Great Western Electrification Progress

[nlogax]

On a related note, did anyone catch Roger Ford's recent note about 1000 tons of Series 1 F&F spares being sold as steel scrap by Network Rail..? How on earth does something like that happen?

 

[bastien]

On a related note, did anyone catch Roger Ford's recent note about 1000 tons of Series 1 F&F spares being sold as steel scrap by Network Rail..? How on earth does something like that happen?

Because the part of the project they were intended for was curtailed, perhaps?

 

[nlogax]

Because the part of the project they were intended for was curtailed, perhaps?

Considering this isn't the end of electrification or the end of Series 1 usage it makes zero sense to me. Unless there's something incredibly bespoke about the parts going for scrap?

 

[snowball]

Considering this isn't the end of electrification or the end of Series 1 usage it makes zero sense to me. Unless there's something incredibly bespoke about the parts going for scrap?

I thought Series 1 and Series 2 were both being replaced by a new compromise series.

 

[bastien]

What we don't know is the cost of storage. It's might be decades until this stuff was needed.

 

[nlogax]

I thought Series 1 and Series 2 were both being replaced by a new compromise series.

I've not seen a UK1 spec yet. I've read various descriptions - either a 'catalog of parts' or a more cohesive 'best of Series 1, 2 and Mk3' approach. I've noticed online that someone's put a freedom of information request to the DfT for the UK1 spec. Wasn't me

What we don't know is the cost of storage. It's might be decades until this stuff was needed.

There is - or will be - ~120 miles of Series 1 between Airport Jct and Cardiff, and that's not including spurs, Mk3 headspan replacements etc. Not forgetting another decent amount on the GEML at the London end. In the face of ongoing maintenance on those lines, scrapping new kit just sounds short sighted when bearing in mind RF's quoted figure of £100 per ton of scrap.

 

[HowardGWR]

I'd like to see the electrification completed and a local service from Didcot/Swindon to Bristol with 387s or similar calling at existing stations, and reopened stations at Wootton Basset, Corsham, Saltford and St Annes. They could also work Bristol - Cardiff locals.

Hope some of the franchise bidders show some interest in getting the max benefit out of the electrification.

So do I, and indeed, I can't see such an intensive service working with so many stops, unless electrification is implemented. This could be the BCR clincher. I also think a passing place is needed (4 tracks) and that would have to be at Chippenham, I suppose, since the Bath layout is now emasculated and only ever had two platforms, in any case. Since we are looking forward to a more intensive trans-Wilts service from Swindon to Salisbury and Southampton, and Bristol - South Coast also via Bradford on Avon line, both locations look potentially under-tracked. Electrification of the main line would at least help.

 

[jyte]

Okay I must have bumped my head again because I am really confused.

According to Wikipedia (I can imagine my teacher screaming about it being a bad source as I type) UK1 was used during the WCRM project (source here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_Main_Line) as seen in this photo:

Is this 'new' WCML stuff really UK1? Or is the Series1+2 amalgamation UK1 or UK2? Or UK1 mk2? Or UK 1.2?!

When the discussion about Series 1 being overkill was had here about 2 years ago, the now sadly absent Mr Phlopp (who was very much in the know) said something along the lines of: 'UK1 lacks the structural strength to hold cable of sufficient mass and tension to permit multi pantograph operation at above 100/110mph whereas Series 1 was designed for 2 pantograph operation at 125/140mph - hence the need for S2.'

Does anyone else feel it's bizarre to introduce a new electrification system basically untested for a major project then give up on it half way through? My understanding of the Series 1/2 merger was to introduce parts commonality to drive down costs....and what even is Series 2?

Apparently Series 2 is the Northwest sparks project's stuff but I for some reason thought that was basically the WCML's UK1 with a different dropper design to make maintenance easier and Series 2 was what was being used on the GEML...but the stuff on the GEML looks like Series 1 but with lower profile booms! To complicate matters even more....some of the new GEML stuff looks like Mk3b single track cantilevers....

If anyone can answer any of those questions I'd really appreciate it. In the meantime, I'm going to stop thinking about this....

 

[3973EXL]

B&H first platform masts.

Thatcham

Three TTC masts now up adjacent to the down platform. SPS on the ground waiting to be fitted.


Midgham

Three TTC masts now up on the up side. One just off the platform with cantilever and SPS on the ground. The other two are just masts at the moment.

 

[3973EXL]

More B&H work.

Aldermaston
Looks like the Down platform is being extended to the same length as the Up.


Reading West
Three piles gone in, at least partway. Looks more like they could be for a footbridge.

 

[Domh245]

I thought Series 1 and Series 2 were both being replaced by a new compromise series.

As @nlogax notes, they are supposed to be amalgamated, rather than replaced, into a "UK Master Series" (and not UK1, which as @jyte notes was the equipment used on WCRM) along with a few other designs for which the OLE designers can then pick and choose the most appropriate. For example, it's been noted in the Bromsgrove electrification thread that there are some Series 1 style (F+F) parts being fitted there, amongst all of the series 2 (Bonomi) stuff as well. FWIW, the stuff fitted on the GEML isn't Series 1, but GEFF - although it looks the same and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the parts are common from F+Fs viewpoint.

As usual, @GazK's e-book on OLE is a good resource for this and he's detailed the different types of installation used in the UK as well as their extent in the index.

 

[Non Multi]

... In the face of ongoing maintenance on those lines, scrapping new kit just sounds short sighted when bearing in mind RF's quoted figure of £100 per ton of scrap.

2 guesses: IIRC, aspects of early Series 1 were over specified - could be items made to a specification that's now no longer required. Or someone ordered far, far too much of something.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

2 guesses: IIRC, aspects of early Series 1 were over specified - could be items made to a specification that's now no longer required. Or someone ordered far, far too much of something.

And heavy OHLE - needs stronger bases etc - so knock on effect.

 

[TheSeeker]

I drove over to see my Mum in Wales last week. The blue steel bridge over the M4 just near the M4/M5 junction now has masts welded onto the sides.

A cross country voyager was passing over as we went underneath. What line is this?

 

[swt_passenger]

I drove over to see my Mum in Wales last week. The blue steel bridge over the M4 just near the M4/M5 junction now has masts welded onto the sides.

A cross country voyager was passing over as we went underneath. What line is this?

It’s the GWML - just east of Bristol Parkway but before Westerleigh Junction where the route to the midlands turns off the main line.

 

[bastien]

It’s the GWML - just east of Bristol Parkway but before Westerleigh Junction where the route to the midlands turns off the main line.

It's a bit confusing because the M4 is heading almost North/South at that point, and the GWML East/West.

 

[Dai Corner]

I drove over to see my Mum in Wales last week. The blue steel bridge over the M4 just near the M4/M5 junction now has masts welded onto the sides.

A cross country voyager was passing over as we went underneath. What line is this?

This one?

https://goo.gl/maps/kUPPUuK1pmq

It's nearer the M32 than the M5 but as swt_passenger says it's between Bristol Parkway and Westerleigh Junction where the Voyager will turn off to head towards Birmingham.

 

[TheSeeker]

It's a bit confusing because the M4 is heading almost North/South at that point, and the GWML East/West.

This one?

Yes, that's the one. Very confusing indeed! I've travelled Paddington<->Bridgend many times and never thought that would be the M4.

 

[edwin_m]

Do we know what these tonnes of alleged spares actually are? If it's a pile of extra-huge structures ordered for a part of the scheme that has since been Graylinged, then it's fair enough to be rid of them as they aren't specialised and the chances of them being of any use elsewhere are minimal. At the other extreme it would be rash to thin out the holding of specialised small parts too much, even if the equipment does look as if it will last for eternity without any replacements...

 

[swt_passenger]

Do we know what these tonnes of alleged spares actually are? If it's a pile of extra-huge structures ordered for a part of the scheme that has since been Graylinged, then it's fair enough to be rid of them as they aren't specialised and the chances of them being of any use elsewhere are minimal. At the other extreme it would be rash to thin out the holding of specialised small parts too much, even if the equipment does look as if it will last for eternity without any replacements...

If you planned for say a 5% spares holding for small parts that suffer wear and tear, and cancellation of Swansea after the orders were made means you now effectively have say 10% spares, are they ever going to be needed? Do masts and gantries even need a significant spares holding at all? What about piling tubes etc, no point in treating them as spares if they are never expected to be needed.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The only fully committed GW electrification project was Airport Jn-Bristol/Cardiff and Oxford/Newbury.
None of the other extensions (eg Cardiff-Swansea) reached Grip3 so I can't see NR ordering OHLE kit for them in advance.
The only other aspect is whether the spec/implementation standards changed since the kit was ordered, leaving some surplus.
As far as I can see there has been no down-grading of the Series 1 spec during the installation phase - it's still going up on Reading-Newbury and Bristol-Cardiff even though nothing over 110mph is envisaged.

 

[ANP1990]

Does anyone know why the Berks & Hants line needs to be closed during the week, once a month every month until November?

I understand the closure for demolishing the footbridge at Newbury - but it seems a bit excessive.

Further, the bus replacement to Didcot/Reading doesn't seem great when a shuttle between Reading and Theale is operating. It works out as 60+min to Reading using the bus and 40ish going via Theale and using the Turbo...

 

[Domh245]

I thought that there were a few more sections that had progressed further, such as Thingley Jn - Bristol, but maybe not.

Out of interest, I had a look through the Furrer and Frey Catalogue to try and guestimate how many structures 1000 tons of steel would give you. It reveals that a 7.5m "long" TTC boom is 1ton, the uprights seem to be pushing 100kg/m and they've got ~8m tall masts for a TTC based on the drawing in the series 1 brochure you'd be looking at 2 tons for a single TTC (averaging out some lighter installations with some heavier ones such as anchor portals and what not). 500 TTCs will do about 32kms/20 miles of double track - interesting to see that it is actually that high, although I would think that my estimate is more of an overestimate than under.

 

[bastien]

I was under the impression 'traditional' piling techniques were being used more than originally intended. As in, drill a hole, lower in steel reinforcement, add concrete, rather than 'bang a big steel tube straight in the ground'.

Now, how many of those big steel tubes add up to 1000 tonnes? A few dozen maybe? (Only half joking )

Also, I think RF needs to be a bit more careful with how he throws out these little scraps of meat, in this social-media-run-amok age. It all feels a bit Celeb Gossip blind item, to me.

 

[snowball]

I thought that there were a few more sections that had progressed further, such as Thingley Jn - Bristol

That's not incompatible with what Joint said. He said "Bristol/Cardiff".

 

[Hellzapoppin]

I was under the impression 'traditional' piling techniques were being used more than originally intended. As in, drill a hole, lower in steel reinforcement, add concrete, rather than 'bang a big steel tube straight in the ground'.

Now, how many of those big steel tubes add up to 1000 tonnes? A few dozen maybe? (Only half joking )

Also, I think RF needs to be a bit more careful with how he throws out these little scraps of meat, in this social-media-run-amok age. It all feels a bit Celeb Gossip blind item, to me.

Depends on the ground conditions, if you're installing a pile on an embankment which is made up ground then there's a possibility that an augered pile will sink because of the weight. In that case you'd install a CHS pile. It's very much horses for courses

 

[Non Multi]

Do we know what these tonnes of alleged spares actually are? If it's a pile of extra-huge structures ordered for a part of the scheme that has since been Graylinged, then it's fair enough to be rid of them as they aren't specialised and the chances of them being of any use elsewhere are minimal. At the other extreme it would be rash to thin out the holding of specialised small parts too much, even if the equipment does look as if it will last for eternity without any replacements...

Paragraphs directly from Captain Deltic's monthly E-zine:

Electrification scrapped – literally

Back in December Network Rail issued a notice inviting tenders for approximately 1000 tons of steel masts, booms and struts plus other materials. Photographs of the steelwork in store revealed the ‘scrap’ to be Series 1 Overhead Line Equipment – as being installed, gradually, under the Great Western Electrification Programme.

So I asked Network Rail what was going on. Apparently the masts and other components being sold for scrap are spares. They represent 4% of the steel procured to complete the London-Cardiff electrification. Scrap steel currently fetches around £100 per tonne.

 

[jyte]

Glad other people have started to use graylinged as a term

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

More B&H work.

Aldermaston
Looks like the Down platform is being extended to the same length as the Up.
View attachment 43038 View attachment 43039 View attachment 43040 View attachment 43041 View attachment 43042 View attachment 43043 View attachment 43044 View attachment 43045

Reading West
Three piles gone in, at least partway. Looks more like they could be for a footbridge.
View attachment 43047 View attachment 43048

A new footbridge is planned to be built, as part of a new disability compliance upgrade, with provisions put in for a gateline.
Oh, a new fluorescent light has been installed at the Westbury end of Platform 2, still huge issues with drug dealers hanging round that end of the platform(!)

 

[steverailer]

2 guesses: IIRC, aspects of early Series 1 were over specified - could be items made to a specification that's now no longer required. Or someone ordered far, far too much of something.

Or could be extra materials which were ordered before the piles where put in and ended up being further away needing a TTC not a single cantelever, or could be some damaged in transit/storage meaning the couldn't be used? Could also be the scrap ends off the wire drums ( a 1200m wire run needs a drum length of around 1400m to allow for and damaged end and allow enough left on the drum to keep the tension) ATF and Earth wire come in 2000m lengths but very rare is the entire drum length used.