Tamworth - Rugely Engineering

[Derek Kaye]

What's happening between Tamworth and Rugely? It looked to me today that they're converting it to quad-track. Can anyone confirm this?

 

[Donny Dave]

The entire Trent Valley is being quadrupled. Last time I passed over that way, the earth works were complete to Lichfield TV, and the masts erected for the OHLE. That was about 2 months ago now, so I don't know how far has been done now.

 

[CosherB]

I came down that way yesterday on a Pendo - and I'm back up to Cheshire tonight. Most of the formation is done except in a few places, many masts are up, ballast laid, and rails in place ready for fixing to sleepers (which aren't there yet).

CS

 

[Karl Bough]

The Trent Valley section is also being resignalled, with the box (and level crossing) at Hademore already having been removed in the spring, and the boxes at Nuneaton, Tamworth and Lichfield to follow. Control will pass to the signalling control centres at Stoke-on-Trent and Rugby.

 

[Ascot]

There re-doing the stupid layout platforms as well to allow stoppers on the slow.

 

[87015]

There re-doing the stupid layout platforms as well to allow stoppers on the slow.

I thought the down slow ('inside' line) was to become the down fast and v/v, so no changing of the station, it just becomes on the down slow? Seems a waste to spend millions putting in new platforms for one 350 an hour.

The Stoke and Rugby Signal Centres in theory are only tempoary until the whole lot is moved to the super-centre at Saltey, but I think this will/may have been abandoned along the way somewhere as the WCRM costs get plain silly.

 

[Karl Bough]

Regarding the line configuration, from Armitage to Colwich it is currently Down Fast, Down Slow, Up Fast, Up Slow. At Colwich, trains going towards Stoke first need to switch from the Down Fast to the Down Slow. So presumably when the new track layout is operational, Stoke trains will no longer need to do this. However, I was wondering what will happen for trains continuing along the main line towards Stafford, because the current Down Slow (future Down Fast) line (I think) only feeds into the to the Down Stoke line.

Also, it seems there are no plans, at least in the immediate future, to four-track the line west of Colwich Junction, as it would involve building two more tunnel bores at Shugborough. There would also be the problems of reconfiguring the track layouts on the approach to Stafford, where the Up Slow and Down Slow lines emerge (at Brocton & Milford and Whitehouse Junction respectively).

 

[GeoffM]

The Stoke and Rugby Signal Centres in theory are only tempoary until the whole lot is moved to the super-centre at Saltey, but I think this will/may have been abandoned along the way somewhere as the WCRM costs get plain silly.

I can't speak for Stoke, but Rugby isn't temporary. The signalling in there will cover Watford Jn to north of Nuneaton eventually.

Saltley's current plans are for the West Midlands area - ie Leamington, Coventry first, then (old) Saltley, New Street, Wolverhampton, probably more boxes I can't remember right now. Mind you, I've been away for a month so it may have all changed again.

Geoff M.

 

[matt]

Saltley's current plans are for the West Midlands area - ie Leamington, Coventry first, then (old) Saltley, New Street, Wolverhampton, probably more boxes I can't remember right now. Mind you, I've been away for a month so it may have all changed again.

Geoff M.

Coventry will close on the bank holiday weekend in under 2 weeks time

 

[GeoffM]

Coventry's being decommissioned already? I know Westinghouse had problems with their VDUs and axle counter restorations. Guess things must have moved along a bit then.

By the way, apart from Leamington and Coventry, the order of the other boxes I mentioned aren't in chronological order.

Geoff M.

 

[pedned]

Any ideas whats going to happen to the signal box at coventry after its been closed?
Knocked down? Sold on? left derilict?