Impact of OHLE on scenery

[A0wen]

Question - has there ever been an effort to mitigate or minimise the impact of OHLE equipment on the landscape?

Reason for asking is a friend happened to mention he thought that back in the 70s or early 80s the masts etc had been painted a green colour on the West Anglia line to Cambridge - somewhere in the Roydon, Sawbridgeworth area.

Any thoughts on this? Was anything trialed in this way?

 

[najaB]

Any thoughts on this? Was anything trialed in this way?

I know that in some places they use COR-TEN steel rather than galvanised to help it blend in.

 

[47802]

I don't why people make a big thing about this to me railway overheads have minimal impact whatever there type, your not building a great big 400kV power line or Wind Turbine which does have an impact.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Question - has there ever been an effort to mitigate or minimise the impact of OHLE equipment on the landscape?

Plenty of examples of mitigation through/over heritage structures - eg Tweed and Maidenhead bridges.
In the Lune gorge (WCML), compare the impact of the standard, slim Mk3 twin-track OHLE with that of the the adjacent bi-level M6.
The comparison is entirely in rail's favour.
Things have got different recently with GW Series 1, though, as it is an order of magnitude more intrusive than previous OHLE designs.

OHLE is common in European countries with world-class scenery and is not objectionable (eg Switzerland, Austria).
It also removes engine noise and diesel pollution.
It must also be said that foreign OHLE design seems generally less intrusive than ours.
There is a much greater use of concrete masts (we exclusively use steel) and headspan wiring, which seems to produce a "lighter" look.

 

[TwistedMentat]

I know NR goes to efforts on listed bridges to use designs that blend in. Stuff ilke slimmer poles and aligning poles with the bridge supports. Even when that means the supports are closer together than needed. You can see this on a bunch of the GWML bridges.

In general I find it somewhat amusing as the original construction of the rail messed up the looks of the landscape even more than electrification could.

I like the look of the electrification when they make an effort to blend it in but in my mind it's a nice to have. I could live next to much uglier stuff quite happily.

 

[59CosG95]

OHLE is common in European countries with world-class scenery and is not objectionable (eg Switzerland, Austria).
It also removes engine noise and diesel pollution.
It must also be said that foreign OHLE design seems generally less intrusive than ours.
There is a much greater use of concrete masts (we exclusively use steel) and headspan wiring, which seems to produce a "lighter" look.

A very notable point, LNW-GW Joint. From photos abroad, I've noticed that Austria tend to favour concrete masts and headspans, while the Swiss are much more in the "steel and portal" crowd; the Series 1 Equipment is derived from Swiss practices (the designers, Furrer + Frey, are headquartered in Bern) for example.
Germany's another interesting one for masts; they tend to use lattice-based ones painted green (think of a hollow ice cream cone with 4 sides turned upside down) for both single cantilevers and headspans (which can get humongously tall!). I don't think any of their older designs for OLE masts fall into the "modular" category, which was what NR Wanted for the GW (sans the shortcoming of the OLEMI (Mk3) series).

 

[Western Lord]

Having just returned from a holiday in North Wales, railway electrification pales into insignificance compared to the electricity distribution pylon routes all over Snowdonia. I would be delighted to see the Snowdon mountain railway electrified, having experienced a smelly diesel trip to the summit and back (the smell lingered into the next day).

 

[A0wen]

Plenty of examples of mitigation through/over heritage structures - eg Tweed and Maidenhead bridges.
In the Lune gorge (WCML), compare the impact of the standard, slim Mk3 twin-track OHLE with that of the the adjacent bi-level M6.
The comparison is entirely in rail's favour.
Things have got different recently with GW Series 1, though, as it is an order of magnitude more intrusive than previous OHLE designs.

OHLE is common in European countries with world-class scenery and is not objectionable (eg Switzerland, Austria).
It also removes engine noise and diesel pollution.
It must also be said that foreign OHLE design seems generally less intrusive than ours.
There is a much greater use of concrete masts (we exclusively use steel) and headspan wiring, which seems to produce a "lighter" look.

Was there a reason why the GW Series 1 was different to what had been previously used in the UK on the ECML / WCML? I'm guessing there must have been an engineering reason for what appears in places to be quite heavy duty equipment when compared to other installations.

 

[The Lad]

Pylon routes serving Dinorwig and Wylva Power Stations.

 

[krus_aragon]

Having just returned from a holiday in North Wales, railway electrification pales into insignificance compared to the electricity distribution pylon routes all over Snowdonia. I would be delighted to see the Snowdon mountain railway electrified, having experienced a smelly diesel trip to the summit and back (the smell lingered into the next day).

Given the mountainous terrain, perhaps it could be a hydroelectric system? (That would be very much in keeping with its Swiss heritage.)

 

[snowball]

Given the mountainous terrain, perhaps it could be a hydroelectric system? (That would be very much in keeping with its Swiss heritage.)

Well for a start, Dinorwig, mentioned by The Lad, is the UK's biggest pumped storage power station.

 

[pdeaves]

Was there a reason why the GW Series 1 was different to what had been previously used in the UK on the ECML / WCML? I'm guessing there must have been an engineering reason for what appears in places to be quite heavy duty equipment when compared to other installations.

The new stuff is (or at least, should be) less prone to falling over.

 

[Ships]

Was there a reason why the GW Series 1 was different to what had been previously used in the UK on the ECML / WCML? I'm guessing there must have been an engineering reason for what appears in places to be quite heavy duty equipment when compared to other installations.

Think it's designed for higher speed (140mph plus) running

 

[InOban]

I think NR have moved away from headspans because if there is damage, the power is list to all tracks. With the current, admittedly very obtrusive, design, each track can be supplied independently. Am I right?

 

[Railsigns]

With the current, admittedly very obtrusive, design, each track can be supplied independently. Am I right?

More to the point, the catenary for each line can be independently registered.

 

[edwin_m]

I think NR have moved away from headspans because if there is damage, the power is list to all tracks. With the current, admittedly very obtrusive, design, each track can be supplied independently. Am I right?

It can, but so can headspan construction if it has insulators in the appropriate places. However this is of relatively little benefit with headspans, as the lack of independent registration means you can't really do anything to any part of them while electric trains are using any other part.

 

[edwin_m]

I think the OLE masts in Germany, which are lattice posts, are often painted green. I'm not aware of anything similar in this country, but although the galvanised structures are quite conspicuous when new they tend to fade to a dull grey within a few years.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I don't why people make a big thing about this to me railway overheads have minimal impact whatever there type, your not building a great big 400kV power line or Wind Turbine which does have an impact.

Or a thundering great M6 motorway through the Lune Gorge - or the M40 through --- etc etc - as mentioned in a post or two above.

Also pre 70s and even later, the railways extensively used telephone poles with all the telephone lines everywhere. They were all removed and vegetation has been allowed to grow - aesthetically I think railways are streets ahead of other transportation.

 

[najaB]

Or a thundering great M6 motorway through the Lune Gorge...

I refer to an image posted previously:

 

[SPADTrap]

Question - has there ever been an effort to mitigate or minimise the impact of OHLE equipment on the landscape?

Reason for asking is a friend happened to mention he thought that back in the 70s or early 80s the masts etc had been painted a green colour on the West Anglia line to Cambridge - somewhere in the Roydon, Sawbridgeworth area.

Any thoughts on this? Was anything trialed in this way?

I thought it was mould

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I refer to an image posted previously:

I wish I could find a similar location picture from pre 1972? When signaling, telephone/telegraph poles were still present.

 

[AM9]

I wish I could find a similar location picture from pre 1972? When signaling, telephone/telegraph poles were still present.

Here's a typical mainline view from the '70s:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/131209041@N08/33631017180/

This on the Marches line was not atypical of secondary mainlines before the demise of regular steam services. On a mainline such as the ECML, there were stretches of poles with three times the amount of wires on them.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Here's a typical mainline view from the '70s:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/131209041@N08/33631017180/

This on the Marches line was not atypical of secondary mainlines before the demise of regular steam services. On a mainline such as the ECML, there were stretches of poles with three times the amount of wires on them.

This nicely illustrates my point. Even with the addition of OHLE , the scenery has not been affected much since the 1950s. I would still argue actually improved with no smoke to dirty and set fire and no telegraph poles. I do agree that 1950/60 WCML kit was vastly over engineered and a little on the ugly size as are parts of the GWML, but overall railways are good.

 

[twpsaesneg]

More to the point, the catenary for each line can be independently registered.

This. Headspans are no longer asset policy. Also, due to the construction practices used at the time being deemed unsuitable now, many of the cost benefits that headspans gave are no longer there.

 

[InOban]

Thanks. I knew that headspans were no longer policy, and that I could rely on more technically-knowledgeable posters to fill in the details!

 

[GRALISTAIR]

This. Headspans are no longer asset policy. Also, due to the construction practices used at the time being deemed unsuitable now, many of the cost benefits that headspans gave are no longer there.

Indeed - I think it was the " Running to Time" documentary on Channel 4 Equinox, where it showed live ECML working. A train would pass (I remember Class 20s on Coal? ) and then as soon it had passed they would erect the headspan in between trains. Never mind Health and Safety - all done at night now and different working practices. Also, they used to stand on top of converted carriages when running wires - would not be allowed now I do not think.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Running to Time documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvsIYaRmRAM&t=398s

Note at 24.05 about - a ladder propped up in use !
24.40 - wiring from atop converted carriages
25.16 -26.00 wiring in between trains passing and more ladders from uprights

 

[twpsaesneg]

Indeed - I think it was the " Running to Time" documentary on Channel 4 Equinox, where it showed live ECML working. A train would pass (I remember Class 20s on Coal? ) and then as soon it had passed they would erect the headspan in between trains. Never mind Health and Safety - all done at night now and different working practices. Also, they used to stand on top of converted carriages when running wires - would not be allowed now I do not think.

There were a couple of nasty accidents on the old wiring trains which got them outlawed, even before the more onerous working at height regs used now.

Not that I'm knocking them, there was some good kit in the day, and a 20m long elevated working platform is a useful tool. The WCRM wiring trains (now Network Rail OCR) were / are the next best thing for volume wiring works.

Mechanically Independent registrations have pushed portal structures in more and more, and more onerous steel standards including Eurocode compliance have pushed steel sizes up. 7" BFB portals used for heavyweight equipment in the GE lines could now not be used for lightweight new equipment. Ironically Series 1 as used on GWML is directly derived from the GEFF equipment used on those same lightweight GE structures, but because of the design life required for new structures it all gets heavier!

 

[twpsaesneg]

Question - has there ever been an effort to mitigate or minimise the impact of OHLE equipment on the landscape?

Reason for asking is a friend happened to mention he thought that back in the 70s or early 80s the masts etc had been painted a green colour on the West Anglia line to Cambridge - somewhere in the Roydon, Sawbridgeworth area.

Any thoughts on this? Was anything trialed in this way?

From memory the equipment around sawbridgeworth is on CHS (Circular Hollow Section) masts which were painted a different colour to the normal galvafroid finish. The only trial I can think of on West Anglia was the 2 track Glass Reinforced Plastic portals which were more of a materials thing than aesthetics.

As already mentioned, Durham Viaduct employs "special" CHS lightweight portals. In fact CHS is the "go-to" for prettyfying OLE - St. Pancras throat is CHS for that reason I believe.

If you paint OLE structures nicely I think they can look good - look at the Euston Aproaches and the structures in Kings X. Alas NR maintenance policy is now "patch paint where necessary".

Kings X IIRC was paid for by Harry Potter!

 

[Bald Rick]

Well for a start, Dinorwig, mentioned by The Lad, is the UK's biggest pumped storage power station.

Random (and totally OT*) fact of the day - the interior drainage of the caverns that contain the turbine halls at Dinorwic were designed by one Ms Carol Vorderman.

* way OT, but surely allowed due to it's fantastic-ness!