• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Island Line Upgrade updates

Status
Not open for further replies.

MarkyT

Established Member
Joined
20 May 2012
Messages
6,232
Location
Torbay
they're also now obsolete and there are limited spares so new installations are unlikely. I believe there is a project ongoing in Scotland to remove them by linking the RETB tokens to point machines.
Similar self-operating point mechanisms have been replaced by machines on the Central Wales Line under NSTR. The idea of the replacement technology is that a local interlocking is established for the passing loop. This 'listens in' to the RETB radio traffic or receives equivalent triggers from the traditional token machines in Wales and sets appropriate routes through the loop end turnouts according to the position and direction required. Full track circuit (or axle counter) controls for dead locking and approach locking timeouts etc are provided through each loop end junction so standard point machines can be relied on to move safely for the passage of each train (and most importantly not to move unexpectedly under a train!).
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Gloster

Established Member
Joined
4 Sep 2020
Messages
8,289
Location
Up the creek
A lot of the raised platform surface was in place at Esplanade yesterday. It looks as though there may have to be a small ramp up to the platform from the concourse.
 

david1212

Established Member
Joined
9 Apr 2020
Messages
1,464
Location
Midlands
This morning "Digby" trundled up the pier pushing one trailer and pulling another carrying what may well have been segments for the section of platform to be raised.
 

Chris125

Established Member
Joined
12 Nov 2009
Messages
3,074
Anyone know if there's been any more progress on the upgrade works?

Looks like the platform at Esplanade is nearing completion with work now starting at Pier Head. Notice the curious hole in the track at the south end of esplanade where they've removed a short section of rail/sleepers.

Seems signalling works are well underway along the line now, especially at Brading where platform underpinning looks finished with new track laid and ballasted and locations cabinets appearing.




 

Chris125

Established Member
Joined
12 Nov 2009
Messages
3,074
However you describe it, nothing has happened on site yet AFAIK.
 
Joined
9 Dec 2012
Messages
578
Not that its Island Lines primary concern but the seemingly friendly Brading station cat must be at its wits end wondering what's happening!!
 

D6130

Established Member
Joined
12 Jan 2021
Messages
5,648
Location
West Yorkshire/Tuscany
Not that its Island Lines primary concern but the seemingly friendly Brading station cat must be at its wits end wondering what's happening!!
It's probably found somewhere else with better food and a more comfortable footbridge to lie on! (See separate thread on Cats, dogs and conductor rails).....unless of course the contractors men are feeding it!
 

hermit

Member
Joined
23 Jul 2019
Messages
354
Location
Isle of Wight
Not that its Island Lines primary concern but the seemingly friendly Brading station cat must be at its wits end wondering what's happening!!
I can vouch for the fact that the cat is really friendly, not ‘seemingly’ so. I hope someone is keeping it safely well away from the bangs and crashes of the works.

I have heard locally that the cat was in the habit of taking rides up the line and back, and then being dropped off by the traincrew on return to Brading. This sounds like a myth, unless someone knows better....

The 484 class have also been used for non-human transport - it was a regular occurrence for pigeons to hitch a lift for a station or two along the District Line. I’ve often seen them hop on at St James’s Park. It was sometimes said that they were in the habit of going right round the Circle Line (in the days when it was a circle) but that would have to have been on other stock.
 
Joined
9 Dec 2012
Messages
578
I can vouch for the fact that the cat is really friendly, not ‘seemingly’ so. I hope someone is keeping it safely well away from the bangs and crashes of the works.

I have heard locally that the cat was in the habit of taking rides up the line and back, and then being dropped off by the traincrew on return to Brading. This sounds like a myth, unless someone knows better....

The 484 class have also been used for non-human transport - it was a regular occurrence for pigeons to hitch a lift for a station or two along the District Line. I’ve often seen them hop on at St James’s Park. It was sometimes said that they were in the habit of going right round the Circle Line (in the days when it was a circle) but that would have to have been on other stock.
One of the last day of 483 videos on YouTube suggests the cat would try it's luck getting a ride. It followed the guard right near to the doors!

As for pigeons , seen many a time on my school travels on the tube, pigeons getting on an off at Edgware road.

I must put he isle of wight on my list to visit this year to see all the changes on the line, haven't been since 1990!
 

Chris125

Established Member
Joined
12 Nov 2009
Messages
3,074
I've seen a plausible explanation for the hole in the track at Esplanade - signal sighting concerns could see the signal for Down trains moved from the platform end to the four foot of the disused shuttle line.
 

Chris M

Member
Joined
4 Feb 2012
Messages
1,057
Location
London E14
I've seen a plausible explanation for the hole in the track at Esplanade - signal sighting concerns could see the signal for Down trains moved from the platform end to the four foot of the disused shuttle line.
That sounds like it's stacking up considerable expense should the line ever be needed in the future
 

Chris125

Established Member
Joined
12 Nov 2009
Messages
3,074
That sounds like it's stacking up considerable expense should the line ever be needed in the future

Alas it's hard to imagine a scenario where it would be, and there'd be plenty of other work required from the track to the platforms.
 

Gloster

Established Member
Joined
4 Sep 2020
Messages
8,289
Location
Up the creek
I've seen a plausible explanation for the hole in the track at Esplanade - signal sighting concerns could see the signal for Down trains moved from the platform end to the four foot of the disused shuttle line.
The hole, which isn’t very deep, is level with WFP 34 and 35. I wonder if the driving position in the Class 484 is slightly higher than that in the 483 and so the edge of the platform awning obscures the signal at some point.

There were orange-suited people working at Esplanade both yesterday and today.
 
Last edited:

fgwrich

Established Member
Joined
15 Apr 2009
Messages
9,250
Location
Between Edinburgh and Exeter
Looks like the platform at Esplanade is nearing completion with work now starting at Pier Head. Notice the curious hole in the track at the south end of esplanade where they've removed a short section of rail/sleepers.

Seems signalling works are well underway along the line now, especially at Brading where platform underpinning looks finished with new track laid and ballasted and locations cabinets appearing.




Thanks for those progress photos, nice to see the second track laid through the station at last. The only query I do have though - I'm surprised to see it's all fishplates, I'd have thought they'd have welded it, unless that is to come later?
 

philthetube

Established Member
Joined
5 Jan 2016
Messages
3,749
The hole, which isn’t very deep, is level with WFP 34 and 35. I wonder if the driving position in the Class 484 is slightly higher than that in the 483 and so the edge of the platform awning obscures the signal at some point.

There were orange-suited people working at Esplanade both yesterday and today.
Speaking from experience on the underground, the driving position is higher.
 

Tim M

Member
Joined
9 Jul 2016
Messages
178
Similar self-operating point mechanisms have been replaced by machines on the Central Wales Line under NSTR. The idea of the replacement technology is that a local interlocking is established for the passing loop. This 'listens in' to the RETB radio traffic or receives equivalent triggers from the traditional token machines in Wales and sets appropriate routes through the loop end turnouts according to the position and direction required. Full track circuit (or axle counter) controls for dead locking and approach locking timeouts etc are provided through each loop end junction so standard point machines can be relied on to move safely for the passage of each train (and most importantly not to move unexpectedly under a train!).
Nice to see NR catching up with the heritage movement, the Ffestiniog Railway (pioneering since 1832) has had automatic signalling for passing loops since 1987. The title of the article is a bit misleading, but is nevertheless informative.
 

VEP3417

Member
Joined
27 Jun 2011
Messages
710
Location
Hampshire
time to post this photo again i think :lol:
(found online not mine)
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20201212_200932_852.jpg.gallery.jpg
    IMG_20201212_200932_852.jpg.gallery.jpg
    172.3 KB · Views: 202

D6130

Established Member
Joined
12 Jan 2021
Messages
5,648
Location
West Yorkshire/Tuscany
Not sure its all that common to re-use old 3rd Rail thats been left rusting for years... I could be wrong though!
When Tonbridge-St Leonards and Branksome-Weymouth were being electrified in the mid-eighties, the cash-strapped Southern Region ran a prize competition amongst staff to locate surplus conductor rail which was lying about unused, so that it could be re-used in these schemes. These two schemes also included the first experimental use of lightweight aluminium conductor rail on certain stretches of line.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top