Blackpool - Manchester Electrification

[GRALISTAIR]

I did a Salford Central-Buckshaw Parkway and return trip today.

I assume you plant to do a run the week after the blockade too? A "before and after".

 

[LDECRexile]

I assume you plant to do a run the week after the blockade too? A "before and after".

Indeed, I intend to do a car and shanks trip next week, too.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Indeed, I intend to do a car and shanks trip next week, too.

Outstanding - because of your trip today and I will be jet lagged tomorrow, I may just do Salford Crescent for photos and then a general overview of the journey. Salford Central concerns me - unless that is "an absolute must" for the team during the blockade next week. When I return to the states on Tuesday, I will get my daughter to drop me off either at the airport or at Piccadilly so will not get to see anything.

 

[LDECRexile]

Bolton-no time lost in utilising the new anchor point on platform 2,wires up from the station to at least Weston St bridge.Temporary fixings at present.Will forward pic.

I've added Reg's shots to his album here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/albums/72157671732263863

and woven them into the Combined Volume with mine from today's trip here:

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

Thank you Reg.

 

[edwin_m]

3. As Reg says, Bolton Platform 2 is the first to receive C&C. The end fixings must surely be temporary, as they (layman alert) appear to join C&C direct to the metal wicketkeeper post.

This happened at Glasgow Queen Street too. I guess if they've done the wire and run out of time they just attach it temporarily to the wicketkeeper, and come back later to cut a bit off and insert the insulator.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

And I bet you that could be done overnight or at a weekend in daylight - it does not have to be done in a long possession such as next week. Though of course it could be if logistics, manpower etc allow for it.

 

[LDECRexile]

This happened at Glasgow Queen Street too. I guess if they've done the wire and run out of time they just attach it temporarily to the wicketkeeper, and come back later to cut a bit off and insert the insulator.

I think they did similar at Manchester Victoria, near "Graham's Grab" about 4 years ago.

For reasons best known to my psychiatrist I managed not to load half my shots into the Combined Volume today.

I've done so now, here:

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

Doh!

 

[GRALISTAIR]

They were definitely worth waiting for Dave. Great progress following that earth wire through the tunnels at Bolton

 

[Joseph_Locke]

This happened at Glasgow Queen Street too. I guess if they've done the wire and run out of time they just attach it temporarily to the wicketkeeper, and come back later to cut a bit off and insert the insulator.

The cut will be over the beam of the buffer stop, as there's no earthly (geddit?) reason for it to go any further ...

 

[GRALISTAIR]

The cut will be over the beam of the buffer stop, as there's no earthly (geddit?) reason for it to go any further ...

Groan !

 

[swt_passenger]

This happened at Glasgow Queen Street too. I guess if they've done the wire and run out of time they just attach it temporarily to the wicketkeeper, and come back later to cut a bit off and insert the insulator.

...and the west end bays at Reading. I think it was mentioned at the time, if not in the main GW thread could have been in another forum. It happens so often I’m getting a feeling that it might be the best practice, a way of holding the terminating end temporarily but fairly rigidly while they sort out the ‘country end’ of the run...

 

[reg]

Bolton-the twin boom mast adjacent to Morrisons footbridge has been reinstated overnight.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Bolton-the twin boom mast adjacent to Morrisons footbridge has been reinstated overnight.

You beat me to it. Just got back from USA and did MIA to PRE via Bolton. I am not optimistic but not concerned either. Amazing progress from when I was last over. Thought there would have been more wire attachments to the great big mega electrical thingy at Lostock but yet there really is a good overlap on the Wigan line. Loads of stove pipes at Bolton and Salford Crescent so it will be interesting to see what the next 10 days brings. Took a couple of shots - not quite sure they are worth publishing but sent them to Dave anyway. South end of Chorley station has an absolutely massive anti-climb guard on one of the masts. Really pleased with the progress in the Buckshaw area.

 

[snowball]

A video from the Twitter feed:

https://twitter.com/TheGNRP/status/1032877174611750912

 

[GRALISTAIR]

A video from the Twitter feed:

https://twitter.com/TheGNRP/status/1032877174611750912

Really great news. Infrastructure ready in two months - so end of October. 1 mile per shift of wiring. So a nine day blockade would be 27 shifts so 27 miles of wiring. I am nudging towards optimistic again.

 

[LDECRexile]

Wrinkley has kindly sent three shots showing progress at Kearsley.

I've added them to his album here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/albums/72157654034635234

and to the Combined Volume here:

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

His accompanying text read:

"I did the Kearsley to Lostock run today.

The good news – South of Kearsley to the tunnel looks to be fully wired on both lines, couldn’t see any temporary fixings.

The bad news – Tunnel to just north of Green Lane, very little change since last Friday, some temporary fixings now replaced. Earth and AF wires still missing in places.

I didn’t look at the town centre area as reg has that covered, but the AF is still missing on the up line between Dean Clough and Mayor St.

Dean Clough to Lostock the only change is that reported by Baz123 Near Ladybridge.

There could be a good C&C wiring run from the golf course footbridge at Lostock to Bolton but some of the TTCs and portals in and around Lostock station still need registration arms."

Thank you Wrinkley.

 

[PN27]

3. As Reg says, Bolton Platform 2 is the first to receive C&C. The end fixings must surely be temporary, as they (layman alert) appear to join C&C direct to the metal wicketkeeper post.

This happened at Glasgow Queen Street too. I guess if they've done the wire and run out of time they just attach it temporarily to the wicketkeeper, and come back later to cut a bit off and insert the insulator.

That appears to be standard practice, the ends of most of the wiring runs haven't had insulators fitted yet. On a related note, a number of wire ends appear to be temporarily strapped to the mast and not connected to the Tensorex drums.

Not seen it mentioned yet, the Down Bolton has had Catenary, but NOT Contact wire installed from just south of Kearsley to a point south of the National Grid site. Has this method of installation been forced by the oversailing National Grid power lines? (Incidentally- I'm not sure if this has been mentioned in the thread- at least two 11kV overhead line routes that form part of the local distribution network used to pass over the railway have been diverted to run underneath the railway).

Does anyone know why the masts that hold the Tensorex drums don't, in general, have a stay rod attached to them? The mid-point anchors do, and masts where earth or feeder cables terminate have them as well.

 

[inianin]

Really great news. Infrastructure ready in two months - so end of October.

Does "couple" always mean two? Or rather in this case for certain?
I'm asking seriously, English isn't my mother's tongue.
Maybe it's just the difference between an optimist and a pessimist?

 

[LDECRexile]

You beat me to it. Just got back from USA and did MIA to PRE via Bolton. I am not optimistic but not concerned either. Amazing progress from when I was last over. Thought there would have been more wire attachments to the great big mega electrical thingy at Lostock but yet there really is a good overlap on the Wigan line. Loads of stove pipes at Bolton and Salford Crescent so it will be interesting to see what the next 10 days brings. Took a couple of shots - not quite sure they are worth publishing but sent them to Dave anyway. South end of Chorley station has an absolutely massive anti-climb guard on one of the masts. Really pleased with the progress in the Buckshaw area.

Welcome home Graham, I've added your shots to your album here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/albums/72157651259517065

and to the Combined Volume here:

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

Have a good visit, maybe we'll ride together under electric power at Christmas?

 

[LDECRexile]

That appears to be standard practice, the ends of most of the wiring runs haven't had insulators fitted yet. On a related note, a number of wire ends appear to be temporarily strapped to the mast and not connected to the Tensorex drums.

This often happened on Liverpool-Manchester, I reckon it's down to ad hoc things like "have we got time to fix it to the drum?"

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned in the thread- at least two 11kV overhead line routes that form part of the local distribution network used to pass over the railway have been diverted to run underneath the railway).

I'm pretty sure it hasn't been mentioned, as I've asked a few times if work has been started or completed on oversail problems south of Kearsley, so thank you for doing so.

 

[LDECRexile]

Does "couple" always mean two? Or rather in this case for certain?
I'm asking seriously, English isn't my mother's tongue.
Maybe it's just the difference between an optimist and a pessimist?

Good question, I'd say "couple", as in "couple of months" means "roughly two".

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Good question, I'd say "couple", as in "couple of months" means "roughly two".

Exactly — which is why I shot for end of October so just over 2 months but not a full 3 months according to my interpretation of the twitter feed

 

[PN27]

I'm pretty sure it hasn't been mentioned, as I've asked a few times if work has been started or completed on oversail problems south of Kearsley, so thank you for doing so.

The routes I know about weren't near Kearsley; one was north of Lostock, the other was about halfway between Bradshaw Fields and Rawlinson Lane.

Forgot to mention- saw a few bits of steelwork lying around in the compound north of Bullfield Tunnels in Bolton, so presumably there are a few more masts to go in there.

 

[Joseph_Locke]

The routes I know about weren't near Kearsley; one was north of Lostock, the other was about halfway between Bradshaw Fields and Rawlinson Lane.

Those were the two lower-voltage pole routes were the OLE couldn't have got under at all - all the other oversails (on towers) have been sorted by either dropping the AF to trough, reducing the encumbrance (distance from contact wire to catenary wire), reducing the contact wire height and fitting low-uplift registration arms e.g. limbo-ing under them, or at one location* re-tensioning the oversaling wires.

* The one over Slackey Brow, I think.

 

[Elecman]

The big electrical thingy(ATS stations) at Lostock and the ones at Clifton and Blackrod may well be connected by underground cables to the structures so you won’t nrcessarily see things attached to them, unlike the earlier modular TSCs which had airiel connections to the OLE.

 

[wrinkley]

The big electrical thingy(ATS stations) at Lostock and the ones at Clifton and Blackrod may well be connected by underground cables to the structures so you won’t nrcessarily see things attached to them, unlike the earlier modular TSCs which had airiel connections to the OLE.

At Lostock a trench was dug from the substation to the portal where the supply is connected to the OLE.

The routes I know about weren't near Kearsley; one was north of Lostock, the other was about halfway between Bradshaw Fields and Rawlinson Lane.

There are photos on the forum of the work done north of Lostock to take the cable under the track.

 

[LDECRexile]

Those were the two lower-voltage pole routes were the OLE couldn't have got under at all - all the other oversails (on towers) have been sorted by either dropping the AF to trough, reducing the encumbrance (distance from contact wire to catenary wire), reducing the contact wire height and fitting low-uplift registration arms e.g. limbo-ing under them, or at one location* re-tensioning the oversaling wires.

* The one over Slackey Brow, I think.

Informative and reassuring, thank you.

 

[td97]

Lostock substation isn't quite finished off yet

 

[snowball]

the encumbrance (distance from contact wire to catenary wire)

Splendid piece of terminology. It's nice to learn that. It's a bit like knowing that the collective noun for ravens is an unkindness.

 

[td97]

Lostock substation isn't quite finished off yet

To add a bit of context (and credibility), the company I work for were still producing new designs for Lostock as recently as last week. I've seen an internal video showing the site and why the new designs are required. It's nothing affecting the electrical side, but is one of the reasons for the blockade.
If there are any recent photos of the substation from the car park it may be possible to see what's going on there.