GEML overhead questions

[nlogax]

Watched the excellent footage of a 2020 run from Ipswich to Stratford courtesy of Driver's Eye View UK. Great quality and worth an hour and twenty minutes of everyone's time if you're into cab view vids.

(if the author's on here I hope you don't mind me posting the embed link)

It certainly confirmed something I've suspected from driving on the A12 alongside stretches of the track in recent years. Much of the Mk1 OLE appears to be distinctly crooked / not upright at 90 degrees to the horizontal. Is this just a result of age / wear, something to do with a change of wire tension or a mix of these things? South of Chelmsford it looks like there's been some attempts to keep things on the straight and narrow with brace sections places atop many of the single track cantilever pairs.

It struck me how the OLE is a real smorgasbord of old and new with the Mk1 gear interfacing with a lot of the F&F stuff, especially from where Elizabeth Line services start at Shenfield. Are there any plans to replace more of the older stuff towards Colchester and beyond?

 

[59CosG95]

Watched the excellent footage of a 2020 run from Ipswich to Stratford courtesy of Driver's Eye View UK. Great quality and worth an hour and twenty minutes of everyone's time if you're into cab view vids.

(if the author's on here I hope you don't mind me posting the embed link)

It certainly confirmed something I've suspected from driving on the A12 alongside stretches of the track in recent years. Much of the Mk1 OLE appears to be distinctly crooked / not upright at 90 degrees to the horizontal. Is this just a result of age / wear, something to do with a change of wire tension or a mix of these things? South of Chelmsford it looks like there's been some attempts to keep things on the straight and narrow with brace sections places atop many of the single track cantilever pairs.

It struck me how the OLE is a real smorgasbord of old and new with the Mk1 gear interfacing with a lot of the F&F stuff, especially from where Elizabeth Line services start at Shenfield. Are there any plans to replace more of the older stuff towards Colchester and beyond?

IIRC, the UKMS range has been updated with drawings taken from the GEFF range and adapted to replace Mk1 equipment. This is starting on the LTS corridor, but there's no firm date for works east of Chelmsford.

I also seem to remember that the unfavourable ground conditions of Essex has led to a structure renewals programme, with failing ones (which would have been planted) replaced by new piled foundations. Most of the braced ones were, I think, done from new after experience on the Southend branch.
But, in answer to your question, age is the main factor in causing the masts to lean outward.

 

[nlogax]

IIRC, the UKMS range has been updated with drawings taken from the GEFF range and adapted to replace Mk1 equipment. This is starting on the LTS corridor, but there's no firm date for works east of Chelmsford.

I also seem to remember that the unfavourable ground conditions of Essex has led to a structure renewals programme, with failing ones (which would have been planted) replaced by new piled foundations. Most of the braced ones were, I think, done from new after experience on the Southend branch.
But, in answer to your question, age is the main factor in causing the masts to lean outward.

Thank you @59CosG95, great detail as always.

 

[306024]

The clay soil in much of Essex doesn’t help, which moves as it gets wet then dries out, taking the masts with it. Before the overhead line renewal, a cab ride down the Shenfield - Southend line was quite interesting in some spots, where it looked like the wires were holding the masts in place.