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solar panels on sticks - between Applerley Junction and Guiseley

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Ken H

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I got the train from Ilkley into Leeds and return yesterday

Coming back I sat on the left facing the front

We came off the skipton line onto the branch to Ilkley

Just after the junction, on the left, there were some solar panels on what looked like temporary stands, and some yellow sticks on the embankment in rows.

No idea what this was for. monitoring an unstable embankment?

Sorry, no pix.

Can anyone help?

PS. nice idea for the trains PA to tell us the next station was Guiseley as we passed Kirkstall Forge Stn.
 
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edwin_m

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I know some railway earthworks have sensors to monitor for movement, although I don't know what they look like or whether they are fitted here. But as the Ilkley lines have suffered several washouts and bank slips in recent years it's not a bad guess.
 

swt_passenger

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I found this by Googling, I think it looks like the OP sussed it out:
The Findlay Irvine Earthworks system consists of multiple Wireless Tilt Sensors which monitor movement in embankments. As a slip occurs the Wireless Tilt Sensors send a signal to Findlay Irvine’s pioneering, new solar powered Data Logger which activates onsite Day/Night IR Cameras sending all the data and images back to an online Bureau that triggers alarms...
http://www.findlayirvine.com/capabilities/rail/Earthworks.php
There’s a few pictures towards the bottom of the webpage showing the rows of yellow sticks.
 

Bantamzen

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I got the train from Ilkley into Leeds and return yesterday

Coming back I sat on the left facing the front

We came off the skipton line onto the branch to Ilkley

Just after the junction, on the left, there were some solar panels on what looked like temporary stands, and some yellow sticks on the embankment in rows.

No idea what this was for. monitoring an unstable embankment?

Sorry, no pix.

Can anyone help?

PS. nice idea for the trains PA to tell us the next station was Guiseley as we passed Kirkstall Forge Stn.

I presume you mean Apperley Bridge rather than Appley Bridge, as the latter would be quite a wide area!

/pedant.

<double pedant>
I think you both mean between Apperley Junction & Guiseley, there is no link between Apperley Bridge & Guiseley... ;););)
</double pedant>

But as has been mentioned above, there was a landslip last year (I think it was then) on that section, so it is possible that the solar panels are indeed to power monitoring equipment in the area.
 

Ken H

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I found this by Googling, I think it looks like the OP sussed it out:

There’s a few pictures towards the bottom of the webpage showing the rows of yellow sticks.

Thats the kit I saw between Apperley Junction & Guiseley. Thanks.
 

DelW

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On a recent trip to Bristol, I think I saw something similar on several cutting slopes in the Chippenham / Box area, though I'm not sure if it was exactly the same kit as shown in the Findlay Irvine photo's.
 

swt_passenger

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On a recent trip to Bristol, I think I saw something similar on several cutting slopes in the Chippenham / Box area, though I'm not sure if it was exactly the same kit as shown in the Findlay Irvine photo's.
There’s a couple of the photo captions have locations on the GW, Corsham, so it’s likely it is the same.
 

DelW

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There’s a couple of the photo captions have locations on the GW, Corsham, so it’s likely it is the same.
So they do, I'd only looked at the file names, hadn't noticed that some were captioned. Thanks :)
 

DarloRich

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I got the train from Ilkley into Leeds and return yesterday

Coming back I sat on the left facing the front

We came off the skipton line onto the branch to Ilkley

Just after the junction, on the left, there were some solar panels on what looked like temporary stands, and some yellow sticks on the embankment in rows.

No idea what this was for. monitoring an unstable embankment?

Sorry, no pix.

Can anyone help?

PS. nice idea for the trains PA to tell us the next station was Guiseley as we passed Kirkstall Forge Stn.

Could they be for collecting solar energy and converting it into electrical energy? ;)

I suspect they will be to power some kind of monitoring equipment without a mains electrical power supply.
 

alxndr

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There’s a couple of the photo captions have locations on the GW, Corsham, so it’s likely it is the same.

Yes, there's definitely some there.

By memory there's also some the other side of Swindon at South Marston and also on the SWB near Rodbourne.
 
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