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Author Topic: Great Western Main Line electrification - ongoing discussion  (Read 283369 times)
CMRail
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« Reply #825 on: August 09, 2019, 17:07:42 »

May I ask if the 2019 video was IET (Intercity Express Train) or HST (High Speed Train)?

Neither.   Wink  It was a Turbo, to match the 2010 one. 

That meant the acceleration and braking were very similar meaning I didn't have to do as much artificial slowing down or speeding up so that the clips match as closely as possible.  Even then, a signal check near Didcot means the 2010 video runs a little 'funny' from Moreton onwards to try and match everything up.  It was recorded in 50 frames per second to try and minimise any juddering.

Yes I realised once you started stopping so deleted my comment. Not the biggest fan of turbos but they still remind me of the Thames Valley around the West area..
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welshman
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« Reply #826 on: August 09, 2019, 20:16:38 »

II, Absolutely fascinating video showing the sheer scale of the electrification project.  Pity all that ironmongery spoils the wide open spaces of the GWML (Great Western Main Line).  A lot of lineside greenery has had to go too.

Splendidly synch-ed as well and informatively captioned. ***** rating.
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bobm
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« Reply #827 on: August 09, 2019, 20:29:29 »

Not sure which I marvel at most - the changes that have been made along the route or the work which went into producing the video!
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #828 on: August 09, 2019, 23:01:32 »

Thanks a lot chaps.  I must admit I thought there were times when I'd never get to use the 2010 footage, but now that it's finished it really is good to look back on what used to be there and the amount of work involved just preparing the line for electrification, let alone the electrification itself. 

I will hopefully add Paddington to Reading in a year or so when all works there are complete, then (fingers crossed) Didcot to Oxford in a few years time!

Oh, and it really is known as 'Silly Bridge'!
« Last Edit: August 09, 2019, 23:07:40 by IndustryInsider » Logged

To view my GWML (Great Western Main Line) Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/
Bmblbzzz
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« Reply #829 on: August 09, 2019, 23:41:24 »

Thanks for the video, II! Only distantly related to electrification, but doesn't Didcot look different with those three towers gone.
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« Reply #830 on: August 09, 2019, 23:47:00 »

Thanks for the video, II! Only distantly related to electrification, but doesn't Didcot look different with those three towers gone.

Much of the remainder is coming down in the next few weeks I believe?
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To view my GWML (Great Western Main Line) Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/
ray951
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« Reply #831 on: August 10, 2019, 21:08:32 »

Thanks for the video, II! Only distantly related to electrification, but doesn't Didcot look different with those three towers gone.

Much of the remainder is coming down in the next few weeks I believe?
That is correct, the last 3 cooling towers are being demolished on Sunday 18th August between 6am and 8am. The tall chimney is coming down in the autumn.
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Bmblbzzz
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« Reply #832 on: August 10, 2019, 22:18:12 »

I'll kind of miss them.
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Timmer
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« Reply #833 on: August 11, 2019, 08:34:43 »

I'll kind of miss them.
Let’s hope the rest of the country doesn’t following last Friday’s power outage. Hopefully that wasn’t a sign of things to come.
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ellendune
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« Reply #834 on: August 11, 2019, 08:38:11 »

I'll kind of miss them.
Let’s hope the rest of the country doesn’t following last Friday’s power outage. Hopefully that wasn’t a sign of things to come.

They are not much use without the rest of the (coal fired) power station
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grahame
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« Reply #835 on: August 11, 2019, 08:43:06 »

I'll kind of miss them.
Let’s hope the rest of the country doesn’t following last Friday’s power outage. Hopefully that wasn’t a sign of things to come.
They are not much use without the rest of the (coal fired) power station

When I used to work near Didcot I (once) went into their Tourist Information Centre ... and their most sold postcard was the one showing the cooling towers.  Just think how their demolition will impact tourism ... perhaps they should have been listed?
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didcotdean
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« Reply #836 on: August 11, 2019, 10:16:27 »

In case anyone is interested, the to be cleared site has planning permission for a mixed development - the far side being warehouse / distribution, the middle shops, hotel & associated restaurant, and 400 houses. A new main road will run through the centre, intended to at some time be connected with the Science Bridge flying over the railway. Mind you with the site having been an ordnance depot before a power station I do wonder if there is anything lurking underground unknown.

Nearly all of the site isn't actually in Didcot, but in Sutton Courtenay parish, who were the ones most strongly opposed. English Heritage declined to list it on the grounds that there were better examples elsewhere, so others might be lumbered with a redundant cooling tower for evermore in the future I suppose.
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Bmblbzzz
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« Reply #837 on: August 11, 2019, 13:38:47 »

Redundant, yes, but no more so than a medieval castle. Their graceful shape is, in my opinion, worth preserving somewhere, though looks best from a distance. The towers at Didcot did function as a place marker both on the railway and more dramatically when seen from high on the Berkshire Downs. But perhaps we're wandering into another thread.
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« Reply #838 on: August 11, 2019, 17:21:22 »

Quote
When I used to work near Didcot I (once) went into their Tourist Information Centre ... and their most sold postcard was the one showing the cooling towers.

They were also a great aid to visual navigation when I used to fly in the local area. Could be seen from 30-40 miles away in all directions when visibility was good.
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broadgage
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« Reply #839 on: August 12, 2019, 16:11:18 »

I'll kind of miss them.
Let’s hope the rest of the country doesn’t following last Friday’s power outage. Hopefully that wasn’t a sign of things to come.

I fear that last Fridays outage may well be a sign of things to come. Not very frequent but more often than in past. It is over ten years since the last similar failure. But I bet that the NEXT similar failure will be in a lot less than ten years.

The growth in wind and solar power is most welcome from an environmental point of view, but is a backward step as regards grid stability and reliability.
For this and other reasons I have long felt that all new electric trains should have a battery or diesel engine for failures.
Whilst I don't think much of IETs (Intercity Express Train), a great merit of the electric versions is the single diesel engine.
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A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
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