• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Blackpool - Manchester Electrification

Status
Not open for further replies.
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

snowball

Established Member
Joined
4 Mar 2013
Messages
7,674
Location
Leeds
Looks like RTT gives an overoptimistic view of service plans.
Each day so far, it has shown full services for "tomorrow", but when tomorrow comes they are back to the hourly Airport only.
Same again today.
Does this mean the signalling problems are not yet resolved?
 

LDECRexile

Established Member
Joined
30 Jan 2014
Messages
2,149
Location
Southport, UK
Looks like RTT gives an overoptimistic view of service plans.
Each day so far, it has shown full services for "tomorrow", but when tomorrow comes they are back to the hourly Airport only.
Same again today.

My uneducated guess is that RTT shows the timetable, with trains being cancellable if the people running them don't have crew, sets, the will to live or whatever.

Doing it the other way round, with people asking to run a train when they have crew, etc would be "interesting".
 

Loop & Link

Member
Joined
22 Feb 2015
Messages
515
My uneducated guess is that RTT shows the timetable, with trains being cancellable if the people running them don't have crew, sets, the will to live or whatever.

Doing it the other way round, with people asking to run a train when they have crew, etc would be "interesting".

The units are available the crew are available (to an extent) the unit diagrams and traincrew dockets were all written for the service commencing on 26/3, however there’s a lot of road refreshing taking place, drivers need to complete 4 trips over the line before being passed out on it again, some drivers haven’t been up there for nearly a year, well before it was closed.

As regards the TT, looks like it’s being STP’d on a daily basis, with the same planned services running.
 

Lyca

Member
Joined
16 Apr 2018
Messages
13
Location
Blackpool
Dear Lyca, welcome to the forum and to this thread. You may have seen that we have built up a collection of photos and films of work on the line which we refer to as the "Combined Volume" (CV). I've put links to it at the end of this post.

If you click on the second link, then click on the very first image and look down its "Comments" you will see that several people have kindly agreed to have their work linked to the CV. This gives them extended exposure and puts their growing works in one place for this forum's users. It also addresses the problem that all threads such as this one are "rolling", so people might not see material such as yours because it was posted a few days before they looked in.

Would you be happy for me to link your films to the CV? I'm afraid I don't know what your "Channel" is, but I can easily link to the film above which seems to show your other work. If you have a link to your Channnel could you please copy it into your reply?

Please note that no money ever changes hands in this regard, in either direction; we do it for fun.

Here's the CV, in two parts: firstly 1945 to 2015:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/albums/72157648767927083

then the current one which started on 1st Jan 2016:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/albums/72157661069863633

I look forward to hearing from you

Dave

Hi Dave I'm completely happy for anyone to link my videos anywhere for anyone who wants to watch them. Here is a link to my playlist (for some reason it starts from week 2 instead of week one) I'm not a professional or anything, that's obvious from the quality of the videos, I just film for fun. I think I got some cool moments on film though. I went down to film every few days and put all my stuff in weekly updates.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz0dGSXVpg0_LlfQZvMCksGKkQ19zsueC

Also my channel is: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTHDBgeI2U8H1CUvWzbjAPg
 
Last edited:

LDECRexile

Established Member
Joined
30 Jan 2014
Messages
2,149
Location
Southport, UK

snowball

Established Member
Joined
4 Mar 2013
Messages
7,674
Location
Leeds
It isn't usual for a track sectioning station to have street lighting is it?

They certainly seem to be bout to obscure a signal at Bolton.
 

Elecman

Established Member
Joined
31 Dec 2013
Messages
2,880
Location
Lancashire
It isn't usual for a track sectioning station to have street lighting is it?

They certainly seem to be bout to obscure a signal at Bolton.

There isn’t a TSS at Bolton, there are ATS at Clifton, Lostock and Blackrod. They will have external lighting on the buildings for security
 

AM9

Veteran Member
Joined
13 May 2014
Messages
14,191
Location
St Albans
Looking at LDECR's acres of pictures of progress, I am amazed at the acres of space left unused at Bolton.
Of course, in BR days and before, the space between the two island platforms was occupied. Now only those tracks service platforms remain, however, the alignment of OLE masts skews from the down side at the southern end to the up side by Trinity St. bridge, making the reinstallationt of any bypass track very expensive, - Wrinkly's picture No.9872e shows this quite well). I do accept that the sharply diverging routes north of Trinity St. bridge does waste some space owing to the tracks taking a line that gives the maximum curve radii. However, the space either side of the platforms, particularly the west side (presumably railway land), seems to be just left. As somebody from the south-east, it seems that land is not that precious in the area surrounding the station as much of it is surface car parking which fills during shopping hours.
The station probably has about 2 million passengers a year before full services (including electric) are introduced and if the route and service improvements are to be seen as worth the cost, there must be an expectation of much increased traffic, particularly commuter patronage towards Manchester. Whilst it is a progressive move to have minimal car parking at a town centre station, especially if there is a linked bus station as at Bolton, is it realistic not to replace the passenger car-park that was permanently closed last year considering the generous amount of space around the station or is there a hope that town centre housing will soak up all of the land packets adjacent to the railway?
 

LDECRexile

Established Member
Joined
30 Jan 2014
Messages
2,149
Location
Southport, UK
I have not had a mobile phone since last Saturday, I expected getting new one to be quick and easy: not so. If anyone has tried to contact me using it, that's why I haven't acknowledged or replied.

I have been told by a friend of the railway that a test train is due about 2 tomorrow (Friday 20th). Real time trains shows a potentially interesting train arriving at 05:51 and departing at 14:28. Experience tells me that that is liable to last minute changes, including cancellation.

It seems rum to test the line with no juice on, but presumably the kit could test infrastructure alignment and the like.

We are about to go to Bromsgrove for a couple of days, so I won't be around to see or film it, if it comes.
 

LNW-GW Joint

Veteran Member
Joined
22 Feb 2011
Messages
19,555
Location
Mold, Clwyd
NRE now says a reduced Preston-Blackpool North timetable will apply "until at least May 4", including replacement buses.
No clue as to when the current 1tph will be increased.
 

nw-sparks

Member
Joined
10 Oct 2013
Messages
242
Location
Liverpool
I have been told by a friend of the railway that a test train is due about 2 tomorrow (Friday 20th). Real time trains shows a potentially interesting train arriving at 05:51 and departing at 14:28. Experience tells me that that is liable to last minute changes, including cancellation.

It seems rum to test the line with no juice on, but presumably the kit could test infrastructure alignment and the like.

That train has been in the database since September last year, running "As required" every Friday, so it's probably just a bog standard survey and nothing to do with the current works.

Edit: In fact, as far as I can see this train has never run in the lifetime of the current timetable.
 
Last edited:

snowball

Established Member
Joined
4 Mar 2013
Messages
7,674
Location
Leeds
It isn't usual for a track sectioning station to have street lighting is it?

They certainly seem to be bout to obscure a signal at Bolton.

There isn’t a TSS at Bolton, there are ATS at Clifton, Lostock and Blackrod. They will have external lighting on the buildings for security

Perhaps I should have been clearer. My first sentence was about the lights at the ATS at Lostock. My second sentence was about a foundation for an OLE mast at Bolton visible in picture A032m. If a mast gets put on that foundation it looks likely to block the signal behind, as LDECR's caption notes.
 

Lyca

Member
Joined
16 Apr 2018
Messages
13
Location
Blackpool
I took a ton of photos during the electrification. Rather than post every single pic individually I made them all into a photo video. I think I got them all in chronological order. Anyone is free to link any of my videos in any albums on any sites.

My whole playlist is linked a few posts back in this thread.
 

LeylandLen

Member
Joined
28 Oct 2013
Messages
779
Location
Leyland Lancs
That train has been in the database since September last year, running "As required" every Friday, so it's probably just a bog standard survey and nothing to do with the current works.

Edit: In fact, as far as I can see this train has never run in the lifetime of the current timetable.

As it happens, its running now (Thursday)as 180k Carlisle High Wapping Sidings to Blackpool North via Workington ,Morecambe ,Manchester Victoria ,and Blackpool South arrives BPN 0551, top and tailed by 2 x Colas class 37s .
 

wrinkley

Member
Joined
6 Feb 2015
Messages
127
Looking at LDECR's acres of pictures of progress, I am amazed at the acres of space left unused at Bolton.

The station probably has about 2 million passengers a year before full services (including electric) are introduced and if the route and service improvements are to be seen as worth the cost, there must be an expectation of much increased traffic, particularly commuter patronage towards Manchester. Whilst it is a progressive move to have minimal car parking at a town centre station, especially if there is a linked bus station as at Bolton, is it realistic not to replace the passenger car-park that was permanently closed last year considering the generous amount of space around the station or is there a hope that town centre housing will soak up all of the land packets adjacent to the railway?

A multi-storey car park is being built at the corner of Trinity Street and Bradshawgate, about 100 metres from the station.
 

Joseph_Locke

Established Member
Joined
14 Apr 2012
Messages
1,878
Location
Within earshot of trains passing the one and half
Perhaps I should have been clearer. My first sentence was about the lights at the ATS at Lostock. My second sentence was about a foundation for an OLE mast at Bolton visible in picture A032m. If a mast gets put on that foundation it looks likely to block the signal behind, as LDECR's caption notes.

The ATSS at Lostock will have area lighting, as will the other two.

The signal is not obscured by the mast: if you look the mast is to the left of the sightline from driving position (over the LH rail) to the signal. Many hours were spent locating signals and OLE structures on this route - they know what they're doing (on phase 4 anyway, less so on 3 and 5).
 

Bertie the bus

Established Member
Joined
15 Aug 2014
Messages
2,781
That train has been in the database since September last year, running "As required" every Friday, so it's probably just a bog standard survey and nothing to do with the current works.

Edit: In fact, as far as I can see this train has never run in the lifetime of the current timetable.
The test train runs monthly. Obviously whilst the Blackpool line has been closed it hasn't run to there but has started at Carnforth instead.

That test train headed up to Scotland last Tuesday, as it always does, and the consist doesn't include MENTOR.
 

The_Engineer

Member
Joined
24 Mar 2018
Messages
524
It's the national measurement train, Class 37 hauled. It ran last night (180K) and is presently berthed at Blackpool North platform 2. As mentioned already, this train carries out routine track measurements, Mentor will visit before energisation; it checks the alignment and tension in the overhead line, the tests it carries out can be done with the overhead line energised or de-energised.

This filmed interview today shows the NMT and a sunny Blackpool North!! https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/987297415031066625
 
Last edited:

GRALISTAIR

Established Member
Joined
11 Apr 2012
Messages
7,807
Location
Dalton GA USA & Preston Lancs
Hi-Viz jacket though?? heard about this on another thread.

Agreed - as I go on building sites often, I do have my own hi-viz jacket - State of California approved too!! I think if you are wearing a high-viz jacket, it is extremely unlikely you are going to commit suicide so the comfort level with railway staff will improve.
 

td97

Established Member
Joined
26 Jul 2017
Messages
1,292
Article about resident's complaints regarding the electrification work appeared today. Of interest was
[Network Rail] Officials also said they expected work on the Kearsley site to be completed “towards the back end of this year”.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top