You Can't Please Everyone

[whole diary]

[eightf48544]

Just a little aside on another dull wet day, regarding the recent announcement of the electrification of the Slough to Windsor line.

Some of my railway enthusiast friends say you can't do that it will spoil the view of the Castle over the arches at Eton. One even suggested third rail.

Well the releif road already blocks the view from Eton Wick towards the arches so you can't see them so what's the problem?

It's the same problem with Crossrail at Maidenhead not only over the bridge but I get the impression that people just don't want an electric railway, certainly not with OHE^▸ (Over-Head Electrification).

You just can't please some people.

[Electric train]

Good grief perhaps the line should be closed and turned into a cycle track.

Third rail is totally out of the question, even significant in fills are persona non grata.  The branches will use light weight OHL^▸ (Over-Head Line) which is currently in development / product acceptance, the BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) philosophy in the late 80's was one size fits all ie all built to 125 spec DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) have asked NR^» (Network Rail - home page) to develop other solutions even the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) is using a lot of new type to the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) OHL kit

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

lets be honest the wires do drastically spoil the look of the railway! but its not about looks

[paul7575]

Reading between the lines it sounds like the recently announced plan for wiring to somewhere in Scotland (Paisley Canal?) might also be using some sort of lesser standard of OHLE?

http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/alliance-cuts-cost-of-paisley-canal-line-electrification.html

Paul

[Electric train]

lets be honest the wires do drastically spoil the look of the railway! but its not about looks

Purely subjective   

[eightf48544]

Agree entierly. It may be aphorical but it is said BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) wired up a bay at York and took round the civic society who said you couldn't wire inside the trainshed. No-one saw it and they were very upset when it was pointed out. You've only got to look at Padd from the footbridge it's quite difficult to spot the wires.

What a tribute to Brunel that his line can be electrified with very little alteration to bridges etc. Be interesting to see how much work has to be done on the MML^» (Midland Main Line. - about) especialy between Leicester and Kettering which was built on the cheap and never intended to be a main line.