First recycled plastic railway sleepers laid on Network Rail tracks in Wiltshire

[whole diary]

[Lee]

From Network Rail:

Trains in Wiltshire are now running on top of old bottles, food packaging and other unwanted plastics, with the introduction of the first composite railway sleepers on Network Rail’s main line tracks.

Made from recycled plastic, engineers recently installed the environmentally-friendly technology across the weight-restricted Sherrington Viaduct, between Salisbury and Warminster. Previously, track across the viaduct would have had to be fitted with wooden sleepers, as concrete would have been too heavy for the structure. Sleepers sit on the ballast and hold up the rails, keeping them the correct distance apart.

From 31 July this year, creosote-treated softwood sleepers will be banned and the alternative is sleepers made with hardwood. Instead, the new sleepers are manufactured by Sicut Ltd in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) using a blend of locally-sourced plastic waste that may otherwise end up at landfill.

[bradshaw]

Picture on their Twitter feed today

https://twitter.com/networkrailwssx/status/1408375565820862470?s=21

[grahame]

What an excellent re-use of discarded stuff that's been chucked out.  Now - can we have a couple of those 143s that have been discarded (one diagram, one spare) ... to run from Chippenham just after the Westbury to Swindon service has passed, and run perhaps to Warminster ... back up leaving Trowbridge just after the Swindon to Westbury service has come in.  Or could we have a unit like the one they'll be trying Wealing to Greenford?

So that's
northbound at Melksham ... 06:54, 09:35, 11:50, 14:00, 16:00, 18:20, 20&22
southbound at Melksham ... 08:12, 10:21, 12:51, 14:51, 17:15, 19%17, 22:30
% - replace existing WSB^» (Westbury - next trains) -> SWI^» (Swindon - next trains) that feeds SWI -> CNM^» (Cheltenham Spa - next trains) service
& - replaces existing CNM -> SOU service which turns at SWI to % service. South of WSB, CNM->WSB via BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) extends to SOU and picks up path

We'll need a few more of those rubbish sleepers to take rails (any scrap rails from Okehampton relaying that would do for a bay for a bus on wheels?  Accepting that we can do "disable toilet" by not having any loo at all for a few years until the next generation of DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) is being chucked out - or until we're electrified.   And by running straight after the existing train rather than clock face, we leave a path in each cycle for a freight train.  We know it can be done when the Portsmouth service runs to Swindon and the West Country main line is re-routed through Melksham too.

Sorry - Lee - hijacked your thread there.   Gives us:
05:33, 06:54, 07:21, 07:53, 09:35, 10:02, 11:50, 12:32, 14:00, 14:32, 16:00, 16:41, 18:20, 18:55, 20:22 northbound
06:36, 08:12, 09:10, 10:21, 11:31, 12:51, 13:40, 14:51, 15:39, 17:15, 18:01, 19:17, 21:10, 22:30 southbound

I might like to make slight WSB <-> SWI train adjustments
- Move the 19:17 to 19:27 in order to provide an ex-SWI connection. 18:55 northbound could then usefully move 10 minutes later
- Move the 16:25 WSB-> SWI to 16:45 to provide a more even return commuter service northbound
- Move the 20:45 SWI -> WSB to 20:15 to even out evening services (train in bay at SWI from 19:21, so available)

Noting that the one train would NOT be scheduled to run (as opposed to cancelled) about a dozen times a year to let the flying banana come through.  With good notice, this pragmatic use of full capacity could be "sold" locally, I'm sure - especially if "via Melksham" tickets were accepted via Bath Spa that afternoon.

[Lee]

Sorry - Lee - hijacked your thread there.

No worries - I have a detailed bus proposal lined up that will look fab tacked onto your next comment piece.

[sense of humour]dry[/sense of humour]

[broadgage]

It would in my view be preferable to use less plastic in the first place. However once the plastic HAS been used then re-use for railway sleepers is far preferable to burning it or dumping in landfill.

[Red Squirrel]

Made from recycled plastic, engineers recently installed the environmentally-friendly technology...

Source: Network Rail

Making sleepers out of recycled plastic is great, but surely the making engineers out of recycled plastic is the big story?

[TaplowGreen]

Made from recycled plastic, engineers recently installed the environmentally-friendly technology...

Source: Network Rail

Making sleepers out of recycled plastic is great, but surely the making engineers out of recycled plastic is the big story?

Can't imagine the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) would go for that............I sense a strike ballot approaching! Plastic bruvvers indeed!

[TonyN]

Hmm what about steam engines dropping hot coals and melting the plastic?

Clan line may not be seeing Clan Line passing through Warminster again.