Great Western Electrification Progress

jimm · 23 Dec 2017

I posted what appears to be the answer about five minutes after first you asked what it meant.

And 166s are on the move to Bristol today with more to follow on Wednesday - see https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/gwr-turbo-cascades-to-bristol-region-services.146681/page-14
If people weren't confident about the extension of electric operation to Didcot as planned, those dmus would be staying at Reading.

RailUK Forums

edwin_m · 23 Dec 2017

Prosser referring to the next phase is the next phase to be approved for use, not the next phase to be authorised to be electrified.

3973EXL · 27 Dec 2017

Update on works Ruscombe to Sonning Cutting.

Ruscombe, Southbury Lane Bridge parapet works still to start.

Twyford canopy

and platform works ongoing.

Butts Hill Road Bridge over Sonning cutting, parapet work still to start. Just temporary fencing in place.

jyte · 27 Dec 2017

Isn't “switch on” date for that section as such tomorrow?

Is that temporary parapet safe?

snowball · 27 Dec 2017

jyte said:
Is that temporary parapet safe?

Presumably that's part of what Prosser signed off.

3973EXL · 27 Dec 2017

jyte said:
Isn't “switch on” date for that section as such tomorrow?

Is that temporary parapet safe?

Old photo, its been in place for months. The parapet needs to be raised as it's below height. The temporary fence prevents access until the work is done.

LNW-GW Joint · 28 Dec 2017

Day 1 of electric working west of Maidenhead not going to plan. From NRE: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/today.aspx

A safety inspection of the overhead electrical wires between Twyford and Reading has resulted in some lines being closed in the direction of Reading.
Also, further disruption has been caused by a broken down train at Goring & Streatley affecting trains between Didcot Parkway and Reading

Occtraveller · 28 Dec 2017

I wondered why the 800s were pulling away from Reading on diesel (both directions). Caught the delayed 1222 to Oxford, many delays and platform alterations on the board.

QueensCurve · 28 Dec 2017

50031 said:
Yes, its getting very interesting now. Trackwork in place to enable Southbound XC services to depart simultaneously with Westbound IETs

I forgot to mention that on 26 November, when I travelled on the X-Country from Brum to Plymouth, I was surprised to be routed into Platform 4 at BPW which gave a convenient X-platform interchange into the Paddington to Cardiff which was on P3. I don't know why the trains were both routed on the up side, but I wondered if it might have been work on the new P1.

The47Wanderer said:
I've noticed some chords off the electrification section bit get some the poles(? Vertical bits of the Gantry) in place for electrification (e.g leaving BPW to Yate, the poles go on for some while), why is this? As BPW-Yate is getting no electrification, why the need (among other places)?

I was struck by the unexpectedly long over-run on the Yate line at Westerleigh Junction.

GRALISTAIR said:
I really do not get why in a station with very low speeds they need masts that strong and big and ugly. Crazy

Indeed not. Horribly overengineered, horrible looking.

Mintona · 28 Dec 2017

LNW-GW Joint said:
Day 1 of electric working west of Maidenhead not going to plan. From NRE: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/today.aspx

From what I can make out, there wasn’t actually a problem with the OLE.

Occtraveller said:
I wondered why the 800s were pulling away from Reading on diesel (both directions). Caught the delayed 1222 to Oxford, many delays and platform alterations on the board.

The IETs aren’t using the OLE until next week.

FGW_DID · 28 Dec 2017

Mintona said:
From what I can make out, there wasn’t actually a problem with the OLE.

387133 had an ADD activation and was sent back to the TCD to reflect on its actions

OLE team inspected area with NFF.

QueensCurve · 28 Dec 2017

XDM said:
The first 400 yards onto the Gospel Oak Barking line were electrified when the North London line was 25kv'd years ago. All torn down a few months ago by NR's contractors & replaced with sticks etc feet from the ones that had been trashed. Why?

The same thing seems to have happened on the Blackpool route at Preston - 1st electrified for a few hundred yards about 45y ago but now new portals and wires were visible from the main line last weekend.

jyte · 28 Dec 2017

FGW_DID said:
387133 had an ADD activation and was sent back to the TCD to reflect on its actions
OLE team inspected area with NFF.

Didn't an ADD on an 800 trigger the other day?

JN114 · 28 Dec 2017

jyte said:
Didn't an ADD on an 800 trigger the other day?

There was one on an IET today. They’re not super-uncommon.

HowardGWR · 28 Dec 2017

FGW_DID said:
387133 had an ADD activation and was sent back to the TCD to reflect on its actions
OLE team inspected area with NFF.

Too many TLAs for me I am afraid. Could you translate please?

Non Multi · 28 Dec 2017

Is Paddington-Didcot now using the autotransformer system, or is it still a 'classic' 25kV railway?

Andrewlong · 28 Dec 2017

I was at Reading station today at about 1500 and saw a London bound 387 leave under its own power for what it's worth.

FGW_DID · 28 Dec 2017

HowardGWR said:
Too many TLAs for me I am afraid. Could you translate please?

Most certainly! I thought the Forces were rife with TLAs (Three Letter Abbreviations), i think the Railways are worse!

ADD: Automatic Dropping Device, drops the pan if there is a problem before damaging the wires (hopefully)
TCD: Train Care Depot
OLE: Overhead Line Equipment
NFF: No Fault Found (the Depot favourite :lol:

)

Hopefully that’s cleared thing up for those thinking WTF

AlexNL · 28 Dec 2017

FGW_DID said:
I thought the Forces were rife with TLAs (Three Letter Abbreviations), i think the Railways are worse!

The IT sector is very bad at TLA's as well, and they tend to reuse TLA's quite often.

Someone once asked me about the XYZ system, so I answered to the best of my knowledge. The person asking me the question looked very puzzled and then clarified that he meant the other XYZ system, of which I knew absolutely nothing.

TwistedMentat · 28 Dec 2017

AlexNL said:
The IT sector is very bad at TLA's as well, and they tend to reuse TLA's quite often.

Someone once asked me about the XYZ system, so I answered to the best of my knowledge. The person asking me the question looked very puzzled and then clarified that he meant the other XYZ system, of which I knew absolutely nothing.

As a dev I've found it's any skilled profession. Acronyms and abbreviations ar a great way to increase throughput of information between people in that area. They fall apart when trying to communicate with people outside of that specialist knowledge. And forums like this are right on that barrier between a bunch of people who understand the lingo and those that have yet to learn it all. In aviation circles you'll often see IATA and IACO codes to refer to airports and plane models. Just like here TOPS codes and NLCs are used to identify train models and stations in a shorthand.

bastien · 28 Dec 2017

TwistedMentat said:
As a dev I've found it's any skilled profession. Acronyms and abbreviations ar a great way to increase throughput of information between people in that area. They fall apart when trying to communicate with people outside of that specialist knowledge. And forums like this are right on that barrier between a bunch of people who understand the lingo and those that have yet to learn it all. In aviation circles you'll often see IATA and IACO codes to refer to airports and plane models. Just like here TOPS codes and NLCs are used to identify train models and stations in a shorthand.

It does get to the point at work where the conversation has so many acronyms, it's basically grown adults speaking like Bill and Ben the flowerpot men.

GRALISTAIR · 28 Dec 2017

TwistedMentat said:
In aviation circles you'll often see IATA and IACO codes to refer to airports and plane models

LOL that is me. Two weeks ago I flew to OGG for a long weekend from CVG connecting through DTW and SEA and HNL. Returned via LAX though .

Came back to the UK this time ( due to heavy weather related IROPS) DAY- DTW-AMS-DUB-MAN

HowardGWR · 28 Dec 2017

Thanks to FGW_DID. I am afraid I thought ADD was Attention Deficit Disorder and wondered how this inhuman object of an EMU (Electric Multiple Unit) could be guilty of that!

Edit: I do name passengers here as pax, but I worked for a while in the airline sphere and do it unconsciously.

GRALISTAIR · 28 Dec 2017

Non Multi said:
Is Paddington-Didcot now using the autotransformer system, or is it still a 'classic' 25kV railway?

I could swear it was AutoTransformer - GWML etc is very power hungry.

GRALISTAIR · 28 Dec 2017

This is what I wanted to reply to QueensCurve about new and old kit being intertwined from 1973 - tried to edit above. Meanwhile sorry for being way OT - this thread is about GWML sparking not NW

Non Multi · 28 Dec 2017

GRALISTAIR said:
I could swear it was AutoTransformer - GWML etc is very power hungry.

When I was at Burnham (Bucks) station last month, I noticed there were blue earthing bonds (straps) attached to the autotransformer wire. As far as I know Paddington-Maidenhead was operated as a 'classic' 25kV railway, with an enhanced power supply for the extra electric multiple units running to Maidenhead.

GazK · 29 Dec 2017

Non Multi said:
Is Paddington-Didcot now using the autotransformer system, or is it still a 'classic' 25kV railway?

Its autotransformer from MAI outwards. I think MAI inwards is currently classic, but that's only temporary.

GazK · 29 Dec 2017

Non Multi said:
When I was at Burnham (Bucks) station last month, I noticed there were blue earthing bonds (straps) attached to the autotransformer wire. As far as I know Paddington-Maidenhead was operated as a 'classic' 25kV railway, with an enhanced power supply for the extra electric multiple units running to Maidenhead.

you're right, but it's only temporary - Kensal Green to Maidenhead will be AT throughout.

Tom Quinne · 29 Dec 2017

QueensCurve said:
I forgot to mention that on 26 November, when I travelled on the X-Country from Brum to Plymouth, I was surprised to be routed into Platform 4 at BPW which gave a convenient X-platform interchange into the Paddington to Cardiff which was on P3. I don't know why the trains were both routed on the up side, but I wondered if it might have been work on the new P1.

I was struck by the unexpectedly long over-run on the Yate line at Westerleigh Junction.

Indeed not. Horribly overengineered, horrible looking.

I was the Signaller on duty, there was a wheelchair bound passenger on the XC who needed the GWR so it was for a quick transfer across, saved delaying the paddington for a Plaform 2 to platform 3/4 lift transfer.

deltic08 · 29 Dec 2017

FGW_DID said:
Most certainly! I thought the Forces were rife with TLAs (Three Letter Abbreviations), i think the Railways are worse!

ADD: Automatic Dropping Device, drops the pan if there is a problem before damaging the wires (hopefully)
TCD: Train Care Depot
OLE: Overhead Line Equipment
NFF: No Fault Found (the Depot favourite )

Hopefully that’s cleared thing up for those thinking WTF

Thank you. I was just wondering myself what the abbreviations ADD and NFF meant.

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