Manchester - Liverpool Electrification

[LDECRexile]

I detoured to Huyton on my way to grandadding today.

It's not worth posting any of the photos, as I can interpret as little from them as I could with the naked eye.

On my previous visits there have been Orangemen looking busy and diggers of various kinds hard at it. Today it was eerily quiet, though I didn't have time to go to the bus station, so there may have been action there.

I couldn't tell if owt has happened over the last ten days or so. Maybe it has.

 

[DJH1971]

More mast bases are now in place at Huyton in readiness for the forth track.

 

[8A Rail]

More mast bases are now in place at Huyton in readiness for the forth track.

I am NOT nit picking, it could be a keyboard error too or mental block but "forth" should be Fourth in representing the number. Forth means forward or away.

 

[Gareth]

I'm pretty sure it was a typo.

Please find it in your heart to forgive him.

 

[furnessvale]

I am NOT nit picking, it could be a keyboard error too or mental block but "forth" should be Fourth in representing the number. Forth means forward or away.

It may just be a new line heading towards eastern Scotland!

 

[snowball]

It may just be a new line heading towards eastern Scotland!

Not necessarily eastern. There's a village called Forth near Carstairs, so it could be a reference to the WCML.

 

[DJH1971]

I am NOT nit picking, it could be a keyboard error too or mental block but "forth" should be Fourth in representing the number. Forth means forward or away.

I meant fourth

 

[deltic08]

I am NOT nit picking, it could be a keyboard error too or mental block but "forth" should be Fourth in representing the number. Forth means forward or away.

or a Scottish river and estuary.

 

[childwallblues]

I am NOT nit picking, it could be a keyboard error too or mental block but "forth" should be Fourth in representing the number. Forth means forward or away.

English language! Yet forty has no "u".

 

[DJH1971]

And there appears to be more activity near Edge Hill going on, with plenty of metal fencing.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Not necessarily eastern. There's a village called Forth near Carstairs, so it could be a reference to the WCML.

The Stephenson Locomotive Works in Newcastle was at Forth Banks.

 

[QueensCurve]

Any up to date piccies of Huyton or Edge Hill?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Any up to date piccies of Huyton or Edge Hill?

Edge Hill (Tuebrook Sidings) is a bit of a jumble, being a long thin site seemingly being used to store bits of kit.
There is also a lot of rubble dumped there.
Presumably some of this is linked to platform reconstruction at Lime St.

Another thing I noticed this week was a long new gantry lying between the fast/slow lines close to Lime St.
Presumably that is part of the new signalling infrastructure.
It can't be easy doing work in the confined cutting.

 

[childwallblues]

Edge Hill (Tuebrook Sidings) is a bit of a jumble, being a long thin site seemingly being used to store bits of kit.
There is also a lot of rubble dumped there.
Presumably some of this is linked to platform reconstruction at Lime St.

Another thing I noticed this week was a long new gantry lying between the fast/slow lines close to Lime St.
Presumably that is part of the new signalling infrastructure.
It can't be easy doing work in the confined cutting.

Well they manage very well when the station was electrified in 1960 when they never had the equipment that they had today.

 

[johnmoly]

Talking of Edge Hill, anyone know what's happening at the old Spekeland Road depot. There are teams of orangemen and equipment levelling and seemingly laying topsoil down, also piles of new bricks been deposited there. It has been suggested that this is for a new bus parkway when Lime Street is closed next year, there is going to be a temporary bridge built so pax can cross from Edge Hill station to the buses.

 

[8A Rail]

Well they manage very well when the station was electrified in 1960 when they never had the equipment that they had today.

True but as you said now have electrification there now, with all the existing wires and gantries now in place which makes it a little harder to move things around now than it did do in the early 60's!

 

[DJH1971]

Talking of Edge Hill, anyone know what's happening at the old Spekeland Road depot. There are teams of orangemen and equipment levelling and seemingly laying topsoil down, also piles of new bricks been deposited there. It has been suggested that this is for a new bus parkway when Lime Street is closed next year, there is going to be a temporary bridge built so pax can cross from Edge Hill station to the buses.

I think I mentioned it before but I was talking to a conductor for Northern just before Christmas and he heard that instead of Lime Street being closed for 9 days, will be closed on a bit by bit stage instead as the logistics are providing very problematic.

Whether or not this is true, it is only 7 months away and will need to let travellers know of any contingency plans sooner or later.

 

[PDG1949]

Reposted from Manchester SSC:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=138464497&postcount=2175 :cry:

 

[WatcherZero]

Was using Wigan North Western on Monday and Passenger focus were doing a big long survey on customer experience of the station and the services from it (about 50/50 questions on the station and the service with North Western as the origin). Don't know if its an annual thing but the survey was highly tailored.

 

[LDECRexile]

Travelled Man Vic-Lime St today. Service normal.

Photos of Huyton Junction in the Combined Volume here:

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

 

[johnmoly]

Another Thameslink 319 eight car set appeared at Allerton Depot. Looks like they have stripped the livery of one of the sets that arrived months ago.

 

[LDECRexile]

Paul Gaskell has kindly sent a batch of shots he took at Newton-le-Willows station yesterday. Groundwork is well and truly on its way.

I've added them to Paul's album here:

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

and to the Combined Volume here:

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

Thank you Paul

 

[LDECRexile]

Paul Gaskell took some shots of diesels working Wigan NW-Lime St today. Is something amiss?

I've added them to his album here:

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

and to the Combined Volume here:

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

Thank you Paul

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Paul Gaskell took some shots of diesels working Wigan NW-Lime St today. Is something amiss?

I passed a 156 working the 1500 Liverpool-Wigan yesterday.
RTT shows some early cancellations on the Liverpool-Wigan route yesterday "due to a problem with the train/traction equipment" - maybe it was that.
I was on an all-white 319 from Preston - a bit much in the bright sun!
The Lime St concourse is degenerating into a building site for Buckingham.

As far as I could see, the new northern railway boundary through Huyton is now in place, though the concrete retaining wall still has a gap in it.
I don't know how they are going to squeeze in the 4th track at the St Helens end without major surgery of the existing track, or removal of the lineside structures (signalling cabinets etc).

 

[LDECRexile]

I don't know how they are going to squeeze in the 4th track at the St Helens end without major surgery of the existing track, or removal of the lineside structures (signalling cabinets etc).

Me too, I bait with weighted breath. I'm sure there's a Cunning Plan.

 

[Dixie]

Paul Gaskell took some shots of diesels working Wigan NW-Lime St today. Is something amiss?

I've added them to his album here:

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

and to the Combined Volume here:

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

Thank you Paul

Looking at 6984a I note that the fittings being applied appear to be Swiss Furrer + Frey Series 1 (as used on the refurb of the Great Eastern and on the current GWR project, rather than the Italian Omnia Series 2 type used elsewhere in the North West and Scotland recently.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Looking at 6984a I note that the fittings being applied appear to be Swiss Furrer + Frey Series 1 (as used on the refurb of the Great Eastern and on the current GWR project, rather than the Italian Omnia Series 2 type used elsewhere in the North West and Scotland recently.

That location is actually part of the Ordsall Chord works rather than the Preston scheme, and are in a very complex area.
Although there isn't much to go on yet, the masts, cantilevers and registration gear on the Preston line look to be standard Series 2 stuff.

 

[notlob.divad]

As far as I could see, the new northern railway boundary through Huyton is now in place, though the concrete retaining wall still has a gap in it.
I don't know how they are going to squeeze in the 4th track at the St Helens end without major surgery of the existing track, or removal of the lineside structures (signalling cabinets etc).

Me too, I bait with weighted breath. I'm sure there's a Cunning Plan.

From what I can tell travelling past this site since the 3rd track was reinstated, current Google maps ariel photographs, and the network rail released tra k layout for the 3rd and 4th tracking, I don't believe anything is to happen east of the signalling? Cabinet behind the car park. All work is to the east of that point. At the cabinet you can see there are in fact 4 tracks due to it being the crossover point. West of there, I think the Up Chat Moss will slew slightly south to straighten out the current kink.
The up St Helens will then be instated on the reclaimed land and a new cross over from huyton platform 4 will be instated to the up chat moss parallel with the current Down Chat Moss to platform 2 crossover.

I think a couple of existing OHLE masts will need replacing so they can cover 2 tracks rather than 1, and whatever they are doing through platform 4 and over the new reclaimed land.

 

[PDG1949]

I passed a 156 working the 1500 Liverpool-Wigan yesterday.
RTT shows some early cancellations on the Liverpool-Wigan route yesterday "due to a problem with the train/traction equipment" - maybe it was that.
I was on an all-white 319 from Preston - a bit much in the bright sun!

I travelled up on a 319 on the 0949 from St Helens Central to Wigan NW en route to RV with LDECRexile at Wallgate. Arriving at P4 slightly early ('twas a Preston train) I noticed the unusual sight of a 156 in P6 ready to haul the 1003 Wigan NW to Lime St stopper, so nipped over to take a couple of pics 6996 k) and i)

Returning to NW early afternoon, I found myself on the P4 1403 stopper which turned out to be another 156 ! (pics 6996 g) and e) ). Plenty of other 319s around. One Monday morning hung-over 319 I can understand - but two ??!! :roll:

 

[notlob.divad]

Looks like there was a problem early morning, and northern's recovery plan involved running a unit to St Helens Central from Edge Hill and reversing using the none electrified crossover to return at the right time. The 1003 looks to be the continuation of that. But I'm guessing a little.

The 1403 interworked with a CLC stopping service from Manchester Oxford Road