1959 ECML Electrification Report

[Rich Brown]

Whilst going through a large amount of rail related things after my father's death last year I came across an interesting document titled 'Report on the Modernisation and Elctrification of the East Coast Main Line between Kings Cross and Newcastle and Certain Associated Lines'. Published by the E & NE Regions in June 1959. Nice snappy title but fairly common in those days I think. My father worked in Newcastle at the time and had a few friends on the railways so I guess this was how he came by it. Its been a struggle to find much online about this study (I wouldn't go as far as to call it a scheme) but it does make for interesting reading and I've noticed a few references to early BR plans for the ECML on this forum. If anyone has any more light to shed into the shadowy world of the ECML in the time of the modernisation plan I'd be most interested.

 

[Highlandspring]

I know nothing about this scheme but perhaps you would consider getting in touch with the Railways Archive site to make the report available online for others with an interest..?

http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/contribute.php

 

[delt1c]

It has been well documented in many publications that the original proposal was to electrify both the WCML and the ECML, however at the time the ECML electrification was dropped. The Deltics were introduced to the ECML as an alternative

 

[DidcotDickie]

I know nothing about this scheme but perhaps you would consider getting in touch with the Railways Archive site to make the report available online for others with an interest..?

http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/contribute.php

+1

That sounds like an interesting historical document, Rich. I would certainly be interested to read what was proposed at the time.

 

[Taunton]

There was quite a lot of work done on the ECML electrification project at the time, including some publicity. I recall a colour poster promoting it, portraying Grantham station, wired, with an E3001 electric loco, in blue, approaching from one direction, and a Clacton-style express emu, in maroon, going the other way.

 

[Helvellyn]

I recall a colour poster promoting it, portraying Grantham station, wired, with an E3001 electric loco, in blue, approaching from one direction, and a Clacton-style express emu, in maroon, going the other way.

I am sure I recall that the 309s were designed as an InterCity style unit and were seen as planned with for London to Leeds services.

 

[High Dyke]

Not quite the era of the OP, but found this article regarding the ECML electrification project that we are probably familiar with these days. Of note is the work carried out on the bridge South of Doncaster station; I hadn't realised the engineering project that was undertaken on that one bridge alone.

At Doncaster, the Nine Arch bridge required increased clearance beneath the arches that carried five running lines to the south. Alongside these tracks, there was space in the adjacent arches which enabled concrete buttresses to be built so that structurally the bridge was split into three sections. The buttresses enabled the central section to be demolished without impacting upon the other two sections.

By dint of sawing the bridge into two halves longitudinally, it proved possible to keep the bridge open to road traffic while the central section was reconstructed. This feature was much appreciated by the local authority, which had intimated that there was no way they could agree more than a long weekend closure of such an important road within their city centre.

https://www.railengineer.co.uk/2017/11/27/ecml-electrification-as-it-used-to-be/

 

[delt1c]

I am sure I recall that the 309s were designed as an InterCity style unit and were seen as planned with for London to Leeds services.

The 309's were designed as an Intercity Unit for West Coast and East Coast services, have a look at the design speed and the GER maximum speed speed at the time and ask why?
It is a shame that the design was not taken forward as they had so much potential

 

[RLBH]

It would certainly be fascinating to see more about BR thoughts on electrifying the ECML in the Modernisation Plan era. It's a subject that's rife with rumours and speculation, but clearly one that was seriously considered.

The 309's were designed as an Intercity Unit for West Coast and East Coast services, have a look at the design speed and the GER maximum speed speed at the time and ask why?

There are quite a few services where the 309s could easily have found a niche; they were basically a 25kV AC version of the 4Cig and 4Big that Southern Region was building at the time. One obvious one that I've come across is that early studies for the Class 123/124 DMUs listed Manchester and Liverpool to Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Coventry as a potential route, dropped due to electrification.

 

[2392]

The North Eastern Railway had planned to electrify half their section [York - Berwick upon Tweed] of the East Coast Mainline in 1920, Sir Vincent Raven even went to the extent of building a prototype electric express locomotive the ill fated 13. They already had a dozen electric locos 1-2 worked on Tyneside running from Manors to the Newcastle quayside and No. 3-12 on the Newport [Thornaby] - Shildon line, hence the next loco being No. 13. Anyway the plan was to electrify between York and Newcastle at first.

 

[delt1c]

It would certainly be fascinating to see more about BR thoughts on electrifying the ECML in the Modernisation Plan era. It's a subject that's rife with rumours and speculation, but clearly one that was seriously considered.

There are quite a few services where the 309s could easily have found a niche; they were basically a 25kV AC version of the 4Cig and 4Big that Southern Region was building at the time. One obvious one that I've come across is that early studies for the Class 123/124 DMUs listed Manchester and Liverpool to Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Coventry as a potential route, dropped due to electrification.

Hence why the 309's were built with a design speed of 100mph, when the GE had no such stretches

 

[Sad Sprinter]

This post interested me, as it could give me an idea for an alternate history timeline on the alternatehistory.com forums so I did a little more digging. Found this little document from 1955 with a handy map at the end showing that electrifcation only as far as York was to be electrified. Was wiring all the way to Newcastle a later plan?

Also, would Broad Street have been electrified to 25kv overhead in this plan?

 

[coppercapped]

This post interested me, as it could give me an idea for an alternate history timeline on the alternatehistory.com forums so I did a little more digging. Found this little document from 1955 with a handy map at the end showing that electrifcation only as far as York was to be electrified. Was wiring all the way to Newcastle a later plan?

Also, would Broad Street have been electrified to 25kv overhead in this plan?

The 1955 Modernisation Plan had this to say about electrifying the major trunk routes:

43. It is the intention to electrify two major trunk routes, and one of lesser traffic density, under the Plan. The main line of the Eastern and North Eastern Regions from King's Cross to Doncaster, Leeds and (possibly) York, and the main line of the London Midland Region from Euston to Birmingham, Crewe, Liverpool and Manchester, will comprise the two major schemes. The subsidiary main- line scheme will consist of the extension of the existing electrification from Liverpool Street (which will soon reach Chelmsford) to Ipswich, including the Clacton, Harwich and Felixstowe branches. By these schemes there will be a virtual elimination of steam from important areas of the country.