Carstairs Overhead Line Equipment renewals and upgrade

[Frankton Junct]

Although not an extension of the electrification route mileage, the Carstairs Junction renewals project is a significant investment in OHLE.

Today, I visited Carstairs Junction, here are some photos:

 

[Watershed]

A lot of this is in preparation for the Carstairs remodelling which will be taking place next spring.

 

[Frankton Junct]

A lot of this is in preparation for the Carstairs remodelling which will be taking place next spring.

Here are some more photos:

 

[59CosG95]

The main contractor on the Barrhead/EK electrification programme (SPL) are here as well, so they may well be using the same team on both projects. This, however, is much more complex with all the staging elements involved. Lots of existing structures on all points away from Carstairs have been renewed too, such as here at Strawfrank (to the south).

87002 Strawfrank 260122

LSL's Euston-Glasgow special behind 87002 'Royal Sovereign' crosses the Clyde flood plane at Strawfrank, south of Carstairs, 26th January 2022. Some of the new overhead line stanchions are visible, necessary in connection with the forthcoming Carstairs remodelling.

flic.kr

(Shot dated January 2022)

 

[McRhu]

The WCML has caught a bad dose of GWML.

 

[nlogax]

The WCML has caught a bad dose of GWML.

That's UK Master Series for you. Like an extended family party of OHLE.

 

[59CosG95]

That's UK Master Series for you. Like an extended family party of OHLE.

It's got S2 Bonomi arms, S1 Furrer+Frey arms - all it needs now is some token Alstom cLever arms and Siemens SICAT arms!

 

[nlogax]

It's got S2 Bonomi arms, S1 Furrer+Frey arms - all it needs now is some token Alstom cLever arms and Siemens SICAT arms!

I do like seeing the F&F stuff appear in different parts of the country outside of the GE and GWML. The work at Carstairs looks to be pretty sizeable in scope and is a great demonstration of UKMS as a whole.

 

[McRhu]

I speak as an ever so 'umble (but beady-eyed) layman, but SURELY it can't be helpful to have such a mix of disparate parts in one location. It's a fankle of imbroglios in the making.

 

[pdeaves]

I speak as an ever so 'umble (but beady-eyed) layman, but SURELY it can't be helpful to have such a mix of disparate parts in one location. It's a fankle of imbroglios in the making.

I expect that all the 'old' stuff will be removed once the 'new' is ready.

 

[McRhu]

Without wishing to divert the thread too much... Was Carstairs' engineers' sidings originally equipped with a stretch of MK I ole for training purposes, or am I just losing my plot.

 

[Scotrail88]

Does anyone have the new speeds once the project is complete.
The long term PSR reduces from 90 to 50 just now or am I wrong?

 

[The Planner]

Does anyone have the new speeds once the project is complete.
The long term PSR reduces from 90 to 50 just now or am I wrong?

I put them on another Carstairs thread somewhere, not got them to hand.

 

[Southsider]

Without wishing to divert the thread too much... Was Carstairs' engineers' sidings originally equipped with a stretch of MK I ole for training purposes, or am I just losing my plot.

I think you are correct, there was a ‘dummy run’ at both Shields and Carstairs for the OHL teams to train on.

 

[jfollows]

Does anyone have the new speeds once the project is complete.
The long term PSR reduces from 90 to 50 just now or am I wrong?

I put them on another Carstairs thread somewhere, not got them to hand.

In #49 : (with my edit per the original discussion)

It may be difficult to visualise from words, from the details I have effectively the Up Main and Down platform loop swap over, so the main lines stay to the west with no access to the platforms. You will have an Up platform line that is bi-di goes through what is P1 currently (as per Quail) and a down loop that serves P2. The Down passenger loop is altered so the down sidings are accessed from it.
Carstairs South Jn goes from 30mph to 50mph crossing between the mains and 40mph towards Edinburgh but still a single lead. Main lines go up 100/120EPS. Up Passenger loop is 60at the north end and 40 through the station and round the chord to Carstairs East.

 

[WiredUp]

I speak as an ever so 'umble (but beady-eyed) layman, but SURELY it can't be helpful to have such a mix of disparate parts in one location. It's a fankle of imbroglios in the making.

The mix of new F+F and Bonomi cantilevers is well within the UKMS range. The old Mk3A/UK1 equipment (the latter from the days of the WCRM) will be removed but the existing OLE may be transferred to the new structures depending on the conductor types. If it was a permanent arrangement the RAM would hit the roof with the project team.

 

[driver9000]

Does anyone have the new speeds once the project is complete.
The long term PSR reduces from 90 to 50 just now or am I wrong?

Carstairs S&C Sustainability Renewals & Enhancement Sean Malone Network Rail. - ppt download

3 2.0 Carstairs – Need for Change Currently a 1970s installation by British Rail. High level of operational redundancy built into the layout. This redundancy, with a number of surplus crossovers, has lead to high supplementary maintenance costs. Shift in focus from aspired flexibility to “fit...

slideplayer.com

That link has the new layout and speeds.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Doesn't show the current infrastructure in a good light, although it has had nearly 50 years of heavy use.
It's just a pity the south-to
-east route has not been significantly upgraded.

 

[McRhu]

The mix of new F+F and Bonomi cantilevers is well within the UKMS range. The old Mk3A/UK1 equipment (the latter from the days of the WCRM) will be removed but the existing OLE may be transferred to the new structures depending on the conductor types. If it was a permanent arrangement the RAM would hit the roof with the project team.

Thanks for that, I appreciate your answering. Incidentally, I miss 3A - It was simple and elegant and you could see past it to the sky and the surrounding countryside.

 

[mcmad]

Carstairs S&C Sustainability Renewals & Enhancement Sean Malone Network Rail. - ppt download

3 2.0 Carstairs – Need for Change Currently a 1970s installation by British Rail. High level of operational redundancy built into the layout. This redundancy, with a number of surplus crossovers, has lead to high supplementary maintenance costs. Shift in focus from aspired flexibility to “fit...

slideplayer.com

That link has the new layout and speeds.

I think that is one of the older proposals and not the current planned layout

 

[King Lazy]

Does anyone have the new speeds once the project is complete.
The long term PSR reduces from 90 to 50 just now or am I wrong?

How I read it is that the Up platform line will be 50 but that Up trains will be able to pass through the down platform at 105 thus making the linespeed 105 throughout for non-stop trains.

 

[Railsigns]

The main lines will bypass the station on the west side, with a permissible speed of 100/EPS110 mph.

The Up platform line permissible speed will be 40 mph, and the Down platform line will be 20 mph.

 

[swt_passenger]

I think that is one of the older proposals and not the current planned layout

I’m sure that’s what slide 4 in the presentation is definitely implying, where he’s referring to some medium refurbishment during NR CP4 (2009-14) in the future tense, as well as future heavy maintenance in CP5. It may have been written over ten years ago.

 

[QueensCurve]

Carstairs S&C Sustainability Renewals & Enhancement Sean Malone Network Rail. - ppt download

3 2.0 Carstairs – Need for Change Currently a 1970s installation by British Rail. High level of operational redundancy built into the layout. This redundancy, with a number of surplus crossovers, has lead to high supplementary maintenance costs. Shift in focus from aspired flexibility to “fit...

slideplayer.com

That link has the new layout and speeds.

Does anyone have an update on this with regard to options selected/intended final layout?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The main lines will bypass the station on the west side, with a permissible speed of 100/EPS110 mph.
The Up platform line permissible speed will be 40 mph, and the Down platform line will be 20 mph.

Do we know how far EPS speeds on the main lines will apply towards Glasgow?
Currently EPS speeds cease south of Carstairs, apart from a short stretch on the Down near Shieldmuir.

 

[Railsigns]

Do we know how far EPS speeds on the main lines will apply towards Glasgow?

Just north of Carstairs, at 74m 56ch.

 

[snowball]

This press release appeared yesterday.

Carstairs junction upgrade is key to modernising network

Network Rail has completed the installation of 121 new overhead electrification structures as part of the wider project to upgrade and remodel Carstairs Junction.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Network Rail has completed the installation of 121 new overhead electrification structures as part of the wider project to upgrade and remodel Carstairs Junction.

This is part of a phased programme of investment in the key junction on the West Coast Main Line which will simplify and upgrade the track-layout to clear an existing bottleneck on the network and enable the separation of non-stop passenger and freight trains from those stopping at the station.

Work to date at Carstairs represents an investment of more than £100m in the junction to rationalise and simplify the track layout and modernise the signalling through one of the most critical sections of the Scottish rail network.

The installation of new sections of track and modern signalling will also speed up journeys between Glasgow and Edinburgh and will accommodate the longest freight trains on our network.

Over the last 18 months teams from industry partners Siemens, Rail Systems Alliance and SPL Powerlines have been carrying out heavy engineering on the railway embankments through the junction, as well as installing the new overhead line masts and signalling system.

More text and two videos at the link.

 

[Oxfordblues]

It's just a pity there's not enough money to reopen to Lampits high-speed cutoff (closed 1860)

 

[mcmad]

Think it was CEN60 that explained the curve wasn't high speed (50mph?) due to the need to squeeze the junction in before the bridge so not really any gain given the speed of the South curve is being raised under these proposals for a large expense.

 

[QueensCurve]

It's just a pity there's not enough money to reopen to Lampits high-speed cutoff (closed 1860)

I suspect that would be the real gain

Think it was CEN60 that explained the curve wasn't high speed (50mph?) due to the need to squeeze the junction in before the bridge so not really any gain given the speed of the South curve is being raised under these proposals for a large expense.

Intuitively I think that could be bettered. It would also be a shorter route towards Edinburgh and would continue in a straight line past where the East Junction is today. Even if only a 50mpg turnout, trains could presumably go directly up to a higher speed.