Bristol Temple Meads - station, facilities, incidents and events (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[Red Squirrel]

I am of a certain vintage that I can remember the last refurbishment of the roof glazing at TM^‡(resolve). Unless the glazing is periodically cleaned the roof of the station will look just as bad as it is now, would not the deployment of a power wash jet clean the glazing as if I remember the last refurbishment proclaimed the roof was good for another 100 years and that was a mere 50 years ago unless a member posting on this forum can provide the actual date of the last refurbishment of the roof.

The last refurbishment was done in the 1980s using the cheapest materials and with minimal provision for such basic activities as actually being able to clean the plastic material that was used for the glazing.

We can be sure that this time they'll do a far better job.

[TonyK]

We can be sure that this time they'll do a far better job.

That made I larff!

[ellendune]

We can be sure that this time they'll do a far better job.

That made I larff!

Making proper provision for safe access to clean the glazing and/or minimising the need for cleaning follows not from choice but from modern health ad safety laws (CDM^▸ (Construction (Design & Management) Regulations) Regs). It would be limited to what is reasonably practicable in an old listed building, but some provision would need to be made. In modern high rise buildings the glass has a super-hydrophobic surface that resists dirt so it is self cleaning. I don't know if it would work for the underside of the glass with soot from diesel fumes but that would appear to be the solution if it exists. 

[johnneyw]

So this heralds the end of the wet weather puddle on platform 5 then. It just won't seem the same any more.

[Red Squirrel]

We can be sure that this time they'll do a far better job.

That made I larff!

I've studied the spec.

Last time they used a plastic material for the glazing which has now delaminated and discoloured (it's not just dirty!). Remember that this was done at the nadir of Britain's railways; Filton Bank had just been dequadrified and the Settle and Carlisle was set to close.

This time they're using real glass..!

[TonyK]

This time they're using real glass..!

That made I smile! I hope it has provision for cleaning occasionally.

I don't know if it would work for the underside of the glass with soot from diesel fumes but that would appear to be the solution if it exists. 

That, or electrification. The new IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) look pretty clean at present, but the Voyagers especially can get a bit claggy.

[Red Squirrel]

It's all there, in 15/01847/LA!

[Celestial]

One thing I've noticed at Temple Meads is that on some of the normal platform canopy glazing, it is so covered with moss that there is no light coming through at all. Now I know that cleaning isn't as simple as someone putting a ladder up and giving it a spray and a wipe, but conversely, it won't be as hard and expensive as the main train shed roof.  So it does seem poor that it would appear to be decades since it was last done.

[Red Squirrel]

One thing I've noticed at Temple Meads is that on some of the normal platform canopy glazing, it is so covered with moss that there is no light coming through at all. Now I know that cleaning isn't as simple as someone putting a ladder up and giving it a spray and a wipe, but conversely, it won't be as hard and expensive as the main train shed roof.  So it does seem poor that it would appear to be decades since it was last done.

Well as I said:

Last time they used a plastic material for the glazing which has now delaminated and discoloured (it's not just dirty!).

If you look at 15/01847/LA as linked in my previous post, you'll see the material was actually GRP. This time it will be laminated glass, and they will put up an access system to allow for cleaning.

I think the mindset in the '86 renovation reflected the general view that there wasn't much point spending a lot of money on a station given that by the year 2000 we'd all be using flying cars.

[caliwag]

We had the glass V cleaning debate on St Pancras extension. Cradles were installed, and could only be used when the juice was switched off. It's pretty much a 24 hour station ( As much as we knew at design time) so really the cradles were a fairly cumbersome waste. I think the coating that can be applied to the glass relies on rain and therefore would be pretty ineffective internally. The issue is always break dust and diesel fumes. I assume 125s are still used. So I guess St P is looking a bit grubby now.

[TonyK]

It's all there, in 15/01847/LA!

It is, and very interesting too.

[Celestial]

One thing I've noticed at Temple Meads is that on some of the normal platform canopy glazing, it is so covered with moss that there is no light coming through at all. Now I know that cleaning isn't as simple as someone putting a ladder up and giving it a spray and a wipe, but conversely, it won't be as hard and expensive as the main train shed roof.  So it does seem poor that it would appear to be decades since it was last done.

Well as I said:

Last time they used a plastic material for the glazing which has now delaminated and discoloured (it's not just dirty!).

If you look at 15/01847/LA as linked in my previous post

Sorry, I think that's a rather patronising and disappointing reply that doesn't encourage discussion but makes me feel slapped down.

Particularly as the aspect of the station I was referring to is not covered by the proposal, as the planning application makes clear.  And even if it did, the comment was in relation to an aspect that could have easily have been better maintained over the last 20 years or so, regardless of what the current proposal is.

But I won't bother commenting further if that's going to be the tone of any response.  Hardly a friendly forum?

[Western Pathfinder]

It's all there, in 15/01847/LA!

It is, and very interesting too.



Also this from NR^» (Network Rail - home page) on their Twitter feed https://mobile.twitter.com/networkrailwest/status/1276470264239321090

[grahame]

But I won't bother commenting further if that's going to be the tone of any response.  Hardly a friendly forum?

I'm deep (ocean deep) into 'stuff' today ... but I noted this.

It's so easy on a forum for just a single response from one member to come across unfriendly - especially in an environment where we gain strength from different views and ways of expressing them.   And it's so easy (when writing) to 'say' something that's taken in a way that was not intended.

I know little of the roof at Temple Meads; will probably be very light in any comments I make - but hope all of the rest of you can carry on.

[TonyK]

But I won't bother commenting further if that's going to be the tone of any response.  Hardly a friendly forum?

I'm deep (ocean deep) into 'stuff' today ... but I noted this.

It's so easy on a forum for just a single response from one member to come across unfriendly - especially in an environment where we gain strength from different views and ways of expressing them.   And it's so easy (when writing) to 'say' something that's taken in a way that was not intended.

I know little of the roof at Temple Meads; will probably be very light in any comments I make - but hope all of the rest of you can carry on.

Squirrels don't bite, in my experience.