Would said freight have fit in Earles Loop? It's not particularly long. If we send a freight early from Sheffield, we have to take into account whether it will fit in Earles Loop, otherwise, once we've committed, it's got to get as far as the Chinley Triangle.....
Indeed. Earles Loop is listed as 358m in the Sectional Appendix, compared to 548m for the Up Heeley Loop. Bamford Loop is 640m. Standage on the Dore Curve isn't given, but the distance between the junctions is 41 chains, (0.5mile, 825m although standage will be less for overlaps/clearance points/signal sighting).
However looping a stopper at Earles rather than at Heeley might allow both it to make better time when a TPE is delayed by 10 minutes or more through Sheffield - and reduce the chances of the TPE catching up if the stopper isn't looped at Heeley.
Earles is only a goods loop, passenger traffic can't be looped there.
To use a goods loop/line with a passenger train requires written permission from higher up for the Signaller, to be able to do it, if it's planned.
as @GardenRail says, you need an Ops Manager's authority to loop a train. Specials request permission up to 16 weeks in advance to allow for the necessary checks and reviews to take place, including any work. Often specials using goods loops will require points clipped and scotched or trains held back at signals behind until the train is confirmed at a stand by the driver. Unless all hell had broken loose, getting permission on the day to bring the sidings to a stand while the loop was clipped up by the MOM, then to loop the local and let it back out to unclip the points before letting any shunting resume, would cause more delay than letting it go through ahead of the TPE.
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Has anybody got/done a map of where Headspans still exist in UK electrification and which sections are undergoing conversion to portals (full or partial)?#cando #ole #groundedyetsoaring | VolkerRail Ltd
Last weekend we installed two head span conversions at Hope Valley. Our team replaced the old head span equipment to improve the reliability of the overhead line. Well done team, great work. #cando #ole #groundedyetsoaring
This has snuck in under everyone's radar - headspan to portal conversions between Stockport & Hazel Grove!
This one here's at Davenport.
Well, I'm not not volunteering myself...
Pretty well anywhere electrified in the 1970's onwards that has multi track lines generally 3 or more. They will remain in most places unless they have proven to be vulnerable to weather or are on sections of track where they are upgrading line speed and even then its only limited replacement.
Only up until the end of BR electrifications in the early 90s. By the time of the post-2009 schemes the policy had been set of no headspans (with limited exceptions such as heritage station buildings) and indeed had probably swung too far the other way with the over-engineered structures on GWML. I don't know if there were any headspans in the few bits and pieces of electrification done between those dates.
Thanks for providing that clarity
The Hope Valley project did an assessment which detailed the non compliances and general poor condition of the Hazel Grove area OLE , but this was deemed beyond the scope of the project and not remedied. So now it seems the maintenance team have actually acted on this in a reasonable timescale. All for 3 electric trains per day!
I assume that the footpath did in fact open? With due celebration after 2 years?
I suspect the "Hope Valley" part is an anachronism brought about purely by the fact that the TPE & EMR services that use the Hope Valley Line run through Davenport, Woodsmoor & Hazel Grove.
Even though they use diesel units, of course!
and it's extremely rare for an electric unit to go to hazel grove anyway!
Service patterns seem to vary.
Because they interwork with the Buxton services currently, I think (and one of the evening Stockport-Chester services).
Oh, yes it is, not in the working timetable either so it’s a bit confusing but certainly runs as such.
Has all work at Dore & Totley now been completed?
