Manchester - Liverpool Electrification

[LDECRexile]

DiscoSteve has posted two pictures on Skyscrapercity:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=123534176&postcount=2734

Superb, thank you for drawing these to our attention.

I wish we could use them!

Dave

 

[nw-sparks]

They've made it to Deal St Jct; go on lads, go on!

Now in Man Vic. Yippee!

Can anyone please tell me how to follow them out again? I can't see a train out on realtimetrains, which usually means I'm looking in the wrong place.

I realise it's way too late, but for the historical record:

5Z20 22:42 Manchester Victoria to Liverpool Lime Street High Level RTT

appeared in the timetable database at 22:24, but was cancelled and didn't run. Then

5Z20 23:42 Manchester Victoria to Liverpool Lime Street High Level RTT

was added to the timetable at 23:35, a few minutes after it started running!

 

[LDECRexile]

I realise it's way too late, but for the historical record:

5Z20 22:42 Manchester Victoria to Liverpool Lime Street High Level RTT

appeared in the timetable database at 22:24, but was cancelled and didn't run. Then

5Z20 23:42 Manchester Victoria to Liverpool Lime Street High Level RTT

was added to the timetable at 23:35, a few minutes after it started running!

Thanks Phil

I fear a Gremlin struck the Man Vic test programme.

Word has it that wiring problems at Allerton Depot meant that the pair of 319s which ran to Man Vic were pressed into service at short notice and lacked the test clobber needed to run an ORR-compliant test train.

The unit with the gear in place will probably have to run on another occasion.

Last night's run will hopefully prove the principle, but may not prove the detail.

 

[nw-sparks]

Thanks Phil

I fear a Gremlin struck the Man Vic test programme.

Word has it that wiring problems at Allerton Depot meant that the pair of 319s which ran to Man Vic were pressed into service at short notice and lacked the test clobber needed to run an ORR-compliant test train.

The unit with the gear in place will probably have to run on another occasion.

Last night's run will hopefully prove the principle, but may not prove the detail.

Judging by the pictures, this was more of a photo-op. Did anyone see if the 319s ran up and down all platforms or otherwise tested things out?

I've painted my map green but technically it's not done until ORR say so.

 

[AM9]

Is this the first time that a pair of 319s have run over the newly electrified lines?

 

[WatcherZero]

Well if you don't count rescuing which has happened a couple of times :P

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Please see the Combined Volume, Series 3306 photos taken in the early hours of 25th Feb 2015.
319s have run Earlestown to Warrington BQ and back.
I suspect you were Down Under at the time.
Dave

Yes indeed, bad memory!
Still waiting for a first passenger run though.

I was hoping to be able to report all the AT wiring complete today.
It is now complete on the Down side, but there is still a gap between Huyton Jn and Huyton Quarry on the Up.
Scaffolding is still up at Sankey Viaduct.
Orangemen were resurfacing the platform at St Helens Jn after digging all the big holes.

Victoria east-end wiring remains baffling.
The live wiring ends abruptly at Cheetham Hill Road bridge except for that on P5 which runs through to a tensioner on the far side of the bridge.
The other 3-4 bases to the east now all have masts and west-facing tensioners attached, but no wires that I could see.
There are also fixings under the bridge without wires.
Maybe there was a redesign.

Sat on a 319 today for 5 minutes at Ordsall Lane waiting for the timetable to catch up.
There'll be a lot of that until they rework the DMU timetable.

 

[Geeves]

Im just posting a few pictures onto skyscraper city as we speak, feel free to use any relatively goodens LDEC 364 did have a kind of test area set up in one of the coaches, 367 had a brand new pantograph so unsure if that was anything to with the aforementioned trouble at Allerton

 

[PDG1949]

Im just posting a few pictures onto skyscraper city as we speak, feel free to use any relatively goodens LDEC 364 did have a kind of test area set up in one of the coaches, 367 had a brand new pantograph so unsure if that was anything to with the aforementioned trouble at Allerton

Just had a shuffty:-

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1265187&page=138

great shots and a nice selfie !

Now if we could only find out what's going to happen on the LIV-WGN run in advance.......

 

[nw-sparks]

...
The 06:00 319 to St Helens Central and Wigan NW on Saturday 18th April did run, but only made it as far as Huyton, where it turned back.
...

Just a nitpick for the historical record, but I have been checking the train describer logs and on Saturday 18th there is no record of any truncated run to Huyton. The log shows 2F52 getting a platform alteration at Lime Street at 06:08 and then leaving at 06:15 for Wigan. I'm guessing this was the last minute diesel replacement?

Unless anyone has observations to show otherwise?

 

[Geeves]

I had heard the same, OHLE and then a signalling issue on the platform saw the unit swapped over without ever leaving Lime St. I believe the set swap was to a 150/2 that should of ran out on the CLC.

 

[LDECRexile]

.....And there we were at Central and Ravenhead Greenway.... (Paul [plus another St. Helens photographer, Rob]and Dave respectively ). We understood from one of the drivers that he'd got as far as Huyton.

Interesting story from one of the station staff - apparently when they first started putting in the masts at Ince Moss they started sinking. Goes to show that just like humans, masts have problems with piles....

It looks like we misinterpreted the driver.

Glad the record's straight now.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Paul and I went out and about along Chat Moss yesterday.

I've added a film and a photo to Paul's album here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/sets/72157649792560381/

and our combined efforts to the Combined Volume here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/sets/72157648494725811/

Thank you Paul for the images and the good company.

I'm also delighted that Geeves has released a number of images for the Combined Volume. I aim to wang them on later tonight or tomorrow. Thank you Geeves.

Please note that the AT wiring appeared complete at Sankey Viaduct.

 

[johnmoly]

Eight sets of 319's outside Allerton this morning at about 10am, all in Northern colours. No buffers at the end of the extended headshunt towards Hunts Cross yet, although one sleeper is chained to the rails. Also they are putting in new masts for OLE along the headshunt, although it is already wired up, but assume they are replacing the old equipment with new.

 

[snowball]

156441 said here on 12 April that electric services would not be running to/from Victoria in May as ORR permission had not yet been applied for.

Can anyone update us on this without giving away anything that's supposed to be private?

 

[156441]

Northern now pushing for Wigan and Vic to go fully Electric by May.

Vic still subject to ORR approval. Diagrams are showing electric traction though!

 

[LDECRexile]

As mentioned this morning, I'm delighted that Geeves and his Director have kindly released a number of photos for publication, including a set for Sunday night's test run into Man Vic.

I have created an album for Geeves and entered the shots into it, here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/sets/72157651833403490/

I have also inserted them in their correct chronological places in the Combined Volume here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/sets/72157648494725811/

As the shots cover a period going back to last September you may find it easier to view them in Geeves's album.

Thank you Geeves and Geeves's Director.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

As mentioned this morning, I'm delighted that Geeves and his Director have kindly released a number of photos for publication, including a set for Sunday night's test run into Man Vic.

Those excellent pictures of the wiring trains at Victoria seem to be of the Windhoff MPVs bought for the WCML rewiring a decade ago.
Good to see these resources being put to new work.
It gets about a bit - has also been seen on the GE lines out of Liverpool St.

 

[AM9]

As mentioned this morning, I'm delighted that Geeves and his Director have kindly released a number of photos for publication, including a set for Sunday night's test run into Man Vic.

I have created an album for Geeves and entered the shots into it, here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/sets/72157651833403490/

I have also inserted them in their correct chronological places in the Combined Volume here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/sets/72157648494725811/

As the shots cover a period going back to last September you may find it easier to view them in Geeves's album.

Thank you Geeves and Geeves's Director.

Well done Dave for bringing together pictures that others have taken to complement the album. It seems that these pictures are unique owing to the event and its location and are a valuable addition to the album.

 

[LDECRexile]

Well done Dave for bringing together pictures that others have taken to complement the album. It seems that these pictures are unique owing to the event and its location and are a valuable addition to the album.

Thank you, the more folks from the more angles the merrier I reckon.

From comments people make when they first contact me or I badger them it seems modesty is the single biggest deterrent. This album does not purport to be art work, it's a historical record almost entirely composed of material which would otherwise have stayed unseen and unloved until it was lost or deleted.

I've added a few more to the Combined Volume here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/sets/72157648494725811/

Dave

 

[topgun390]

390s diagrammed to run this Sat/Sun 02/04/15 over Lowton/NLW/Huyton/LST
SAT 5F82 21.29 off Wigan N.W 22.14 arr LST
SAT 5F06 22.15 off Wigan N W 22.45 arr LST
SUN 5P16 09.55 off LST arr Wigan NW 10.25
hope of some use.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

390s diagrammed to run this Sat/Sun 02/04/15 over Lowton/NLW/Huyton/LST
SAT 5F82 21.29 off Wigan N.W 22.14 arr LST
SAT 5F06 22.15 off Wigan N W 22.45 arr LST
SUN 5P16 09.55 off LST arr Wigan NW 10.25
hope of some use.

I'm guessing these are regular ECS diversions to/from Edge Hill depot because of the route via Weaver Jn being closed, rather than anything to do with OHLE testing?

 

[LDECRexile]

390s diagrammed to run this Sat/Sun 02/04/15 over Lowton/NLW/Huyton/LST
SAT 5F82 21.29 off Wigan N.W 22.14 arr LST
SAT 5F06 22.15 off Wigan N W 22.45 arr LST
SUN 5P16 09.55 off LST arr Wigan NW 10.25
hope of some use.

Thank you very much.

I'm going to Lowton for the Sunday morning one, then to various points on Chat Moss throughout the day.

 

[Class 170101]

Should point out that LST is shorthand for London Liverpool Street NOT Liverpool Lime Street where these trains are going to / from.

 

[nw-sparks]

Spotted storming through Huyton at five past ten tonight with top and tail 37s both working hard. Only observed from a distance whilst inebriated - was it MENTOR?

RTT

 

[snowball]

Would MENTOR have a reason to cover several lines not yet electrified? Or has its diagram fallen through a time warp from the future?

 

[childwallblues]

Would MENTOR have a reason to cover several lines not yet electrified? Or has its diagram fallen through a time warp from the future?

Huyton is electrified!

 

[nw-sparks]

Spotted storming through Huyton at five past ten tonight with top and tail 37s both working hard. Only observed from a distance whilst inebriated - was it MENTOR?

RTT

A more sober study of the schedule leads me to the conclusion that the answer is probably no, as MENTOR would not be very useful on the Atherton line.

 

[snowball]

Would MENTOR have a reason to cover several lines not yet electrified? Or has its diagram fallen through a time warp from the future?

Huyton is electrified!

Yes, but whatever it was ran Blackpool-Preston-Bolton-Wigan-Atherton-Oxford Road at the beginning and Hartford-Northwich-Altrincham-Stockport at the end.

 

[8A Rail]

Should point out that LST is shorthand for London Liverpool Street NOT Liverpool Lime Street where these trains are going to / from.

I think Liverpool Lime Street is LLS?

 

[SansHache]

Busy day over Chat Moss this Sunday with 51 VT services scheduled to pass through Eccles in total (Preston and Liverpool diversions).

There will be the opportunity to travel between Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street on a Class 390 with departures from Liverpool at 09:41, 10:43 and then hourly to 18:43. Piccadilly departures are at 11:22 12:22, 13:22, 14:21, 15:21, 16:22, 17:22, 18:22, 19:15, 20:17, 21:17 and 22:20.

Sustained 90mph running should be possible providing there is nothing too close ahead. Lots of new locations for Class 390 photos.

John