Great Western Electrification Progress

[Siemens Staines]

Yes, sorry about that typo! I have corrected my mistake

 

[Bald Rick]

Where the electrification of the lines and branches has been postponed, has the design work been completed and could work start straight away if a decision to proceed was given?
How long would it actually take to electrify the Windsor branch?
At the moment there must be a lot of trained/skilled staff and equipment with nothing to do.

No, the design was not completed (most final designs are completed a matter of weeks before installation), and work could not start straight away - far from it.

 

[Roger B]

As most of the departures from Paddington are now electric, which services still use diesel?

I did notice an improvement in the air quality when I was there a couple of months ago (1st time since the HST withdrawal).

When I was last at Paddington (29th Jan this year, from about 4pm to 6pm), it was noticeable that quite a few 800s/802s were running on diesel - especially those coming-in ECS from North Pole.

 

[gingertom]

No, the design was not completed (most final designs are completed a matter of weeks before installation), and work could not start straight away - far from it.

do you know if a feeder station got binned or was the intention to power Oxford from Didcot?

 

[Bald Rick]

do you know if a feeder station got binned or was the intention to power Oxford from Didcot?

No idea I’m afraid.

 

[swt_passenger]

do you know if a feeder station got binned or was the intention to power Oxford from Didcot?

End fed from Didcot IIRC - there’s only ever been the four main grid connections, and a fifth if Bramley happens. There’s a diagram showing the originally proposed layout linked in this post:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...ification-progress.83452/page-69#post-2472706
...the diamond shaped symbols are the main feeds.

 

[59CosG95]

End fed from Didcot IIRC - there’s only ever been the four main grid connections, and a fifth if Bramley happens. There’s a diagram showing the originally proposed layout linked in this post:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...ification-progress.83452/page-69#post-2472706
...the diamond shaped symbols are the main feeds.

Could it be that Kensal Green ATFS still isn't online yet?

 

[WAO]

do you know if a feeder station got binned or was the intention to power Oxford from Didcot?

An ATFS, typically 80MVA, such as at Didcot can feed about 55 miles of track, so the short stretch to Oxford may be easily supplied. What may be needed and has already been installed at Radley (N of the Station) is an ATS - the Autotransformer station/site that tops up the contact wire from the feeder in proportion to the current being drawn. This shows that a serious use of electric traction is envisaged, otherwise the cheaper "classic" or earth return would have been proposed.

What we wait for is the underground cable from Bramley (Hants) supergrid substation to the Reading ATS to make it into an ATFS, enabling a more resilient feed and also extensions, such as West of Newbury. Others here may have more information about this.

The 800's and 387's seem to cope without it.

WAO

 

[swt_passenger]

Could it be that Kensal Green ATFS still isn't online yet?

I think your running commentary had it operating in classic mode ages ago, but it was to change to autotransformer feeding at some stage. You asked a question about that last August so I guess either no one noticed it at the time, or didn’t know the answer.

 

[59CosG95]

I think your running commentary had it operating in classic mode ages ago, but it was to change to autotransformer feeding at some stage. You asked a question about that last August so I guess either no one noticed it at the time, or didn’t know the answer.

Perhaps, in the words of our previous (at time of posting) PM: "Nothing Has Changed!"

Certainly, one bit of evidence to back this up is that some (and presumably all) ATF Sealing Ends (where the ATF goes from being a bare wire to being cabled) east of Maidenhead are still bearing portable Earths. The recent wraths of Ciara & Dennis led to falling trees that broke some of the ATF wires near Acton ML too, so that's another obstacle.

 

[linuxlad7]

Perhaps, in the words of our previous (at time of posting) PM: "Nothing Has Changed!"

Certainly, one bit of evidence to back this up is that some (and presumably all) ATF Sealing Ends (where the ATF goes from being a bare wire to being cabled) east of Maidenhead are still bearing portable Earths. The recent wraths of Ciara & Dennis led to falling trees that broke some of the ATF wires near Acton ML too, so that's another obstacle.

The recently wired Lickey Incline is a classic setup I read... and famously steep -
would anything be gained in converting it...

 

[coppercapped]

As most of the departures from Paddington are now electric, which services still use diesel?

I did notice an improvement in the air quality when I was there a couple of months ago (1st time since the HST withdrawal).

The biggest single change to improve the air quality in the Paddington train shed was the fitting of effective exhaust filters to the Burger King kiosk near the end of platforms 7 and 8.

From one day to the next the air was clearer...!

 

[59CosG95]

The recently wired Lickey Incline is a classic setup I read... and famously steep -
would anything be gained in converting it...

Nothing really, unless Bromsgrove - Worcester (and beyond) and Bromsgrove - Cheltenham/Gloucester - Bristol Parkway were added in too. Plus the remaining unelectrified tracks between Barnt Green and Kings Norton.

If those were wired, more services would need to use the wires (beyond the current 3tph of 323s), and THEN there would probably be a case for converting the Lickey (and the whole route to Bristol) to AT feeding.

 

[gingertom]

Nothing really, unless Bromsgrove - Worcester (and beyond) and Bromsgrove - Cheltenham/Gloucester - Bristol Parkway were added in too. Plus the remaining unelectrified tracks between Barnt Green and Kings Norton.

If those were wired, more services would need to use the wires (beyond the current 3tph of 323s), and THEN there would probably be a case for converting the Lickey (and the whole route to Bristol) to AT feeding.

especially if freight starts to use electric traction up the bank- pair of 92s would be a considerable load and take most of the available supply as it exists today.

 

[linuxlad7]

OK can a type 92 (eg pulling a steel train from Wales) do a run through the Severn Tunnel then run on eastwards on the main line. And would it need to run as a double header??

 

[Elecman]

especially if freight starts to use electric traction up the bank- pair of 92s would be a considerable load and take most of the available supply as it exists today.

That scenario would need more than just converting to AT, it would need a new Feeder station!

 

[JN114]

OK can a type 92 (eg pulling a steel train from Wales) do a run through the Severn Tunnel then run on eastwards on the main line. And would it need to run as a double header??

Shouldn’t need double heading. 92s aren’t currently cleared to use GW power supply but with the (admitted less greedy) 87s it was just a paperwork exercise. There’s also the matter that there’s no electrified route off Western & Wales at present, best you could do would be park up at West Ealing for a loco change (Acton Yard isn’t wired)

 

[DidcotDickie]

Interesting article on Rail Engineer website on how the speed restrictions through Steventon were addressed resulting in the limit for electric trains being raised from 60 to 110mph last September.

Introduction quoted below, click on link for the full article.

https://www.railengineer.co.uk/2020/03/06/steventon-bridge-overcoming-the-obstacle/

Safe and reliable OLE operation depends on the ability of the pantograph on the train to collect traction current and follow the wire as it rises and falls to meet infrastructure conditions. Particularly relevant to Steventon are the restrictions imposed by the two level-crossings and the low bridge height.

UK standards generally comply with the EU technical standards for interoperability but, for OLE, a generic set of OLE rules apply, with allowed non-compliance for UK conditions. To achieve the best possible performance under all conditions and at all locations, without the need to design from first principles all the time, these rules must necessarily be conservative.

Under these rules, the designer is driven to include the rate of rise and fall of the wire as seen by the train, generally expressed as a gradient of 1:X (one unit of vertical rise and fall over X units of length). Deviating from limits can mean loss of collector equipment contact, and therefore traction power, along with increased wear on the contact wire, arcing, and a higher potential for dewirement.

The early design processes made the normal assumption that the bridge would be reconstructed to allow for a ‘standard’ OLE design and the running of electric trains at normal linespeeds, in this case 125mph.

However, as the processes of consultation with local authorities and stakeholders progressed, it became apparent that this assumed strategy of reconstruction would not be accepted and the existing bridge would have to be retained, resulting in the linespeed for electric trains being considerably reduced and journey times being lengthened by around five minutes.........

 

[Optom1]

There are still occasional problems with power changing/dividing trains with the800’s.Bristol/Swansea/Plymouth should have enough spare platforms for trains with technical difficulties not to cause too much congestion.Fortunately the not too busy Newbury has through lines as well as reversible working main platforms.Tonight this was needed as the Berks & Hant nemesis(it is rarely on time)1K22 sat down unable to go forward on dividing.Let us hope if/when Oxford is electrified there is no splitting there.Imagine if one ofOxfords main line platforms was blocked for half an hour!

 

[linuxlad7]

Meanwhile, Any news on killing off the anaerobic bacteria in the tunnel??? (eg some uv or a flashing blue-end light (interleaved with standard traffic ) would kill a few bugs, or at least liven the area up

 

[59CosG95]

Regarding posts #9847 & #9850 above, I have confirmed with my eyeholes that the ATF wires between Kensal Green & Maidenhead are still equipped with temporary earths (applied at Designated Earthing Points).

 

[linuxlad7]

are they doing any more work on the wires in the tunnel over Easter (to travel in hope...)

 

[linuxlad7]

are they doing any more work on the wires in the tunnel over Easter (to travel in hope...)

and any hope of some electric freight through the tunnel??

 

[59CosG95]

and any hope of some electric freight through the tunnel??

That's not gonna happen until (at the very least) the Poplar Chord (Acton Yard - North London Line) gets wired. Until that occurs, the GWML (with the exception of the Elizabeth Line) will be electrically isolated from the rest of the electrified network.

 

[Alex27]

When's everybody's best guess as to when electrification will finally reach Oxford? I mean everything's on hold due to Covid-19 at the moment, but it's taking way too long all the same

 

[Brissle Girl]

Network Rail has not been given the go ahead for any future work on the GW electrification project regrettably. So until such time as the SoS makes an announcement to that effect there is, to the best of my knowledge, no activity. (There may be some behind the scenes work coming up with new costings to help inform any decision, but no spades in the ground).

 

[Bald Rick]

When's everybody's best guess as to when electrification will finally reach Oxford? I mean everything's on hold due to Covid-19 at the moment, but it's taking way too long all the same

Network Rail has not been given the go ahead for any future work on the GW electrification project regrettably. So until such time as the SoS makes an announcement to that effect there is, to the best of my knowledge, no activity. (There may be some behind the scenes work coming up with new costings to help inform any decision, but no spades in the ground).

Unlikely to be anything, any time in the near future.

 

[Alex27]

A shame, otherwise oxford to Paddington trains could've been run entirely on electric

 

[Bessie]

I do want to see more GW electrification but is the reality with the GW long distance fleet all made up of Class 800/802 bi-modes then all services can be operated "as-is" with the trains they have for the next 20+ years.

 

[Brissle Girl]

A shame, otherwise oxford to Paddington trains could've been run entirely on electric

Well that’s sort of the point of electrifying a line isn’t it.