Acton aggregate yards

[gage75]

Have noticed recently that OHLE has been installed lead into Acton aggregate yards from the country end, does anyone know why??

 

[1018509]

Possibly for the use of trains with OHLE traction.

 

[swt_passenger]

There's also the usual safety precaution of running the wires into a siding or branch in case they accidentally signal an EMU or other train in there. They'd usually provide for an over-run anyway, even if they don't actually electrify the yard.

 

[RichmondCommu]

There's also the usual safety precaution of running the wires into a siding or branch in case they accidentally signal an EMU or other train in there. They'd usually provide for an over-run anyway, even if they don't actually electrify the yard.

Now that's a very good point but surely that would have been done when Heathrow was electrified? The assumption here is that this is all recent activity unless I'm mistaken.

 

[hassaanhc]

The last time I passed there (early December 2014) the OHLE only appeared to enter a very short section into the yard (and has been there since at least April 2014 when I first noticed it).

 

[swt_passenger]

Recent track changes may have simply made it more obvious. I'm not sure if what you can see has changed as a result of the dive under works, clearly the up relief will eventually take a different route through the dive under which is currently under construction...

 

[mr_moo]

The wire into Acton yard is purely for over-run protection in the short term.
It was extended late last year when other works in the yard allowed it to be - it was technically too short initially. It's live now.

Over-run protection is indeed there simply to prevent any mis-routed trains from falling off the wires and thus making it a lot easier for them to reverse back to where they should have been.

In the longer term, there is passive provision for electrification of the Poplar lines and there is a long term but as yet un-funded and un-authorised aspiration for electrification to extend along the Poplar lines and up to the NLL.

Don't forget that the Western access to Acton yard changed completely over Christmas 2013. The former Western access was removed and a new access was built. The new access is over a bridge over what will be Acton diveunder, the basic structure of which is mostly complete now. That's what is behind all those fences and that's what the piling rigs and big machinery is for.

The area where the former rail access was is now taken over by the construction site for the diveunder and will eventually have the diveunder track on it.

There are two tracks on the bridge. The Westernmost one is the Up Poplar. This currently forms the bi-directional access into the yard with the adjacent track currently out of use - it ends just past the bridge.

These tracks will be extended soon down around the back of the diveunder and will join the existing Up and Down Poplar lines. The double junction in the middle of the yard, where the Goods/Poplar lines currently diverge from the relief lines, will disappear at Easter 2015 with the new tracks joining onto the existing ones. The tracks over the diveunder will then be the connections to both the yard and the Up and Down Goods/Poplar lines.

FYI the Up Relief will not take a different route at all - the diveunder will be additional to the existing Up Relief. It's a diversionary route for when freight traffic is exiting the yard, although it will see a fair amount of traffic!

 

[dysonsphere]

Does anyone have a good track diagram of the final layout, not the poor PR networkrail one

 

[Chris125]

In the longer term, there is passive provision for electrification of the Poplar lines and there is a long term but as yet un-funded and un-authorised aspiration for electrification to extend along the Poplar lines and up to the NLL.

I thought that was funded and approved under the Acton (GWML) to Willesden (WCML) scheme, it's on page 47 of the Enhancements Delivery Plan - Acton West to Acton Wells, Acton Canal Wharf Junction (for the WCML) and the West London Line.

Chris

 

[mr_moo]

Chris125 - Good point - but it's currently a GRIP 3 project. The scheme development is funded and construction is funded at high level but is currently not formally costed nor allocated to any actual project team.

dysonsphere - I'll have a look to see what I can release publicly.