Reading Station improvements

[whole diary]

[lordgoata]

Talking of illumination, does anyone know if that's the reason for that gargantuan fence that's being fitted at the new depot ?

My understanding (not sure how much truth in it)
Has been erected due to noise complaints, originally residents were asked about a fence and they declined as they believed it would possibly block out sunlight, however once the depot went live in the summer and they realised how noisy turbos were especially in the morning when drivers use compressor speed up to build air, they changed there minds.

My source has also stated that when the depot converts to majority emu operation the fence may come back down if residents want it to?

Ah! That makes a lot of sense, thanks insider!

[Electric train]

The picture also shows a pretty secure looking fence along the edge of the P7 blockwork, which I suggest allows for work to proceed more normally alongside normal train movements?

The fence sets the site up as what is sometimes called "high Street Environment" when in truth its actually a "Fenced Green Zone" either way it is as you have mentioned to allow work to continue while trains operate normally

[stuving]

As I came into the station tonight, one of Ainscough's yellow beasties was settling in between the car park and platform 15. Should reach P10 OK, so it could be the canopy that's being taken for a joyride the weekend. I don't think it will reach where the sections are now stacked, though. 

Whatever it was doing, it wasn't lifting canopies as they remain in north yard.

I think you may have been incorrect in assuming that the stockpile adjacent to the north entrance was the next batch to be fitted, because 8 canopy sections have appeared on P10/11 over the weekend...

Moreover, if you look at the ones in the pile outside, they are quite a bit smaller and have one less stringer than the ones on P10/11. So, as the platform doesn't narrow much, if at all, they'll have to find somewhere else to put them. The only possibility now would be P7/3, though I'd have thought the taper there would be visible in the stacked sections.

[paul7575]

Moreover, if you look at the ones in the pile outside, they are quite a bit smaller and have one less stringer than the ones on P10/11. So, as the platform doesn't narrow much, if at all, they'll have to find somewhere else to put them. The only possibility now would be P7/3, though I'd have thought the taper there would be visible in the stacked sections.

I agree that's the probable use for them, but at the same time I think the taper of the P7/3 canopy is fairly minimal, and you'd not really see it in the stacked components.  Measuring off one of the original plans I reckon it is only reducing by about 8% over the canopied length alongside P3. (That is, disregarding the end section with the skylight, which as we've previously discussed has been redesigned somewhat.) The main taper of P7/3 only starts becoming apparent west of the end of the canopy, which is comparatively short like that on P1/2. 

Paul

[MVR S&T]

I note we now have camera 6/3 which shows the old lower depot, I think.

[ironstone11]

I note we now have camera 6/3 which shows the old lower depot, I think.

Camera pointing approx. northeast. Possibly mounted close to the intersection of the RWC line and Cow Lane. On the bridge?

Cam 01/1 is also working, at least today!

[stuving]

I note we now have camera 6/3 which shows the old lower depot, I think.

Yes, it must be down close to Cow Lane bridge under the west Curve - I think it's on a pole: the bridge is not that high. It's looking over where the feeder lines (aka Eastern Chord) will run and up to the box where they go under the viaduct. There's a lot to pull down first!

[paul7575]

Cam 01/1 is also working, at least today!

Amazing!  I thought that one had been given up on. Now if only they could just swing it round to the left a bit so that we could something interesting that was being worked on...   

Paul

[stuving]

I note we now have camera 6/3 which shows the old lower depot, I think.

Yes, it must be down close to Cow Lane bridge under the west Curve - I think it's on a pole: the bridge is not that high. It's looking over where the feeder lines (aka Eastern Chord) will run and up to the box where they go under the viaduct. There's a lot to pull down first!

I've been trying a bit of triangulation to work out the field of view. The edges are tricky to place, given the amount that's been already taken down for access - and I hadn't realised how much of the industrial estate in the background had been rebuilt since Google's pictures were taken. I've had to assume the lens is geometrically true, and I'm starting to doubt that.

Anyway, the feeder lines will just about reach the centreline before curving back to the right, into the box. The whole of the viaduct from there eastwards will be in view (the station is visible in the distance). The pier you can see is I think the free-end pier with one pier to its left before Cow Lane near edge of the view (maybe inside or out), and two to the right before the box. Most of the festival line viaduct should be visible. I get the camera pole to be near Cow Lane, and well away from the West Curve - probably a few metres past the closed-off access into the depot.

Looking the this bit of the plan (e.g. on file 00263640) there is a puzzling feature: a branch off the "!NR^» (Network Rail - home page) access road" that runs north beside Cow Lane, under the two viaducts one span to the east of it, and then splays out to form a junction with ... the relief lines on their embankment? What's all that about?

[IndustryInsider]

Cam 01/1 is also working, at least today!

I also notice that since the site redesign, all the timelapse videos for the two sets of station cameras, '01' from the north side and '02' from the south side, have handily been condensed into two minute long videos and are now downloadable.  Very useful for someone like me who wanted to keep a record of the rebuild (and have taken many photographs of it), but want a short file to show the work at every stage.  Hopefully the depot cameras '03', and '04' will reappear in the same format sometime?

[paul7575]

...
a branch off the "!NR^» (Network Rail - home page) access road" that runs north beside Cow Lane, under the two viaducts one span to the east of it, and then splays out to form a junction with ... the relief lines on their embankment? What's all that about?

I think it will be a permanent 'road rail vehicle' (RRV^▸ (Road Rail Vehicle)) access point onto the relief lines.   NR are increasing the number of 'properly engineered' heavy duty access points around the network generally. There'll be an infilled section of rail (a bit like at a level crossing) to allow the machines to orientate themselves with the track before lowering the rail wheels.

Paul

[Electric train]

...
a branch off the "!NR^» (Network Rail - home page) access road" that runs north beside Cow Lane, under the two viaducts one span to the east of it, and then splays out to form a junction with ... the relief lines on their embankment? What's all that about?

I think it will be a permanent 'road rail vehicle' (RRV^▸ (Road Rail Vehicle)) access point onto the relief lines.   NR are increasing the number of 'properly engineered' heavy duty access points around the network generally. There'll be an infilled section of rail (a bit like at a level crossing) to allow the machines to orientate themselves with the track before lowering the rail wheels.

Paul

Yep they are called RRAP^▸ (Road Rail Access Point) and are for RRV      ........ RRAP - Road Rail Access Point and RRV as Paul stated also MEWPs^▸ (Mobile Elevating Working Platform) (Mobile elevated Work Platforms)

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks for posting details of those technical terms, Electric train: I've now added them to our 'Acronyms & Abbreviations' page. 

[stuving]

...
a branch off the "!NR^» (Network Rail - home page) access road" that runs north beside Cow Lane, under the two viaducts one span to the east of it, and then splays out to form a junction with ... the relief lines on their embankment? What's all that about?

I think it will be a permanent 'road rail vehicle' (RRV^▸ (Road Rail Vehicle)) access point onto the relief lines.   NR are increasing the number of 'properly engineered' heavy duty access points around the network generally. There'll be an infilled section of rail (a bit like at a level crossing) to allow the machines to orientate themselves with the track before lowering the rail wheels.

Paul

In fact, if you look at that enormously long elevation drawing (file 00263637) it shows this "NETWORK RAIL
ACCESS ROAD" going up the embankment. Not that you'd recognise it, if you didn't know what it was to start with.

Given that there obviously more call for one now than there will be when it's built, I presume there is a less engineered access for RRVs somewhere in the viaduct site.

On the latest plan (file 00282939) this access road runs at the foot of an embankment under the main viaduct, and this is labelled "PLATEAU FORMED AT +42.015 FOR FUTURE VIADUCT INSPECTION" (and another under the festival line viaduct at +40.300). That hardly seems a good enough reason for moving so much earth, does it? Unless it's on site anyway, and would otherwise need to be disposed of elsewhere.

[JayMac]

In fact, if you look at that enormously long elevation drawing

Do I have to?

Slightly losing the will to live wading through the technical minutiae of this thread and the ongoing Reading development. 

That's not to put folk off though. What we have is an account of record of the changes to the second busiest station on the Greater Western network. I'm just beginning to wish it was finished.

I can hear my Grandma saying, "Patience is a virtue...", and, "The best things come to those who wait".