Bi-Modes Offered To Solve Waterloo-Exeter Constraints
The title of this post is the same as an article by Richard Clinnick in Issue 912 of Rail Magazine.
The article is in turn based on this Continuous Modular Strategic Planning document from Network Rail, which is entitled West of England Line Study 2020.
The document is probably best described, as a document, that will need a lot of digestion for a full reading, but it does provide the reasons for what is said by Richard Clinnick.
The Need For Bi-Mode Trains
This is the a slightly edited version of the start of the Rail Magazine article.
Bi-mode trains should be ordered as part of a scheme to improve the service offered on the West of England route between London Waterloo and Exeter St, Davids, according to Network Rail.
In their extensive study, NR explains that additional capacity could be achieved on the route not only through infrastructure improvements, but also through lengthening some services.
The Network Rail report says.
This cannot be achieved using the current rolling stock fleet currently in operation; which are coming to end of life. Therefore, in the medium term, the opportunity to introduce new,
potentially bi-mode, rolling stock capable of achieving faster journey times and providing more capacity should be considered.
The report also suggests that electric, battery and hydrogen are mentioned as possible power.
South Western Railway’s Short Term Solution
In the short term, South Western Railway (SWR) have reorganised the service to meet short term objectives, which are described fully in the Network Rail report, but can be summed up as follows.
- There is a need for a capacity increase between London Waterloo and Basingstoke and Salisbury.
- There is a need for a capacity increase between Axminster and Exeter St. Davids.
SWR’s solution has probably been strongly driven by the needs of COVID-19, which means that a greater amount of space must be provided for each occupied seat. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve made six journeys in SWR’s Class 159 trains and like most other travellers, I’ve had four seats to myself. The trains may be thirty years old, but like most British Rail trains of that era, they keep giving valuable service.
For most of the day, SWR seem to offer the following solution.
- Nine-car formations of Class 159 trains work between London Waterloo and Salisbury stations at a frequency of two trains per hour (tph)
- Six-car formations of Class 159 trains work between Salisbury and Exeter St. Davids stations, at a frequency of one train per two hours (tp2h)
- Passengers use a one-way system at Salisbury to walk between the two trains.
Yesterday, I took SWR’s trains between Clapham Junction and Yeovil Junction stations to observe the working of the route and take a few pictures.
My Observations
These are my observations.
Salisbury Station
This Google Map shows Salisbury station and the nearby Salisbury Depot.
These are some pictures I took at the station.
Note that the train in the platform is a nine-car formation which is 207 metres long. I would estimate that the platforms are around 220-240 metres long.
Yeovil Junction Station
This Google Map shows Yeovil Junction station.
These are some pictures I took at the station.
Note that the two trains in the platforms are six-car formations which are 138 metres long. I would estimate that the platforms are around 140-50 metres long.
Replacement Of The Current Class 159 Trains With Bi-Mode Trains
Consider the following train lengths and capacities.
- A nine-car formation of Class 159 trains – 207 metres – 588 seats
- A six-car formation of Class 159 trains – 138 metres – 392 seats
- A nine-car Class 802 train – 234 metres – 647 seats
- A five-car Class 802 train – 130 metres – 326 seats
- A pair of five-car Class 802 trains – 260 metres – 652 seats
The figures for Class 802 trains are taken from the trains that are in service for Great Western Railway (GWR).
The following timings should also be noted.
- London Waterloo and Salisbury – One hour and thirty minutes
- Turnback time at Salisbury – Up to thirty minutes
- Salisbury and Exeter St. Davids – Two hours and six minutes
- Turnback time at Exeter St. Davids – Trains appear to go to Exeter New Yard for refuelling.
- Wait at Yeovil Junction – Fourteen minutes
Note.
- The wait at Yeovil Junction station is so that trains can fit in with the large lengths of single-track on the West of England Main Line.
- The need to refuel the diesel trains would appear to be a major constraint on running more services on the route.
- Both legs of the journey have convenient times of one-and-a-half and two hours respectively.
Overall, I think the timings are helpful.
Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train
Hitachi have recently released details of their new Battery Regional train, which are summarised in this Hitachi infographic.
They have also signed an agreement with Hyperdrive Innovation to develop battery packs for their Class 80x trains, as I wrote about in Hyperdrive Innovation And Hitachi Rail To Develop Battery Tech For Trains.
Looking at the length and capacity table, I displayed earlier, it would appear there are several ways to run the service between London Waterloo and Exeter St. Davids using Regional Battery Trains.
- Run nine-car trains between London Waterloo and Exeter St. Davids
- Run five-car trains between London Waterloo and Exeter St. Davids
- Run nine-car trains between London Waterloo and Salisbury and five-car trains between Salisbury and Exeter St. Davids
- Run a pair of five-car trains between London Waterloo and Salisbury and a single five-car train between Salisbury and Exeter St. Davids, with selective splitting and joining at Salisbury.
Alternatively, the route could be electrified. But that has a few obstacles and disadvantages.
- Would the various jobsworths allow this substantial length of third-rail electrification?
- Would there be serious objections to using overhead electrification?
- Would the travellers on the route, be prepared for all the disruption?
- There is also the excessive cost of electrification.
I also believe, that only limited small infrastructure improvements would be needed to replace the current diesel trains with battery electric bi-mode trains like the Regional Battery Trains.
Regional Battery Trains Between London Waterloo And Salisbury
Consider.
- London Waterloo and Salisbury stations are 83.5 miles apart.
- The fifty miles between London Waterloo and Worting Junction is fully electrified.
- Only the 33.5 miles between Salisbury and Worting Junction are not electrified.
- In the infographic, Hitachi are claiming a 90 kilometre or 56 mile battery range and a static charging time of between 10-15 minutes.
It would certainly appear, that if a train from London passed Worting Junction with full batteries, it would reach Salisbury. Also a train leaving Salisbury with full batteries would certainly reach Worting Junction and the electrification.
There would be three ways of charging the Regional Battery Trains at Salisbury.
- Fit a number of charging stations on the platforms.
- Install 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- Install 750 VDC third-rail electrification.
I prefer Option 3 in a station like Salisbury.
- It would be easy to install and British Rail probably drew up detailed plans several times, when full third-rail electrification was under consideration.
- The trains will be fitted with third-rail shoes to access the third-rail electrification on the way to London.
- Because of the depot, there’s probably a good power supply.
- For increased safety, modern electrical design, could mean that power was only switched on when a train is connected.
As trains currently wait for some time in Salisbury, it would be likely, that trains would leave the station with a full battery.
Regional Battery Trains Between London Salisbury And Exeter St Davids
Consider.
- Salisbury and Exeter St. Davids stations are 88.5 miles apart.
- There is no electrification.
- Yeovil Junction station is approximately half way and is 49.5 miles from Exeter St. Davids and 39 miles from Salisbury.
- Typically, trains wait at Yeovil Junction station for up to fourteen minutes, to get through the single-track sections.
I believe that a similar method of charging to that at Salisbury could be used at Yeovil Junction.
There would also need to be charging at Exeter St. Davids station.
This Google Map shows Exeter St. Davids station.
Services from London Waterloo and Salisbury currently turnback at Exeter St. Davids station in the following manner.
- They arrive from the track running to the station from the South East.
- They unload passengers in Platform 1 which is the long platform on the East side of the station.
- It seems that they then continue through the station to New Yard, where they refuel and do other things, that Class 159 trains do after a long journey.
- At the appropriate time, they return to Platform 1, where they load up with passengers and leave by the way they arrived.
If a charging system or electrification, were to be added to Platform 1, the trains would be able to fill up in the station.
- Currently, it appears that the Class 159 trains take over an our to do this complicated manoeuvre.
- Hitachi are quoting a charging time of 10-15 minutes for their Regional Battery Train.
Could valuable minutes be saved, that would enable a more passenger-friendly timetable?
Charging Regional Battery Trains At Yeovil Junction Station
Currently, the timetable is arranged like this.
- The Salisbury to Exeter St. Davids train and the Exeter St. Davids to Salisbury trains pass at Yeovil Junction station.
- Both trains wait in the station for nearly fifteen minutes, which is an adequate time to fully-charge the batteries.
The picture shows the two trains in the platform together.
Currently, the timetable would seem to be ideal for battery electric train operation between Salisbury and Exeter St. Davids stations.
A Possible Timetable Between London Waterloo And Exeter St. Davids
It did occur to me, that South Western Railway might be running a timetable, that could possibly be designed for Regional Battery Trains.
- A nine-car formation between London Waterloo and Salisbury could be replaced with a nine-car or a pair of five-car Regional Battery Trains.
- A six-car Salisbury and Exeter St. Davids could be replaced by a five-car Regional Battery Train.
- Trains could pass at Gillingham station between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction, as it is a two-platform station about half-way.
- Trains could pass at Honiton station between Yeovil Junction and Exeter St. Davids, as it is a two-platform station about half-way.
I think if it was needed, that two tph would be possible not only between London Waterloo and Salisbury, but also between London Waterloo and Exeter St. Davids.
I also think that the following detailed service pattern would be possible.
- A pair of five-car Regional Battery Trains would leave London Waterloo at a frequency of two tph.
- The front train would be for passengers for all stations between London Waterloo and Exeter St. Davids.
- The rear train would only be for passengers for all stations between London Waterloo and Salisbury.
- On arrival at Salisbury, both trains would charge their batteries.
- When the batteries were fully-charged, the two trains would split.
- The front train would continue on its journey to Exeter St. Davids, leaving the rear train in the platform.
- The Exeter St. Davids to London Waterloo service would arrive at Salisbury and join to the train in the platform.
- The pair of trains would then run to London Waterloo.
This service pattern has the big advantage that passengers travelling between a station East of Salisbury and one to the West of Salisbury, will not have to change trains
- All stations on the line also get a two tph service.
- Services would be the same or better on the whole route, to the pre-COVID-19 timetable.
- There would be extra capacity between London and Basingstoke.
A First Visualisation Of Headbolt Lane Station
This visualisation of the proposed Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby has appeared on several web sites.
Wikipedia also says that the station will have one platform and as there is a Class 777 train on the left hand side of what I take to be the station building, I would assume that is the platform.
It looks an interesting station layout with a wide concourse with trains on one side and buses on the other.
I can’t work out from the image, if there is a long shelter alongside the train, as one sees on some tram stops. But if it was felt necessary one could surely be fitted to give passengers some covering in inclement weather.
As the station also features five-hundred parking spaces, these must be arranged around the station on this side of the railway, which is currently just a single track.
The Plans On Rail Future
This page on the Rail Future web site is entitled A Station Back In Skelmersdale and it indicates the following.
- A map shows a spur, which is connected to the Kirkby and Wigan Line, by a large triangular junction between Rainford and Upholland stations, running North to Skelmersdale.
- Services of two tph between Liverpool and Skelmersdale and an hourly service between Manchester and Skelmersdale are proposed.
- Rainford station would appear to exchange a direct link to Manchester for a direct link to Liverpool. But then Rainford is in Merseyside and Upholland and Skelmersdale are in Lancashire.
With these proposals the junction and the spur would only need to be single-track, with Skelmersdale station only needing a single-platform.
Could the following simplifications also be done?
- Upholland and Rainford stations become single platform stations
- The track between the two stations is mothballed or even removed.
- There would only be a single track between both stations and Skelmersdale station.
There’s certainly scope to save money on construction and maintenance.
Could this single track and platform design be the reason, why Headbolt Lane station only has a single platform?
Consider.
- The current Kirkby station, handles four tph to and from Liverpool City Centre on a single platform.
- The line becomes double-track to the East of Fazakerley station.
- I suspect double-track is needed to allow 4 tph
I suspect Headbolt Lane station could handle four tph to and from Liverpool, but there may need to be some double-track between Kirkby and Headbolt Lane stations.
I also estimate that to travel the return journey on the approximately eight miles between Headbolt Land and Skelmersdale station will take about thirty minutes.
Would this mean that it were possible to create a timetable, which allowed four tph between Liverpool and Headbolt Lane stations and two tph between Headbolt Lane and Skelmersdale stations?
- The single platform would be bi-directional.
- Two tph out of four arriving at Headbolt Lane station would reverse and go back to Liverpool.
- The other two tph would continue to Skelmersdale.
- The two tph returning from Skelmersdale would continue to Liverpool.
It would be one for the Busby Berkeley of train time-tabling.
The alternative of running four tph between Liverpool and Skelmersdale would need the following.
- Full double-tracking between Fazakerley and Skelmersdale stations.
- Two platform stations at Kirkby, Headbolt Lane and Rainford, which would need step-free bridges.
It would be a much more expensive scheme.
How Much New Electrification Would Be Needed?
Given the politics of third-rail electrification, I suspect the scheme will use as little as possible.
If the battery-equipped Class 777 trains can run the return journey between Kirkby and Skelmersdale stations, then all track to the East of Kirkby station could be without electrification.
This would probably also mean that the current power supply wouldn’t need to be upgraded to cope with additional electrification.
Could There Be A Two tph Service Between Skelmersdale And Manchester?
I don’t think a single-track line between Upholland and Skelmersdale would rule this out, but having two two tph services might need a second platform at Skelmersdale station.
On the other hand, the Manchester and Liverpool services could be timed to allow a cross-platform interchange at Skelmersdale.
This would mean that someone wanting to go between say Sandhills and Bolton would go direct with a quick change at Skelmersdale.
Could There Be Through Running Between Manchester And Kirkby?
Four tph between Liverpool and Headbolt Lane station with two tph extending to Skelmersdale, running through the single-platform stations at Kirkby, Headbolt Lane and Rainford, would probably make the current Manchester and Kirkby service difficult, if not impossible.
But as the change at Kirkby will be replaced with one at Skelmersdale, it would be more of an inconvenience than a disaster.
In addition, if two tph were to be run between Manchester and Skelmersdale and the trains were timetabled to meet at Skelmersdale, this would effectively be a pseudo-through service.
A single track could be left between Upholland and Rainford for engineering trains and possibly the occasional freight train.
Strategic Car Parking
Consider.
- The new Headbolt Lane station, is going to be provided with five hundred car-parking spaces.
- The new Skelmersdale station will probably have adequate provision.
- At the present time, Rainford and Upholland stations don’t appear to have any parking.
I would suggest, that a good look is taken at car and bicycle parking at all stations to the East of Headbolt Lane station.
Conclusion
It appears to be a scheme, that has been designed to keep costs to a minimum.
But that probably means, it is more likely to get built!
I also like the concept of a large station concourse alongside a single platform and track, which will probably be without electrification. It should be very safe too!
It is strange, that I’ve not seen that layout before either in the UK or on the many railways, that I’ve used abroad.
Beeching Reversal – Increased Services To Nottingham And Leicester, via Syston And Loughborough From Melton Mowbray
This is one of the Beeching Reversal projects that the Government and Network Rail are proposing to reverse some of the Beeching cuts.
It is one of a pair of submissions from the local MP; Alicia Kearns. The other is More Stopping Services At Radcliffe-on-Trent And Bottesford Stations On The Poacher Line Between Grantham And Nottingham.
When I heard of the MP’s submissions, I wrote MP Campaigns To Extend Train Services For Melton Borough and the following uses that post as a starting point.
Wikipedia says this about services at Melton Mowbray station.
- There is an hourly off-peak service in both directions between Stansted Airport and Birmingham, that calls at Cambridge, Peterborough, Oakham and Leicester.
- East Midlands Railway and their predescessor have added services to London via Corby and to Derby and East Midlands Parkway.
When you consider, that both Bottesford and Melton Mowbray are the same Council and Parliamentary constituency, it does seem that a more direct train service is needed between Bottesford and Melton Mowbray stations.
It does seem to me that some innovative thinking is needed.
If the current plans to fulfil British Rail’s ambition of an Ivanhoe Line running from Lincoln to Burton-on-Trent via Nottingham, East Midlands Parkway, Loughborough and Leicester, are carried out, that will give important towns to the West of Leicester much better rail connections.
Given that High Speed Two is coming to East Midlands Hub station at Toton and there will be a Bedford and Leeds service run by Midlands Connect using High Speed Two classic-compatible trains, that I wrote about in Classic-Compatible High Speed Two Trains At East Midlands Hub Station, I wonder if in the interim, there should be more trains between Derby and Melton.
- Intermediate stations would be Syston, Sileby, Barrow-upon-Soar, Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway Long Eaton and Spondon.
- An hourly frequency would double the service frequency at smaller stations like Sileby and Barrow-upon-Soar.
- The Southern terminal could be Melton station, but I feel Corby or Peterborough stations would be better, as this would improve services at Oakham station. We should not forget Rutland!
- As Corby will be an electrified two-platform station with a two trains per hour (tph) service to London, this could work quite well as a Southern terminus.
- Peterborough would have advantages and give a good connection to Cambridge, London and Scotland, but improvements to the current Birmingham and Stansted Airport service would have similar effects.
This route would be just as valuable after High Speed Two opens through the East Midlands Hub station, as it will give fast ongoing connections to Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle and York.
Electrification Of The Midland Main Line
I feel strongly, that full electrification of the Midland Main Line could be a step to far.
- Electrification, through Leicester station will mean a complete closure of the station for a couple of years.
- Electrification of the route North of Derby, through the Derwent Valley Mills, which is a World Heritage Site, will be opposed by the Heritage Taliban with all their might.
But.
- Electrification of the route between Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield via Chesterfield will take place in conjunction with High Speed Two
- Electrification to Market Harborough, which is sixteen miles South of Leicester will happen.
- East Midlands Railway’s new Class 810 trains could be fitted with a battery option giving a range of between 55 and 65 miles.
- Pantographs on these trains can go up and down with all the alacrity of a whore’s drawers.
If the easier section of electrification between Leicester and Derby stations, were to be installed, this would enable the following routes to be run using battery-equipped Class 810 trains.
- London and Derby, where battery power would be used through Leicester.
- London and Nottingham, where battery power would be used through Leicester and between East Midlands Parkway and Nottingham.
- London and Sheffield, where battery power would be used through Leicester and between Derby and Clay Cross Junction.
- Lincoln and Burton-on-Trent, where battery power would be used South of Leicester and North of East Midlands Parkway.
- Derby and Corby, where battery power would be used between Syston and Corby.
There would also be the service between Derby and Norwich, which might be able to be run by a similar train.
Conclusion
I think the ideal way to achieve the MP’s objective would be to extend a proportion of London St. Pancras and Corby services to the Midland Main Line.
But the problem with this, is that the Corby trains will be Class 360 trains, which are electric, so the thirty-six mile route between Corby and the Midland Main Line would need to be electrified.
On the other hand, a shuttle train could be used between Corby and Leicester.
They would call at Oakham, Melton Mowbray and Syston stations.
If the Midland Main Line to the North of Leicester were to be electrified, Battery electric trains could be used on the route, with charging at Leicester and Corby.
Westbury Station – 30th July 2020
I went to Westbury station today and took these pictures.
I found Westbury station to be a station in extremely good condition.
It also had a buffet, where I was able to purchase a delicious ice cream.
Passenger Services Through Westbury Station
I was at the station for about an hour and several trains passed through.
Great Western Railway services through the station include.
- One train per two hour (tp2h) – London Paddington and Exeter St. Davids – Stops
- One tp2h – London Paddington and Penzance – Passes through
- One tp2h – London Paddington and Plymouth – Passes through
- One train per hour (tph) – Cardiff Central and Portsmouth Harbour – Stops
- One tp2h – Great Malvern and Westbury
- One tp2h – Gloucester and Weymouth – Stops
- One tp2h – Swindon and Westbury
Train classes included Class 800 trains and Class 166 trains.
South Western Railway services through the station include.
- Five trains per day – Salisbury and Bristol Temple Meads – Stops
Train classes include Class 159 trains.
Battery Trains Through Westbury
Hitachi’s Class 800 train with a battery electric capability or Regional Battery Train, is described in this infographic from the company.
The proposed 90 km or 56 mile range could even be sufficient take a train between Westbury and Bristol Temple Meads stations on a return trip.
Many of the trains through Westbury go to the same stations.
Distances are as follows.
- Bristol Temple Meads – 28 miles
- Newbury – 42 miles
- Salisbury – 24 miles
- Swindon – 32.5 miles
- Taunton – 47 miles
It looks like all of these places should be in range of an electric train with a battery capability, providing there is a charging facility at the other end.
An Electrification Island At Westbury Station
I have been advocating an island of electrification around Westbury station for some time and feel about a dozen miles of electrification through the station would be sufficient for Class 800 trains with a battery capability to bridge the gap.
- At Newbury, trains would access the current electrification into London Paddington.
- Between Exeter and Taunton, the rail route runs alongside the M5, so why not electrify this stretch, as the wires will not be so noticeable?
Looking at Westbury, to my untrained eye, it would appear that a short section of electrification around the station, would not be the most challenging of projects.
I believe that discontinuous electrification between Newbury and Exeter would be possible and could gradually be extended across Devon and Cornwall.
It should also be noted that one of Hitachi’s Regional Battery Trains has a range of 56 miles, so that these places from Westbury could be an return trip on batteries, with a well-driven train with excellent energy management.
- Bath Spa – 17 miles
- Bradford-on-Avon – 7 miles
- Bristol Temple Meads – 28 miles
- Chippenham – 16 miles
- Frome – 6 miles
- Salisbury – 24 miles
- Trowbridge – 4 miles
- Warminster – 9 miles
Obviously, the number of stops and the terrain will play a part.
Freight Might Drive Full Electrification Through Westbury Station
As the pictures show, there are heavy freight trains going through the area, which bring long and weighty loads of stone from the Mendips to London.
- There are regularly two or three stone trains in an average hour of the day.
- Like in the picture, I suspect they are usually hauled by a noisy, smelly, polluting and carbon-dioxide emitting Class 66 Locomotive. Not all of these, are as clean and well-maintained, as the one in the picture.
- Some trains start at Merehead Quarry, which is about fifteen miles from Westbury station.
I believe that we must decarbonise freight trains.
But freight and electric haulage is not a simple subject.
- I once had extensive talks with a Senior Crane Driver at the Port of Felixstowe during an Ipswich Town Away match. Ports don’t like overhead wires, as containers do get dropped and fall off rail wagons.
- Suppose a historic line without electrification, like the Settle and Carlisle has a serious land-slip, which it did a couple of years ago. How do you haul in the materials for repair?
- Because freight can be of a random and unpredictable nature, to electrify freight, you probably need to electrify the whole rail network.
For these and other reasons, we need independently-powered freight locomotives and I feel that a new freight locomotive will develop, that will be needed by the rail industry all over the world.
There are several solutions.
Biodiesel
Biodiesel is the simplest solution and would mean that the current diesel locomotives could be used.
In Grant Shapps Announcement On Friday, I talked about Government support for an industrial process, that has been developed by Oxford University and their spin-off company; Velocys, from the the Fischer-Tropsch Process, which can produce, the following fuels from household and industrial waste.
- Aviation biofuel.
- Biodiesel.
A plant to process 500,000 tonnes per year of Lincolnshire finest waste is now being built at Immingham to create 50,000,000 litres of fuel, by Altalto, which is a partnership between Velocys, British Airways and Shell.
If nothing else, waste-to-fuel is the interim solution to the decarbonisation of tricky sectors like heavy rail freight, rail construction, large diesel-powered machines, ships or long-distance aviation.
This fuel could be ideal to haul the heavy stone trains from the Mendips.
Hydrogen
I did think, it would be hydrogen powered, but I’m not so sure now, as hydrogen trains and locomotives seem to have a slow development cycle.
Although, there is one factor, that might influence the use of hydrogen as a fuel, which I wrote about in Thirsty High-Rollers … Mining’s Heavy Haulers Prime Candidates For Hydrogen Conversion.
Mining and quarrying don’t have a good green image, but converting mines and quarries to hydrogen power, would surely have operational and good public relational advantages.
It would also ensure a plentiful and convenient supply of hydrogen, for any hydrogen-powered locomotives.
Hydrogen-powered locomotives, with their electric transmissions, would probably be able to use electrification for traction power, so they would put pressure on the Government to electrify between Westbury and Newbury stations, so that there was a fully-electrified route between the Mendips and London.
Rolls-Royce’s Staggering Development
Staggering is not my word, but that of Paul Stein, who is Rolls-Royce’s Chief Technology Officer.
He used the word in a press release, which I discuss in Our Sustainability Journey.
To electrify aviation, Rolls-Royce has developed a 2.5 MW generator, based on a small gas-turbine engine, which Paul Stein describes like this.
Amongst the many great achievements from E-Fan X has been the generator – about the same size as a beer keg – but producing a staggering 2.5 MW. That’s enough power to supply 2,500 homes and fully represents the pioneering spirit on this project.
This generator is designed for flight and the data sheet for the gas-turbine engine is available on the Internet.
- It has a weight of under a couple of tonnes compared to the thirteen tonnes of the diesel engine and generator in a Class 68 locomotive.
- It is also more powerful than the diesel.
- It looks to be as frugal, if not more so!
- Rolls-Royce haven’t said if this gas-turbine can run on aviation biofuel, but as many of Rolls-Royce’s large engines can, I would be very surprised if it couldn’t!
Rolls-Royce’s German subsidiary is a large producer of rail and maritime diesel engines, so the company has the expertise to customise the generator for rail applications.
I can see this generator ending up in a high-powered heavy independently-powered electric locomotive for hauling stone and inter-modal container trains.
As with hydrogen-powered locomotives, this new breed of gas-turbine locomotive with its electric transmission, will be able to use electrification, where it exists.
So would locomotive developments drive the electrification through Westbury and especially between Westbury and Newbury?
I would rate is likely, that in the future, increasingly rail locomotives will have sophisticated electric transmissions, between their prime motive power of diesel, hydrogen, gas-turbine or whatever and their traction system. All of these locomotives will have pantographs and/or third-rail shoes to access electrification, where it exists.
These locomotives will surely add to pressure to electrify between Westbury and Newbury.
Biodiesel is surely the interim freight solution, if one is needed.
Future Zero-Carbon Passenger Services
Passenger services through Westbury can be divided into three groups.
Great Western Railway’s Services Between London Paddington And Devon And Cornwall
From Beeching Reversal projects put forward over the last few months, it looks like these services will increase and stop at several new and refurbished stations.
I can see discontinuous electrification being used to create a series of electrification islands to allow Class 800 trains, with a battery capability reach the Far South West of Cornwall.
Electrification islands could be at places like
- Around Westbury station.
- Between Taunton and Exeter St. Davids stations alongside the M5.
- Between Plymouth station and the Royal Albert bridge.
- Around Bodmin Parkway station
- Around Truro station
- At Newquay station
- At Penzance station
Obviously, the number and type of the various installations will depend on the methods used and the engineering required.
I do believe that with Hitachi trains, that meet their specification, that trains will be able to travel between Paddington and Penzance without touching a drop of diesel.
Great Western Railway’s Cardiff Central And Portsmouth Harbour Service
The service can be split into the following legs.
- Cardiff Central and Filton Junction – 33 miles – Electrified
- Filton Junction and Bristol Temple Meads – 5 miles – Not Electrified
- Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury – 28 miles – Not Electrified
- Westbury and Salisbury – 24 miles – Not Electrified
- Salisbury and Southampton Central – 15 miles – Not Electrified
- Southampton Central and Portsmouth Harbour – 26 miles – Electrified
It would appear that a train with the performance and range on batteries of Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train should be able to handle the route, provided the following conditions are met.
- It can leave the Great Western Main Line at Filton Junction with a full battery.
- It can leave the electrification at Westbury station with a full battery.
- It can leave Southampton Central station with a full battery.
- Third-rail shoes are fitted for working between Southampton Central and Portsmouth Harbour stations.
Recharging batteries at Bristol Temple Meads and Salisbury stations, although probably welcome, are not necessary.
I can envisage Hitachi Class 800 and Class 385 trains being able to fulfil this role, along with Bombardier Electrostars and Aventras and Siemens Desiros.
As Great Western Railway have forty-five Class 387 trains, conversion of some of these to battery electric operation must be a possibility.
Great Western Railway’s Gloucester and Weymouth Service
The service can be split into the following legs.
- Gloucester and Bristol Temple Meads – 39 miles – Not Electrified
- Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury – 28 miles – Not Electrifield
- Westbury and Dorchester Junction – 52 miles – Not Electrified
- Dorchester Junction and Weymouth – 4 miles – Electrified
It would appear that a train with the performance and range on batteries of Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train should be able to handle the route, provided the following conditions are met.
- It can leave Gloucester station with a full battery.
- It can leave Bristol Temple Meads with a full battery.
- It can leave Westbury with a full battery.
- It can leave the South Western Main Line at Dorchester Junction with a full battery.
It would be a tight trip for a battery electric train and I suspect, that there would be some extra electrification between Westbury and Dorchester Junction or perhaps charging facilities at Frome or Yeovil Pen Mill stations.
The alternative would be to fit larger batteries on the train.
As to the train to be used, a Class 387 train with a battery capability would surely be ideal.
Great Western Railway’s Swindon and Westbury Service
The service can be split into the following legs.
- Swindon and Chippenham – 16 miles – Electrified
- Chippenham and Westbury- 16 miles – Not Electrified
It would appear that a train with the performance and range on batteries of Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train should be able to handle the route, provided the following conditions are met.
- It can leave Chippenham station with a full battery.
This would have sufficient charge to do the thirty-two mile round trip from Chippenham to Westbury and back.
As to the train to be used, a Class 387 train with a battery capability would surely be ideal.
South Western Railway’s Bristol Temple Meads and Salisbury Service
The service can be split into the following legs.
- Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury – 28 miles – Not Electrified
- Westbury and Salisbury- 24 miles – Not Electrified
t would appear that a train with the performance and range on batteries of Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train should be able to handle the route, provided the following conditions are met.
- It can leave Bristol Temple Meads station with a full battery.
- It can leave Westbury with a full battery.
- It can leave Salisbury with a full battery.
But, I do wonder, if with a slightly larger battery, a well-driven train could work the route with only charging the battery at Westbury station?
Conclusion
Could Westbury station develop into a zero-carbon rail transport hub for Wiltshire?
- It has an hourly train service between London Paddington and Exeter St. Davids.
- It has an hourly service between Bristol Temple Meads and Weymouth.
- There are hourly services to stations like Bath Spa, Bradford-on-Avon, Bristol Temple Meads, Chippenham, Dorchester, Frome, Swindon, Taunton, Trowbridge and Yeovil
It could be electrified to charge battery electric trains as they pass through.
Speeding Down To Bristol By Train
On Wednesday, I went to Bristol to take a few photographs.
I took these pictures, where the electrification ran out at Chippenham station.
There is some half-hearted erection of electrification going on between Chippenham station and Box Tunnel, but despite the fact, that the iconic tunnel is ready for wires, construction work seemed noticeable by its absence.
Line Speed Observations
I had my personal dynamometer car connected for much of the journey.
- Between Southall and Slough we were at times running at only a few miles short of 130 mph. Are Great Western Railway starting to wind up the speed.
- Most of the journey, when well clear of stations, we were at around 125 mph until Chippenham station.
- At Chippenham, it was noticeable that the diesel engine under my seat kicked in.
- Onwards from Chippenham, we were at around 100 mph on diesel.
I suspect that London and Bristol services could be improved and/or speeded up.
- Timings could be reduced between London Paddington and Reading by running at faster speeds under digital ERTMS signalling. The train certainly felt comfortable at 128 mph.
- Any increase in electrification past Chippenham station will increase the the reach of a Class 800 train with a battery capability on a mile-for-mile basis.
- Trains should be able to increase speed towards 125 mph for some of the twelve miles between Chippenham and Bath Spa stations.
- As trains would not be swapping between diesel and electricity in Chippenham station, would panning up and down happen automatically further West?
- It might be possible to fit in a third London Paddington and Bristol service, that doesn’t stop at Chippenham station.
None of these improvements would need the line through Bath Spa station to be electrified.
Bristol Temple Meads Station – 28th July 2020
I took these pictures of Bristol Temple Meads station, when I visited.
Note.
- The station is Listed to the highest level of Grade 1.
- London services seem to use Platforms 15 and 16.
- There is quite a fair bit of space between the tracks.
.Do Network Rail need all the hassle of full electrification of one of Brunel’s most famous creations?
Bristol Temple Meads Station And Trains With a Battery Capability
Hitachi’s Class 800 train with a battery electric capability or Regional Battery Train, is described in this infographic from the company.
The proposed 90 km or 56 mile range would even be sufficient take a train between Chippenham and Bristol Temple Meads stations on a return trip. So this means that one of these trains could work the London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads stations service via Bath Spa using the electrification between London Paddington and Chippenham stations.
But where could trains reach, if they were able to leave Bristol Temple Meads station with a fully-charged battery?
- Bristol Parkway – 6 miles
- Cardiff Central – 5 miles to the electrified Great Western Main Line.
- Cheltenham Spa – 41 miles
- Filton Abbey Wood – 4 miles
- Gloucester – 39 miles
- Newport – 5 miles to the electrified Great Western Main Line.
- Severn Beach – 13.5 miles
- Taunton – 45 miles
- Westbury – 28.5 miles
- Weston-super-Mare – 19 miles
Note.
- Return trips to Bristol Parkway, Filton Abbey Wood, Severn Beach and Western-super-Mare would be possible.
- The other destinations will need charging facilities.
Other local destinations could be added as the Bristol Metro develops.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note.
- The curving nature of the platforms doesn’t make 25 KVAC overhead electrification easy.
- Trains to and from London appear to use the two Eastern platforms 13 and 15.
- It might be possible to increase platform lengths to run longer trains to and from places like London.
I believe that there are three possible ways of charging the trains in Bristol Temple Meads station.
25 KVAC Overhead Electrification
This could be short length of standard 25 KVAC overhead electrification in platforms, that would be served by trains with pantographs like the Class 800 trains.
The driver would stop in the correct place in the platform and connect the pantograph, whilst waiting in the station.
Note that the Class 800 trains to and from London typically take 35-20 minutes to turn round, which is time enough for a full charge.
750 VDC Third-Rail Electrification
This could be short lengths of standard 750 VDC third-rail electrification in platforms, that would be used by standard third-rail shoes on trains.
The train would connect automatically and charging would take place, whilst waiting in the station.
A Specialist Charging Facility Like Vivarail’s Fast Charge System
Vivarail’s Fast Charge system is described in Vivarail Unveils Fast Charging System For Class 230 Battery Trains.
This extract from this Vivarail press release explains how the system works.
he concept is simple – at the terminus 4 short sections of 3rd and 4th rail are installed and connected to the electronic control unit and the battery bank. Whilst the train is in service the battery bank trickle charges itself from the national grid – the benefit of this is that there is a continuous low-level draw such as an EMU would use rather than a one-off huge demand for power.
The train pulls into the station as normal and the shoe-gear connects with the sections of charging rail. The driver need do nothing other than stop in the correct place as per normal and the rail is not live until the train is in place.
That’s it!
I believe that this system or something like it could be adapted to work with all trains with a battery capability in the UK.
I also believe that this system can be designed so that it is ultra-safe and doesn’t disrupt, the visual impact of the station.
Conclusion
Bristol Temple Meads station could be converted into a station, where a high proportion of trains ran solely on electricity.
Bath Spa Station – 28th July 2020
I took these pictures as I twice passed through Bath Spa station.
These are my thoughts.
Electrification Gantries On The Platforms
As somebody, whose eyesight is on the wane, I am not a lover of electrification, where the gantries are bolted to the platforms. These pictures show some installations of this type at Crouch Hill station.
Would electrification gantries like these, be appropriate in Bath Spa station?
Could Lightweight Electrification Gantries Be Placed Between The Tracks?
These pictures show the wide gap between the two tracks in Bath Spa station.
Could double-track lightweight structures, based on a design like this be placed between the tracks?
These structures are made out of laminated wood and are surely a possibility.
A Makeover For Bath Spa Station
If you look at much of the woodwork and paint in the fabric of the station, it appears tired and in need of refurbishment.
Whether the station is electrified or not, the station will need a high-class makeover.
Services Through Bath Spa Station
Three train companies run services through Bath Spa station.
- CrossCountry which only operates diesel trains.
- Great Western Railway operates Class 800 electro-diesel trains and some assorted diesel trains.
- South Western Railway only operates Class 159 diesel trains.
There are also some freight services hauled by diesel locomotives.
Trains leave Bath Spa station using one of three routes via either.
- Bristol Temple Meads station, which is 11.5 miles away without electrification.
- Chippenham station, which is where the electrification to London starts and is 13 miles away.
- Westbury station, which is on the Reading and Taunton Line and 17 miles away without electrification.
Most trains seem to go via Bristol Temple Meads station.
- The distance between Bristol Temple Meads and Chippenham stations are 24.5 miles.
- The distance between Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury stations are 28.5 miles.
Neither distance is that long.
An Alternative To Full Electrification
When I look at the distances between Bristol Temple Meads, Chippenham and Westbury stations, they tell me that they are within the range of Hitachi’s Class 800 train with a battery electric capability or Regional Battery Train, which is described in this infographic from the company.
The proposed 90 km or 56 mile range would even be sufficient take a train between Chippenham and Bristol Temple Meads stations on a return trip.
Notes for each station follow.
Bristol Temple Meads
Charging facilities would be needed.
Destinations in battery range would include.
- Bristol Parkway – 6 miles
- Cardiff Central – 5 miles to the electrified Great Western Main Line.
- Cheltenham Spa – 41 miles
- Gloucester – 39 miles
- Taunton – 45 miles
- Weston-super-Mare – 19 miles
Note.
- Return trips to Bristol Parkway and Western-super-Mare would be possible.
- The other destinations will need charging facilities.
Bristol Temple Meads station could become a major hub for battery trains.
All local services and all passing longer distance services could be trains with a battery capability.
I write more about Britol Temnple Meads station as a battery train hub in Bristol Temple Meads Station – 28th July 2020.
Chippenham
A train would leave Chippenham station with a full battery after charging on the fully-electrified route from London.
Chippenham and Weston-super-Mare would be in battery range with a charging facility at Weston-super-Mare station.
It should be noted that every extra mile of electrification past Chippenham, can be added to the distance electric trains with a battery capability can reach.
Westbury
Charging facilities would be needed.
Destinations in battery range would include.
- Salisbury – 24 miles.
- Southampton – 49 miles to the electrified South Western Main Line, at Southampton Central station.
- Weymouth – 53 miles to the electrified South Western Main Line at Dorchester Junction.
Note.
- A return trip to Salisbury would be possible.
- Trains would need to have the capability to access 750 VDC third-rail electrification.
- A few extra miles of electrification may make operation South from Westbury station easier, more reliable and allow more destinations to be included.
Westbury station could be a major hub for battery trains.
This Google Map shows Westbury station and the lines around it.
I would probably electrify a few miles either side of Westbury, so that passing trains could be in contact with the overhead wires for perhaps five to ten minutes and take a good long drink.
- Electrification could be either 25 KVAC overhead or 750 VDC overhead.
- Newbury, where the electrification to London starts is 42 miles away and trains can pick it up at speed.
- Taunton is 47 miles away and could be electrified to Exeter St. Davids.
Great Western Railway could run all their services between London Paddington and the South-West using Class 800 trains with a battery capability.
Conclusion
The prolitical, heritage and engineering problems of electrifying through Bath Spa station can be voided, by electrification and charging facilities at stations like Bristol Temple Meads, Taunton, Westbury and Weston-super-Mare.
Beeching Reversal – South Fylde Line Passing Loop
This is one of the Beeching Reversal projects that the Government and Network Rail are proposing to reverse some of the Beeching cuts.
The Project
This project is described on this page on the web site of the Fylde MP; Mark Menzies, which is entitled Improving The South Fylde Rail Line.
The page lists that these improvements are needed.
Track And Stations
These improvements are listed for track and stations.
The bid involves laying around three miles of track between Lytham and St Annes stations, the creation of a new rail platform at Ansdell and Fairhaven Station, the installation of signalling along the line, and potential platform changes at Preston Station. There is scope for improvements to St Annes and Lytham Stations, should Network Rail decide it would rather include those stations within the passing loop – but that would be decided further along the process.
Services
The objective is to be able to run two trains per hour (tph) between Preston and Blackpool South stations.
Trains
Better trains are needed.
It certainly looks like the Pacers have already gone.
The Route
I shall describe the current route in this section.
Blackpool South Station
The Google Map shows Blackpool South station.
Note.
- Entrance to the station is from Waterloo Road, which runs East-West across the map.
- There are a pair of bus stops by the station entrance.
- There is a lot of car parking close to the station.
- I suspect that the single platform can hold a modern eighty-metre four-car train.
- This seventy-year-old has no difficulty waking to the football ground or the Blackpool trams from the station.
With two tph and some updated facilities, this would be a very useful station.
I suspect there is even space to add a second platform in the future, if that were felt to be necessary.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach Station
This Google Map shows Blackpool Please Beach station and the nearby Pleasure Beach.
We shouldn’t underestimate the importance of this station. One beautiful late summer Saturday, I was going to see Ipswich play at Blackpool and out of curiosity I had explored the train to Colne station. In those days a decade ago, Colne and Blackpool South was one service and the train from Colne was full of families, by the time it got to Preston. A large proportion, left the train at the Pleasure Beach.
The conductor told me, that the crowds, I had witnessed weren’t untypical.
Squires Gate Station and Blackpool Airport
This Google Map shows Squires Gate station and the nearby Blackpool Airport.
Blackpool Airport after a troubled few years seems to be finding a niche market, with a few business, commercial, offshore and training flights.
But I believe that airports like Blackpool in the future can develop another large niche – electric aviation.
Getting to places like Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Wales by a nineteen-seat electric airliner will need the following.
- As short a flight as possible.
- Close to the coast would help.
- Good public transport links. Blackpool Airport has both tram and train.
- Space for aircraft to be parked, whilst charging.
- Plentiful supplies of renewable electricity. The over-300 MW Burbo Bank Wind Farm is not far away in Liverpool Bay and it will only be joined by more and larger wind farms.
- Frequent public transport.
Blackpool Airport could tick all these boxes, with a thick green marker.
Some example direct distances from Blackpool include
- Aberdeen – 238 miles
- Amsterdam Schipol – 340 miles
- Belfast City – 128 miles
- Cardiff – 165 miles
- Dublin – 134 miles
- Edinburgh – 150 miles
- Exeter – 211 miles
- Geneva – 661 miles
- Glasgow – 155 miles
- London Gatwick – 220 miles
- London Heathrow – 192 miles
- London Southend – 219 miles
- Newcastle – 89 miles
- Paris Orly – 422 miles
- Isle of Man Ronaldsway – 68 miles
- Southampton – 208 miles
These distances fit nicely with the range of the nine-seater Eviation Alice electric aircraft, which is predicted to be 620 miles.
St. Annes-on-the-Sea Station
This Google Map shows St. Annes-on-the-Sea station.
Note.
- Blackpool is to the North-West and Preston is to the South-East
- St. Annes-on-the-Sea is one of those convenient single-platform stations, where you just walk in-and-out on the level.
- The passing loop would start on the Preston side of the bridge.
There would need to be no major infrastructure work at the station, although I would expect the facilities could do with a makeover.
Ansdell And Fairhaven Station
In Should The Blackpool South Branch Be Electrified?, I said this about improvements to Ansdell and Fairhaven station.
Ansdell and Fairhaven station is nearest to the course at Royal Lytham.
-
- The Open Championship is a very important event on the golfing calendar.
- Other important golfing events are also held on the course
- Royal Lytham and St.Annes, last held the Open in 2012 and 2001. So it might come back to Royal Lytham in the mid-2020s.
Ansdell and Fairhaven station used to have two platforms, as described in Wikipedia.
The station was set out as an island platform with tracks on both faces until the singling of the line in the 1980s. Trains now only use the southern face. A disabled access ramp now covers the northern part of the station.
So could a rebuild of the station do the following?
-
- Restore two platforms on an island at the station.
- Put in full disabled access.
- Create a passing loop.
- Longer platforms might be a good idea.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note.
-
- The disabled ramp winding away.
- The platform is probably about a hundred metres long.
- It would appear that there is space at the far end to extend the platform.
I suspect that an ambitious architect with vision, could design a station that met all objectives.
It could be the best Championship Golf Course railway station in the world.
Lytham Station
This Google Map shows Lytham station.
Lytham station will be the Eastern end of the loop and it is likely, that the single-track will change to double at the Western end of the station.
As with St. Annes-on-the-Sea station, I suspect that a good makeover, will be all that will be needed.
Moss Side Station
This Google Map shows Moss Side station.
The only problem here is the level crossing, so do Network Rail want to remove it?
Kirkham And Wesham Station
This Google Map shows Kirkham and Wesham station.
There are three platforms, which from bottom to top on the map are.
- Platform 1 – Trains to Blackpool South
- Platform 2 – Trains to Blackpool North
- Platform 3 – Trains to Preston
All platforms seem to be being electrified in these pictures. that I took during construction.
Note.
- It can’t be described as a station, built down to a small budget.
- In the captions to the pictures, I’ve numbered the platforms from left to right.
- The last picture looks down Platform 1 and there is an electrification gantry at the Preston end.
Could this comprehensive electrification be so that trains to Blackpool North can use both Platforms 1 and 2?
- This would allow overtaking of say a local train by a London express.
- Trains could also be turned back in Platform 1, before the end of its journey, if there was a problem.
- The electrification is also substantial enough for the longest Class 390 trains.
- It could even accommodate a classic compatible High Speed Two train.
So does the last point, mean that Blackpool North station is a possible High Speed Two destination? Provided, the platforms at Blackpool North station are long enough, I think it does!
This Google Map shows Kirkham West Junction, where trains to Blackpool North and Blackpool South stations diverge.
Note.
- The electrification gantries and their shadows can be seen.
- Preston is to the South-East and the route is fully-electrified.
- Blackpool North is to the North-West and the route is fully-electrified.
- Blackpool South is to the West. The double-track becomes single before Moss Side station.
This picture shows the route going off to Blackpool South.
I took the picture from a train going to Blackpool North station.
So why are wires being run along the first few hundred metres of the Blackpool South Branch?
The Timetable
Currently, trains take the following times to do these journey legs.
- Run between Ansdell and Fairhaven and Blackpool South stations – 12 minutes
- Turnback at Blackpool South station – 3 minutes
- Run between Blackpool South and Ansdell and Fairhaven stations – 11 minutes
As the trains will be running every thirty minutes and the three legs total twenty-six minutes, that means there’s four minutes float.
So hopefully, it should be easily stainable, by an experienced rail timetable creator.
The Trains
I have remarked that I find the electrification at Kirkham & Wesham station, both comprehensive and slightly unusual.
Could The Electrification Have Been Designed For Battery Electric Trains To Blackpool South Station?
But there is one very plausible reason for the electrification layout – The Blackpool South Branch has been designed, so that services on the branch can be rum using battery trains.
- The distance between Kirkham & Wesham and Blackpool South stations is just over eleven miles.
- So for a round trip a range of perhaps twenty-five miles on battery power would suffice.
- There would also be a need for a few minutes of hotel power, whilst waiting at Blackpool South station.
These power needs are well within the capabilities of the average battery train.
- Trains could be charged on the nine minute run between Preston and Kirkham & Wesham stations.
- Changeover between electrification and battery power would take place in Kirkham & Wesham station.
An ideal train would surely be CAF’s four-car battery electric version of the Class 331 train, which I wrote about in Northern’s Battery Plans.
- According to an article in the March 2020 Edition of Modern Railways, with the same name, these trains will be working between Manchester Airport and Windermere.
- Class 331 trains without batteries will be running to and from Blackpool North station.
- Four-car trains are probably the right size for the route.
There would also probably be no need for a charging station at Blackpool South station, if trains could leave Kirkham & Wesham station with a full battery.
Where Would The Trains Terminate In The East?
These would be the obvious choices.
- Blackburn – Where there is a convenient bay platform.
- Colne – Where they used to terminate!
- Liverpool – Merseyrail has the trains and Liverpool has lots of punters and the imagination.
- Preston – Where they do now!
- Skipton – If the Skipton-Colne Link is built!
My money would be on Skipton, using a new Skipton-Colne Link, for the following reasons.
- Politicians of all colours and roses are in favour.
- Skipton has an electrified route to Leeds.
- Skipton-Colne would be a valuable by-pass route during the building of Northern Powerhouse Rail.
- Battery-powered trains would be ideal for Skipton-Colne.
Would A Battery Electric Train Be Feasible Between Blackpool South And Liverpool?
Consider.
- An all-stations service would complement the fast service between Liverpool Lime Street and Blackpool North stations via St. Helens, Wigan North Western and Preston.
- The service could either go between Liverpool and Preston via Ormskirk or Southport and a reinstated Burscough Chord.
- The Ormskirk route is 15 miles of unelectrified line and the Southport route is just four miles further.
- A service via Southport would need to reverse at Southport station.
- The service would be run using dual-voltage Class 777 trains fitted with batteries.
- 25 KVAC overhead electrification, is already installed between Preston and Kirkham & Wesham stations,
- Using existing electrification, trains would leave Kirkham & Wesham, Ormskirk, Preston and Southport stations with full batteries.
- A coastal service between Blackpool and Liverpool would surely attract visitors.
- Liverpool and Blackpool are the two biggest urban areas on the coast.
- There are several golf courses on the route, including three courses that have held the Open; Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool and Royal Lytham & St. Annes.
It may be a bit fanciful. But.
- Merseyrail will have the trains.
- Liverpool has the potential passengers.
- I believe the route could handle a two tph service.
- In Reopen Midge Hall Station, I showed that it was possible to run a two tph service between Liverpool and Preston, with one tph via each of Ormskirk and Southport.
Liverpool also has bags of ambition and imagination.
Would A Battery Electric Train Handle Preston And Skipton?
I estimate that this route is forty-one miles, with a stiff rise from Rose Grove to Colne station.
So would a battery electric train be able to handle this distance?
Hitachi are talking 56 miles for their Regional Battery Train, so I suspect CAF would want and need to be competitive with a similar specification.
Perhaps the logical service would be to run between Leeds and Blackpool South.
- The service would go via Preston, Blackburn, Burnley Central, Colne and Skipton.
- Leeds and Skipton is electrified.
- Preston and Kirkham & Wesham is electrified.
- No extra chargers for trains would be needed.
The only new infrastructure needed would be the Skipton and Colne Link.
Electrification Between Preston And Blackburn
Consider.
- In Colne – Skipton Reopening Moves Closer, I talked about the proposed Huncoat Rail Fright Terminal, that could be built North of Blackburn on the East Lancashire Line.
- Blackburn is a major hub for passenger services.
- An electrified Blackburn would allow Manchester and Clitheroe to be run by battery electric trains. Clitheroe is ten miles and Bolton is thirteen.
- An electrified Blackburn would allow Blackburn and Manchester Victoria via the Todmorden Curve to be run by battery electric trains. The whole route is 39.5 miles.
- It may be possible for battery electric trains to reach Leeds via Hebden Bridge, as it is only fifty miles away, which is within Hitachi’s range.
- As the Blackburn area grows, there will be more pressure for a daily London service.
- Some think, the Calderdale route should be electrified.
- Preston and Blackburn stations are just twelves miles apart.
- There is a multiple unit depot at Blackburn.
- I also feel that battery electric trains fanning out from Blackburn, wouldn’t do the town’s image any harm.
For all these reasons, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a short stretch of electrification added between Preston and Blackburn.
Conclusion
I like this proposal and it could be a big asset to trains across the Pennines.
Could Hitachi’s Class 800 Trains Work The Cornish Main Line On Battery Power?
The distance between Plymouth and Penzance stations along the Cornish Main Line is just seventy-nine miles and thirty-eight chains. I’ll call it 79.5 miles.
Hitachi’s proposed train is described in this infographic.
The range on battery power of 90 km or 56 miles, will not be quite enough to get all the way between Plymouth and Penzance!
But note the phrase – Allows Discontinuous Electrification; at the top of the infographic.
Will Electrification Be Needed?
Obviously or the train could perhaps wait at Truro for ten minutes to charge the batteries.
But how customer-unfriendly and disruptive to good operating practice is that?
Could Bigger Batteries Be Fitted?
This obviously is a possibility, but surely an operator would prefer all of their trains to have the same battery range and updating them all for a longer distance might not be an economic proposition.
Could Intelligent Discontinuous Third-Rail Electrification Be Used?
Third-rail electrification, is hated by the Health & Safety Taliban, as it occasionally kills people trespassing or falling on the railway. But in the UK, we have around 1,500 miles of third-rail electrified line, that generally operates to a high level of safety.
Can my modern successors make third-rail electrification absolutely safe in new installations?
Third-Rail And Discontinuous Electrification Installations!
To connect to overhead electrification, the driver or an automatic system on the train, must raise the pantograph. It doesn’t often go wrong, but when it does, it can bring down the wires. This section on panotograph weaknesses from Wikipedia give more details.
With third-rail, the connection and disconnection is automatic, with far less to go wrong.
These pictures show a gap in the third-rail electrification at the Blackfriars station, which was rebuilt in 2012, so it must meet all modern regulations.
Note the gap in the third-rail, which carries the current.
- The third-rail shoes on the train disconnect and connect automatically, as the train passes through.
- The only rails with voltage are between the tracks for safety.
- The high-tech shields appear to be real tree wood painted yellow.
As an Electrical Engineer, I actually suspect, that this gap in the conductor rail, is to isolate the North and South London electricity supplies from each other,, so that a catastrophic failure on one side doesn’t affect both halves of Thameslink.
Third-Rail Electrification In Stations
Most rail passengers in the UK, understand third-rail electrification, if they’ve ever used trains in the South of London or Merseyside.
Electrifying stations using third-rail equipment could enable battery trains to go further.
- Stopping trains could top-up their batteries.
- Passing trains, that were low on power could make a pit-stop.
- All trains would connect automatically to the third-rail, when in the station.
The safety level would be raised by making sure that the third-rail was electrically-dead unless a train was over the top.
I am by training a Control Engineer and one of my first jobs in a dangerous factory as a fifteen-year-old, was designing and building safety systems, that cut power to guillotines, when the operator put their hands somewhere they shouldn’t! I remember endlessly testing the system with an old broom, which survived unscathed.
I believe that only switching on the electrification, when a train completes the circuit, is a fairly simple operation for modern control switchgear. I can imagine an intelligent switch constantly monitoring the resistance and only switching on power, when the resistance in the circuit looks like a train.
Third-Rail Electrification In Discrete Locations
Overhead electrification can receive complaints in scenic locations, but third-rail electrification can be invisible in tunnels and over bridges and viaducts.
The Cornish Main Line has four tunnels, two bridges, which include the Royal Albert Bridge, and no less than thirty-two viaducts.
How many of these could be used to hide electrification?
- Any electrified sections could be intelligently controlled to increase safety.
- Power for the electrification could come from local renewable sources, using techniques like Riding Sunbeams.
I can see engineers developing several techniques for discrete electrification.
Third-Rail And Charging Battery Trains
I like the Vivarail’s Fast Charge concept of using third-rail equipment to charge battery trains.
This press release from the company describes how they charge their battery electric Class 230 trains.
- The system is patented.
- The system uses a trickle-charged battery pack, by the side of the track to supply the power.
- The first system worked with the London Underground 3rd and 4th rail electrification standard.
As the length of rails needed to be added at charging points is about a metre, installing a charging facility in a station, will not be the largest of projects.
Under How Does It Work?, the press release says this.
The concept is simple – at the terminus 4 short sections of 3rd and 4th rail are installed and connected to the electronic control unit and the battery bank. Whilst the train is in service the battery bank trickle charges itself from the national grid – the benefit of this is that there is a continuous low-level draw such as an EMU would use rather than a one-off huge demand for power.
The train pulls into the station as normal and the shoe-gear connects with the sections of charging rail. The driver need do nothing other than stop in the correct place as per normal and the rail is not live until the train is in place.
That’s it!
As an electrical engineer, I’m certain the concept could be adapted to charge the batteries of a conventional third-rail train.
Vivarail’s press release says this about modification to the trains.
The train’s shoe-gear is made of ceramic carbon so it is able to withstand the heat generated during the fast charge process.
That wouldn’t be a major problem to solve.
Hitachi And Third Rail
The picture shows a Hitachi Class 395 train at Gillingham station.
The silver-coloured third-rail equipment is clearly visible, under the javelin logo.
These trains are cousins of all the new Hitachi trains in the UK, so I suspect fitting third-rail equipment to Class 80x trains, is just a matter of finding the appropriate documents on the computer and raiding the parts bin.
I suspect, as Hitachi will probably be building some more trains for Southeastern to start the Highspeed service between London St. Pancras and Hastings, that Hitachi are already working on the design of a third-rail high-speed train with batteries.
I doubt that Hitachi have any fears about fitting third-rail gear to their trains, as an optional extra.
Electrifying Between Plymouth And Penzance
Obviously, Plymouth and Penzance stations would have charging facilities, but now many would the trains handle the 79.5 miles in between?
There are three possibilities.
Limited-Third Rail Electrification
As I indicated earlier short lengths of intelligent third-rail electrification could be added at various places on the route.
A full battery would take the train fifty-six miles and as the Cornish Main Line is nearly eighty miles long, I suspect that the train would need almost a full charge halfway along the route.
- Hitachi claim in the infographic, that a full-charge takes 10-15 minutes, when the train is static, so I will assume the largest figure of this range, as charging on the move might not be as efficient, with everything happening at 90 mph.
- So I will assume a fifteen minute charge time.
- Typically, a Class 80x takes two hours between Penzance and Plymouth, which is an average speed of just 40 mph.
- In fifteen minutes, the train will go ten miles. So a rough estimate would say ten miles should be electrified.
As electrification in stations would allow trains to have a bigger sup, a scientifically-correct simulation would show the best philosophy.
The London Paddington and Penzance services call at the following stations, that are West of Plymouth.
Liskeard, Saltash, St. Germans, Bodmin Parkway, Lostwithiel, Par, St Austell, Truro, Redruth, Camborne, Hayle and St Erth
Note.
- Some smaller stations do get skipped.
- According to Real Time Trains, stops seem to take 1-2 minutes.
- Trains are usually nine- or ten-cars, but I feel that the proposed improvements between Bodmin General and Bodmin Parkway stations, that I wrote about in Increased Service Provision Bodmin General-Bodmin Parkway, may result in a large reorganisation of services between London and Cornwall.
Could it be that electrifying the major stations with third-rail electrification would enable enough power to be taken on board by a train running between London Paddington and Penzance, so that the journey could be completed?
Vivarail Fast Chargers
Vivarail’s Fast Chargers could be fitted at all or selected stations and trains could take a sip as and when they need.
A charger would also be needed at any Cornish terminal station, that would have services from battery electric trains.
A Mixture Of Third-Rail Electrification And Vivarail Fast Chargers
Both technologies are interchangeable and can be used with compatible battery electric trains.
I would expect an accurate mathematical model will indicate the best layout of electrification and Fast Chargers.
Battery Electric Class 800 Trains Between London Paddington And Bristol Temple Mead Stations
Hitachi have changed the rules on electrification, by the announcement of the development of battery electric trains in collaboration with Hyperdrive Innovation, which I wrote about in Hyperdrive Innovation And Hitachi Rail To Develop Battery Tech For Trains.
The proposed train is described in this Hitachi infographic.
It will have a range on battery power of 90 km or 56 miles.
Currently, services between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads stations are as follows.
- The frequency is two trains per hour (tph)
- Services call at Reading, Didcot Parkway (1tph), Swindon, Chippenham and Bath Spa.
- Services use the electrification between London Paddington and Chippenham.
- Services use diesel power between Chippenham and Bristol Temple Meads.
- Chippenham and Bristol Temple Meads are 24.5 miles apart.
It looks to me that a well-driven Class 800 train with Hyperdrive Innovation’s clever batteries replacing some or all of the diesel engines could run between Chippenham and Bristol Temple Meads stations and back without using a drop of diesel.
It might be a bit tight, but it would certainly be possible, if there were more electrification between Bath Spa and Chippenham stations.
- From this article on the BBC, which is entitled Box Tunnel Reopens After Network Rail Electrification Work, it appears that a lot of the pre-electrification work has been completed.
- This would reduce the distance without wires to perhaps 18-20 miles.
As the Class 800 trains have agile pantographs, I’m sure that it will be possible for battery electric Class 800 trains to run between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads stations.
Electrification At Bristol Temple Meads Station
This will surely happen and with full electrification, the following will be possible.
- Trains would be able to recharge before returning to Chippenham.
- Trains would be able to extend the service using battery power to Weston-super-Mare, which is only twenty miles away.
- Trains would be able to use the power whilst waiting in the station.
It appears that trains that run between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads station, use a selection of platforms in Bristol.
Would it be sensible to reduce the number of platforms used and electrify them first, so that battery electric trains could charge their batteries?
Could A Battery Electric Train Run Between Bristol Temple Means And Taunton Stations?
Consider.
- These two stations are 46 miles apart via Weston-super-Mare, so if there was charging at Taunton, this service might be possible.
- The direct route is a couple of miles shorter.
- A train with full batteries at Taunton, would reach well past Exeter.
Could a battery-electric service be of use in creating Great Western Railway’s timetable, as in the Peak services are extended to Weston-super-Mare and Taunton stations?
It would certainly be lower carbon. than a current journey.
Would The Railway Through Bath Need To Be Electrified?
This would depend on three main factors.
- There is a certain amount of opposition to electrification in the centre of Bath.
- Can all passenger trains through the city be made zero-carbon without electrification?
- Can all freight trains through the city be made zero-carbon without electrification?
I would feel that all passenger trains could be run by appropriate trains, but freight would be a problem under existing technology.
I wouldn’t be surprised, if no electrification was ever erected through Bath!
The Anonymous Widower 