It does, and the animation certainly suggests a particular line in mind! However, I think there's scope for a modified form of this to concentrate work on possessions of the outer lines only, leaving the inner lines available to overnight traffic, and then taking shorter all-line blocks to do the bits that couldn't be done otherwise. Especially on lines like the ECML where there's often sufficient separation between the 'inner' and 'outer' lines to have signals on posts rather than suspended from gantries.
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Electrification threads and resources index
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reddragon
Established Member
I think the track layout is irrelevant, it's about the solution.
Nicholas Lewis
On Moderation
Weaver Jcn to Motherwell has just turned 50 years old in traffic and those spindly masts in shallow foundations and headspans are still standing strong and proud as a testament to properly value "British Rail" engineering
You mean all the masts between Carlisle and Carstairs that had to be replaced because they were leaning rather far from vertical?
59CosG95
Established Member
Proper Britsh Rail value engineering.
Could I draw your attention to an article in this months "Rail Engineer" about future electrification programmes.
www.railengineer.co.uk
The article challenges the concept that "OHLE" is the only solution to the need for the next generation of rail improvements. Incorporating ideas propoed by Julian Worth of CILT the Chartered Instittue of Logistics and Transport) of electrification from key container ports and heavy mineral traffic , the report proposes the use of battery/overhead combinations.
In general, politicians do not understand rail economics and civil servants can quote many examples of rail electrification and civil engineering projects that run over time and over budget. The last Labour Government only managed to electrify the link between Crewe and Stoke - after strong pressure from pragmatic engineers.Tony Blair did not understand railways. Just as the last Labour Governmnt was bundled out of office it announced a bundle of projects that taxed the capacity of the industry to respond. This resulted in time and cost overuns enabling the media to make hay at the industries expense. You have get four things right for major projects to succeed - Politics, Economics, Social and Technical. In part the problem stems from a media tendency to focus about "Being over cost and late delivery". It is remarkable that the fuss and furore that accompanied the bulding of the Channel Tunnel and The Elizabeth Line evaporates once the projects open. One of my civil engineering colleagues described this - "Civil Engineers change white elephants to grey elephants".
At last, an (unofficial) plan! - Rail Engineer
Listen to this article Following recent editorials entitled ‘Where’s the plan’ and ‘There is no plan’, this issue also focuses on the need for one. In doing so we make no apologies for emphasising the need for a whole system plan to engineer the railway of the future. In May 2021, the...
www.railengineer.co.uk
In general, politicians do not understand rail economics and civil servants can quote many examples of rail electrification and civil engineering projects that run over time and over budget. The last Labour Government only managed to electrify the link between Crewe and Stoke - after strong pressure from pragmatic engineers.Tony Blair did not understand railways. Just as the last Labour Governmnt was bundled out of office it announced a bundle of projects that taxed the capacity of the industry to respond. This resulted in time and cost overuns enabling the media to make hay at the industries expense. You have get four things right for major projects to succeed - Politics, Economics, Social and Technical. In part the problem stems from a media tendency to focus about "Being over cost and late delivery". It is remarkable that the fuss and furore that accompanied the bulding of the Channel Tunnel and The Elizabeth Line evaporates once the projects open. One of my civil engineering colleagues described this - "Civil Engineers change white elephants to grey elephants".
Counterpoint is that they got the damn thing built and it (just about) lasted for the best part of 50 years.
59CosG95
Established Member
Also very true, especially considering how much prices had skyrocketed at the time (copper's price at the turn of the 70's being how AWAC came to pass)
joshTikeeti
Member
The link you shared is not going through anymore
Not very surprising - the post you quoted is almost 7 years old.
GRALISTAIR
Established Member
July 2024- December 2024 Threads.
Fife circle and Borders railway electrification update
www.railforums.co.uk
Electrification possible of WEML, North Downs, Uckfield possible with 3rd Rail under ORR current policy?
www.railforums.co.uk
Best electrification schemes to iron out peaks and troughs and release stock for use elsewhere
www.railforums.co.uk
Acton Main Line to Acton Wells Jct electrification
www.railforums.co.uk
Acton area electrification extras that should be considered
www.railforums.co.uk
Why was Mark 1 OHLE replaced under WCRM
www.railforums.co.uk
Weird electrification at St Pancras
www.railforums.co.uk
Anglia region conversion to 25kV AC OHLE in the 1970s and 1980s
www.railforums.co.uk
Should London Gateway be electrified?
www.railforums.co.uk
Single track vs Twin Track cantilevers
www.railforums.co.uk
Fife circle and Borders railway electrification update
Fife Circle and Borders Railway - electrification update
The Scot. Gov. Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26 Major capital projects progress update (August 2024) has been published, with news about the Fife Circle and Borders Railway electrification...
www.railforums.co.uk
Electrification possible of WEML, North Downs, Uckfield possible with 3rd Rail under ORR current policy?
Would electrifying the WEML, Marshlink, North Downs and Uckfield lines with third rail be possible under the ORR's current policy?
There’s three articles on battery trains. One on the Hitachi trial under a TPE 802, one on Siemens‘ proposal for discontinuous electrification (both by Roger Ford), and one by Walmsley. All are worth a read, and I recommend buying the magazine (if only in the hope that the editor might buy me a...
www.railforums.co.uk
Best electrification schemes to iron out peaks and troughs and release stock for use elsewhere
Electrification "Peaks and Troughs" - best schemes to release stock for use elsewhere?
Morning all, I saw this quote in the MML Electrification Thread (https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/mml-electrification-progress-updates.110445/page-246#post-6857429; quoted below) and it got me thinking. Well there's no performance benefit to doing the MML faster, given that the 810s have...
www.railforums.co.uk
Acton Main Line to Acton Wells Jct electrification
Acton Main Line to Acton Wells Jct electrification
I hope the moderators dont mind but I thought this deserved its own thread. Reopening the old GWML electrification thread would be tediously long. I am told that work on the Acton ML to Acton Wells junction wiring starts this summer. Piling was due to start the summer bank holiday weekend...
www.railforums.co.uk
Acton area electrification extras that should be considered
Acton area electrification extras that should be considered?
mods note - split from here It should’ve been done years ago, and why the Conn Line and South West Sidings aren’t being done at the same time is beyond me.
www.railforums.co.uk
Why was Mark 1 OHLE replaced under WCRM
Why did Mark 1 OHLE need to be replaced under the the WCML modernisation?
What are the main weaknesses of this design that made it have to be replaced? Can Mark 1 OHLE handle 125 mph running or is this impossible?
www.railforums.co.uk
Weird electrification at St Pancras
Weird electrification at St Pancras?!?
I'm sure someone has already asked this, so feel free to direct me towards there if possible :) I was at St Pancras Low Level yesterday for the first time in a while, and noticed that rather than having overhead wires, the pantograph was getting its current from some kind of bar suspended from...
www.railforums.co.uk
Anglia region conversion to 25kV AC OHLE in the 1970s and 1980s
Anglia region electrification: conversion to 25kv in 1970s/1980s
Hello all, I've been trying to investigate the history of electrification systems on GEML, LT&S and the Lea Valley routes. I have found pretty thorough sources for how these systems started out in 1960/1961 (and for the earlier DC system) and this includes feeder stations, TSCs and neutral...
www.railforums.co.uk
Should London Gateway be electrified?
Should London Gateway be electrified?
Moderator note: split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/rail-freight-flows-and-news-uk.195217/page-51#post-7041314 There is a report about this on BBC News see here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm20pz5r0kxo I doubt this will mean the end of freight traffic to Felixstowe...
www.railforums.co.uk
Single track vs Twin Track cantilevers
Single Track versus Twin Track Cantilevers
I've pulled these from the Transpennine Upgrade site as it's really a wider question: I understand the different role played by the SSA, but why the constant changes from TTC to STC. Do they have different advantages or disadvantages? There doesn't seem to be any pattern to it, often swapping...
www.railforums.co.uk
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GRALISTAIR
Established Member
I have updated post 1 - headline page.
Nicholas Lewis
On Moderation
Thanks for update but which one will be first to see a commercial service this year?
GRALISTAIR
Established Member
Great question. I don’t know. I assume Man to Stalybridge.
Trainbike46
Established Member
I'm wondering, when Blackpool North was electrified, why wasn't the route to Blackpool South included? It's not that far, anything that serves it is on a significant stretch of electrified route shared with Blackpool North anyway, it seems like it should have been included, so I guess there must be a reason it wasn't?
I believe at that time Blackpool South services worked through to the Blackburn line, so there wasn't a unit saving on that front. It also would have increased the costs, for the benefit of a single track line with a low frequency, and possibly wasn't electrification ready, while the Blackpool North line was resignalled at the same time as electrification and allowed a regular London service to operate (at least in theory).
Nicholas Lewis
On Moderation
Would be a BEMU candidate now.
GRALISTAIR
Established Member
Yes especially if a recharge point was made available at Blackpool South. Logical place to pan down/up would of course be Kirkham and Wesham.
or trams.
Nicholas Lewis
On Moderation
Confirmed in the latest Enhancements-Delivery-Plan-England-and-Wales-June-2024.pdf that completion is planned for Jul26 extraordinarily slow for less than a km even for allowing the significant rework required at Acton Main Line and Wells Jcn.
reddragon
Established Member
Piling was due to start the summer bank holiday weekend.
Nicholas Lewis
On Moderation
and be finished......
anyhow my facetious observations aside this must be the most obvious bit of wiring that was missing so at least its being closed at last and with GBRs 99's ought to be scope to move some freight finally under the wires on the Western
Class 170101
Established Member
- Joined
- 1 Mar 2014
- Messages
- 8,449
I guess that depends on the Access Strategy and the Access available.
Probably extremely limited to something like 00:01 to 09:00 at best on Sunday mornings and piggybacking on existing blocks. Some operators probably didn't agree to the access (unless they weren't running trains) as it didn't benefit them.
Nicholas Lewis
On Moderation
foul of Acton Wells Jcn would need LO but would imagine commercial freight would be limited over August BH weekend to get better go at it. The challenge is going to be tying it in with the existing OLE which will need a multi day closure over a Xmas holiday.
GRALISTAIR
Established Member
I have updated the very first post in this thread. Feel free to comment if anyone thinks it needs modification.
This could benefit from being split into two, something like this:
Glasgow-Barrhead - completed 2023, in service
East Kilbride branch - devegetation mainly complete, bridge work and civils and piling and masting in progress, due for completion before the end of 2025.
Guide Bridge to Stalybridge could also be mentioned.
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GRALISTAIR
Established Member
Thanks will do that later today.