Some footage courtesy of Guard_amos. More masts going up between Ince and Hindley. All this work must be taking place during the night...
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Wigan-Bolton electrification. Construction updates only please
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duffield
Established Member
Just as well it's a long way from Stoats Nest Junction. Those two wouldn't get along.
pokemonsuper9
Established Member
The ones on that corner popped up recently, along with some more closer to Hindley station, and plenty of the "arms" (my wording, probably not correct technical language) have been put on ready to swing into position.
There's still a couple gaps in where the pillars have been put in yet, none are in place in/next to stations yet.
Ince's temporary bridge is slowly becoming more and more substantial.
They have submitted plans for the raising of the grade 2 listed "deep pit" footbridge by a metre.
You can follow the link on this page foe more info:
You can follow the link on this page foe more info:
GRALISTAIR
Established Member
That is quite a comprehensive update.
WesternBiker
Member
And it’s good to see momentum really picking up on this after an (apparently) slow start.
It also illustrates the problems of bridge clearance on such routes. The “pure” electrification work seems straightforward in comparison.
There has been work recently elsewhere in Greater Manchester and surrounding areas for platforms to fit 6 x 23m units. The May 2018 timetable disaster showed that the frequency of services on Castlefield corridor cannot go above its current level and Victoria has very constrained capacity too. The best option is to progressively extend platforms and introduce more 6 x 23m services. It is the limit of Oxford Road until NR get around to rebuilding it and the airport station limited to 7 x 26m coaches anyway. Its a bit difficult to get hundreds of millions from the treasury when half of services on congested infrastructure are 2-3 coaches!
This is one of, if not the best example of NR project communications. Of course real test is that the local residents receive and are aware of it and find it useful. From the outside it does seem that many other projects are not very good at this sort of thing
themiller
Member
I don’t know if it’s already been reported but there are a few masts (about 5) erected on the line to Wigan Wallgate just after the junction at northwestern.
GRALISTAIR
Established Member
So an overlap run I assume which makes sense.
bengley
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Quite a few masts had registration arms attached when I went through yesterday - work seems to be progressing very well.
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
So, all wired by Christmas then?
That suggests a May 2025 in-service date.
That suggests a May 2025 in-service date.
You'd guess even if they didn't want any extra towards Wallgate you are going to need a few stanchions just to hold up / anchor the whole construction above and in the vicinity of the station junction
Progress seems to be coming on nicely now
GhostManDN91
Member
Still nothing up between Westhoughton to Hindley for overhead wires though yet just where they've done piling.
Nottingham59
Established Member
Is that the same OHLE series as they are using on the MML?Quite a few masts had registration arms attached when I went through yesterday - work seems to be progressing very well.
59CosG95
Established Member
Basically - there's very little difference between UKMS & Series 2 (which is what NWEP used).
Nottingham59
Established Member
Thank you. It looked very different somehow, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
I since realised that in the picture above, the I-beam is oriented so that the flat base of the "I" is parallel to the track. On the the MML, the I-beams are oriented with the base perpendicular to the track, as in this photo from the MML thread.
Why would the NWEP be different? The structural strength of an I-beam varies greatly depending on orientation.
Brissle Girl
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Is it normal to have a protective barrier around each stanchion? I don't recall it on older schemes. Or is it yet another thing that adds cost to schemes?
Nottingham59
Established Member
It seems the norm on the MML now, also. I wonder how many times in the past 50 years the OHLE has been brought down by a truck hitting one of the masts?
EDIT: See for instance on the vehicle access track here:
MML Electrification: progress updates
Yes, RS3 will likely be the next phase if main works beyond Wigston are authorised, possibly in tandem with RS2b which is Leicester North Jn - Syston (the tricky bit through Leicester station is RS2a). According to documentation issued with last October's contract notice (see post #6682), NR is...
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Maybe the barriers are to protect the truck drivers from the impact of hitting the mast, rather than the other way round?
td97
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That location is mostly like a compound/vehicle access point, so the barrier is to protect the structure from vehicle movements.
Various locations across NWEP include this e.g. Moses Gate https://maps.app.goo.gl/fY67ZMTtPAchRS7w9
I've seen it on other schemes but not on every single stanchion. It seems to only be required where vehicle access is alongside.
I expect the cost of each piece of road barrier is fairly minor, although obviously it will be more than not having it, especially once you multiply it by the number of stanchions protected.
It's a fair point, but equally fitting a fairly small barrier doesn't take that much time or cost too much to design and install, while taking the energy out of any potential collision has the dual role of protecting the staff inside the vehicle from a more serious collision and mitigating the impact of any hit so that the OLE is back in service quicker. It's notably a lightweight profiled steel barrier not a big chunky concrete divider, so there's an element of pragmatism about the protection fitted compared to the risk of being hit.
It's just on the downside stanchions west of Hindley where there is an access road running alongside the railway.
Ploughman
Established Member
Installed at numerous locations throughout the Leeds North West project in the early 90's
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
NWEP began with Castlefield-Golborne/Edge Hill and Huyton-Springs Branch and it was nothing like we have seen since.
Among other things it was less "heavy" and with plenty of concrete (un-piled) foundations in the easier ground.
It was also done quicker.
Springs Branch
Established Member
Do those ~half-a-dozen masts installed 'down the hill' from Wigan Station Junction towards Wallgate go beyond the metal footbridge which crosses the Wallgate lines? The footbridge is a shortcut for pedestrians between the North Western car park and King Street (via a nasty litter and vomit encrusted alleyway, IIRC)
A Street View capture of this footbridge conveniently has a RHTT passing at the same time as the Google Car. This seems to suggest the King Street footbridge may have limited clearance for OHLE - possibly limiting how far the overlap can run without lifting the bridge.
See here.
Pinus contorta
Member
It used to go over to what is now P1 at North Western Station I think . Which would suggest part of it was removed for electrification work, and when the Station was modernised.
I vaguely remember wobbling over it as a toddler about 50 years ago. Looking at where it goes was it a link across to the old Wigan Central Station? Well before my time.
This may be of some interest.
The bridge has no connection (literal or figurative) to Wigan Central though. King Street was built in the 1860s/70s and Central only opened in 1892.
Springs Branch
Established Member
That footbridge certainly used to be much longer than it is today. It used to continue all the way across to North Western station, adjacent to Platform 1, but turned 90° and dropped down to street level; it did not actually lead onto Wigan NW station.
These links show the longer, higher-level section which has now gone:-
https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?id=29456
https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=5&id=28196
Originally the bridge passed above many sidings of a LNWR goods yard. Later that particular goods yard became the ground level car park for NW station, and the bridge survived for quite a few years after electrification & rebuild of NW. I suspect what did for the extended bridge was construction of the multistorey car park for NW station, after which the footpath was truncated after it passed above the Wallgate lines.
As per the link by @scragend, the bridge was the scene of a fierce battle in 1867 over the right-of-way between the LYR and the LNWR companies (allegedly known as the Battle of Faggy Lane but I can't immediately access details)
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I think the bridge was shortened quite a while before the multi storey car park was built. The multi storey was only built in 2009 but I remember snaking round the path at the side of the car park to reach the bridge when I was a lad back in the 80s and early 90s. Or at least I think I do - I certainly don't remember a two-level bridge like in the first photo.
Pinus contorta
Member
Had a quicklook yesterday. Unfortunately there's a heras fencing compound blocking Wigan North Western P1 so didn't get a photo (and hadn't asked for permission to photo anyway) but where there's an odd sideways facing indentation In the brick work opposite p1, which I always had thought could be where the 'staggered' end of the bridge was actually is probably nothing to do with the former bridge abutments. Still can't easily visualise the bridge being staggered . However its not easy to orientate oneself with the multi storey car park in the way. Must have been 1978 or 79 when I was on it. Hadn't started school for sure. Vaguely remember being shown the remains of the signal box at the entry to the wallgate tunnel. Its a car park now.