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Blackpool - Manchester Electrification

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Ken H

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LNW-GW Joint said:
The main EGIP route (via Falkirk High) was delayed and cost more than planned, partly due to clearance rules which changed during construction.
The Stirling and Shotts schemes do seem to have come in better, having learnt the lessons. The earlier Cumbernauld and Whifflet schemes were also relatively painless.
In the north west, things started reasonably well (Manchester-Golborne was "just" on time) but went steadily downhill from there.
The Chase line suffered from ground problems, Bromsgrove was just "late", GOBLIN had to be broken into several expensive stages.
Bedford-Corby has been stop-start and is only now getting back on track. Rotherham tram-train was very late/over budget.
We can see the delays in all these projects from milestone reports, but the cost side is still largely hidden in secrecy.
I doubt if any scheme has been delivered anything like "on budget".
Click to expand...


and GW electrification has come in 6 times ECML taking inflation into account.
 
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SansHache

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Plenty of activity at Ordsall Lane MPATS feeding station when I passed by a few minutes ago. Looks like the Bolton route may be getting energised tonight. If all goes to plan we should see test trains later this week.
 
td97

td97

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DJH1971 said:
Has there been any more news if this has happened?
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I'd imagine the first place they'll announce it will be on TheGNRP Twitter page
Otherwise there are some users involved with NR who may also post it on here
 
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TBSchenker

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There’s a stanchion next to the feeder complex which is still minus wires. I’m guessing this is a switching stanchion so the feeder station can be isolated from the overheads. I’m presuming this is the link between the Ordsall Feed and the OLE?
 
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SansHache

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TBSchenker said:
There’s a stanchion next to the feeder complex which is still minus wires. I’m guessing this is a switching stanchion so the feeder station can be isolated from the overheads. I’m presuming this is the link between the Ordsall Feed and the OLE?
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The "extension lead" from Heyrod is also due to connect at the Ordsall Lane feeder station so this may be associated with the final configuration of the scheme.
 
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deltic08

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LNW-GW Joint said:
After only 9008 posts on this thread!
Excellent news.
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But what are we going to talk about now. Transpennine non electrification? And what is Dave going to do with his time now we stop sending him photos to combine? Will he ever leave Southport again without a good reason?
 
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52290

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deltic08 said:
At last. I was hoping it would be in 2018.
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Let me know when the first passenger carrying 319 makes the trip via Chorley. I recall a journey I once made behind a Jubilee with the window open and sitting in the first compartment next to the loco. When we reached Lostock troughs I got a free shower when the fireman left the scoop in a bit too long! No chance of that with all those 25000 volts about.
 
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furnessvale

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deltic08 said:
But what are we going to talk about now. Transpennine non electrification? And what is Dave going to do with his time now we stop sending him photos to combine? Will he ever leave Southport again without a good reason?
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I believe he is leaving on the first eastbound OHL powered electric!
 
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Bertie the bus

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I've not followed all the discussions about how it will be fed but presumably it being fed via Catterall and Parkside means that it can support an EMU service, and going live isn't just a technical thing but a real world thing?
 
GRALISTAIR

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deltic08 said:
But what are we going to talk about now. Transpennine non electrification? And what is Dave going to do with his time now we stop sending him photos to combine? Will he ever leave Southport again without a good reason?
Click to expand...
My sources (note plural) say that a price has been submitted for Lostock - Wigan. So in theory there will be that and hopefully Miles Platting area to Stalybridge and bits
 
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Muenchener

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deltic08 said:
But what are we going to talk about now. Transpennine non electrification? And what is Dave going to do with his time now we stop sending him photos to combine? Will he ever leave Southport again without a good reason?
Click to expand...
Fear Ye not; there are more than enough threads on here involving the word Northern. With or without electrification...
 
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SansHache

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Bertie the bus said:
I've not followed all the discussions about how it will be fed but presumably it being fed via Catterall and Parkside means that it can support an EMU service, and going live isn't just a technical thing but a real world thing?
Click to expand...
The Catterall feeder (near Garstang) feeds the WCML south down as far as Euxton Junction. It also feeds the Preston - Blackpool route.
The Manchester - Preston route will initially be fed from Willow Park (Parkside) via the Chat Moss route to Ordsall Lane and then up through Bolton and Chorley to Euxton Junction. These sections are all configured in Auto-Transformer mode so are capable of feeding longer distances. Load testing will be performed with an 11-car Class 390 train to verify the system performance.
Once the Heyrod feeder comes on line early in 2019 it will connect at Ordsall Lane and feed the Bolton route directly. The additional capacity will allow the full electric service to be introduced.
 
59CosG95

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Manchester Victoria - Preston; State of Play, week beginning 10th December 2018.
All wire runs up and LIVE! Live (from Euxton Jct to Buckshaw Parkway; and from Windsor Bridge South Jct to Ordsall Lane Jct/Deal St Jct) as of 1st October; Windsor Bridge South Jct to Buckshaw Parkway now also live as of Sunday.
Speed changes still seem to be postponed, despite all wires being live. Test runs are now booked - a 390 will do multiple Man Picc - Bolton - Preston runs overnight on 12/13 & 13/14 December, followed by a 319 doing multiple daytime Man Vic - Salford Crescent runs on December 15th.

All mileages from Manchester Victoria. Bridge mileages are approximated where noted.

1. Man Vic Station (Platforms 3-6) - Man Vic West Jct - Deal Street Jct; 0m 0ch to 0m 32ch
Fully wired and energised 2013-15.
(N.B. Platforms 1 & 2 at Man Vic have now been bedanglied; more masts may still need to be installed at the east side of Man Vic before wires can go up over all lines; however this is not considered as part of this programme. Wires due to go up here over Christmas, in conjunction with the installation of the "Great Extension Lead" from Stalybridge.)

2. Deal Street Jct - Windsor Bridge South Jct; 0m 32ch to 1m 46ch
Fully wired and LIVE as of 1/10/18. Wires overlap into the CEMEX sidings (Hope Street). At Salford Central, the westbound (Down) platform has had RSC ducting installed at shin height.
Protruding roof beams were also cut back to facilitate the addition of wires. With Salford Central now wired, all wires are up from Manchester Victoria & Manchester Piccadilly to Euxton Jct.

3. Windsor Bridge South Jct - Windsor Bridge North Jct (inc. Salford Crescent); 1m 46ch to 1m 70ch
Salford Crescent station is fully wired; all wires east and south of Windsor Bridge South Jct are LIVE (as of 1/10/18). P1 (and the avoider) now have Section Insulators.
Repairs to the wooden fence on the eastern side have/are taken/taking place.
The crossovers at Agecroft South Jct, and Windsor Bridge North Jct are also fully wired. Wires are also up on the overruns along the Atherton Line.

4. Windsor Bridge North Jct - Bolton (South End); 1m 70ch to 10m 50ch
The track sectioning cabinets (north of Windsor Bridge North Jct, and between Moses Gate/Overbridge 47 "Squeeze Belly Entry") are now both in, but the concrete plinths on which they rest each have 3 ducting tubes sticking up, suggesting more work needs to be done. Are these now complete? Live wires suggests so.
At Agecroft, there are a couple of masts (sans wires) in the bush alongside the sidings, leading to a terminal gantry with very odd attachments. Do these now have wires?
At Clifton, Drainage manhole modules are awaiting installation; temporary covers are over their future homes. Have these been installed?
Bridge MVE1 27B (immediately NW of the M60 overbridge) is now open.

5. Bolton Station; 10m 50ch
Canopies look complete, and platforms now fully open. All wiring is complete, both on the main lines, the side platforms and the overrun towards Blackburn.
UTXs wait to be installed in the works compound west of the track off Platform 5. Have these been installed?

6. Bolton (North End) - Lostock (South End); 10m 50ch to 13m 52ch
Cable ducting troughs laid in the Down Side Cess between Bolton Station, past Newport Street, under Soho Street, Black Horse St & New St, and through Bullfield Tunnel.
ATF cable now in the troughs in the immediate vicinity of Bolton Station. The troughing looks all finished NW of Bolton, so it is assumed the run is now complete to Lostock - especially as wires are now live!
A UTX has been installed in the "vee" in Lostock Jct; this now takes the ATF wires for both routes at Lostock Jct.
C&C wires also up on the overlap on both lines until the Limit of Wiring. Assuming all dangly arms and the termination insulators that were reported as "not yet installed" are now installed, as wires are live.

7. Lostock Station; 13m 52ch
Switchgear box delivered 6th April '18. Over the August Bank Holiday Weekend, the two Autotransformers (AT1 & AT2) were delivered.
The "ziggurat" is now fenced off. Work done?
Cables connected to all the feeder points north and south of the station.
One Tensorex drum is still missing a connection to its wires, which are on a temporary webbing strap (photo B748i) - assuming that this is resolved given that all wires are now live.
One "guyrope" (backstay) is missing on the Up side just south of the Up platform, and ducting troughs look unfinished; other than that, most of Lostock looks complete above track level. Assuming this is now resolved since wires are now live.
Platform extension/resurfacing work complete on the Down platform and the Up platform.
1 of the 2 reg arms connected to the bridge are not yet registered, but otherwise all the OLE within Lostock is now complete. (is this resolved? I'm assuming so given that wires are now live.) The registered wires have an insulating plastic shield over them.
ATF wires are in through the ducting by the station car park; they have now been guided through the UTX to the switchgear.
The arrangements at Lostock were designed to support the electrification to Wigan, so the UTX should be sized to take four feeder cables to the proposed neutral section located towards Westhoughton. Two feeders for each track, one each side of the NS. Wigan-Lostock has no AF, classic boosterless only.

8. Lostock (North End) - Euxton Jct; 13m 52ch to 25m 31ch
Two more UTXs have been installed in the "vee" between the Preston & Wigan lines, to the north of Lostock station; one takes the feeder wires for the Wigan Line, the other does the same for the Preston Line.
ATF wires appear to be finished (at least on the Down side), from Salford Crescent up to Euxton Jct. Assumed these are now all installed as wires have gone live.
Orangemen at work on the footpath at the foot of the northern steps of Heath Charnock FB.

Do let me know if I've missed anything!
 
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Muenchener

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SansHache said:
The Catterall feeder (near Garstang) feeds the WCML south down as far as Euxton Junction. It also feeds the Preston - Blackpool route.
The Manchester - Preston route will initially be fed from Willow Park (Parkside) via the Chat Moss route to Ordsall Lane and then up through Bolton and Chorley to Euxton Junction. These sections are all configured in Auto-Transformer mode so are capable of feeding longer distances. Load testing will be performed with an 11-car Class 390 train to verify the system performance.
Once the Heyrod feeder comes on line early in 2019 it will connect at Ordsall Lane and feed the Bolton route directly. The additional capacity will allow the full electric service to be introduced.
Click to expand...
Just out of interest do you know where the feeder is in Catterall? I only ask as I was brought up in the area and Catterall doesn't exactly abutt the WCML unless it's on Stubbins Lane. Just curious...
 
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