Well you'll just have to blame Network Rail's media team who said nothing about work on the track and talked about a conductor rail...
https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/130-year-old-severn-tunnel-to-get-railway-upgrade
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Great Western Electrification Progress
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Well you'll just have to blame Network Rail's media team who said nothing about work on the track and talked about a conductor rail...
https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/130-year-old-severn-tunnel-to-get-railway-upgrade
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Mintona
Established Member
Just been to Cardiff in the daylight for the first time in a few weeks, so a progress report of sorts.
There are lots of holes with blue fencing around them around Patchway, Bishton and for the first time at Newtown (Cardiff East), which I presume are guide holes for piles to be inserted. And amazingly, last time I looked there were a few piles west of Newport, in the Ebbw Jn area. These now extend along the up main almost all the way to Rumney River Bridge Jn/Pengam. There are some gaps where you can see a few need to be put in, but in general they are there. I'm impressed at how many have gone in in such a short space of time, it must be a good 6 mile stretch almost completely piled on one side. Good to see how they're getting on with it now.
There are lots of holes with blue fencing around them around Patchway, Bishton and for the first time at Newtown (Cardiff East), which I presume are guide holes for piles to be inserted. And amazingly, last time I looked there were a few piles west of Newport, in the Ebbw Jn area. These now extend along the up main almost all the way to Rumney River Bridge Jn/Pengam. There are some gaps where you can see a few need to be put in, but in general they are there. I'm impressed at how many have gone in in such a short space of time, it must be a good 6 mile stretch almost completely piled on one side. Good to see how they're getting on with it now.
I travelled between Newport and Slough today. I also saw a lot of progress in the Tilehurst to Didcot area (as others have mentioned) with long non-continuous runs of wiring, and also masts and booms between Slough and Twyford. Masts had been installed (with gaps) out to around MP62 (Wantage Road and westward) - from memory. There was, however little evidence of piling between Swindon and Bristol Parkway or in the station areas, but much evidence of bridge works on this stretch. Certainly would seem that things have speeded up!
Hellzapoppin
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The blue fenced areas are indeed trial holes, they're used to check ground conditions and for avoiding buried services prior to piling. On the WEA the holes are backfilled after excavation. Swindon station is undergoing the trial hole process now but there are issues with buried services, redundant cables, concrete bases etc etc which is a bit challenging but progress is being made.
Philip Phlopp
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Just noticed, in between the excitement of the Ordsall Chord appeals being dismissed, and HS2 being approved in Parliament, NR also reporting that all piles now in between Tilehurst and Didcot.
Electrifying day in more than one sense.
Electrifying day in more than one sense.
GRALISTAIR
Established Member
A certain poster does not like me making statements such as "Wonderful news" but on this day, I really do not care. 3 lots of good news. I am a lifelong railway advocate and I am just over the moon.
HSTEd
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Wasn't a lot of the Mark 3 OLE on the East Coast designed for a composite steel/aluminium conductor wire? Wouldn't that give you a little leeway in that regard?
Still I can't help but feel that the enormous capital cost of replacing numerous largely serviceable headspans to allow multiple pantographs to run at 140mph will almost certainly wash out any operational savings of this split 5-car fleet over simply running uniform 9-car formations.
But that's just me
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
It's taken 2 years, for 15 miles...
Philip Phlopp
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Like for like, just larger cross section, heavier contact wire to support the higher tension needed.
It's a combination of increased weight on the headspan and increased tension within each wire run that results in a reduced estimated mean time between failures for a solution that involves 140mph 2 pantograph running with headspans.
The existing OLE is also going to suffer from increased use (just pure numbers of pantographs using the OLE) and harsher use (higher speeds with multiple pantographs) which makes the provision of independent registration OLE desirable.
Outstanding!
Oh no, Gralistair. not another one.
Mordac
Established Member
What about the bit from Heathrow Junction to Reading? I never see anything about that in these discussions.
There have been a lot of bases put in particularly in the last couple of months but not so much in the way of uprights.
coppercapped
Established Member
But quite a bit has been posted! The wires are up between Taplow and Burnham and small part steelwork is visible over many more miles, track alterations are in progress at Maidenhead. Many, if not most, of the masts are up over this stretch (I haven't counted them...!), piling looks to be completed between Kennet Bridge and Sonning Cutting. From there eastwards there are various scrapes and piles are visible where the masts are missing. Piling work looks as if it's not yet quite complete (as I passed through a week ago) in the depths of Shottesbrook Cutting (between Ruscombe and Maidenhead).
A lot of the steelwork around Reading station was installed as part of the station and approaches rebuild, but as far as I can see all the foundations were placed even if the masts weren't fitted. The maintenance depot is already wired.
It has been published in the railway press that Airport Junction to Maidenhead should be energised at the beginning of next year, but it is hoped to pull this back to the end of this year. The Maidenhead - Tilehurst section should follow a year later.
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
I would describe the Stockley-Maidenhead section as more "chaotic" than Tilehurst-Didcot.
While there is a lot of work completed, there are also stretches nearby where it seems to have hardly begun.
The stretch through West Drayton to the "join" at Stockley looks particularly behind the rest.
Maidenhead-Kennet Bridge is advancing quickly but still well behind Tilehurst-Didcot.
Sonning Cutting seems to be another problem area.
While there is a lot of work completed, there are also stretches nearby where it seems to have hardly begun.
The stretch through West Drayton to the "join" at Stockley looks particularly behind the rest.
Maidenhead-Kennet Bridge is advancing quickly but still well behind Tilehurst-Didcot.
Sonning Cutting seems to be another problem area.
It's noticeable that the target dates in the Modern Railways Table 5 on page 27 do not include Maidenhead to Reading. One assumes this stretch has to be done by Dec 2018, otherwise the other dates don't make sense. One would have thought the real date for this stretch ought to be much earlier though.
Similarly, there is no date shewn for Bath to Bristol, but Roger Ford says there is no specific date for Bath either. I'll bet bi-modes will still be operating from Wootton Bassett to Bristol via Bath, well into CP6.
Update: elsewhere Peter Hendy more or less admits that they will be varying their order for IEPs to increase the number of bi-modes.
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The text (page 26 cols 3-4) says Airport Junction to Reading is due to be commissioned in June 2017, though the table shows only Airport Junction to Maidenhead against this date.
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reddragon
Established Member
I have a letter from NR stating that from 27 May 2016, the wires will be live from Scours Lane Reading to Milton sidings Didcot.
The wires are now complete from Purley on Thames to Goring Railway bridge except the relief lines through Pangbourne section, which is ready for wires.
The wires are now complete from Purley on Thames to Goring Railway bridge except the relief lines through Pangbourne section, which is ready for wires.
GRALISTAIR
Established Member
reddragon
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I have been reading these posts for years, just thought I had news nobody else had reported!
TheKnightWho
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Does this mean that testing is on schedule for the IEPs then?
swt_passenger
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Interesting that they've explicitly mentioned Scours Lane rather than Tilehurst?
Scours Lane is nearer the western depot entry road, when I suggested a few weeks ago that might be significant it was quickly shot down...
TheKnightWho
Established Member
I suppose this demonstrates how serious NR are about re-electrification of the Goring Gap: not at all!
Philip Phlopp
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In the interests of keeping the peace with the Goring Gappers, I should point out that we can replace the portal structure without needing to disturb the catenary too much. That's how the headspan to portal conversions as part of the Acton to Stockley resilience sub-project are working.
https://vimeo.com/150907486 for the video which helps if my explanation is rubbish.
Just arrived at Paddington from Plymouth so got a nosey at all this for the first time (I passed through on the Sleeper on Sunday...lots of pway gangs out and about in what looked like the slows, but I couldn't see much more with it being dark)
I have to say, I thought some of the cantilevers looked a bit odd when I first saw them - however if it holds together then that will be the main thing. I was also slightly confused by the small section that was wired round Burnham, while other bits have currently got very little
I have to say, I thought some of the cantilevers looked a bit odd when I first saw them - however if it holds together then that will be the main thing. I was also slightly confused by the small section that was wired round Burnham, while other bits have currently got very little
reddragon
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edwin_m
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I can't read that attachment, but I'm guessing it probably says the wires should be treated as live. Whether they are actually live or not is a different story.
Philip Phlopp
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Did you get a safety leaflet with the letter ?
GRALISTAIR
Established Member
Yes - from May 27th treat as live. I find it amusing they stated 50Hz frequency. Not sure why the public needs that level of detail - 25kVolts fair enough.
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