Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[ellendune]

I notice a lot of activity (even on Sundays) to finish the facade of the new South West entrance building.  Does this have to be handed over to another contractor soon to work on the road? Otherwise when the subway reopens people will need a ladder to get out!

[MVR S&T]

Hoping to see the changes at Reading on Saturday, but in the meantime, can someone post the links to the webcams please, done several seaches to no avail. Thanks.

[johoare]

Welcome to the forum Justdarkbeer... And.. hopefully someone will be able to easily post the links that you ask for :-)

[ellendune]

The up to date cameras are:

nrreading01
nrreading02
nrreading04

Hope this helps

I'm delighted to say I've got permission to share with you all the official time-lapse photographs of the remodelling which are absolutely fantastic.  Updated every 15 minutes throughout the working day you can view crystal clear sharp images from any date since the project began right up to the latest shot, or view all images in a time-lapse style which will no doubt feature on the NR^» (Network Rail - home page) website in time.

There's a total of nine cameras based on three main worksites.  Go to www.lobstervision.tv and enter one of the following in the 'username' and 'password' box:

For the new northern entrance and transfer deck:  nrreading01
For the new western gateline by the Three Guineas: nrreading02
For the new maintenance depot and associated buildings:  nrreading03

Navigation to the individual cameras and still image or time-lapse options is on the page that will be displayed.  Up-to-the minute pictures for all of us.  Brilliant stuff!

[pfneeves]

Those of you who use platforms 1 and 2 may wish to take an umbrella in future.  Parts of the canopy roof are now missing!

Indeed they have. Got off the train on Platform 2 this morning thinking that nothing had been done again. But then looked up and saw that they have started to take the canopy off. So I expecting that next Monday the rest of it will have been removed.

[paul7575]

Blanked off signals have now started to be attached to 'Gantry 1' - the furthest east of the new gantries.  Also, it's nice to see that some seating has now been provided on Platforms 4/5/6.

A few signals have also appeared on gantry 2, at the London end of the station.  I think (from the diagram on page 55) they are probably T1682 and T1686, both suspended from the gantry, and T1692, which seems unusually to be positioned on the gantry supports, inline with the end of the future P12?

PS Added a couple of phone pics below.

Paul

[paul7575]

I notice a lot of activity (even on Sundays) to finish the facade of the new South West entrance building.  Does this have to be handed over to another contractor soon to work on the road? Otherwise when the subway reopens people will need a ladder to get out!

That could be the case, as the Reading BC controlled area has started to be cleared now, they are presently demolishing the concrete base that the tower crane was standing on. 

I wonder how far into the ground those sort of crane foundation pads go - never thought of it before, but presumably it isn't just 'sat there'?

Paul

[mjones]

I'm pretty sure it sat on concrete piles that were bored at the same time as the other piling was going on for the new entrance and bridge supports. Presumably  piles for the relocated crane on the P12/13 island were bored at the same time as the other piling previously done there, in readiness for its current use?

[paul7575]

That would be the obvious solution - so that pad would have been cast around the top of a load of piles, and they'll just have to be either dug out or left in the ground, depending on the finished level in that area. 

The drawing showing the road layout outside the station (that I posted a link to a few weeks ago in #788) suggests there will be various ramps and steps in that area to get down to the subway floor level, which I believe is approximately true 'ground level' as seen from Caversham Rd.  The station forecourt is probably about 3-4m higher than the subway?

Paul 

[Boppy]

This morning on departure from Reading towards London I looked at the work being done on the ramp up from the underpass tunnel on the north side and there are now sleepers which are yet to be positioned correctly and track laying on top to be attached.

I guess once that is done the rest of the track will start to be laid for the east side of the new platforms?

Boppy.

[Jason]

I see that glazing elements are now being fitted to the transfer deck. At present these are only over platform 8 on the west side.
They are just about visible on cam 02, tab 2

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

Rather surprised to see signal T1682, at the London end of P7, is hanging by a strut off Gantry 2  with no lateral bracing (although it has a longitudinal brace behind it).  So it will be susceptible to lateral movement from wind etc. and consequential risk of fatigue failure. I hope a bracing strut arrives soon.

[paul7575]

It does look a bit of a work in progress.  But I also think that it might be a temporary job, because the platform 7 track will not remain in that position.  I expect we won't see the full 'cage' built around that signal, because it is likely to be moved before the OHLE is put up, unlike the example further over above the P10 running line?

Paul 

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

Maybe temporary indeed, but even so...   Perhaps the existing P7 up starter has to be moved in the short term, so sticking it on the gantry seems a logical move.  But I still want to see a bracing strut!

It's diiifcult to visualise the final positions of the platform faces for P7 - P10 looking down from the footbridge, but I think they may all be moving.  So maybe the signal above P10 may need to be moved if/when P10 gets realigned, and the wires go up. 

[Thatcham Crossing]

Noticed today whilst passing through a distinct line of OHLE uprights to the west of the station on the north side of the tracks...looked like almost a complete row going west towards the new train shed.