Wigan-Bolton electrification. Construction updates only please

[Bald Rick]

There seems to be access to the track from that side of the line - is that required by NR, or left over from a former accommodation/occupation crossing?

I don’t know. Feasibly both!

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Having looked into this a bit more, it’s a completely new bridge, with vehicular capability, in a particularly tricky place to build it. (Bang up against 2 houses, with a Motorway adjacent) £2.3m looks cheap to be honest.

On the face of it 2.3m seemed too much to me but this isn't quite as a straightforward structure as you may expect on a two track railway or was it four track originally. Mind you why the track can't be lowered either is debatable seems electrification being used as an excuse to rebuild a knackered structure

 

[Bald Rick]

On the face of it 2.3m seemed too much to me but this isn't quite as a straightforward structure as you may expect on a two track railway or was it four track originally. Mind you why the track can't be lowered either is debatable seems electrification being used as an excuse to rebuild a knackered structure

View attachment 109131

I wouldn’t want to be doing a track lower with that propping around. You’d need to price in a big risk of it failing at some point.

 

[XAM2175]

I wouldn’t want to be doing a track lower with that propping around. You’d need to price in a big risk of it failing at some point.

Yeah, looking at that picture I cannot blame them for wanting rid of it.

 

[Howardh]

Being local I'm pleased to see further electrification, but I'm puzzled by this one; what's the point? Most services carry on to Southport which isn't electrified, so only hybrid trains can use it, and they switch at Bolton. So will Wigan/Southport be wired at some point in the near future? Or are Northere/TPE thinking of Mcr/Bolton/Wigan/northbound or even just terminating trains at Wigan?

Meanwhile, yet another plea to platform the Wigan branch at Lostock. Would give the pax at Westhoughton a chance to change at Lostock for northbound trains...unless there ARE plans as alluded to above?

 

[scragend]

Being local I'm pleased to see further electrification, but I'm puzzled by this one; what's the point? Most services carry on to Southport which isn't electrified, so only hybrid trains can use it, and they switch at Bolton. So will Wigan/Southport be wired at some point in the near future? Or are Northere/TPE thinking of Mcr/Bolton/Wigan/northbound or even just terminating trains at Wigan?

Meanwhile, yet another plea to platform the Wigan branch at Lostock. Would give the pax at Westhoughton a chance to change at Lostock for northbound trains...unless there ARE plans as alluded to above?

They do now. But once the wires reach Wigan, wouldn't they just switch at Wigan instead, thus being able to spend more time on electric power?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

——what's the point? Most services carry on to Southport which isn't electrified, so only hybrid trains can use it

—— once the wires reach Wigan, wouldn't they just switch at Wigan instead, thus being able to spend more time on electric power?

this is key. Incremental electrification allows more time on electric power bringing progressive benefits. If we took the route that “there is no point electrifying abc to def until we do uvw to xyz” nothing would ever get past the treasury and get electrified.

 

[javelin]

The electrification is to Wigan NW, not Wallgate, so there'll be no switching at Wigan for Southport/Kirkby. Services through Wallgate and beyond will still need to be DMU/bi-mode.

The idea is likely for a cross-GM EMU service between Wigan NW and Stalybridge.

 

[hwl]

Being local I'm pleased to see further electrification, but I'm puzzled by this one; what's the point? Most services carry on to Southport which isn't electrified, so only hybrid trains can use it, and they switch at Bolton. So will Wigan/Southport be wired at some point in the near future? Or are Northere/TPE thinking of Mcr/Bolton/Wigan/northbound or even just terminating trains at Wigan?

Meanwhile, yet another plea to platform the Wigan branch at Lostock. Would give the pax at Westhoughton a chance to change at Lostock for northbound trains...unless there ARE plans as alluded to above?

Electrifying to Wigan means some fully electric services and that the Southport etc. services could then be Battery-EMU operated (too much off wire distance overall at the moment)

 

[snowball]

Electrifying to Wigan means some fully electric services and that the Southport etc. services could then be Battery-EMU operated (too much off wire distance overall at the moment)

However I don't think there's been any statement of intention to use BEMUs on the route?

 

[hwl]

However I don't think there's been any statement of intention to use BEMUs on the route?

A few years till they would say anything,

 

[Greybeard33]

The electrification is to Wigan NW, not Wallgate, so there'll be no switching at Wigan for Southport/Kirkby. So services through Wallgate and beyond will still need to be DMU/bi-mode.

The idea is likely for a cross-GM EMU service between Wigan NW and Stalybridge.

Indeed, timetables are not cast in concrete and it would be perverse if all services on the newly electrified line were still worked by 769 bi-modes and 150 DMUs.

769s cannot switch power on the move, so could only use the wires between Bolton and Hindley (or Ince if they called there).

 

[zwk500]

Indeed, timetables are not cast in concrete and it would be perverse if all services on the newly electrified line were still worked by 769 bi-modes and 150 DMUs.

769s cannot switch power on the move, so could only use the wires between Bolton and Hindley (or Ince if they called there).

I'm fairly sure 769s can switch on the move, just that operators have so far been reluctant to do so. It may be that they can change from one mode to the other on the move but not the reverse way round.

 

[Trackman]

I'm fairly sure 769s can switch on the move, just that operators have so far been reluctant to do so. It may be that they can change from one mode to the other on the move but not the reverse way round.

I think so too, but they seem to fail during the changeover so better to do it at a station.
--
Back OT:
This Sunday when the bridge is removed- is it a crane or a brute force job?

 

[wrinkley]

On the face of it 2.3m seemed too much to me but this isn't quite as a straightforward structure as you may expect on a two track railway or was it four track originally. Mind you why the track can't be lowered either is debatable seems electrification being used as an excuse to rebuild a knackered structure

View attachment 109131

From old OS maps the bridge was built at the same time as Lostock sidings, the two running lines went under the east side of the bridge and two tracks leading to the sidings went under the west side. The tracks would have been re-aligned when Lostock sidings and the Wingates exchange sidings were closed

 

[Whistler40145]

The electrification is to Wigan NW, not Wallgate, so there'll be no switching at Wigan for Southport/Kirkby. Services through Wallgate and beyond will still need to be DMU/bi-mode.

The idea is likely for a cross-GM EMU service between Wigan NW and Stalybridge.

Would bi mode trains switch to electric once under the wires at Wigan Station Junction?

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

I wouldn’t want to be doing a track lower with that propping around. You’d need to price in a big risk of it failing at some point.

plenty of width between steel supports to have realigned the track clear of foundations but condition does look questionable so unlikely to get a risk assessment signed off in this day and age.

 

[Pinus contorta]

With there being a recently opened maintenance facility at Springs Branch , this fill in electrification will offer more flexibility with what to do with units at the end of the day I would guess.

 

[wrinkley]

Bridge 7 next to the M61 is coming down this morning. All the footpaths leading to the bridge were closed, so difficult to get photos, best ones are attached. Part of the £2.3 million has been spent on a 450 metre temporary road from just off the A6 to the bridge.

 

[Llama]

Network Rail don't permit 769s to change power supply on the move, even if it were possible.
Diesel-electric should in theory be physically possible, although the engine management systems might not like it; electric-diesel not without coming to a stand as I understand it.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I am trying to work out if this is the same bridge I took photos of on December 28th when I was home from the USA?

 

[snowball]

I am trying to work out if this is the same bridge I took photos of on December 28th when I was home from the USA?

I'm pretty sure it is. It's Chew Moor Lane, the closest other bridge to the M61 bridge, and I think the only bridge between the M61 bridge and the A6 bridge. The closest that the Google Streetview camera car got to it is this; I believe one of your pictures is just a little further along the lane.

Google Maps

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www.google.co.uk

See also the pictures in the press release in #24.

 

[wrinkley]

I am trying to work out if this is the same bridge I took photos of on December 28th when I was home from the USA?View attachment 109173View attachment 109174View attachment 109175

Yes, it is the same bridge.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Thanks for the confirmation guys.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

I am trying to work out if this is the same bridge I took photos of on December 28th when I was home from the USA?View attachment 109173View attachment 109174View attachment 109175

So it was already stopped up on the 28th December?

 

[Trackman]

Bridge 7 next to the M61 is coming down this morning. All the footpaths leading to the bridge were closed, so difficult to get photos, best ones are attached. Part of the £2.3 million has been spent on a 450 metre temporary road from just off the A6 to the bridge.

Thanks for the photo's
I've seen one of those Ainscough cranes in action on the railways before, they are huge!
Plus they have their own concrete foundations built to anchor them down before they go into action.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

I've seen one of those Ainscough cranes in action on the railways before, they are huge!
Plus they have their own concrete foundations built to anchor them down before they go into action.

Ainscough have the call off contract to NR for mobile heavy cranage.

 

[Trackman]

Ainscough have the call off contract to NR for mobile heavy cranage.

I guessed that, I've seen them everywhere.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

So it was already stopped up on the 28th December?

Yes sir. Also I saw similar photos from @wrinkley and @LDECRexile even before then. See post 10 for example.

 

[terryc]

Network Rail don't permit 769s to change power supply on the move, even if it were possible.
Diesel-electric should in theory be physically possible, although the engine management systems might not like it; electric-diesel not without coming to a stand as I understand it.

I would have thought that approach control to the "mickey mouse" signal over the A573 would be the method on the Down line would be the solution for anything going into Wallgate? A brief few seconds stop whilst mode was changed over, then away.