GRALISTAIR
Established Member
Polypropylene does not have the same tensile strength as Cu/Cd, Cu/Sn, Cu/Ag alloys.
Sometimes under low bridges they bring the catenary level down gradually either side of the bridge to effectively the same level as the contact wire, and they can and do mount various fittings directly to the underside of bridges. If a specialised design can meet electrical clearance distance and insulation values it can be done. Sometimes catenary and contact are supported very close together in height by little more than twin fibreglass tubular brackets.Who does so much stuff need to be live? When clearances are tight, could they not use a non conductor for the catenary wire? When they first did Metrolink in Manchester, the span wires in the centre were polypropylene so they didnt need insulators.
And why dont they anchor the overhead to bridge soffits? It could save a mast and maybe allow lower clearances under the bridge, as the wires would move less.
I'm not an overhead engineer - I'm just designing overhead with crayons!
Hasn't helped with the cost on this line although without more transparency its impossible to know what unit rate the scheme has used for its estimateIt's quite possible that the NR design criteria have moved on in the 4-year gap since Grip 3, necessitating a new or updated survey.
There has been talk of reducing the strict standards enforced by ORR in previous schemes (reducing clearance work), and things like the improving the piling works (using a wider range of pile sizes).
All based on "lessons learned" from the CP5 schemes.
Take it no running off wires then just connect to the original ones either side of the lostock jct to Wigan north western line.Yes Jonesy, all the platforms are already wired
Take it no running off wires them just connect to the original ones either side of the lostock jct to Wigan north western line.
Just seen on a local residents' group that leaflets have gone out to people living near Hindley station about the electrification works. I don't live near the station so I don't have one but someone has posted this image. Hmmm...
View attachment 103097
When I passed through just over a week ago Westhoughton and Hindley appeared to have attractive gardens, presumably looked after by local residents, and lots of mature trees. Presumably the trees at least will have to go. Interesting that the map shows Lostock even though there are no platforms on the Wigan lines.Just seen on a local residents' group that leaflets have gone out to people living near Hindley station about the electrification works. I don't live near the station so I don't have one but someone has posted this image. Hmmm...
View attachment 103097
When I passed through just over a week ago Westhoughton and Hindley appeared to have attractive gardens, presumably looked after by local residents, and lots of mature trees. Presumably the trees at least will have to go. Interesting that the map shows Lostock even though there are no platforms on the Wigan lines.
I went early last week, last time I went Crow Nest signal box was still there.When I passed through just over a week ago Westhoughton and Hindley appeared to have attractive gardens, presumably looked after by local residents, and lots of mature trees. Presumably the trees at least will have to go. Interesting that the map shows Lostock even though there are no platforms on the Wigan lines.
Just seen on a local residents' group that leaflets have gone out to people living near Hindley station about the electrification works. I don't live near the station so I don't have one but someone has posted this image. Hmmm...
View attachment 103097
Many will mistake that for the normal indication of a more minor station.It does have a "side platform" symbol for Lostock to denote the difference. Probably useful to include it on the map as reference for Lostock Jn.
I apologize for being slightly OT but did not want to start a fresh thread for a now closed one. I was traveling in the Bolton area on the M61 yesterday and the hard shoulder was blocked off where the M61 crosses over the now electrified Manchester-Preston line. Large parapets (metal clad) were finally being installed as per requirement over an electrified railway.
At the quoted eye watering price tag for this section I would hope EVERYTHING has been taken into account though I don't think it is crossed by any motorways.
I reported the non compliance of the MVE M61 Bridge several times to both Highways England ( as was) and the ORR finally must have struck home . I actually wondered if they did the wrong bridge originally.The M61 crosses the Wigan-Bolton line too but the parapet is already clad - Whether it meets requirements for OLE I don't know.
View attachment 103530
M61 overbridge before cladding on the line to Preston:
View attachment 103533
But the focus should be on the routes where it will make the most difference and I don't think the CLC is one. It gets two northern DMUs per hour in each direction running local services, plus the EMR service to Norwich (which is unlikely to be electrified any time soon).Electrifying ANY route makes sense if you are serious about cleaning-up diesel emissions
No disagreement there, if I was running the show I'd be putting a high priority on working out how to get diesel out of new street, either by introducing bi-mode trains and/or by electrifying crosscountry routes.(which are particularly nasty, try P12 at New St next to a ticking-over Voyager for 30 seconds).
I still maintain that only in exceptional circumstances is it likely to be worth electrifying a line based primarily on it's utility as a diversion route.Its also a rather handy diversion if you need to run Liverpool-Manchester services with EMU's
.
I still maintain that only in exceptional circumstances is it likely to be worth electrifying a line based primarily on it's utility as a diversion route.
But the focus should be on the routes where it will make the most difference and I don't think the CLC is one. It gets two northern DMUs per hour in each direction running local services, plus the EMR service to Norwich (which is unlikely to be electrified any time soon)