MML Electrification: progress updates

[59CosG95]

not this coming weekend, as the WCML is closed. the weekend after perhaps.

You're correct - it's the following weekend!

 

[Class 170101]

I think this renders the service far less useful.

Peterborough would be a more logical place to split, if frequencies were increased on one side (i.e extend the B'ham-Leicester perhaps, with another Leicester terminator in the new platform). Cambridge and Birmingham are the key cities on the route, but of course, Ely strikes again. Leicester's traffic is nominal eatsbound, and Peterborough is important for connections especially.

I only sugested the split as a way of justifying electric train usage. In practical terms for customers it isn't ideal, nor is splitting at Peterborough come to that. Bi-mode trains like the Class 755s would be better until this route is wired with Class 170s going elsewhere to displace 15x units.

 

[John Webb]

1st May 2022 - View of erected steelwork at north end of NR's area at Napsbury. Large concrete slab also laid and a lot of reinforcing bars still to be used, it seems:

 

[59CosG95]

1st May 2022 - View of erected steelwork at north end of NR's area at Napsbury. Large concrete slab also laid and a lot of reinforcing bars still to be used, it seems:
View attachment 113882

Looks like the slab will be for the containerised switchgear building (likely to be provided by Siemens). The masts meanwhile are for the "switch farm"; each track has one mast, and each mast has two feeds. The controls for the switching and isolating of each section will be controllable from the building when it arrives.

There are two extra piles bookending the 4 already up; these are likely to be for the AT feeds as and when they arrive. I've also spied two piles south of the headspan nearest the camera (on the Up Slow side), and another (also on the Up Slow) just north of it.

 

[John Webb]

....I've also spied two piles south of the headspan nearest the camera (on the Up Slow side), and another (also on the Up Slow) just north of it.

Are they likely to replace the headspan with a portal arrangement to give better support to the extra wiring that will be added?

 

[59CosG95]

Are they likely to replace the headspan with a portal arrangement to give better support to the extra wiring that will be added?

I'm not entirely sure - I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.

Further north, I've noticed that stakes either side of Pipewell Rd Bridge, Desborough (O/B 40) have gone up to presumably mark the piles as and when they go in.
I spotted two on the DM either side of the bridge, and a couple more to the south - but nothing major. There were no stakes around O/B 39 (Harborough Rd/B576).

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

1st May 2022 - View of erected steelwork at north end of NR's area at Napsbury. Large concrete slab also laid and a lot of reinforcing bars still to be used, it seems:
View attachment 113882

Whats the scope for the distribution upgrade between ST.Pancras and Bedford?

 

[59CosG95]

Whats the scope for the distribution upgrade between ST.Pancras and Bedford?

Boosterless classic (to begin with) between Borehamwood & Bedford. (Kentish Town to Borehamwood is already ATF, and St. P to Kentish Town is still RC/BT, along with the "core".)
Long-term I believe the plan is to upgrade to ATF, but boosterless (with RSC in the signalling troughs) is one step of the way there.

 

[Flying Phil]

Harborough Station's new Amenity Block is getting higher - and in the background can be seen two new cantilevers on the masts at the North end.

Meanwhile at Braybrooke, there are two big switchgear(?) blocks in the 25kV trackside compound.


There are still no piles through Desborough, but some marker stakes are in place as reported before.

 

[59CosG95]

Harborough Station's new Amenity Block is getting higher - and in the background can be seen two new cantilevers on the masts at the North end.View attachment 114080

Meanwhile at Braybrooke, there are two big switchgear(?) blocks in the 25kV trackside compound.
View attachment 114081

There are still no piles through Desborough, but some marker stakes are in place as reported before.

Looking like good progress there!
I can see in the first image that the two concrete bases south of the amenity block are still un-masted; my guess is that as soon as the bricklayers are done and dusted, the mast and strut will go in.
The Siemens building in the second image is where all the SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) wizardry will go on. I suspect the switch farm masts will be done in the coming months.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Harborough Station's new Amenity Block is getting higher - and in the background can be seen two new cantilevers on the masts at the North end.View attachment 114080

Meanwhile at Braybrooke, there are two big switchgear(?) blocks in the 25kV trackside compound.
View attachment 114081

There are still no piles through Desborough, but some marker stakes are in place as reported before.

Any pictures of the NG works?

 

[Flying Phil]

Any pictures of the NG works?

If NG is the National Grid part here you go!

 

[59CosG95]

Looks like concrete piles are up immediately north of Kettering North Jn...

IMG_9742

360120 and 360112 approach the former Glendon South Junction with 1Y15 09:15 ST PANCRAS INTERNATIONAL - 10:24 CORBY. running on 06/05/2022.

flic.kr

 

[PJM]

Looks like concrete piles are up immediately north of Kettering North Jn...

IMG_9742

360120 and 360112 approach the former Glendon South Junction with 1Y15 09:15 ST PANCRAS INTERNATIONAL - 10:24 CORBY. running on 06/05/2022.

flic.kr

Cracking shot 59CosG95!

​

 

[59CosG95]

Cracking shot 59CosG95!

​

Not my doing sadly - all credit to the original author on Flickr. Thanks though!

 

[ohgoditsjames]

Are those live tank circuit breakers I see?

 

[Flying Phil]

Are those live tank circuit breakers I see?

Possibly........but it would help to have more information about which post/picture you are looking at....

 

[swt_passenger]

Are those live tank circuit breakers I see?

I suspect from that question you know more about the grid side components than most of us here. But there was a layout sketch of the grid compound that I posted a while ago, and maybe the symbols used mean something to you?

 

[PJM]

Two more cantilevers arriving closer to their final destinations? at Market Harborough station today.


The view north of M. Harborough station.
The

Looking west at Rushton compound.


Looking east.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

@PJM absolutely fantastic thanks for posting.

 

[59CosG95]

View attachment 114567
Two more cantilevers arriving closer to their final destinations? at Market Harborough station today.
View attachment 114567

The view north of M. Harborough station.
View attachment 114568TheView attachment 114569View attachment 114570View attachment 114571

Looking west at Rushton compound.
View attachment 114572View attachment 114573

Looking east.

@PJM absolutely fantastic thanks for posting.

Agreed!
From memory of Mkt Hboro, the mast reading "SPC3/133.456/DM" forms the MPA - its UM twin is already in. I suspect the team are just waiting for the loo block to be finished before they land the mast. I can also make out one TTC (twin track cantilever) mast, and two TTC booms.

 

[Edvid]

Travelled to West Hampstead yesterday and it appears the boosters between St Albans City and Borehamwood ATFS are still connected, at least on the down fast side.

Also, here's two screenshots of the East Hyde midpoint site.

London-side portal (near Thrales End Lane bridge)



East Hyde switch farm

 

[Flying Phil]

At MH today there is a lot of timetable disruption due to "Theft of Signal cables".
The new amenity block is progressing well with brickwork nearly to roof level. They have knocked down the small waiting room/toilet block at the top of the ramp so it looks quite different. They have also erected the mast for OLE.


Meanwhile at Braybrooke there have been 4 piles put to the south of the big grey data/switch gear boxes, presumably these will have masts to supply the OH wires (as per the previous post).

 

[59CosG95]

Meanwhile at Braybrooke there have been 4 piles put to the south of the big View attachment 114760grey data/switch gear boxes, presumably these will have masts to supply the OH wires (as per the previous post).

Those piles will indeed form the "switch farm"; as it's a 400kV 3-phase substation, I expect there'll be 3 cables per mast, with 2 masts for the tracks south of the neutral section going in here, and 2 for the tracks north of it.

 

[Elecman]

Those piles will indeed form the "switch farm"; as it's a 400kV 3-phase substation, I expect there'll be 3 cables per mast, with 2 masts for the tracks south of the neutral section going in here, and 2 for the tracks north of it.

All,cabling will be underground in ducts to those masts and will be 1 cable per mast. The 400kV will be across 2 phases down from the pylon to the NG switch yard/transformers

 

[PJM]

At MH today there is a lot of timetable disruption due to "Theft of Signal cables".
The new amenity block is progressing well with brickwork nearly to roof level. They have knocked down the small waiting room/toilet block at the top of the ramp so it looks quite different. They have also erected the mast for OLE.
View attachment 114759

Meanwhile at Braybrooke there have been 4 piles put to the south of the big View attachment 114760grey data/switch gear boxes, presumably these will have masts to supply the OH wires (as per the previous post).

Wow! Big change at Market Harborough station! So finally some progress Braybrooke towards Desborough?

 

[Flying Phil]

Sorry PJM but there was no sign of any new piling work along the Main Line at Braybrooke - either North or South.

 

[WAO]

One interpretation of the above posts would seem to be that the piling and masts are being installed from the two, outer ends of the scheme, to meet the longer lead item, the Feeder Station, in the middle, "just in time".

Or not?

WAO

 

[zwk500]

One interpretation of the above posts would seem to be that the piling and masts are being installed from the two, outer ends of the scheme, to meet the longer lead item, the Feeder Station, in the middle, "just in time".

Or not?

WAO

I don't know if 'just in time' was the intent. I suspect it's equally as much about not doing any piling near the feeder station until the prerequisites are finished, so you don't put a pile in an unsuitable place. I wouldn't be surprised if piling and masts start being installed from the feeder station outwards once it's substantially complete, as it forms a handy compound and access point to help get the job done.

I could be completely wrong though.

 

[59CosG95]

Wow! Big change at Market Harborough station! So finally some progress Braybrooke towards Desborough?

I think the areas around Braybrooke ATFS and through Desborough are the last 'no steelwork' holdouts, mainly due to the number of overbridges there.

When I last visited Rushton, I saw lots of masts in the compound awaiting installation with a 6-digit code and either DM or UM written on them in Sharpie. I suspect these are the structure numbers, in exact km from St. Pancras.
Based on previous observations, anything for Market Harborough is 132km to 134km. I saw a 132km mast in Rushton when I was there, so they must be using the compound there as a delivery base.

The midpoint portal east of Braybrooke FB was around the 129km area. The western edge of Desborough seems to be in the 126km range, and Rushton sits around the 122-123km mark.
If we start seeing masts in the 125km or 130km arrive in Rushton compound, we'll know those gaps are about to be plugged.

Saw a pic from WNXX this morning; looks like the MPA portal boom for the tension length through Rushton has gone up.