Great Western Electrification Progress

[markymark2000]

I thought last December’s timetable was supposed to have accounted for wiring completion, but with some trains still missing from the timetable?

Interesting. Thank you.

I was only asking as sometimes some improvements take a while before the timetable and thus passengers see the full benefit of the works.

 

[swt_passenger]

Interesting. Thank you.

I was only asking as sometimes some improvements take a while before the timetable and thus passengers see the full benefit of the works.

I know they previously waited until the next change after all the HSTs were out of service before accounting for IETs, but I haven’t heard of another change.

 

[linuxlad7]

I know they previously waited until the next change after all the HSTs were out of service before accounting for IETs, but I haven’t heard of another change.

so are the 80x not going to be retimetabled for the climb up from the river (at Pilning), up to Patchway??

 

[JN114]

so are the 80x not going to be retimetabled for the climb up from the river (at Pilning), up to Patchway??

No, because the paths either side of the climb are fixed by their interactions with other services - as I put a few posts ago; they’ll just run a little early and wait time at/approaching Bristol Parkway and Newport

 

[linuxlad7]

No, because the paths either side of the climb are fixed by their interactions with other services - as I put a few posts ago; they’ll just run a little early and wait time at/approaching Bristol Parkway and Newport

er,did that happen when they finally wired the Lickey??

 

[Peter Sarf]

er,did that happen when they finally wired the Lickey??

But, if I see it correctly. There is no interaction with other services South of the Lickey as the services that were changed all terminate there. Put it another way to the North it is just the cross city line so just getting a better turn around at Lickey from-to the North.

However once Cross Country have IEPs or other Bi-Modes then a timetable re-cast beckons. But Cross Country are first likely to be awash with many extra class 221 Voyagers (ex WCML) and similar class 222 Meridians (MML etc). I seem to recall the 222s don't have compatible software to ALL the 220s and 221s but there are enough of them to be more than a micro fleet. Certainly less micro fleet than the five HSTs they have !.

 

[Peter Sarf]

DELETE please

 

[Brissle Girl]

er,did that happen when they finally wired the Lickey??

The electric services that use the new wires were all new, being extensions of the services that previously terminated at Longbridge (I believe). So there wasn't a "before" position to compare with.

 

[59CosG95]

The electric services that use the new wires were all new, being extensions of the services that previously terminated at Longbridge (I believe). So there wasn't a "before" position to compare with.

Exactly that. It also had the distinct advantage of removing a pathing constraint at Longbridge, as the terminators had to cross from the Down Glos Slow to the reversing siding on the flat, blocking the Down Glos Fast, Up Glos Fast AND Up Glos Slow. Now, except for 1 service at the end of the day that reverses in the sidings before returning to Soho, all Cross-City Line trains that aren't Redditch-boung run to Bromsgrove.

 

[DelW]

On an up GWR train from Newport yesterday (6th July), we apparently left the station on diesel - at least, the engines were running. After about 1/2 mile, around the Usk bridge, the train seemed to slow (or the acceleration eased), then the engines stopped and we accelerated normally on electric power.

I had seen a paper sign on the platform that I think was some sort of reminder about pantographs, but I wasn't clear what it meant. Can anyone confirm if I was right, and if so, what the reason was?

 

[Elecman]

Engine run on for cooling down purposes before autoshutdown?

 

[DelW]

Engine run on for cooling down purposes before autoshutdown?

That's a thought, but it would presumably have been on AC from Cardiff to Newport, surely it wouldn't need the engines to run on that long?

 

[Jamesrob637]

On an up GWR train from Newport yesterday (6th July), we apparently left the station on diesel - at least, the engines were running. After about 1/2 mile, around the Usk bridge, the train seemed to slow (or the acceleration eased), then the engines stopped and we accelerated normally on electric power.

I had seen a paper sign on the platform that I think was some sort of reminder about pantographs, but I wasn't clear what it meant. Can anyone confirm if I was right, and if so, what the reason was?

The driver probably wanted to show off I am always amazed when I see one accelerating out of Reading - must be doing 100 towards London by the time it's out of sight as the line is fairly straight.

 

[Mintona]

Are the other bits back on?

I came down from London for the first time in daylight for a while today, and it looks like some new masts have been erected around Thingley Junction. Including a boom at pretty much the exact point the Melksham line diverges, which I’m certain wasn’t there before.

Unless I’m going completely mad.

 

[59CosG95]

Are the other bits back on?

I came down from London for the first time in daylight for a while today, and it looks like some new masts have been erected around Thingley Junction. Including a boom at pretty much the exact point the Melksham line diverges, which I’m certain wasn’t there before.

Unless I’m going completely mad.

I'm afraid to say that particular boom's been there for over 2 years - this aerial photo here's from May 2018. https://flic.kr/p/HGe3RK
(Shall I fetch the men in white coats?)

 

[Snow1964]

Don’t know if it is electrification related (but will make it easier), or routine work.

During October and November (multiple dates and times) Network rail has decided to remove loose rock and cut back trees in Corsham area through to Box tunnel.

As far as I’m aware electrification is officially postponed west of Chippenham, but maybe (as with the Midland extension), a section to include a power substation makes sense. I suspect the temporary feeder might not be suitable for long term high power use. There is a huge National Grid switching station couple of miles South of Thingley Junction (clearly visible on google satellite view just west of Beanacre, very close to the Melksham line) which is obviously ideal as a railway bulk feeder.

 

[Phil G]

Don’t know if it is electrification related (but will make it easier), or routine work.

During October and November (multiple dates and times) Network rail has decided to remove loose rock and cut back trees in Corsham area through to Box tunnel.

As far as I’m aware electrification is officially postponed west of Chippenham, but maybe (as with the Midland extension), a section to include a power substation makes sense. I suspect the temporary feeder might not be suitable for long term high power use. There is a huge National Grid switching station couple of miles South of Thingley Junction (clearly visible on google satellite view just west of Beanacre, very close to the Melksham line) which is obviously ideal as a railway bulk feeder.

The beanacre sub station is connected by underground cables with a special transformer that came in by road and as the wires never made it to thingley there is a 25kv feeder cable that goes to Wooten Bassett. You can see the cable troughs along the route.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Don’t know if it is electrification related (but will make it easier), or routine work.

During October and November (multiple dates and times) Network rail has decided to remove loose rock and cut back trees in Corsham area through to Box tunnel.

Is it possible that this might be part of the national post-Carmont precautionary works instead?

 

[59CosG95]

Is it possible that this might be part of the national post-Carmont precautionary works instead?

It could be either, in all honesty - although the post-Carmont argument certainly has clout due to the cuttings on the eastern approach to Box Tunnel.

 

[swt_passenger]

The beanacre sub station is connected by underground cables with a special transformer that came in by road and as the wires never made it to thingley there is a 25kv feeder cable that goes to Wooten Bassett. You can see the cable troughs along the route.

The underground cables between Melksham and Thingley must already be sized for the eventual load in the Bath/Bristol area, as IIRC there wasn’t going to be another grid feed anywhere else?

Or in other words, the “along track feeder” is only using a small part of the available capacity.

 

[Tom Quinne]

Isn’t there a yet to be used feeder at Doctor Days, Bristol?

 

[swt_passenger]

Isn’t there a yet to be used feeder at Doctor Days, Bristol?

I cannot access the schematic drawing anymore, (it was on the power firm ABB’s website), but I believe that will be either an autotransformer station, or a midpoint autotransformer station, but not a grid supply (feeder).

Ah, found the drawing again, Dr Days was to be a “sectioning auto transformer station” (SATS):

https://resources.news.e.abb.com/attachments/published/13013/en-US/DB69E86CEEAE/ABB-GWEP-Map.pdf

 

[Dai Corner]

I cannot access the schematic drawing anymore, (it was on the power firm ABB’s website), but I believe that will be either an autotransformer station, or a midpoint autotransformer station, but not a grid supply (feeder).

There would have been / will be grid supply from the Welsh section of the line to Temple Meads and Bath via Filton too?

 

[swt_passenger]

There would have been / will be grid supply from the Welsh section of the line to Temple Meads and Bath via Filton too?

Yes, I think that was part of the original explanation, it was probably somewhere about half way through this vast thread...
The ABB drawing that I have now found (see link in earlier post #10102) differentiates between all the different connections, (ie ATS, SATS, MPATS, ATFS etc), and shows the normal set up in terms of where the feeding boundaries would be by colour coding, it does look like both routes in the Bath/Bristol area will be fed either from Thingley or via the along track feed to Wootton Bassett.

key:
ATFS - auto transformer feeder station
ATS - auto transformer station
SATS - sectioning ATS
MPATS - mid point ATS

 

[stuu]

I cannot access the schematic drawing anymore, (it was on the power firm ABB’s website), but I believe that will be either an autotransformer station, or a midpoint autotransformer station, but not a grid supply (feeder).

Its already in place (or at least I assume that's what the large ABB transformer that was installed a couple of years ago at Dr Days Junction is)

 

[swt_passenger]

Its already in place (or at least I assume that's what the large ABB transformer that was installed a couple of years ago at Dr Days Junction is)

I found more information since my earlier post, (now edited), it was supposed to be a sectioning auto transformer site.

I haven’t seen what’s in position at Dr Day’s, but there’s a lot of power equipment containers and similar stuff around the railway that are not directly related to overhead wiring.

 

[Dai Corner]

I've attached the diagram to this post for future reference.

 

[swt_passenger]

I've attached the diagram to this post for future reference.

Good idea. Ta.

 

[Mrs. Fortescue]

Are there any issues with the wires at the moment heading into Cardiff?

Recently the vas majority of my trains on my daily commute have been pulling into Cardiff on diesel, rather than electric. 800 problem? wires?

 

[Tom Quinne]

No issues with the wires, probably diesel only restricted units.