Progress update on the East side - now with bullet points.
TransPennine Wiring East Progressometer Post 7.0 - accurate to 18/06/21.
Route announced as 'to be wired' in CP6: Church Fenton - Colton Jct.
E1. Church Fenton North Jct (NOC/CFM 10m 36ch) to Colton Jct (NOC 5m 41ch/ECM4 182m 79ch)
Electrification work underway.
Southern limit of OLE confirmed to be short of Church Fenton Stn itself due to
a) HS2 Phase 2b works; and
b) the Common Ln Underbridge/Rose Lane UWC situation (i.e. "Steventon with S&C")
With completion scheduled for October 2022; steelwork up in May 2021 (Normanton side only) & wires up in Jan 2022.
Leeds side steelwork originally planned for Autumn 2021, but work has been brought forward.
Colton Jn - Colton Lane O/B:
- 3 S1 TTC pairs up, followed by a S1 Monoboom, a UKMS Std portal, another S1 TTC pair, a second Monoboom, then 4 TTC pairs to Colton Lane O/B over both the Leeds & Normanton Lines. The monobooms likely signify an overlap.
- Over the Normanton lines, all 4 TTCs south of the overlap are Series 1 (two NOC/09/XX structures, then NOC/10/01 and NOC/10/04); the TTCs over the Leeds lines include a UKMS Std TTC (structure no. NOC/10/02) which also appears to cover the DL/UL crossover. The other 3 Leeds lines' TTCs (two NOC/09/XX plus NOC/10/02) are Series 1.
- On the Normanton side, mast brackets for the cantilevers are now starting to appear - these will be of the Siemens "SICAT SA" type seen at Stevenage P5 & Paisley Gilmour Street - Gourock. The brackets are going up on the mast legs for the Up Normanton, and on stovepipes (where fitted). Earth Wire brackets are also appearing now.
Colton Lane O/B - Brumber Hill O/B (i.e. Colton South Ladder)
- All steelwork aside from one monoboom (the UN leg of which is now up) appears to have been installed between Colton Ln & Brumber Hill (i.e. over Colton South Ladder); the TTCs are all Series 1 except for one over the Leeds lines (NOC/10/08) and one over the Normanton lines (NOC/10/xx).
- Another structure on the Normanton side (perhaps NOC/10/11) has been fitted with a 'tongue' for a strut tie, and mounting brackets for Tensorex units facing towards Normanton/Leeds; its twin on the Leeds side (NOC/10/12?) has them too, but facing towards York. This makes me think that Colton Sth Ladder might be tangentially wired rather than with a traditional "cross contact" arrangement. Additionally, NOC/10/11's tie pile has no base plate, whereas NOC/10/12's does.
- Immediately north of Brumber Hill O/B, a UKMS 'vierendeel' portal (similar to those used on the GWML in the 1990s) has been installed, possibly for MPA use.
Brumber Hill O/B - Bolton Percy O/B (Oxton Lane?):
- South of Brumber Hill Bridge, almost all S1 TTCs appear to be up and boomed as far as signals Y745 (DL)/Y746 (UL)/Y747 (DN)/Y748 (UN).
- S1 monoboom NOC/11/03 now has in-running stovepipes over all 4 lines, and brackets have been installed on those over the DN & UN. Its overlap compadre (NOC/11/08), 3 spans south, is now fully boomed, but the strut on the Leeds side is still outstanding.
- South of that overlap are 7 S1 TTC pairs, followed by a UKMS Std PF DC portal (at a guess) for a mid-point anchor (MPA). A further 2 pairs of S1 TTCs are up south of that, along with two additional S1 TTCs on the Leeds side (NOC/12/02 & NOC/12/04).
- NOC/12/02 & NOC/12/04's twins on the Normanton side of the line (NOC/12/01 & NOC/12/03) await installation; as far as I can make out, 12/01 is another S1 TTC, while 12/03 is a UKMS Std TTC.
- A handful of masts (UKMS standard I think) are up between the Normanton lines on the old site of Bolton Percy station; those adjacent to the Up Normanton (NOC/12/05?; NOC/12/08; possibly NOC/12/11) are taller to allow increased Earth Wire heights over the RRAP at Bolton Percy. EW clamps have already been attached.
- The masts for the Dn Normanton (NOC/12/06; NOC/12/09; NOC/12/12) are shorter as they have no earth wire and will be bonded directly to the traction return rail. NOC/12/06 also has a back-tie pile north-east of it.
The corresponding masts for the Leeds lines are S1 TTCs (NOC/12/07; NOC/12/10; NOC/12/13). Another mast (NOC/12/14) is in next to the bridge, and will support OLE over the Up Normanton.
Bolton Percy O/B (Oxton Lane?) - Ulleskelf:
- Between Bolton Percy & Ulleskelf, around 7 S1 TTCs, 5 S1 single track masts and a monoboom (now boomed) are up.
- Two UKMS Twin Cantilever masts (pre-fab double channels/PF DCs) are in next to the Normanton lines south of Oxton Ln; these are NOC/12/19 & NOC/12/20. A further two are up behind them; these are NOC/12/22 & NOC/12/23.
- On the Normanton Lines, south of signals Y741 (DL)/CF742 (UL)/Y743 (DN)/CF744 (UN) and north of the bridge over the River Wharfe (NOC/17N), 4 S1 TTCs have gone up (with booms).
- North of New Rd (B1223) O/B, 3 piles between the Dn & Up Normanton lines are also in place, and clearances from the railway boundary to the Dn Leeds line are tight, so I suspect 3-track TTCs will go in over the Dn Normanton & both Leeds lines (unless more piles for the Leeds lines come later). 3 more piles are up in the Up Normanton Cess, and bear 3 STC masts (NOC/14/01, NOC/14/03 & NOC/14/05)
- Within Ulleskelf itself, 3 single track masts are also in place for the Up Normanton (one between the road bridge & the footbridge, one just north of the 'Wernick Hire' welfare units (possibly NOC/14/13?), and one opposite the green Murphy containers), and a pair south of the station that are very tall indeed (perhaps to give aerial clearance over the RRAP which they sandwich).
- A UKMS legacy TTC (from the Mk3 & Series 2 ranges) is also present south of Ulleskelf station; this gives adequate signal sighting over signal CF 738 (UN). There is also, in the 6-foot between the DN & UN, a mast for a UKMS Std Portal (probably another MPA).
Ulleskelf - Church Fenton North Jn (Limit of Wiring):
- Between Ulleskelf & CF North Jn, around 20 or so masts (mainly S1 TTCs) are up on the Up Normanton side. Oddly enough, a standard UKMS mast (either a PF double channel or a UC - it's hard to tell from a telephoto shot) is up north of the current CF726/CF724 gantry. It is assumed that all the masts for this have now gone up, as photos of progress are thin on the ground!
- At Church Fenton North Jn, 4 masts have gone up south of the signal gantry supporting signals CF726 (UN) & CF724 (UL); these are 2 no. Tensorex Monoboom Anchor masts sandwiching 2 pairs of S1 style hook-and-pin TTC masts. This must be for an overlap - potentially the southern limit of works. Both overlap monobooms have been fully masted & boomed.
Track Sectioning Cabin to be built in Church Fenton.
Compounds established at:
Church Fenton;
Ulleskelf;
Bolton Percy (Oxton Lane);
Braegate Lane;
Earfit(ts) Lane;
Copmanthorpe (Moor Lane);
Tadcaster Road, Copmanthorpe (by A64); and Dringhouses (Model Railway).
(N.B. All dates are subject to alteration, whether due to COVID-19 or otherwise)
E2. Leeds Departures (presumed Leeds - Neville Hill - Cross Gates) - Development of final scheme scope to GRIP 3.
E3. Cross Gates to Micklefield - Development of final scheme scope to GRIP 3.
E4. Micklefield to Church Fenton - Development of final scheme scope to GRIP 3.
Landowners in the area of Rose Lane UWC (10m 79ch from York), Poulters UWC (11m 14ch) & Adamsons UWC (11m 36ch) have been notified of details to close the crossings and build a flyover & associated new highway.
Do let me know if I've missed anything!