*cranks up the Bon Jovi*Now live more than half way from Paddington to Bristol (Parkway or TM) or Severn Tunnel East.
Very informative shot there @oglord! Couple of questions; is that gantry with the bagged-up signals due to be removed at some point? It looks like it poses an obstacle to wiring.Some new six-track portals have appeared at the west end of Newport High Street, in addition to the new four-track and TTC the other side of the bridge.
Very informative shot there @oglord! Couple of questions; is that gantry with the bagged-up signals due to be removed at some point? It looks like it poses an obstacle to wiring.
A quick search on Flickr also showed that a 4-track portal has gone up east of the new footbridge as well.
I thought as much, but not being overly familiar with Newport, I wasn't 100% sure.I suspect it will go, that’s the “old” gantry with new signals on posts.
Yes, it is already replaced by the signal poles in front. See the attached picture for when it was brand-new in September 2010, before resignalling. I thought then that it was electrification-proof. It seems rather a waste of money for less than eight years' service.Very informative shot there @oglord! Couple of questions; is that gantry with the bagged-up signals due to be removed at some point? It looks like it poses an obstacle to wiring.
Yes, that is what I meant by "new four-track" the other side of the bridge.A quick search on Flickr also showed that a 4-track portal has gone up east of the new footbridge as well.
Yes, it is already replaced by the signal poles in front. See the attached picture for when it was brand-new in September 2010, before resignalling. I thought then that it was electrification-proof. It seems rather a waste of money for less than eight years' service.
Indeed, that "go live" date of 7/6/18 to Wootton Bassett Jct looks very possible! Has anything to that regard changed, @Mintona?Work at Theale today.
Wires went up in the last block, checking and adjusting.
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Most SPS is up from MP38 1/4 west to Theale (no SPS up east of this).
Odd mast to be fitted, including two at Calcot Mill FP crossing and around point work Theale east. One mast not up east of the M4, up side (close to overhead electric cables).
M4 bridge, registration arms fitted to brackets on the down side wall. Up side just brackets fitted so far.
Could be around four masts to go up west of Southcote J, down side.
Swindon road.
Steventon down loop wired.
Bourton down wired.
Swindon looks all complete.
Wires run nearly to Alderton Tunnel, up line same as before but the down now looks closer to the tunnel.
Some wired sections on both lines between Alderton & Chipping Sodbury tunnels. Section just before Sodbury Tunnel still to be fitted with SPS on both roads.
Wires from west portal of the tunnel for a short distance then various gaps on both roads to Westerleigh. Down stops just short of the junction. Sodbury up loop wired.
Shouldn't take much to finish the wires to Westerleigh!
Sorry I've lost track. Currently how far from Paddington do the trains use electric power and will this change when Wooton Bassett goes live?The latest weekly operating notice (WON) still lists that as the go live date. I have no further information than that.
Sorry I've lost track. Currently how far from Paddington do the trains use electric power and will this change when Wooton Bassett goes live?
Thanks
Indeed, that "go live" date of 7/6/18 to Wootton Bassett Jct looks very possible! Has anything to that regard changed, @Mintona?
The latest weekly operating notice (WON) still lists that as the go live date. I have no further information than that.
Sorry I've lost track. Currently how far from Paddington do the trains use electric power and will this change when Wooton Bassett goes live?
Thanks
*Whilst down trains can changeover at Moreton Cutting, there is currently an instruction that if only one person is in the cab, the changeover should take place whilst stopped at Reading. This is to ensure the driver doesn’t forget and end up passing through Didcot still on electric and onto a currently unenergised or unauthorised section of electric track.
It certainly is confusing, and someone up thread posted that (assuming all goes well) authority for passenger use of the wires west of Didcot from the ORR will come in December, and actual use by passenger trains will not happen before the big timetable change in Jan 2019.It is confusing! The wires are cleared for passenger use to Didcot Parkway. stopping trains on the Up changeover whilst at the station to electric, all others (up non-stopping and down stopping and non-stopping) changeover at Moreton Cutting*.
The wires and associated equipment from Didcot Parkway to Wantage Road were energised last weekend (or at least were supposed to be, I’ve not heard this hasn’t happened). And this weekend they will be energised from Wantage Road through to Wootton Bassett Junction. None of the wires west Didcot Parkway are cleared for passenger operation yet, and so will now be subject to a test phase. I imagine they are currently being turned on as and when required, but they are to be treated as live now at all times. I’m certainly not touching them to find out. Hopefully by about September they will be signed off by the ORR and cleared for passenger use.
*Whilst down trains can changeover at Moreton Cutting, there is currently an instruction that if only one person is in the cab, the changeover should take place whilst stopped at Reading. This is to ensure the driver doesn’t forget and end up passing through Didcot still on electric and onto a currently unenergised or unauthorised section of electric track.
Sincere apologies. I’ve just realised I missed a line out of my previous post. It should have read:
“*Whilst down trains can changeover at Moreton Cutting, there is currently an instruction that if only one person is in the cab, and the train is being driven with a generic headcode rather than the correct service headcode, the changeover should take place whilst stopped at Reading. This is to ensure the driver doesn’t forget and end up passing through Didcot still on electric and onto a currently unenergised or unauthorised section of electric track.”
If the correct service headcode is being used the above doesn’t apply as there is balise protection at Moreton Crossovers to ensure a train that hasn’t changed from electric to diesel will have the pantograph dropped automatically.
Given the trains have been in service now for over seven months, that is rather worrying.To expand for the lay-person - when setting up the train the crew have to enter the services’ headcode into the TMS - this enables features like the reservations; auto-announcements; and the auto traction changeover.
There have been issues with the database; so while these are resolved a series of “generic” headcodes are provided for the crew to use in the event the train doesn’t accept their normal headcode. Due to other database issues a train running on a generic headcode cannot currently be relied upon to initiate an auto-changeover itself.
Software updates were pushed to the TMS last weekend to theoretically resolve all the above; but either they haven’t actually resolved the issue, or there’s not enough confidence they’ve resolved the issue for them to rescind the instruction to drivers yet.
Do we know if they successfully went live to Wootton Bassett last night?