Great Western Main Line electrification - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[Electric train]

In electrification point of view the bridge is not an issue, from a public safety the 2 level crossing are, and should be abolished (closed).

So there is a perfect storm, attempts to closed the level crossing would meet a strong opposition from the village, as was the case when it changed to unmanned, and the locals don't want the bridge replaced, the "grade 2" listing and the link to IKB^▸ (Isambard Kingdom Brunel) are being used because the closure of the road while the bridge is being rebuilt would cause longer journey times by road

[Thatcham Crossing]

From what I saw on my brief visit, both of the crossings are on minor roads, and the roads between them go around a loop to the south of the railway
(this is clearly visible when looking at the village on google maps/earth).

The Stocks Lane crossing (the one closest to the bridge) does look superfluous as everything can be reached by driving around the loop (Mill St/Castle St) from the other one in probably no more than about a minute.

If we were in France and a high-speed line was coming through the above would already have been done.

[Bmblbzzz]

On the Didcot side however there is the New A34 bridge (not that useful for local traffic), one at Milton Park and there are several in Didcot.  The diversion through Draycot would be about 6 miles.  There have been more inconvenient diversions. 

6 miles is a long way if not driving.

[Reading General]

I'm sure during closure to rebuild they would have had a temporary footbridge like the one seen at Purley. Not that anyone would be walking, this is straight up road users not wishing to get up half an hour earlier for half a year.
Chaos is a word banded around so often as an excuse that it means nothing to me anymore.

[stuving]

If we were in France and a high-speed line was coming through the above would already have been done.

As opposed to? If you mean building a high-speed line, I don't recall there being any level crossings on HS1^▸ (High Speed line 1 - St Pancras to Channel Tunnel) or planned for HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)). On "classic" lines, the rules are the same here and there - AHB crossings only allowed up to 160 km/hr, and pressure to remove all crossings above that up to 200 or (in theory) 230 km/hr. Of course if you build lots of LGVs^▸ (Large Goods Vehicle), you don't need to push up line speeds on other lines except where there's no LGV. So there are very few SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) lines running at over 160 km/h, and the longest bit - to Bordeaux - probably isn't used at that speed now anyway.

Oddly, there are teaching materials about level crossings from SNCF, for both road users and S&T^▸ (Signalling and Telegraph) staff, that talk about stopping distances and strike-in points for 300 km/hr! Bizarre. 

[Reading General]

Quick question, are the Steventon crossings the first at grade crossings on the GW^▸ (Great Western) main line going west from London? I have an old map with a footpath crossing at Basildon, just before Gatehampton Bridge but that had disappeared by the 60's from maps. 

[eXPassenger]

What I do not understand is why the track cannot be lowered across the level crossing.  When I look at it on Streetview the road rises to the crossing on both sides.  Elsewhere track was lowered as part of the electrification work.

[bobm]

Quick question, are the Steventon crossings the first at grade crossings on the GW^▸ (Great Western) main line going west from London? I have an old map with a footpath crossing at Basildon, just before Gatehampton Bridge but that had disappeared by the 60's from maps. 

They are.  There were then at least three more between Didcot and Chippenham which were closed in the 1970s before you reach the first tunnel at Box.

[stuving]

If we were in France and a high-speed line was coming through the above would already have been done.

... On "classic" lines, the rules are the same here and there -

Having said that, SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) are doing rather better at closing crossings overall, not just for the fastest lines. Mind you, they do still have a lot more - some 15,000. One aspect of that is being more willing to build bridges, which are often cheaper than could be done here. A recent example of this is at St-Médard-sur-Ille, north of Rennes, which you may remember features twice in my hall of fameshame for collisions with super-heavy vehicles. Despite having widened, realigned, and reprofiled the road (which involved demolishing the station building) since the fatal accident in 2011, it's now being closed. At the station there's a subway (€4M), and the road gets a bypass and viaduct (€8M). And that's a viaduct 240 m long!

[didcotdean]

If only the former station yard hadn't been sold off for the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses to be built there, right up to the bridge as there would have been plenty of room for manoeuvre then …

[Incider]

Sometimes I really do dispair with this country.  We have a significant main line which is going to be subject to an enforced speed restriction for the next 50 years and beyond.  There is going to be uneccessary brake wear

There shouldn’t be any brake wear, at those speeds the friction brakes shouldn’t be applying.  Not that that’s any reason to celebrate, it really is ridiculous a bridge can cause so much hassle.

[IndustryInsider]

There shouldn’t be any brake wear, at those speeds the friction brakes shouldn’t be applying.

In my experience, the friction brake always seems to apply for the first couple of seconds of any brake application until the dynamic brake then usually blends in.

[Thatcham Crossing]

As opposed to? If you mean building a high-speed line, I don't recall there being any level crossings on HS1^▸ (High Speed line 1 - St Pancras to Channel Tunnel) or planned for HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)). On "classic" lines, the rules are the same here and there - AHB crossings only allowed up to 160 km/hr, and pressure to remove all crossings above that up to 200 or (in theory) 230 km/hr.

I made the quote I did about France due to something that happened there to me and my family about 5/6 years ago.

We were driving on a rural road, towing the caravan, and following satnav (who's data may have been 1-2 years old, but no more than that). Came unexpectedly to an earth mound across the road, and beyond it an (electrified) railway line. It was obviously previously the site of a crossing (satnav showed it as such). Not sure if it was a high speed line, or not, but think it was single track (no trains passed while we were there). Nowhere to reverse/turn, so had to un-hitch, spin, re-hitch and then head off to find an alternative route. It was a baking hot day, and to say family tempers were frayed would be putting it mildly!

Couldn't help recalling that incident as I drove around Steventon a few months ago.

[ray951]

Quick question, are the Steventon crossings the first at grade crossings on the GW^▸ (Great Western) main line going west from London? I have an old map with a footpath crossing at Basildon, just before Gatehampton Bridge but that had disappeared by the 60's from maps. 

They are.  There were then at least three more between Didcot and Chippenham which were closed in the 1970s before you reach the first tunnel at Box.

I am going to be pedantic here but if we consider Oxford as being on the GW main line going west from London then Appleford LC^▸ (Level Crossing) is at 54 miles and 48 chains whilst Steventon is at 56 miles and 32 chains (I don't have the exact distance for the LC's but they are slightly west of Steventon). Also if I want to be even more pedantic then Midgham LC on the B&H^▸ (Berks and Hants - railway line from Reading to Taunton via Westbury) is at 49 miles and 52 chains.

If you consider foot or farm crossings then would the first level crossing west of London on the GW main line be at Calcot Mill? I assume there are none on the 125mph main line between Paddington, Reading and Didcot.

[onthecushions]

In my experience, the friction brake always seems to apply for the first couple of seconds of any brake application until the dynamic brake then usually blends in.

Wouldn't the driving technique be to shut off power and coast, a distance before the start of the high contact wire gradient and merely maintain 110mph through the c30ch restriction?

OTC