Blackpool - Manchester Electrification

[familyguy99]

Sorry if this in wrong thread but I took some photo's of work going on outside of Victoria station (east section) do anyone on here know what work they are doing and is it part of electrification rest of line at Victoria station?

Sorry if you can't see picture properly, please use this link if you want to see pictures bigger.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/metrolink_work/

 

[LDECRexile]

Thank you very much for taking the trouble to post these shots. Your album also looks very interesting.

This thread's scope starts at Man Vic and heads north west, but there is a Manchester to Stalybridge electrification thread which could be just the place for your material. The easiest way for all concerned is for them to link your flickr album to their photo album, if they have one, I'm afraid I haven't looked.

Happy shooting and thanks once again.

 

[LDECRexile]

Good News

I went to Manchester via Bolton today (as opposed to I went on a rail tour to Manchester via Bolton today) but naturally I kept my eyes open.

Beside the southbound track there are two masts between Clifton and the M60 and three between the M60 and Dixon Fold.
Beside the northbund track there are ten masts between Kearsley and the M60 and twelve between the M60 and Clifton.

Resurfacing continues on Bolton's Platforms 4/5 island, southern end.

Otherwise nowt struck me.

I aim to do a "Farewell" jaunt to Blackpool Wed or Thu or Fri.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Counting masts between Farnworth Tunnel and Salford Crescent today (Down line), I made it 4 near Kearsley, 16 near Clifton, and 23 from Agecroft-ish to Windsor Bridge North.
The latter includes a fair number of portal structures and twin-track cantilevers.
Difficult to judge progress elsewhere; some of it looks ready for wiring, but the gaps in the runs of masts are still there.

At Fylde Jn, a lot of heavy steelwork has gone up in the first half-mile or so of the Blackpool line, including in the overlap area with the 1974 WCML wiring.
The new platform edges for P1 at Blackpool North, and the new Up platform at Kirkham, look well advanced.
Plenty of masts in the new carriage sidings area at Blackpool North, and there's a small mountain of ballast on the south side of the line.
A notice in one of the windows of Poulton signal box says "1896-2017", as demolition approaches.

 

[LDECRexile]

Oops,

I failed to mention two next to the northbound track between Clifton and Agecroft Road bridge.

 

[CdBrux]

Thank you very much for taking the trouble to post these shots. Your album also looks very interesting.

This thread's scope starts at Man Vic and heads north west, but there is a Manchester to Stalybridge electrification thread which could be just the place for your material. .

Hmm... bit pedantic this but the electrification to the east of Vic at the moment is less than 1 mile and, as I understand, will be just to allow terminating electric trains to head out east, across some points and then back into a different platform. If true it's more a part of completing this west of Victoria schemes than going to Stalybridge. Probably not originally stated as such as the Stalybridge project would have been assumed to naturally do the job

 

[snowball]

Hmm... bit pedantic this but the electrification to the east of Vic at the moment is less than 1 mile and, as I understand, will be just to allow terminating electric trains to head out east, across some points and then back into a different platform. If true it's more a part of completing this west of Victoria schemes than going to Stalybridge. Probably not originally stated as such as the Stalybridge project would have been assumed to naturally do the job

Yes but the curtailed electrification eastward from Victoria is still listed in the Enhancements Delivery Plan as "North-west electrification, phase 5" which was the name previously given to Victoria to Stalybridge. And information about the curtailment came out gradually. And there was already a Manchester-Stalybridge thread. And there still needs to be a Stalybridge-Manchester feeder cable.

 

[John Boy]

Had another trip into Salford Crescent today from HID.

Spotted bases north of platform 1 on the Blackburn line
Progress is definitely being made, saw more bases and masts as others have reported. Even saw some bases on the Platform 5 line into Bolton
Bolton resurfacing continues, I'd guess at least 50% blacktop done

I presume the large diameter bases will be for the TTC setup which seem to be used quite a lot?

 

[snowball]

I gather the A575 road is still closed at Moses Gate following the wall collapse.

 

[gazthomas]

I'm sorry if this is the wrong forum or if it has been covered before but why are both the south a north lines to Blackpool are being closed at the same time? To me it would seem logical to keep one open at a time. I guess they share a common origin (Preston) which I'm sure compounds matters!

 

[Whistler40145]

I'm sorry if this is the wrong forum or if it has been covered before but why are both the south a north lines to Blackpool are being closed at the same time? To me it would seem logical to keep one open at a time. I guess they share a common origin (Preston) which I'm sure compounds matters!

Resignalling of both lines, all signal boxes are being demolished and control transferred to Manchester ROC, all part of the Blackpool North to Preston electrification scheme

 

[NSEFAN]

I'm sorry if this is the wrong forum or if it has been covered before but why are both the south a north lines to Blackpool are being closed at the same time? To me it would seem logical to keep one open at a time. I guess they share a common origin (Preston) which I'm sure compounds matters!

Both Blackpool North and South lines share the same route between Preston and Kirkham & Westham, so whilst that is shut then neither can run. There's also the issue of resignalling the entire line, which also affects this shared section of line.

The plan seems to be to finish off Preston - Kirkham & Westham first, as Blackpool South is expected to reopen on 29th Jan 2018, whilst Blackpool North is closed until 25th March 2018.

 

[gazthomas]

Resignalling of both lines, all signal boxes are being demolished and control transferred to Manchester ROC, all part of the Blackpool North to Preston electrification scheme

Thanks, so they have to be done together? Okay!

 

[gazthomas]

Both Blackpool North and South lines share the same route between Preston and Kirkham & Westham, so whilst that is shut then neither can run. There's also the issue of resignalling the entire line, which also affects this shared section of line.

The plan seems to be to finish off Preston - Kirkham & Westham first, as Blackpool South is expected to reopen on 29th Jan 2018, whilst Blackpool North is closed until 25th March 2018.

Thank you

 

[Whistler40145]

Both Blackpool North and South lines share the same route between Preston and Kirkham & Westham, so whilst that is shut then neither can run. There's also the issue of resignalling the entire line, which also affects this shared section of line.

The plan seems to be to finish off Preston - Kirkham & Westham first, as Blackpool South is expected to reopen on 29th Jan 2018, whilst Blackpool North is closed until 25th March 2018.

Both Blackpool North and South lines share the same route between Preston and Kirkham & Westham, so whilst that is shut then neither can run. There's also the issue of resignalling the entire line, which also affects this shared section of line.

The plan seems to be to finish off Preston - Kirkham & Westham first, as Blackpool South is expected to reopen on 29th Jan 2018, whilst Blackpool North is closed until 25th March 2018.

Presumably, after the Blackpool South branch reopens, the line between Blackpool North and Kirkham & Wesham will be still closed for electrification work.

 

[NSEFAN]

Presumably, after the Blackpool South branch reopens, the line between Blackpool North and Kirkham & Wesham will be still closed for electrification work.

Yes. Blackpool North is also having the track layout remodelled, I believe (the number of platforms has been reduced from 6 to 4).

 

[IanXC]

Yes. Blackpool North is also having the track layout remodelled, I believe (the number of platforms has been reduced from 6 to 4).

Prior to the works beginning it was 8, currently 4, but the finished state is 6 platforms.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Presumably, after the Blackpool South branch reopens, the line between Blackpool North and Kirkham & Wesham will be still closed for electrification work.

I will be taking a photo tour with Dave aka LDECRExile when I am home for Thanksgiving on Friday November 24th. We will be doing a whole day in the car Fylde Jct to Blackpool North. They are already making amazing progress on this section compared to Euxton- Salford. A huge number/most bases in and many many masts with some cantilevered too. As was said above, the focus will be to get all wiring etc done to Kirkham in the blockade to January - by then it really should only be the remodel and places like Poulton-le Fylde Station and Blackpool North station to wire up because the remodel comes first. Again, as up to Kirkham will be done they can really focus. The reduction to 6 platforms at BPL North plus simplification plus removal of semaphore signaling etc also comes with considerable platform straightening even though they will not be perfectly straight. There also may still be some work to do at Kirkham - principally one would assume the new platform being built. The old one will serve BPL Sth.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

I was up at Bolton last week and spotted this sign, which amused me as there are not even any pylons, let alone wires at Bolton yet.



The current approach to Salford station:

 

[QueensCurve]

I was up at Bolton last week and spotted this sign, which amused me as there are not even any pylons, let alone wires at Bolton yet.



The current approach to Salford station:

Thank you for posting those.

The signal head looks really cheap and nasty and, dare I say, rather unBritish.

Which Salford is that? Crescent?

 

[Jonny]

Thank you for posting those.

The signal head looks really cheap and nasty and, dare I say, rather unBritish.

Which Salford is that? Crescent?

It looks like the view from the end of the platform at Salford Crescent. With some OLE structures.

 

[takno]

Thank you for posting those.

The signal head looks really cheap and nasty and, dare I say, rather unBritish.

Which Salford is that? Crescent?

I think you're going to have to get used to those signal heads, as they're going up everywhere. They look a bit toy-like, but that's for a reason. The use of LEDs should hugely reduce maintenance, meaning you don't really need access to the internals. This means you can make the whole thing a lightweight sealed unit which improves weather resistance, although it does make it look a bit like a moulded plastic toy. The other benefit is that they are much lighter, so they need less substantial foundations and poles

 

[Ploughman]

Bet they are not cheap either.

 

[edwin_m]

Thank you for posting those.

The signal head looks really cheap and nasty and, dare I say, rather unBritish.

Which Salford is that? Crescent?

The poster suggests it was Bolton and the sign is consistent with it being there.

Yes, more recent signals do look a bit feeble compared with more traditional designs, having gone the other way in between with some truly massive structures in the 90s and 2000s. They do look a bit like lollipops or the type of thing that would turn up on Chuggington. But I agree you will just have to get use to them until such time as ERTMS eliminates signals entirely (many years away on most lines). However in this case the integration of what I think is a RA indicator into the signal head is a bit neater than the usual practice of putting it in a separate box.

 

[L+Y]

These may have been reported upthread, but there's quite a number of erected masts visible from the M60 at Clifton, on the Manchester side of the viaduct.

 

[Ianno87]

It looks like the view from the end of the platform at Salford Crescent. With some OLE structures.

Lots of progress since my last journey through - excellent!

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Sorry, the upper picture is Bolton, lower is the Manchester end of Salford Crescent, looking under the bridge.

 

[Eccles1983]

You spotters might not like the new signal heads but as an actual user who relies on these they are so much easier and clearer to see, especially when you get difficult light condictions such as low sun.

I wish they would replace more of them and quickly.

 

[Whistler40145]

You spotters might not like the new signal heads but as an actual user who relies on these they are so much easier and clearer to see, especially when you get difficult light condictions such as low sun.

I wish they would replace more of them and quickly.

I agree, what use is a signal that isn't user friendly to drivers, easier and cheaper to maintain and better to see in problematic light conditions.

 

[NSEFAN]

Prior to the works beginning it was 8, currently 4, but the finished state is 6 platforms.

I stand corrected. When visiting last weekend I did think that 4 was a bit too much of a downgrade!