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Stevenage platform 5

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mr_jrt

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Apologies if it's been mentioned previously, but the new track through the platform area looks like it will be quite some distance from the existing track. Is this just to make construction easier, or some weird regulation? Outwardly just looks a wasteful use of land when there's almost a track's width between them...
 

swt_passenger

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Apologies if it's been mentioned previously, but the new track through the platform area looks like it will be quite some distance from the existing track. Is this just to make construction easier, or some weird regulation? Outwardly just looks a wasteful use of land when there's almost a track's width between them...
Curve smoothing at the points, smooth entry into a straight platform, and keeping away from existing electrification gantries and trackside equipment would all contribute to the line taken, I think.
 

malc-c

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Apologies if it's been mentioned previously, but the new track through the platform area looks like it will be quite some distance from the existing track. Is this just to make construction easier, or some weird regulation? Outwardly just looks a wasteful use of land when there's almost a track's width between them...

The spacing of the bridge supports for six hills way may have some play in track spacing too
 

malc-c

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You’re a braver man than I am, standing on that side of the road bridge looking south!

Yeah, the "footpath" if you can call it that is a bit narrow on that side of the bridge.... bit scary when a 44' artic goes by !
 

jon0844

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Was the delay handing back this morning down this these works, as it caused a few early cancellations and diversions - which in turn seems to have delayed drivers getting to where they needed to be, with a larger knock-on effect to services for the morning peak.
 

malc-c

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PS -I noticed in the video there are 4 track panels for the points and the existing Hertford Loop to DS point look like timber sleepers - are they changing the existing set as well as installing new, if so an even better reason to leve the point for another weekend.

Word on the grapevine is that the existing point is to remain in tact. The panels on site are for the new point which is to be installed to form back to back points with the connection to the new track for platform 5. The work is to commence early hours Sunday Morning (1st December) -

I must admit, given that network rail replaced the back-to-back points that formed the langley siding and headshunt, plus several hundred meters of track on both siding and up slow, and then installed a new point for the up Hertford line, it does seem strange that given the opportunity they are not replacing the point on the down slow..... I guess only time will tell and we will see what happens over this coming weekend.
 

Bald Rick

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I must admit, given that network rail replaced the back-to-back points that formed the langley siding and headshunt, plus several hundred meters of track on both siding and up slow, and then installed a new point for the up Hertford line, it does seem strange that given the opportunity they are not replacing the point on the down slow..... I guess only time will tell and we will see what happens over this coming weekend.

If the existing point end is in good enough condition, and will be unaffected by the new set (as seems likely), renewing is now is spending over a million quid for no purpose.
 

malc-c

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If the existing point end is in good enough condition, and will be unaffected by the new set (as seems likely), renewing is now is spending over a million quid for no purpose.

I guess that seems logical. Mind you it could follow the logic of most roads, where they resurface it, only to dig trenches two week later to lay in new gas pipe etc.. :)
 

malc-c

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Well that was an interesting morning, watching nearly everything that was installed last week being removed and replaced with a long set of points. Video and stills will be uploaded soon.... when I've thawed out !
 

malc-c

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A couple of screen shots

56302 was in charge of bringing the crane to site

56302.jpg

4th panel being placed (with the Layland aggregate train arriving in the background)

SnapShot9.jpg
 

malc-c

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The video has finished uploading... The The Northbound Hertford line now has its independence :)

 

Mcq

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The video has finished uploading... The The Northbound Hertford line now has its independence :)

Super video malc-c - really enjoyed the detail and length of it.
I hope you didn't get too cold and have thawed out now.
 

malc-c

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Glad you enjoyed it. I tend not to make long videos as most people get fed up after ten minutes or so, but I had little choice with this one as there was a lot to cover.

Yeah, thoroughly thawed out now thanks... and caught up on the sleep (long story but I only went to bed three hours before the alarm went off, so three hours in a 38 hour period !!)

I'll probably keep future updates short from now on. I'll try and find out what the plan is regarding the OHLE as that would be another big part of the project, but for now I'm guessing most of the work will be in completing the track work and building the station infrastructure before the OHL goes in.
 

plugwash

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Curious about the track after the points, one of the sections seemed seemed to be split into a "one and a half" track (three rails) peice and a half-track (one rail) peice, is this a common thing to do? are the peices joined together in some way after being laid.
 

malc-c

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Curious about the track after the points, one of the sections seemed seemed to be split into a "one and a half" track (three rails) peice and a half-track (one rail) peice, is this a common thing to do? are the peices joined together in some way after being laid.

Yes they are joined once the last single rail section is placed. Notice all the white "bags" on the sleepers of the last section with three rails, these contain the parts to bolt the last single rail section together. The reason the point is configured this way is width restrictions when transporting by road.

I was hoping to record this, but after nearly six hours of videoing in cold conditions the batteries gave out !
 

Bald Rick

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Curious about the track after the points, one of the sections seemed seemed to be split into a "one and a half" track (three rails) peice and a half-track (one rail) peice, is this a common thing to do? are the peices joined together in some way after being laid.

Yes, very common, it’s been happening in this country for over a decade. It’s called modular S&C (Switches and Crossings) with ‘split bearers’. The two halves are bolted together across the bearers (sleepers).

It’s done so that the sections of S&C can be delivered in full from the factory by train on the tilting wagons. Before this system came into place, the S&C was built up at the factory, labelled up, then broken down to bearers and rails, all of which was then transported to site. It was then (usually) built up again by the side of the line to check it was all there and in place as a ‘practice run’, before being broken down again, and then built up for the third and final time ‘in the hole’.

Using the wagons and modular S&C means it is only built once, in the factory, which saves a lot of effort (ie money) and the quality of the job is invariably better.

Note that some locations still require the S&C to be built up piecemeal, usually those where the big cranes can’t work or if they are unavailable.
 

Bald Rick

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The video has finished uploading... The The Northbound Hertford line now has its independence :)

Another vote of thanks for the video; I skipped through it but it brought back some memories! The remote control triple wacker looks fun to drive.
 
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swt_passenger

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Yes they are joined once the last single rail section is placed. Notice all the white "bags" on the sleepers of the last section with three rails, these contain the parts to bolt the last single rail section together. The reason the point is configured this way is width restrictions when transporting by road.

I was hoping to record this, but after nearly six hours of videoing in cold conditions the batteries gave out !
I think the same or similar width restrictions will also apply when delivered on the rail tilting wagons as Bald Rick mentioned. Were these sections of S&C definitely delivered by road?
 

malc-c

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I can't confirm if these panels for the turnback were delivered by rail or road. My hunch would be via road based on the fact that next to the line is a large car park where the crane that removed the straight track panels installed the week before was sited, so that would also be the ideal way of craning the panels to the holding area. Also, the panels for the aggregate siding, head shunt, and the branch off to Hertford on the up slow were all brought in by road as documented in one of my earlier videos, so my money would be that the S&C for the turnback also came in via road...
 

3973EXL

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Known as Stub panels or Stub end.
The S&C panel would be to wide for the tilting wagons if single bearers were used. So with the modular system split bearers are used which are bolted together on site.
If moved to site by rail, Stub panels are loaded on a flat bed wagon.
 

malc-c

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I think the same or similar width restrictions will also apply when delivered on the rail tilting wagons as Bald Rick mentioned. Were these sections of S&C definitely delivered by road?

I agree - looking at that wonderful PDF that plugwash provided the max bearer length seems to be 3.5m for rail, and the UK GOV website states anything over 2.9m wide transported by road is classed as an abnormal load which at minimum requires notification to the police https://assets.publishing.service.g...file/503103/Aide_Memoire_updated_Sep_2015.pdf
 

57Tonic

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I agree - looking at that wonderful PDF that plugwash provided the max bearer length seems to be 3.5m for rail, and the UK GOV website states anything over 2.9m wide transported by road is classed as an abnormal load which at minimum requires notification to the police https://assets.publishing.service.g...file/503103/Aide_Memoire_updated_Sep_2015.pdf
I'm not very good with geometry but as a rough estimate a 3.5m wide panel tilted to 40 degrees will be 2.8m base by 2.3m high. and it's a long while since I left school at 14 in 1962. so this could be B******s
 

malc-c

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I was just going by the diagram of the tilting wagon in the PDF document that Plugwash linked to...

tilt.png
 

hwl

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Yes, very common, it’s been happening in this country for over a decade. It’s called modular S&C (Switches and Crossings) with ‘split bearers’. The two halves are bolted together across the bearers (sleepers).

It’s done so that the sections of S&C can be delivered in full from the factory by train on the tilting wagons. Before this system came into place, the S&C was built up at the factory, labelled up, then broken down to bearers and rails, all of which was then transported to site. It was then (usually) built up again by the side of the line to check it was all there and in place as a ‘practice run’, before being broken down again, and then built up for the third and final time ‘in the hole’.

Using the wagons and modular S&C means it is only built once, in the factory, which saves a lot of effort (ie money) and the quality of the job is invariably better.

Note that some locations still require the S&C to be built up piecemeal, usually those where the big cranes can’t work or if they are unavailable.

The tilting wagon concept for S&C delivery isn't new, just new to the UK, it was originally designed to allow large sections of factory assembled S&C to be transported long distances to allow quick replacement of Russian gauge S&C with standard gauge S&C* but the manufacturer ended up the wrong side of the iron curtain for UK purposes.

*They could reguage 10km of plain line in day but needed a step change in S&C productivity.
 
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