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« Reply #15 on: July 09, 2018, 12:24:14 » |
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And the biggest pain in the !!!! to engineers today is the whole tendering and contractual process that is in place now that would have been much simpler and quicker in the 1930's
Yes - the public sector seems to spend half their budget on ensuring that they get good value for money... But the same trend towards bigger documents, more planning (except for what actually goes wrong), and more cost in the contracts department has happened within the private sector. In some cases the company's structure and methods were set up for subcontracts within public contracts, but the impression I got was that this was seen as a more professional way of doing things. |
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SandTEngineer
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« Reply #16 on: July 09, 2018, 13:32:46 » |
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Well then, back to the topic title  Stage 1 seems to have been successfully commissioned this morning (09 July 2018). |
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martyjon
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« Reply #17 on: July 09, 2018, 14:07:34 » |
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Well then, back to the topic title Stage 1 seems to have been successfully commissioned this morning (09 July 2018). .... till the "faults with the signalling system" start to occur when normal traffic resumes .... |
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SandTEngineer
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« Reply #19 on: July 16, 2018, 09:24:06 » |
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Stage 2 commissioned to plan today (16 July 2018). Trains running to/from London Paddington to Oxford and Cross Country to/from South only, using Platform No.4 at Oxford. All other services still bus substitution.
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« Last Edit: July 16, 2018, 10:34:36 by SandTEngineer »
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ray951
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« Reply #20 on: July 16, 2018, 10:54:17 » |
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Does the stage 2 cover all the reversible signalling to Didcot?
Given that we are told that it takes a long time for drivers to learn routes how are they trained with the new signalling (and there is lots of it) given that the first trains only ran today and were service trains?
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SandTEngineer
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« Reply #21 on: July 16, 2018, 11:14:31 » |
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The train crew have a 78 page briefing document which fully describes the new signalling. Then its down to actual familiarisation on site once its commissioned.
As I understand it, the reversible signalling is not commissioned until Stage 3.
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #22 on: July 16, 2018, 12:02:34 » |
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The train crew have a 78 page briefing document which fully describes the new signalling. Then its down to actual familiarisation on site once its commissioned.
As I understand it, the reversible signalling is not commissioned until Stage 3.
Yes, that's right. All GWR▸ drivers have (or will have) a briefing day to learn the many changes to signals and routes, and other TOC▸ 's/ FOC▸ 's will have undertaken a similar approach. I believe that the trains are using the new reversible signalling between Oxford's platform and Hinksey South Junction, but otherwise the full commissioning of all routes will be after next weekend. |
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To view my GWML▸ Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/ |
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ray951
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« Reply #23 on: July 16, 2018, 14:51:27 » |
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Stage 2 commissioned to plan today (16 July 2018). Trains running to/from London Paddington to Oxford and Cross Country to/from South only, using Platform No.4 at Oxford. All other services still bus substitution.
I commented earlier that I didn't understand why the Paddington to Oxford services couldn't stop at Didcot Parkway and I am even more confused now because it appears that there are 3 services each way that do stop at Didcot that is the 0527, 0616 and 0709 from Didcot and the 0540, 0631, 0724 from Oxford. So does anyone know why they are making us catch us a bus when it seems to be perfectly possible to run a train service? |
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SandTEngineer
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« Reply #24 on: July 16, 2018, 15:15:16 » |
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I believe that the trains are using the new reversible signalling between Oxford's platform and Hinksey South Junction, but otherwise the full commissioning of all routes will be after next weekend.
Correct. But I took the question to mean the reversible signalling to Didcot! Between Hinksey South Junction and Oxford Platform No.4 trains are using the fully reversible signalled Down Oxford Main or Down Oxford Relief. |
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SandTEngineer
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« Reply #25 on: July 20, 2018, 07:21:08 » |
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Just a quick update (Friday 20/07/2018). The resignalling seems to be progressing to plan. Couple of minor non-critical signalling power supply snags and a problem with the Ascott-Under-Wychwood (Charlbury) fringe being sorted, but at the moment all looks reasonably OK for early Monday morning commissioning.
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #26 on: July 20, 2018, 10:50:50 » |
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From my observations, the replacement bus services, whilst not ideal because they're buses of course and much slower, seem to have been very well organised again. Plenty of staff at Oxford and Didcot, free water, shelter (from the sun, rather than rain this time!) at Oxford in the car park. For me this once again demonstrates how good GWR▸ are a running such planned disruptions and throws into sharp focus how bad they are at organising the more difficult unplanned ones! I commented earlier that I didn't understand why the Paddington to Oxford services couldn't stop at Didcot Parkway and I am even more confused now because it appears that there are 3 services each way that do stop at Didcot that is the 0527, 0616 and 0709 from Didcot and the 0540, 0631, 0724 from Oxford.
So does anyone know why they are making us catch us a bus when it seems to be perfectly possible to run a train service?
I can only assume it's a lack of platform access at Didcot, given the extra services that are terminating and starting back from there? I have to say though that it doesn't look like it would have been impossible to have stopped the trains there during week 2 to provide an hourly train service. |
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To view my GWML▸ Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/ |
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martyjon
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« Reply #28 on: July 23, 2018, 06:43:13 » |
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.... till there is a fault with the signalling system .... |
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SandTEngineer
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« Reply #29 on: July 23, 2018, 07:06:26 » |
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Stage 3 commissioned as planned (Monday 23 July 2018) and train services running again, now under control of the new signalling. Haven't heard (yet) of any snags, but most schemes of this size usually have a few items deferred until a suitable time can be found to fix them.
Reminder: The Oxford area is closed again this coming weekend 28/29 July 2018 for some further work.
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« Last Edit: July 23, 2018, 07:30:29 by SandTEngineer »
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