my effort, although I suspect that SWR applies to any number of lines!.
Click to expand...

Expanding on the use of acronyms, it could be said that the acronym TVR to you could refer to the Taff Vale Railway in Wales, whereas to somebody in the West Midlands (where I'm originally from) it could equally refer to the Trent Valley Railway.
 
F

furnessvale

Established Member
Joined
14 Jul 2015
Messages
4,576
adrock1976 said:
Expanding on the use of acronyms, it could be said that the acronym TVR to you could refer to the Taff Vale Railway in Wales, whereas to somebody in the West Midlands (where I'm originally from) it could equally refer to the Trent Valley Railway.
Click to expand...

The best (mis)use of acronyms I have ever seen was someone enquiring if the oil lamp he had found with the initials BR(M) on it was from the Barry Railway (Merthyr) branch!
 
leomartin125

leomartin125

Member
Joined
15 Nov 2015
Messages
1,017
Location
North West
I've heard that GWR and Hitachi both need the line between North Pole IEP Depot and Didcot Parkway to be fully electrified by September/October 2016 in order to start IEP testing on the GWML on time. That's a lot of work to do in the Didcot area but I hear that progress is being made quite quickly now.
 
C

coppercapped

Established Member
Joined
13 Sep 2015
Messages
3,099
Location
Reading
leomartin125 said:
I've heard that GWR and Hitachi both need the line between North Pole IEP Depot and Didcot Parkway to be fully electrified by September/October 2016 in order to start IEP testing on the GWML on time. That's a lot of work to do in the Didcot area but I hear that progress is being made quite quickly now.
Click to expand...

You've heard wrongly. North Pole to Didcot will not be completed by September 2016. Bits of it will be completed by then.
 
J

jimm

Established Member
Joined
6 Apr 2012
Messages
5,231
leomartin125 said:
I've heard that GWR and Hitachi both need the line between North Pole IEP Depot and Didcot Parkway to be fully electrified by September/October 2016 in order to start IEP testing on the GWML on time. That's a lot of work to do in the Didcot area but I hear that progress is being made quite quickly now.
Click to expand...

What is due to be completed to allow Class 800 testing from September is Tilehurst to Didcot.

Airport Junction to Maidenhead is due to be ready in spring 2017, with Maidenhead to Tilehurst following in December 2017.
 
A

Andrewlong

Member
Joined
2 Jan 2013
Messages
373
Location
Earley
jimm said:
What is due to be completed to allow Class 800 testing from September is Tilehurst to Didcot.

Airport Junction to Maidenhead is due to be ready in spring 2017, with Maidenhead to Tilehurst following in December 2017.
Click to expand...

I would thought Reading to Didcot would have been more logical - it's not that far from Tilehurst to Reading. How many teams are actually involved with installing masts etc at the moment?
 
S

swt_passenger

Veteran Member
Joined
7 Apr 2010
Messages
31,385
Andrewlong said:
I would thought Reading to Didcot would have been more logical - it's not that far from Tilehurst to Reading. How many teams are actually involved with installing masts etc at the moment?
Click to expand...

I suspect when there are references to 'Tilehurst' they might possibly mean the Tilehurst end depot connection. If trains departed and arrived using that end of the depot during testing that's all they'd need to be completed, which could leave the more complex wiring through and at the west end of Reading station, and on the flyover and junctions etc, to be done in the Maidenhead to Reading package.

Just my theory though...
 
Last edited:
Tw99

Tw99

Member
Joined
25 Aug 2015
Messages
199
Location
Reading
I went and had a look at Pangbourne station today. All the piles/foundations seem to be in and most of the masts are now up, portals are still to be installed on the relief lines through the station, but the main lines are more complete.
 
J

jimm

Established Member
Joined
6 Apr 2012
Messages
5,231
Andrewlong said:
I would thought Reading to Didcot would have been more logical - it's not that far from Tilehurst to Reading. How many teams are actually involved with installing masts etc at the moment?
Click to expand...

What is logical is that if what you want is to get wires quickly up on a fast section of the line to test your trains then you avoid anywhere as complicated to electrify as the Reading area for the time being.

swt_passenger said:
I suspect when there are references to 'Tilehurst' they might possibly mean the Tilehurst end depot connection. If trains departed and arrived using that end of the depot during testing that's all they'd need to be completed, which could leave the more complex wiring through and at the west end of Reading station, and on the flyover and junctions etc, to be done in the Maidenhead to Reading package.

Just my theory though...
Click to expand...

Why say Tilehurst if you don't mean Tilehurst? It is specifically mentioned in the Hendy report. Reading Traincare depot is at, er, Reading...
 
A

Andrewlong

Member
Joined
2 Jan 2013
Messages
373
Location
Earley
The Reading depot is already electrified unlike Tilehurst station. So as a layman, I thought it would be more sensible to run test trains under their own power from depot to Didcot rather than dragging them to Tilehurst unless they run under battery power.
 
C

Clarence Yard

Established Member
Joined
18 Dec 2014
Messages
2,487
Just to be clear, Reading depot is not currently planned to be involved in these tests. The units depart London and travel, at speed, through the test section and do the same in reverse.
 
J

jimm

Established Member
Joined
6 Apr 2012
Messages
5,231
Andrewlong said:
The Reading depot is already electrified unlike Tilehurst station. So as a layman, I thought it would be more sensible to run test trains under their own power from depot to Didcot rather than dragging them to Tilehurst unless they run under battery power.
Click to expand...

As has been stated several times previously, the 800s are based at Hitachi's depot at North Pole depot in London, which is equipped to maintain them as part of the contract that Agility/Hitachi has with the DfT.

Reading is equipped to maintain the Turbos and the future emu fleets GWR will operate, not IEP-type trains.

Tilehurst is a perfectly logical place to use. The ladder junction at the east side of the station allows trains to access all four tracks and for a diesel loco to shunt on and off a set under test, if a loco is needed to move the trains from and back to North Pole.
 
C

coppercapped

Established Member
Joined
13 Sep 2015
Messages
3,099
Location
Reading
Andrewlong said:
The Reading depot is already electrified unlike Tilehurst station. So as a layman, I thought it would be more sensible to run test trains under their own power from depot to Didcot rather than dragging them to Tilehurst unless they run under battery power.
Click to expand...

The trains under test are BI-MODES...they can move around quite smartly without any overhead wires...
 
D

deltic08

On Moderation
Joined
26 Aug 2013
Messages
2,717
Location
North
adrock1976 said:
Expanding on the use of acronyms, it could be said that the acronym TVR to you could refer to the Taff Vale Railway in Wales, whereas to somebody in the West Midlands (where I'm originally from) it could equally refer to the Trent Valley Railway.
Click to expand...

Or if you live in Blackpool, it could refer to the TVR motor factory.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top