Great Western Coffee Shop

Tonights ITV Bristol area early evening news had an article about proposals for trams in Bath that are being considered. Should be on ITV player for today (Monday). Includes their own poll giving 75% in favour but it's only an online poll (link to the poll below which only shows about 60 something votes right now).

http://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/update/2018-01-22/bath-could-be-getting-a-tram-network/

If the residents object to train overhead wires, why would they be happy with tram wires?

Sadly true, even if it means roads clogged with cars rather than a few wires. I know which of the two I find more unsightly.

Because electric trams are part of Bath's history - they had them from 1902 to 1939

Did the good burghers of Bath actually object to OHLE, or did we just imagine that they might?

You imagined they did. Electrification was paused, I think now cancelled, because of the inability of those involved to do something which at one time was relatively straightforward. It would be interesting to see statistics for the electrification of the ECML, all those years ago. I seem to recall this electrification scheme was completed at well under projected cost, and BR (remember them?) handed back a large amount of money to the government upon the completion of all works. Unless anyone knows different..

The news article even pointed out that there are still marks on some old building walls where the old fixtures for the supporting wires were removed. Industrial archeology!

The Railways Archive has a copy of the last progress report on ECEL - link in this page (http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=853). I think that says the project was a few days late and 5% over "authority", but how that relates to anyone's budget  I couldn't say. Perhaps if you'd like to read it all and let us know ...

The report also contains a lot of details that are interesting in engineering terms, from all branches - power, S&T, rolling stock, or whatever.

If I remember rightly the good Burghers of Bath did not object to the Overhead Electrification, just the infrastructure that was to support the overhead wire. It was pointed out that as Bath was a World Heritage site and as such the OHLE had to be in keeping with this status. The Burghers decreed that it should resemble Victorian street lights with cast booms, like the Victorian ones used to support the overhead line used on the infrastructure of the Blackpool tram network. Network Rail has tried to placate the Burghers by producing various designs of which one was identified as being suitable but the Burghers of Bath decreed that no gantries were to be installed on the part of the line that passed through the Sydney Gardens area and the booms could not be affixed to the masonary walls of the cutting through said area  either. Network Rail were to investigate the clearances if reproduction Victorian lamp standards could be used but I think some high up body has stepped in and said, "F U Burghers of Bath, we'll curtail the electrification at Tingley if you lot wish to live in the modern 19th century Roman era".

I can imagine any tram network in Bath to satisfy the Burghers of the city would resemble horse drawn Roman chariots with flanged wheels.