Four track for Filton Bank - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[rower40]

I'm a bit surprised to find so much talk about the name of Clifton Down station.

Well now ... if it were called "Whiteladies Road" Station, we would be having gender discussions and the rest!

Cue the politically incorrect quote from Blazing Saddles...
(Are there any other kinds of quote from that film?)

[Dispatch Box]

Would have preferred if they had used nicer signals, those new ones look continental, rather they had used unipart elite range as in Cardiff.

[Dispatch Box]

after looking at the picture from dave harries that signal BL1818 does look a bit too tall and weired, could,nt they have just replaced the head to 4 aspect and added a junction indicator to the old one, would of been much cheaper. lastly just noticed the ones in the picture of the gantry look like the elite type, much nicer.

[grahame]

after looking at the picture from dave harries that signal BL1818 does look a bit too tall and weired, could,nt they have just replaced the head to 4 aspect and added a junction indicator to the old one, would of been much cheaper. lastly just noticed the ones in the picture of the gantry look like the elite type, much nicer.

Would have preferred if they had used nicer signals, those new ones look continental, rather they had used unipart elite range as in Cardiff.

Welcome to the forum ... I suspect we have some members who can give your the reasons for what they have used.

The railways, I understand, have an issue with lots of changes to what's used creating a big problem in spare holding and maintenance ... so I would hope that what's going in around Bristol isn't a unique design?   Even if it's different to South Wales?

[johnneyw]

I know there have been photos a plenty in the last few days but seeing the works are rapidly coming to a conclusion I thought I'd get a couple of snaps of Filton as things are moving quite quickly now.
The new platform in the first picture is pretty much corbelled but the edging slabs are yet to go on and the platform surface is a work in progress too.
The re-profiled adjacent platform in the second photo does now have most of the edging slabs laid but again, work is needed on the platform surface.

[SandTEngineer]

after looking at the picture from dave harries that signal BL1818 does look a bit too tall and weired, could,nt they have just replaced the head to 4 aspect and added a junction indicator to the old one, would of been much cheaper. lastly just noticed the ones in the picture of the gantry look like the elite type, much nicer.

The old post was probably life expired, so easier and more cost effective to provide a new signal.  Also older structures do not comply with modern H&S^▸ (Health and Safety) access requirements.  In 'em olden days' there used to be at least four different manufacturers of signal heads so no different to today as regards spares etc.

The modern railway doesn't do 'looks'.  Its all about money of course.....

[Red Squirrel]

The modern railway doesn't do 'looks'...

I dunno; I think Filton Bank looks bloody brilliant - with the exception of the access to P4 at Filton Abbey Wood station, which is an utter dog's breakfast

[TonyK]

I know there have been photos a plenty in the last few days but seeing the works are rapidly coming to a conclusion I thought I'd get a couple of snaps...

#MeToo.

Finding myself in Bristol overnight, unexpectedly good weather, and the battery in the camera that I had forgotten to take out of the car still with a spark left in it, I went to see for myself. I concur with Red Squirel - it looks just like a modern railway should, electrics excepted.

Three shots of varying zoom looking towards Bonnington Walk bridge and the site of the obliterated Horfield station from Constable Road:







plus one with the smaller lens to show the real picture:



Next a couple looking the other way from the same bridge:





A lady even older than me (or having had even more fun in life, I don't know which) stopped to chat, as did a gentleman out walking his dog. Both were knowledgeable about what is going on, and said there has been a great deal of interest locally.

Stapleton Road station is closed off, so I took one at Easton Road bridge looking north:



and one looking the other way, with the northern tip of what is once again an island platform at Lawrence Hill:



Speaking of Lawrence Hill, the view north:



and the other way, towards Days Junction:



Then I went home. All beginning to come together!

[JontyMort]

I was just looking back through this topic and suddenly realised that we started talking about this project just over 5 years ago.  Isn't it just typical of the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) to take so long to deliver such an important infrastructure project? 

Took 8 years to complete the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) from London to Bristol, didn't it?

And longer than that to electrify part of it. The project was actually announced before the 2010 election - Autumn 2009 IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) - so nine years and counting.

[JontyMort]

I know there have been photos a plenty in the last few days but seeing the works are rapidly coming to a conclusion I thought I'd get a couple of snaps of Filton as things are moving quite quickly now.
The new platform in the first picture is pretty much corbelled but the edging slabs are yet to go on and the platform surface is a work in progress too.
The re-profiled adjacent platform in the second photo does now have most of the edging slabs laid but again, work is needed on the platform surface.

I take it these are both looking south?

[SandTEngineer]

The modern railway doesn't do 'looks'...

I dunno; I think Filton Bank looks bloody brilliant - with the exception of the access to P4 at Filton Abbey Wood station, which is an utter dog's breakfast

I'll reserve judgement until I see everything tidied up at the end (remembering that usually once a project is commissioned on NR^» (Network Rail - home page), and the money is all used up, sites usually get left like they are still an engineering worksite).  Shame also they couldn't make use of the blockage to cut back all the vegetation in the Up Cess^▸ (The outside of the running lines) though....

[Dispatch Box]

By the way do not forget Paddington station is on tv tonight. Love the pictures, what is that thing we can see the back of, is it a new style banner repeater?.

[tramway]

Agree S&T^▸ (Signalling and Telegraph), vegetation clearance has been an opportunity missed.

[SandTEngineer]

Love the pictures, what is that thing we can see the back of, is it a new style banner repeater?.

Yes. Its BL1812BR.

[JontyMort]

Three shots of varying zoom looking towards Bonnington Walk bridge and the site of the obliterated Horfield station from Constable Road...

[/quote]

Excellent shots, and thanks very much for posting them. Amazing how the zoom lens exaggerates the kink in the main lines under the bridge. That is unchanged from the two-track formation - which was using the mains at this point - isn't it?

Lawrence Hill is a revelation - when one thinks that only a few weeks ago it was full of crud flush with the platform level.

The whole thing looks a good job.