Pop Up Metro Aims To Provide Affordable Passenger Operation
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Trains News Wire.
It describes entrepreneur Henry Posner’s Railroad Development Corporation‘s concept of a Pop-Up Metro and how it is being demonstrated in Rockhill, Pennsylvania, where it is being demonstrated at the Rockhill Trolley Museum.
Routes suggested in the article include.
Not all these routes are fully electrified.
There is some interesting ideas in the concept.
The female project manager is also quoted as saying
I found that if you just say yes to Henry, something interesting happens!
Little did I think, that these days, I’d see that said in a serious article.
Let’s hope that represents the can-do approach behind the design, but staying within the rules of safety.
Southall Station – 28th August 2021
Southall station is now another station, that is ready for Elizabeth!
I took these pictures this morning.
Note.
- It appears all four current platforms will be getting step-free access with lifts.
- The leg of the bridge to Platform 1 hasn’t been completed, although the lift tower is in place.
- The station signage is bi-lingual; English and Punjabi.
- A new modern station building has been added to the North of the original station building, which opened in 1839.
- A level walkway runs between the new station building and the footbridge.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note.
- This image was taken during building of the footbridge.
- The new station building and the walkway to the footbridge don’t appear to have been erected at the time of the image.
- The Southern pair of lines are the fast lines that go through Platforms 1 and 2.
- The Northern pair of lines are the slow lines that go through Platforms 3 and 4, which will be used by Crossrail.
- There is a fifth unused platform face, that shares the island and the stairs and future lift with Platform 1.
This map from cartometro.com shows the lines through the station in detail.
Note the single line coming in from the South-East is the freight-only Brentford Branch.
A Passenger Service On The Brentford Branch
It would appear that, when the builders complete the step-free footbridge at Southall station, that there will be a step-free interchange between Crossrail and any future passenger service on the Brentford Branch.
I feel that the Brentford Branch would be ideal for one of Adrian Shooter‘s Pop-Up-Metros, that would use Vivarail‘s Class 230 trains or similar.
In its simplest form a train would just shuttle between Brentford and the unnumbered fifth platform at Southall station.
Okehampton Railway Return ‘Clear Reality’ After £40m Commitment In Budget
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Okehampton Times.
This is the introductory paragraph.
The return of a regular passenger rail service to Okehampton is now a clear reality after £40m of funding to reinstate services was included in the Budget.
I am not surprised about this planned reopening, as much of the infrastructure is ready.
Okehampton already has a station, which is shown in this Google Map.
It looks as if there are tourist facilities at the station, where you can stay the night and hire bicycles.
The Dartmoor Railway connects the station to the Tarka Line at Coleford Junction.
- The railway appears to be single track.
- There is a single-platform station at Sampford Courtenay.
- A Great Western Railway passenger service connects St. James Park and Okehampton stations on Summer Sundays.
- This service also calls at Exeter Central, Exeter St. Davids and Ctediton stations.
In a section called Future Options for the Wikipedia entry for Okehampton station, finishes with this sentence.
Work started by Network Rail in 2020 on relaying and refurbishing the track between Coleford Junction and Okehampton with a plan to reopen the line to passengers during 2021.
It looks like a rail service could be made permanent and seven days per week, for an affordable budget.
The trains and those on the Tarka Line to Barnstaple are actually turned in a reversing siding at Exmouth Junction, which is shown in this Google Map.
Note.
- St. James Park station is to the West.
- Honiton station is to the East.
- The Avocet Line to Exmouth station goes South East at the bottom of the map.
I suspect that if more trains were reversed at Exmouth Junction, some work on track and signalling might be needed to be done.
This paragraph is taken from this article on the Moorlander, which is entitled Okehampton To Exeter Railway Line Secures More Than £40m Funding.
As The Moorlander has previously reported, the news means that Okehampton will become a ‘railhead’ for the hinterland and benefit three main markets; those wishing to visit the heritage station and Dartmoor, local people from Okehampton travelling to Exeter for work, leisure and education plus potential passengers wanting to connect with the train from West Devon, parts of Torridge and North Cornwall.
That seems all very sensible to me.
Could It Be Trialled As A Pop-Up Metro?
Could it be, that once the line is approved for opening, a service is run for a few months to test out, whether it would be financially viable?
It would be the classic test of the Pop-Up Metro concept, that has been proposed by Adrian Shooter of Vivarail, that I wrote about in Vivarail’s Plans For Zero-Emission Trains.
To be zero-emission, there would need to be one of Vivarail’s Fast Charge systems at Exmouth Junction, which could also charge trains for Barnstaple.
What would zero-emission battery trains serving Barnstaple and Okehampton so for passenger numbers?
Train operators discount the positive effects, these trains have on passengers.
Did Greater Anglia for instance, ever do any market research after the successful trial of the Class 379 BEMU train at Manningtree five years ago? I suspect not!
I estimate that to run the following pair of hourly services would take three trains for each.
- St. James Park and Barnstaple via Exeter Central, Exeter St. Davids and Crediton.
- St. James Park and Okehampton via Exeter Central, Exeter St. Davids and Crediton.
Two extra trains for a hot spare and one in maintenance would typically be added, to give a requirement of eight trains. As Great Western Railway already run the hourly service to Barnstaple, they would probably need another three trains for the Okehampton service.
I think there are two very sensible and affordable philosophies.
Refurbished Class 150 Trains
These pictures show a refurbishment of one of Great Western Railway‘s Class 150 trains.
Note.
- It is one of the finest train refurbishments, I have ever seen.
- As I rode one that had been to Barnstable, they can certainly handle the route.
- Great Western Railway have twenty of these trains.
What’s wrong with a fleet of these trains?
Vivarail Class 230 Trains
Battery-electric or diesel-electric versions of these Class 230 trains would be a possibility.
Note.
- I am not sure, if they could manage the climb to Barnstaple, but as they have have so many different power options, I suspect something is possible.
- If they are battery-electric, there could be a Fast Charge system at Exmouth Junction, where the trains turn back.
- Charging may also be needed at Barnstaple and Okehampton to nudge the trains down the hill.
Suppose the various improvements to track, signals and stations and providing charging cost half of the £40 million, that would leave £20 million to pay for the trains. In a cost comparison from October 2015, it is stated that lease costs of Class 230 trains are £7000 per car per month.
So if we call that £10000 to allow for inflation and the pandemic, that means that 8 x three-car trains will cost £2.88 million per year. There will obviously be maintenance and fuel and electricity costs to add. Let’s make the total £4 million per year.
So that would mean, that after spending £20 million on getting the infrastructure ready, the route could be run for five years as a trial.
Conclusion
Consider.
- I feel that this line has been proposed for reopening, as it looks like there could be a good return on the investment.
- The biggest problem would be finding three trains to run the service.
- I suspect, it could also be implemented in a short period of time and perhaps open for Summer 2021.
This train service could be a prototype for many others in the UK.
LNER Seeks 10 More Bi-Modes
The title of this post, is the same as that of an article in the December 2020 Edition of Modern Railways.
This is the opening paragraph.
LNER has launched the procurement of at least 10 new trains to supplement its Azuma fleet on East Coast Main Line services.
Some other points from the article.
- It appears that LNER would like to eliminate diesel traction if possible.
- On-board energy storage is mentioned.
- No form of power appears to be ruled out, including hydrogen.
- LNER have all 65 of their Azumas in service.
The last paragraph is very informative.
Infrastructure upgrades are due to prompt a timetable recast in May 2022 (delayed from December 2021) from which point LNER will operate 6.5 trains per hour, out of Kings Cross, compared to five today. As an interim measure, LNER is retaining seven rakes of Mk 4 coaches hauled by 12 Class 91 locomotives to supplement the Azuma fleet and support its timetable ambitions until the new trains are delivered.
These are my thoughts.
More Azumas?
Surely, It would require a very innovative train at perhaps a rock-bottom price from another manufacturer, for LNER to not acquire extra Azumas.
Classic-Compatible Trains For High Speed Two
Consider.
- Alstom, Bombardier, CAF, Hitachi, Siemens and Talgo are involved in the competition to design Classic-Compatible trains for High Speed Two.
- As the York and Edinburgh section of the East Coast Main Line will eventually be upgraded and used by High Speed Two services,
- Also in the December 2020 Edition of Modern Railways, is an article entitled 140 mph Plan For ECML North of York, which details improvements proposed by Northern Powerhouse Rail to improve services between Leeds and Edinburgh.
Would there be advantages to High Speed Two, LNER and Network Rail and Northern Powerhouse Rail, to have some commonality between the High Speed Two, LNER and Northern Powerhouse Rail fleets?
Hopefully, the various government-controlled companies are talking.
A Flagship Train For Aberdeen And Inverness
The InterCity 225s, which consist of a Class 91 locomotive and a rake of nine Mark 4 coaches, have given thirty years of top-quality service on the East Coast Main Line and appear to be being asked to handle services until the new trains are delivered.
- Full-length InterCity 225s are 245 metres long and have 406 Standard and 129 First seats or a total of 535 seats.
- Nine-car Azumas are 234 metres long and have 510 Standard and 101 First seats or a total of 611 seats.
- Two five-car Azumas working as a pair are 260 metres long and have 604 seats. They can also be handled on most platforms, that are used by LNER.
- The power of a Class 91 locomotive is 4.83 MW.
- A Class 91 locomotive is 19.4 metres long and weighs 81.5 tonnes.
- Both Azumas and InterCity 225s can maintain 125 mph with ease on the East Coast Main Line and both will be able to reach 140 mph with in-cab signalling.
There would appear to be nothing wrong with locomotive-hauled high speed services, in terms of capacity and performance.
In The Mathematics Of A Hydrogen-Powered Freight Locomotive, I laid out my thoughts on a high-powered railway locomotive fuelled by hydrogen, that used one or possibly two Rolls-Royce gas-turbine engines to generate electricity for traction.
With all the work done, by the companies bidding for Classic-Compatible trains for High Speed Two, into very high speed trains, I believe that at least one company could build a locomotive with this specification.
- 140 mph operation on 25 KVAC overhead electrification. As I said, that was done by British Rail almost forty years ago.
- Ability to use full digital in-cab signalling. This is on its way and already working in some applications.
- 110 mph operation on hydrogen. Hitachi are planning 100 mph battery trains, so it should be possible.
- 400 mile range on one filling of hydrogen. This is working in Germany.
- Ability to be upgraded to higher speeds on electric power, should the East Coast Main Line be upgraded for higher speeds in the future. The train manufacturers are probably ahead of track designers with this one.
Such a locomotive would be key to building a train with this specification.
- Sub-four hour time between London and Edinburgh.
- Sub-seven hour time between London and Aberdeen, which has 130 miles without wires.
- Sub-eight hour time between London and Inverness, which has 146 miles without wires.
- Hydrogen would be used, where there is no electrification.
- Zero-carbon at all times.
- A maximum length of 260 metres, which I estimate could give a passenger capacity of around 640 seats.
- The last coach would include a driving van trailer.
- They would not need the ability to split and join, except for the purpose of rescue, as there is no platform on the route, that could accommodate the resulting 520 metre long pair of trains.
I estimate that a fleet of around seven trains would be needed to run the current Aberdeen and Inverness services.
A few extra thoughts.
- Could they have an up-market more spacious interior, as their main competition to the North of Scotland, would be the budget airlines?
- Could they be slightly longer, with some platform work at Kings Cross and other stations?
- Add a few extra trains to the order, so that extra services between London and Edinburgh could be added to the timetable.
- Could the driving van trailer incorporate an observation car?
- Hydrogen refuelling shouldn’t be a problem in Scotland, as the country is developing a hydrogen economy.
- Hydrogen refuelling wouldn’t be needed in England, as they’d be using the electrification.
- As an alternative to hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel could be used.
I suspect that Talgo, would be very happy to tender.
- They are developing hydrogen-powered trains as I wrote in Talgo: Our Hydrogen Train Will Be Ready In 2023.
- They are building a factory in Scotland, close to the Forth Bridge.
- Because of the factory, Talgo probably have the ear of the Scottish Government, who would probably welcome a Scottish-built train.
- A shorter version of these trains without the hydrogen, could be the design for a High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train, for which Talgo, are on the short list of suppliers.
What better way, would there be to sell your hydrogen-powered high speed trains, than to give prospective clients a ride up from London to the factory in the luxury version?
A New Elizabethan
I can remember The Elizabethan, which was a steam-hauled non-stop express between London and Edinburgh between 1953 and 1961.
I have laid out my ideas for a modern express train of the same name in A New Elizabethan.
It could be an interesting concept, to increase capacity between London and Edinburgh.
Splitting And Joining
Some of LNER’s philosophy to serve places like Harrogate, Huddersfield and Middlesbrough, depends on the ability to split and join trains.
A pair of Azumas could leave London and go to Leeds, where they would split, with one train going to Harrogate and the other going to Huddersfield.
When returning to London, the two trains would join at Leeds.
The big advantage of splitting and joining, is that it increases the capacity on the main line, as services can be arranged, so that every path always carries a full-length train. I would expect that LNER would prefer never to run a single five-car Azuma into Kings Cross.
Currently LNER have these paths to and from Kings Cross.
- 2 tph between London Kings Cross and Leeds
- 1 tph between London Kings Cross and Lincoln and East Yorkshire
- 2 tph between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh
Note.
- LNER have already started to extend services from Leeds, so will we see splitting and joining being used on one tph at Leeds to provide services to several destinations, throughout the day.
- Splitting and joining at Edinburgh is surely another possibility, to serve Stirling and Glasgow, with the same train.
- Splitting and joining at York could serve destinations like Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Redcar, Scarborough and Sunderland.
- In A Trip To Grantham Station – 4th November 2020, I advocated splitting at Grantham station to serve both Nottingham and Lincoln.
There are a lot of possibilities for splitting and joining.
As LNER has a fleet of twenty-two five-car Azumas, if the new trains are needed to split and join on certain services, this might mean more five-car Azumas are a better buy.
What Will Happen To Nine Car Azumas?
Hitachi have launched the Regional Battery Train concept, the specification of which is given in this Hitachi infographic.
The diesel engines in LNER’s Class 800 trains will be able to be replaced with batteries, making them all-electric trains.
- Destinations like Cleethorpes, Dundee, Grimsby, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Hull, Lincoln, Middlesbrough Nottingham, Perth, Redcar, Scarborough, Sheffield and Sunderland will be within range of battery electric Azumas.
- Some destinations would need the ability to charge the train before it returned, but I can see lots of places getting an appropriate service, even if it was just one or two trains per day.
- Unfortunately, Aberdeen and Inverness would be too far for battery electric Azumas, so services will still need to be run by nine-car bi-mode Azumas.
Five-car battery electric Azumas working in pairs from London could be the key to increasing LNER services.
I can see that LNER may end up with too many nine-car Azumas, if nine-car trains are replaced by pairs of five-car trains to serve two destinations by splitting and joining.
Would it be possible to shorten nine-car Azumas to five-car trains?
These are the formations of the two trains.
- nine-car: DPTS-MS-MS-TS-MS-TS-MC-MF-DPTF
- five-car: DPTS-MS-MS-MC-DPTF
It is known, that the trains have a computer, that does a quick check on start-up to determine, what cars are present and correct in the train.
- This means that if LNER needed twelve-car trains for say London and Edinburgh, they could create a sub-fleet by just buying the requisite number of extra TS (Trailer Standard) and MS (Motor Standard) cars and coupling them up.
- This feature also means that operators running fleets of five-car Hitachi trains, like TransPennine Express and Hull Trains can increase capacity by just purchasing the extra cars.
- It would also allow, cars to be shuffled to create viable trains, after say several cars were damaged by vandalism.
All trains these days seem to have this very operator-friendly feature.
With LNER’s trains, I suspect that all cars of the same type are identical.
This would mean, that a nine-car train can be converted to a five-car by removing two TS (Trailer Standard), one MS (Motor Standard) and one MF (Motor First) cars.
The four cars, that have been removed could be reconfigured to form the middle three cars of a new five-car train, which would be completed by adding new DPTS (Driver Pantograph Trailer Standard) and DPTF (Driver Pantograph Trailer First) cars.
An Increase In Paths From 5 To 6.5
This will certainly allow LNER to run more services.
The odd half path could be easy to explain.
- Hull is a city, that is on the up.
- I suspect that it could support a five-car direct service from London with a frequency of one tph.
- But Hull Trains are also running a successful service on the route.
Perhaps a fair solution, would be to allow both LNER and Hull Trains to run a one train per two hour (tp2h) service.
If LNER didn’t want to use the path to just run a five-car train to Hull, there are several possibilities for a split and join.
- With a Cleethorpes, Lincoln or Nottingham service at Grantham.
- With a Cleethorpes or Lincoln service at Newark.
- With a Cleethorpes, Middlesbrough, Sheffield or Sunderland service at Doncaster.
I can only see splitting and joining increasing, which surely means an Azuma order is more likely.
As someone, who spent a working life, writing software to schedule projects, I can’t resist speculating on what to do with the extra whole path, that LNER will be allocated, when the infrastructure allows.
- Many travellers wouldn’t mind LNER providing more seats between the English and Scottish capitals.
- Many would like an alternative to flying.
- Others would like a faster service.
- Leeds and York will soon be a route, that LNER’s Azumas will be able to use without diesel, because of extra electrification and Azumas with traction batteries.
This leads me to believe that LNER could use the extra path for a third London and Edinburgh service in every hour, that ran via Leeds.
- Additionally, it might stop at stations like Peterborough, York, Darlington or Newcastle.
- It could also provide a non-stop London and Leeds service.
- Some services could go non-stop between London and Edinburgh.
- The direct London and Edinburgh service would be under four hours.
- Going via Leeds would add under an hour.
It would be run by a nine-car all-electric Azumas, of which there will be unlikely to be a shortage.
How Many Azumas Could Be Fitted With Batteries Instead Of Diesel Engines?
The Wikipedia entry for the Class 800 train, has a section called Powertrain, where this is said.
Despite being underfloor, the generator units (GU) have diesel engines of V12 formation. The Class 801 has one GU for a five to nine-car set. These provide emergency power for limited traction and auxiliaries if the power supply from the overhead line fails. The Class 800 and Class 802 bi-mode has three GU per five-car set and five GU per nine-car set. A five-car set has a GU situated under vehicles 2/3/4 and a nine-car set has a GU situated under vehicles 2/3/5/7/8.
Consider.
- Class 807 trains for Aventi West Coast will have no batteries or diesel engines. Does this save weight?
- Class 803 trains for East Coast Trains will only have a small battery for emergency hotel power, in case of catenary failure. Does this save weight?
- Saving weight should improve acceleration and deceleration, which could reduce journey times.
- Removal of diesel engines would reduce the trains carbon footprint.
- Removal of diesel engines could reduce maintenance costs.
- Diesel engines are only needed for services that run North of Edinburgh. Other sections without electrification are probably within battery range or could be easily made so.
- It appears every Motor car (MC, MF and MS) can be fitted with a diesel engine, although in Class 801 trains, only one is fitted. Does that mean that every Motor car in the future, could have a battery?
I think this could lead to the following.
- The Class 801 trains are fitted with sufficient batteries to enable handling of expected emergencies. These could be similar to those in the Class 803 trains.
- Enough nine-car Class 800 trains would be kept with diesel engines to work the Aberdeen and Inverness services. These routes at 130 and 146 miles without wires are too long for battery trains, without a succession of chargers along the routes.
- If a third Edinburgh service were to be introduced, could some of the remainder of the nine-car Class 800 trains be converted to Class 801 trains, by removing the diesel engines?
- I would expect most of the five-car thirty-six Class 800 trains would be fitted with batteries to run services to destinations, that can be reached on battery power. In a few years time, these will probably mean splitting and joining at Edinburgh, Leeds and other places.
- Could we even see the twelve five-car Class 801 trains converted to battery electric Class 800 trains, which would surely give maximum flexibility about their use?
If the software on the trains, is as intelligent as it could be and can accept cars with diesel engines, batteries or no extra power, then LNER will have an enormous amount of flexibility, to configure the trains as they need.
I could even see a nine-car Class 800 train with a mix of batteries and diesel engines, that can be used as range extenders, reaching further towards Aberdeen and Inverness.
Consider a five-car Class 800 train with two batteries and a single diesel engine!
- If I assume that Hitachi’s specification for the Regional Battery Train, is for a five-car train with three diesel engines replaced with battery packs, then a two battery pack train could have a range of 60 km or 37 miles.
- If the route wasn’t very challenging, and the computer made judicious use of the diesel engine, could the train’s range be extended to beyond the ninety kilometres of the three-battery pack train.
- The diesel engine could also be used to charge the batteries, before returning to the electrification of the main line.
In Vivarail’s Plans For Zero-Emission Trains, I talked about Adrian Shooter and his concept of a Pop-Up Metro, run for perhaps a year, to test if a Metro service would be viable, instead of spending the money on consultants.
The two-battery pack/one diesel Class 800 train, could run a Pop-Up London Service to test the need for a London service. All it would need is a convenient platform long enough to take a 130 metre long Class 800 train.
Possible destinations to test could include Cleethorpes, Dundee, Glenrothes-with-Thornton, Grimsby, Nottingham, Norwich, Perth, Redcar, Sheffield and Sunderland
Conclusion
There is a lot of scope to develop LNER’s services.
I think it is likely that the order will go to Hitachi.
But as I indicated, I do believe that there is scope for a manufacturer to design a zero-carbon train, that was able to serve the Aberdeen and Inverness.
- I suspect a fleet of ten trains would be sufficient.
- Trains would use the 25 KVAC overhead electrification, where it exists and hydrogen or battery power North of the wires.
The trains would also be capable of being upgraded to high speeds, should the East Coast Main Line be turned into a High Speed Line.
I also think, that whatever trains are bought, there will be a large upgrading of the existing Hitachi fleet, which will add batteries to a lot of trains.
Vivarail’s Plans For Zero-Emission Trains
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the Modern Railways web site.
This is the introductory subtitle.
Vivarail Chairman Adrian Shooter talks to Modern Railways about the company’s Class 230s and its plans for battery trains.
The article is mainly a video of Mr. Shooter talking in front of various examples of Vivarail trains.
It’s probably easier to watch the video and listen on what is said.
But I have some thoughts on what he said.
Battery Range
Consider.
- Early on in the video he talks about a battery range of forty miles with four battery packs on the train.
- He also talks about switching battery supplier to Hoppecke.
- Later he says that a train with six battery packs in the train, has a hundred mile range.
That is impressive.
The number of battery packs has increased by 50 % and the range has gone up by two-and-a-half times.
If those figures are right and I’ve no reason to disbelieve them, then Hoppecke have done a good job with the batteries.
A very rough calculation indicates their size.
- The current 4 x 100 kWh takes the train 40 miles, which is 10 kWh per mile.
- So to travel a hundred miles will need 1000 kWh.
- Divide by six batteries and you get 167 kWh per battery or a 67 % increase in individual battery capacity.
If these are a new generation of batteries, what would they do for Hitachi’s Regional Battery train, which is proposed to have a range of 56 miles? They could give it a range of around 93 miles.
These ranges of distances would be very useful to manufacturers of battery trains.
Charging Battery Trains Using Vivarail’s Fast Charge System
The video did give a few more details of Vivarail’s Fast Charge system.
I was also able to take this screen capture from the video, which shows the extra rails used to pass charge to the train and the batteries.
Note.
- The rails are well-shielded. Not that they’re live unless a train is over the top and connected.
- The driver just has to stop the train in the correct place and automation does the rest.
- This image is four minutes and thirty-five seconds into the video.
My only problem with the design is that those thick copper cables used to bring electricity to the train, way be a tempting target for metal thieves.
Vivarail Now Has Permission To Charge Any Train
Mr. Shooter said this about Vivarail’s Fast Charge system.
The system has now been given preliminary approval to be installed as the UK’s standard charging system for any make of train.
I may have got the word’s slightly wrong, but I believe the overall message is correct.
In the November 2020 Edition of Modern Railways, there is a transcript of what Mr. Shooter said.
‘Network Rail has granted interim approval for the fast charge system and wants it to be the UK’s standard battery charging system’ says Mr. Shooter. ‘We believe it could have worldwide implications.’
I hope Mr. Shooter knows some affordable lawyers, as in my experience, those working in IPR are not cheap.
A Prototype Class 230 Train That Can Use 25 KVAC Is Under Construction
Mr. Shooter also announced that a version of the train with a third can in the middle, with a pantograph on the roof and a 35 KVAC transformer is under construction.
This will enable batteries to be charged from existing electrification.
I can already think of a few routes, where this train could be used.
- Bedford and Bletchley – It would replace a diesel-electric Class 230 train.
- Poulton-le-Fylde and Fleetwood
- Oxenholme and Windermere
- Glasgow Central and East Kilbride
- Glasgow Queen Street and Anniesland
- Chester and Crewe – It would replace a battery Class 230 train
- West Ealing and Greenford
- Slough and Windsor Central
- Henley and Twyford
- Maidenhead and Marlow
This could be the standard train in many places.
The November 2020 Edition of Modern Railways, also has more details on this project.
- The centre vehicle is under construction at their factory at Seaham in County Durham.
- Mr. Shooter is quoted as saying. ‘We’ve identified 60 lines on partially electrified tracks’
Vivarail plans to demonstrate the concept on the Northumberland Line to Blyth and Ashington next spring.
West Highland Opportunity
This is a section of the print article, that is not mentioned in the video.
This is the introductory paragraph.
While Mr. Shooter highlights several opportunities south of the border to deploy the 25kV/battery Class 230, he is particularly interested in deployment of Vivarail trains in Scotland.
And this is the last paragraph, describing a possible deployment on the West Highland Line.
Top of the list is the West Highland Line.
Here a 25kV/battery Class 230 would operate under electric power from Glasgow Queen Street to Craigendoran Junction, switching there to battery power. The batteries could be topped up on the way using Vivarail’s fast charge system, with Mr, Shooter suggesting this could take place at Crianlarich, Oban and Fort William. On the West Highland the 60 mph top speed of the Class 230 is not prohibitive as the top speed on the route does not exceed this.
If this sounds familiar, I made a similar proposal in Hitachi Plans To Run ScotRail Class 385 EMUs Beyond The Wires, in a section, which is entitled Electric Trains On The West Highland Line Between Glasgow And Mallaig/Oban. I start with this sentence.
This might be considered as difficult as putting a London bus on the Moon.
But that was done by the Daily Sport newspaper, so perhaps my reasoning is the same as Vivarail’s.
My conclusion of the section was as follows.
What would battery-electric trains to Oban and Mallaig do for tourism in the area?
Hitachi would have one of the most scenic and iconic test tracks in the world!
These statements would surely, apply to a Vivarail train or a battery electric Class 385 train.
Pop-Up Metro
Mr. Shooter shows a battery train, which is going to the United States to trial a concept called a Pop-up Metro.
- In the US, there are hundreds of lightly used freight lines serving towns and cities
- Temporal separation would mean that freight and passenger trains used the lines at different times of the day.
- Battery powered Vivarail trains could provide a Metro service.
He also talked about his US partner and 50 % shareholder in Vivarail, leasing trains for a year, to see if the concept was viable in a given area. He indicated, the cost could be less than a consultant’s report.
Could the Pop-up Metro concept work in the UK?
In these possible Beeching Reversal projects, there could be scope for using the concept.
- Project Wareham – Complete The Link
- Shepton Mallet (Mendip Vale)
- Increased Service Provision Bodmin General-Bodmin Parkway
- Primrose Line
- Cirencester Community Railway
- South Yorkshire Joint Railway
- Upper Wensleydale Railway
- Restoration Of A Daily Train Service On The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
- The Aston Rowant Extension Of The Chinnor Railway
Note.
- Some of these are on heritage railway infrastructure. Does a Class 230 train count a heritage unit?
- The Aston Rowant Extension is Chiltern territory, so Mr. Shooter could know it well!
- In the Wikipedia entry for the Class 230 train, there is a useful Cost Comparison.
I should say, that I like the concept of a Pop-up Metro.
- The trains have proved they are up to the job.
- A package of one or two trains and a containerised charging system could surely be created.
- Installation of the battery charger in many platforms would not be a major engineering project costing millions.
- On a heritage railway, the enthusiasts could probably do it from their own resources.
But the best point to me, is that a system could probably be leased for a year on a Try-Before-You-Buy basis for less than the cost of a consultant’s report.
Go for it!
Conversion Of Diesel Multiple Units To Battery Electric Multiple Units
This was the bombshell in the tail of the video.
There a lot of diesel multiple units in the UK and Mr. Shooter and Vivarail have developed a plan to convert some of them to battery electric operation.
The trains he is proposing to convert are diesel multiple units, that use a Voith transmission, which I list in How Many Diesel Multiple Units In The UK Have Voith Hydraulic Transmissions?.
Consider.
- There are 815 trains on my list.
- All have a Voith hydraulic transmission, with most having similar type numbers starting with T211.
- Some are 75 mph trundlers and others are full-on 100 mph expresses.
- All have one engine and transmission per car.
They fit into distinct groups.
Sprinters
Sprinters are a group of trains that were produced by British Rail.
The earliest were built in 1984 and all were built in the last century.
- There are 314 trains in total.
- All have a Cummins engine of 213 kW, with one engine per car.
- They have a Voith T211r transmission, which drives two axles per car.
- They have an operating speed of 75 mph.
The trains may be elderly, but like some well-known actresses, they scrub up well with a little TLC.
The pictures show an immaculate refurbished Class 150 train, that I travelled on in Devon.
With a battery electric transmission, they would make a superb rural route and branch line train.
Express Sprinters
Express Sprinters are a group of trains that were produced by British Rail.
- The earliest were built in 1990 and all were built in the last century.
- There are 202 trains in total.
- All have a Cummins engine of between 260 and 300 kW, with one engine per car.
- They have a Voith T211r transmission, which drives two axles per car.
- They have an operating speed of 90 mph.
These pictures show a Class 159 train on a visit to the Swanage Railway, where it was shuttling in visitors.
With a battery electric transmission, that gave a range of say 80 miles at 90 mph, they would be low cost competition for Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train on secondary routes.
Scotrail have forty Class 158 trains, which run on the following routes.
- Glasgow Queen Street and Anniesland – 5.5 miles
- Fife Circle Line – 61 miles round trip
- Stonehaven and Inverurie – 66 miles round trip.
- Borders Railway – 70 miles round trip.
- Edinburgh and Arbroath – 76 miles
- Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh – 82.5 miles
- Inverness and Aberdeen – 108 miles – Inter7City route.
- Inverness and Wick – 174 miles
- Inverness and Edinburgh – 175 miles – Inter7City route.
Note.
- The routes are shown in order of length.
- Anything over a hundred miles would need intermediate charging.
- Some routes would need charging at both ends.
- Glasgow Queen Street and Anniesland would probably not need a Class 158, but is very suitable for a battery electric train.
- The three longest routes from Inverness are probably too long for battery electric power, but two are run by Inter7City trains.
- A battery electric train on the Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh route, would surely be a tourist asset.
With an eighty mile range, ScotRail could find a battery-equipped Class 158 train very useful.
Networkers
Networkers are a group of trains that were produced by British Rail.
- The earliest were built in 1990 and all were built in the last century.
- There are 96 trains in total.
- All have a Perkins engine of 261 kW, with one engine per car.
- They have a Voith T211r transmission, which drives two axles per car.
- They have an operating speed of 75 or 90 mph.
These pictures show ac selection of Class 165 and Class 166 trains.
As with the Express Sprinters, with a battery electric transmission, that gave a range of say 80 miles at 90 mph, they would be low cost competition for Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train on secondary routes.
The Networkers are used by Great Western Railway and Chiltern Railways.
- Great Western Railway do run a few long routes with their Networkers, but these routes would probably be too long for battery operation.
- Local routes around Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth and some short branch lines could be possibilities for battery operation.
- Great Western Railway have also leased tri-mode Class 769 trains for the Reading and Gatwick route.
- Chiltern Railways don’t run their Networkers on the longer routes to Birmingham.
- But they do run them on the shorter routes to Aylesbury (39 miles), Aylesbury Vale Parkway (41 miles), Banbury (69 miles), Gerrards Cross (19 miles), High Wycombe (28 miles), Oxford (66 miles) and Stratford-upon-Avon (104 miles).
- Some of these Chiltern routes must surely be possibilities for battery operation. Especially, as all the stations in the list, don’t appear to be the most difficult to add a Fast Charge facility.
With an eighty mile range, battery-equipped Networkers could be very useful.
Turbostars
Turbostars are a group of trains that were produced at Derby.
- The earliest were built in the last few years of the the last century.
- There are 177 trains in total.
- All have an MTU engine of 315 kW, with one engine per car.
- They have a Voith T211 transmission, which drives two axles per car.
- They have an operating speed of 100 mph.
These pictures show a selection of Turbostar trains.
As with the Express Sprinters and the Networkers, with a battery electric transmission, that gave a range of say 80 miles at 100 mph, they would be low cost competition for Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train on secondary routes.
The post; DfT and Arriva CrossCountry Sign Agreement is partly based on this article on Railway News, which has the same name.
This is a paragraph from the original article.
One element of this new contract is a focus on reducing the environmental impact of the operator’s diesel fleet. For instance, Arriva CrossCountry will do a trial of using electrical shore supplies on its Bombardier Turbostar fleet when these trains are in depots for cleaning. Trains are cleaned both in the winter and at night, which means that the interior lighting and heating systems have to be powered. By using electricity to power these systems instead of the trains’ diesel engines, there will be a reduction in both emissions and noise pollution, which is doubly important when the depots are near built-up areas.
If Turbostars were to have their power unit and transmission updated to battery electric, there would be less need to provide shore supplies to where the trains were to be cleaned.
How Would Sprinters, Express Sprinters, Networkers And Turbostars Be Converted To Battery Electric Power?
The layout of the transmission in all these trains is very similar.
That is not surprising, as they are effectively different interpretations of the same theme over four decades.
- A diesel engine provides the power.
- On the back of the diesel engine, a hydraulic transmission is mounted.
- The transmission performs a similar function to an automatic gearbox in a car. Trains like cars perform better in the right gear.
- The transmission is connected to the final drive in one or more of the bogies using a cardan shaft. The propeller shaft in many rear-wheel-drive vehicles, is a cardan shaft.
In the video at about 5 mins 50 seconds, Mr. Shooter outlines how the train will be converted to battery electric drive.
- The diesel engine, hydraulic transmission, radiator, fuel tank and all the other diesel-related gubbins will be removed.
- A 280 kW electric traction motor will be installed, which will be connected to the cardan shaft.
- Batteries will be installed. Possibly, they will fit, where the diesel engine was originally located.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the weight of the battery was similar to that of all the equipment that has been removed, as this would mean the train’s handling wouldn’t change.
- Acceleration will be faster, as it is in electrically-powered road vehicles.
- The traction motor can work in reverse to slow the train and the energy regenerated by braking can be stored in the batteries.
- Mr. Shooter doesn’t say if his battery electric trains use regenerative braking in the video, but it is possible and a common procedure, as it saves energy.
An intelligent control system will control everything according to the driver’s needs and wishes.
This extract from the print edition, gives Mr. Shooter’s advantages of this diesel to battery electric conversion.
‘Unlike cars, trains have a planned duty cycle so you can easily plan for when the batteries should be charged’ says. Mr. Shooter. ‘Our analysis shows the fuel cost would be halved and the maintenance cost would be halved compared to a DMU. And to allay concerns about battery life we would offer to lease batteries on a cost per mile. You get the financial payback within five years, with the greenness free of charge!’ Mr. Shooter reports early work by Vivarail suggests a converted battery train on the Far North line might need fast charge stations at four locations.
Where In The World Is This?
The print edition of the interview poses an interesting question.
Mr. Shooter says the opportunities are significant, and reports Vivarail is in discussions with an overseas customer about a bid for battery trains for a new 500 mile line which would incorporate 12 fast charge points at stations. He also said customers are suggesting the use of solar parks or even tidal power to feed the static batteries at the fast charge stations, rather than power coming from the local supply.
Imagine two large cities about 500 miles apart, with a string of small towns between them.
- The small towns might be on a scenic river or coastline.
- Commuters drive to both cities.
- People from the two cities visit the area to relax.
- There might even be a lightly used freight line or a dismantled railway alignment running between the cities.
- Perhaps, the road network is overloaded and a green alternative is needed.
Given, Vivarail is part-owned, by an American entrepreneur, I would expect, the proposed line is somewhere in North America. But I also think there would be possibilities in Australia, around the coast of the Baltic Sea and India and South East Asia.
Cpnclusion
This is the conclusion of the print article in Modern Railways.
While electrification will be the key component in decarbonising traction emissions, battery technology will have a role to play, and Vivarail is at the forefront of this development.
I wholeheartedly agree.
Beeching Reversal – Project Wareham – Complete The Link
This is one of the Beeching Reversal projects that the Government and Network Rail are proposing to reverse some of the Beeching cuts.
A Visit To The Swanage Railway describes an enjoyable visit I made to the Swanage Railway, just after the first part of Project Wareham had been completed.
This was my conclusion in that post.
There is a lot of potential to improve services on the Swanage Railway.
I suspect that if South Western Railway and the Swanage Railway got into serious discussion, there will be a solution, that would be beneficial to both parties and all those who live and work in or visit Swanage and the Isle of Purbeck.
This page on the Swanage Railway web site describes the project.
Completing Project Wareham
I can find very little on the Internet about what is proposed in the completion of this project.
So perhaps, the proposal is to start a project to see what could be developed on the Swanage Railway to the benefit of residents, commuters and visitors.
Hourly Trains
From a railway point of view, I suspect the most important thing, is to make it possible for an hourly train to connect from the Swanage Railway to the South Western Main Line.
This would enable the following.
- Residents along the route to commute to or go shopping in Poole and Bournemouth.
- Better public transport connections to the local councils at Dorchester and Warham.
- Better visitor access to the Isle of Purbreck and especially the Swanage Railway.
- Development of some possible housing and industrial sites.
There could be a lot of beneficiaries.
What Trains Would Be Used?
The Swanage Railway seem to be proposing running heritage diesel multiple units on connecting services. They have a Class 117 train and a Class 121 train, that were built around 1960, that have been fully-refurbished for the service.
These would be fine for the service and I suspect to cut emissions, they could be run on biodiesel.
I also think that if the service was successful, that more trains would be needed.
Consider.
- The South Western Main Line is fully-electrified.
- The Swanage Railway is only 5.5 miles long.
- South Western Railway probably want to go to an all-electric fleet.
- Battery electric train technology is improving rapidly.
- South Western Railway will probably be running battery electric trains on other services in their network.
- The route might be suitable for Vivarail’s ideas, like the Pop-Up-Metro.
I believe that South Western Railway could connect Wareham and Swanage with a battery electric train charged on the main line.
I’m sure that Bombardier, CAF, Hitachi, Siemens or Stadler, would be able to supply a suitable battery electric train to replace the company’s Class 158 and Class 159 diesel multiple units.
Where Would The Trains Run?
Consider.
- The obvious route is between Wareham and Swanage, but as I showed in A Visit To The Swanage Railway, the timings might not be friendly to an hourly shuttle.
- Changing trains is something that discourages regular passengers.
- I believe a service to Poole or Bournemouth may be more attractive to passengers.
- Some passengers might even like the occasional service to London.
I can see an innovative timetable being developed containing elements like these.
- One train per two hours (tp2h) between Swanage and Wareham, run by the Swanage Railway. using a heritage diesel multiple unit.
- One tp2h between Swanage and Poole or Bournemouth via Wareham, run by South Western Railway, using a modern battery electric multiple unit.
- Some services might extend past Bournemouth to Southampton or Salisbury.
- Early morning and late night services between Swanage and Bournemouth.
- At least one train per day in both directions between Swanage and London Waterloo.
- Services would be seven days per week.
I believe that the more comprehensive the service, the more it will be used.
Conclusion
After my visit in November 2018, I said this.
There is a lot of potential to improve services on the Swanage Railway.
I stand by what I said and feel that comprehensive services between Swanage and Wareham can be developed for the benefit of residents, travellers and train companies.
Beeching Reversal – Shepton Mallet (Mendip Vale)
This is one of the Beeching Reversal projects that the Government and Network Rail are proposing to reverse some of the Beeching cuts.
This article on Rail Technology News is entitled Shepton Mallet Railway Station And Services Could Be Restored Under New Vision.
These are the introductory paragraphs.
National rail services could be restored to a Somerset town after the local authority unveiled a new vision for the rail route.
Shepton Mallet’s current nearest mainline station is Castle Cary which is over seven miles away, but new stations and a bypass have been proposed in a business case from Mendip District Council for major new transport projects.
In the Wikipedia entry for the East Somerset Railway, this is said.
On 25 March 2007, the East Somerset Railway announced that it had received a £7,500 grant from Shepton 21 Group, a local organisation, set up to regenerate the area around Shepton Mallet. The money was to be spent on conducting a feasibility study into extending the line towards Shepton Mallet, with a possible new terminus at Cannards Grave, on the outskirts of Shepton Mallet
This Google Map shows the South-Eastern edge of Shepton Mallet.
Note.
- The scar of the disused railway passing East-West through the town.
- Mendip Vale station on the East Somerset Railway on the Eastern side of the map.
- The Cannard’s Grave area of the town, with what appears to be a new road system.
Would it be possible to extend the East Somerset Railway to a new Parkway station in the Cannard’s Grave area?
It certainly looks the most likely plan.
This map clipped from Wikipedia, shows the route of the railway.
The railway may be only 2.5 miles long, but it does provide a connection for the important Merehead Quarry to the UK rail network.
The tracks to the Quarry and Shepton Mallet join up to the South West of the quarry before joining the Heart of Wessex Line, that connects Bristol Temple Meads and Weymouth stations via Bath Spa, Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge, Westbury, Frome. Castle Cary and Yeovil.
Passenger Train Services
This Google Map shows East Somerset Junction, where the branch line joins the Heart of Wessex Line.
Note.
- Frome, Westbury, Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads are to the North East.
- The double-track railway going South-West is the Heart of Wessex Line to Castle Cary, Yeovil and Weymouth.
- The East Somerset Railway is the single-track joining from the West.
There is no direct access to and from the branch from the South-West. But then all of the quarry traffic needs to go to and from via the junction at Westbury.
In Westbury Station – 30th July 2020, I discussed the development of Westbury station.
This was my 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.
Perhaps, an hourly service between Westbury and Shepton Mallet Parkway stations could be added to the services?
- I estimate that Westbury and Shepton Mallet Parkway stations are about 13.5 miles apart
- With an intermediate stop at Frome, I estimate that it would be a twenty minute journey.
- A shuttle would need just one train and could run a passenger-friendly clock-face timetable.
- A two-car diesel multiple unit would probably be good enough to open the service.
- The service could be fully-integrated with all the other services passing through Westbury.
It would also be a shuttle service, that could be run using a battery electric train charging at Westbury station.
Vivarail’s Pop-up Metro
The route could be ideal for Vivarail’s Pop-up Metro.
- It is 27 miles for a round trip.
- I’m sure space could be found for charging at either Shepton Mallet or Westbury.
- A two-car train would be large enough.
it could be an extension to the Transwilts local system.
Conclusion
I like this proposal.
- The only infrastructure required is the Park-and-Ride station at Shepton Mallet Parkway.
- Much of the route is currently used by heavy freight trains.
- I doubt that the East Somerset Railway will object.
- I’m sure, that a diesel multiple unit could be found for the shuttle.
- The passenger services will have good connections at Westbury station.
In a future zero-carbon world, it could be run by battery electric trains, charging at Westbury station.
Beeching Reversal – Increased Service Provision Bodmin General-Bodmin Parkway
This is one of the Beeching Reversal projects that the Government and Network Rail are proposing to reverse some of the Beeching cuts.
This Google Map shows the relationship of the two Bodmin General and Bodmin Parkway stations.
The two stations are clearly visible.
The aim of this Beeching Reversal project would appear to set up a more regular service between Bodmin Parkway station on the Cornish Main Line and Bodmin General station in the town.
This video shows some of the current trains run by the Bodmin and Wenford railway, between the two stations.
This article on Cornwall Live is entitled Plan To Link Heritage Railway At Bodmin To Mainline Train Services, gives a few scant details.
- There will be a second platform at Bodmin General station.
- This will allow extra services.
Looking at the space around Bodmin Parkway station, it should be possible to have a very comprehensive track layout, that connects the Bodmin branch to the main line.
It also appears that the platform is fully-funded from Great Western Railway (GWR) and Cornwall County Council.
Could A Shuttle Be Run Using Vivarail’s Pop-up Metro Concept?
Using Vivarail’s Pop-up Metro between the two stations is surely a possibility, with charging at either station.
What Do GWR Want In Return For Their Funding?
I think that GWR could have a couple of uses for a platform at Bodmin General station.
Reorganising The Services Between London Paddington and the South-West
Currently, there are three services on this route.
- London Paddington and Exeter St. Davids via Reading, Newbury, Pewsey, Westbury, Castle Cary, Taunton, Tiverton Parkway.
- London Paddington and Plymouth via Reading, Taunton, Tiverton Parkway, Exeter St Davids, Newton Abbot, Totnes.
- London Paddington and Penzance via Reading, Taunton, Tiverton Parkway, Exeter St Davids, Newton Abbot, Totnes, Plymouth, Liskeard, Bodmin Parkway, Lostwithiel, Par, St Austell, Truro, Redruth, Camborne, St Erth.
All services have a frequency of one train per two hours (tp2h)
Perhaps by reorganising the train paths, GWR could run another 1 tp2h service between London Paddington and Bodmin or Newquay station after the Transformation Of The Newquay Line.
Joining And Splitting Between London Paddington And The South-West
GWR’s Hitachi Class 80x trains have the ability to run in pairs, that are split and joined at convenient places en route.
This YouTube video, shows them doing it in Plymouth station.
As a means of evening out passenger loadings on pairs of trains running to the South-West, the two large stations of Exeter St. Davids and Plymouth would surely be possibilities for the manoeuvre.
I also think that Bodmin Parkway station could be used to split and join two trains from Cornwall.
- One train would come from Penzance and the West.
- The other could come from either Newquay or Bodmin General stations.
- In the future the second train, might come from a new Wadebridge station.
Bodmin Parkway station might need some small modifications, but it should be remembered that the closely-related Class 395 trains, do the deed and quickly disappear at Ashford International station.
Creating A Bodmin-Wadebridge Railway
There are also plans in the Beeching Reversal projects for the Reinstatement of the Bodmin-Wadebridge Railway
For trains to travel between Bodmin Parkway and Wadebridge stations, trains will need to reverse in the new platform at Bodmin General station.
Local Services From Exeter And Plymouth
From what I have read on the Internet, the Bodmin and Wenford Railway is an important tourist attraction and is one of several around Bodmin including the beaches and the Camel Trail.
So perhaps, a connection between Bodmin and Exeter and/or Plymouth in a vintage InterCity 125 could be a nice little earner for GWR and an appropriate way to arrive at the steam railway.
Steam Local Services From Exeter And Plymouth
Why not?
The new platform at Bodmin General station could probably take a locomotive and four coaches and all the facilities to handle steam engines are in the vicinity of the station.
Could The New Platform Be Used For High Speed Freight Shuttles?
Why not?
Rail Operations Group is looking at the possibility of running Class 769 trains as freight shuttles.
Bodmin could make an ideal Cornish terminal, as it’s the right side of county and has the main A38 close by.
Could The Platform Be Used To Charge Battery Electric Trains?
I feel that First Group are starting to embrace battery trains.
In Hitachi Trains For Avanti, I talked about how a fellow First Group company were reporting, that they might have battery trains.
If Great Western Railway were running extra trains into Cornwall, would a new platform at Bodmin General station, be an ideal place to charge a train?
Conclusion
A second platform at Bodmin General station could open up a lot of possibilities for train operating companies.
Beeching Reversal – South Yorkshire Joint Railway
This is one of the Beeching Reversal projects that the Government and Network Rail are proposing to reverse some of the Beeching cuts.
This railway seems to have been forgotten, as even Wikipedia only has a rather thin entry for the South Yorkshire Joint Railway.
The best description of the railway, that I’ve found is from this article in the Doncaster Free Press, which is entitled South Yorkshire Railway Line, Which Last Carried Passengers 100 Years Ago Could Be Reopened.
This is said.
The line remains intact, and recently maintained, runs from Worksop through to Doncaster, via North and South Anston, Laughton Common/Dinnington and Maltby.
I jave got my helicopter out and navigating with the help of Wikipedia, I have traced the route of the South Yorkshire Joint Railway (SYJR) between Worksop and Doncaster.
Shireoaks Station
This Google Map shows the Southern end of the SYJR on the Sheffield and Gainsborough Central Line between Shireoaks and Kiveton Park stations.
Note.
- Shireoaks station is in the East.
- Kiveton Park station is in the West.
- The SYJR starts at the triangular junction in the middle of the map.
- Lindrick Golf Club, where GB & NI, won the Ryder Cup in 1957 is shown by a green arrow to the North of Shireoaks station.
- The original passenger service on the SYJR, which closed in the 1920s, appears to have terminated at Shireoaks station.
The line immediately turns West and then appears to run between the villages of North and South Anston.
Anston Station
This Google Map shows the location of Anston station.
Note that the SYJR goes between the two villages and runs along the North side of the wood, that is to the North of Worksop Road.
Dinnington & Laughton Station
This Google Map shows the location of the former Dinnington & Laughton station.
Note that the SYJR goes to the west side of both villages, so it would have been quite a walk to the train.
Maltby Station
This Google Map shows the location of the former Maltby station.
Note.
- The SYJR goes around the South side of the village.
- The remains of the massive Maltby Main Colliery, which closed several years ago.
I wonder if they fill the shafts of old mines like this. if they don’t and just cap them, they could be used by Gravitricity to store energy. In Explaining Gravitricity, I do a rough calculation of the energy storage with a practical thousand tonne weight. Maltby Main’s two shafts were 984 and 991 metres deep. They would store 2.68 and 2.70 MWh respectively.
It should be noted that Gravitricity are serious about 5.000 tonnes weights.
Tickhill & Wadworth Station
This Google Map shows the location of the former Tickhill & Wadworth station.
Note.
- Tickhill is in the South and Wadworth is in the North.
- Both villages are to the West of the A1 (M)
- The SYJR runs in a North-Easterly direction between the villages.
The station appears to have been, where the minor road and the railway cross.
Doncaster iPort
The SYJR then passes through Doncaster iPort.
Note.
- The iPort seems to be doing a lot of work for Amazon.
- The motorway junction is Junction 3 on the M18.
- The SYJR runs North-South on the Western side of the centre block of warehouses.
This is Wikipedia’s introductory description of the iPort.
Doncaster iPort or Doncaster Inland Port is an intermodal rail terminal; a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange, under construction in Rossington, Doncaster at junction 3 of the M18 motorway in England. It is to be connected to the rail network via the line of the former South Yorkshire Joint Railway, and from an extension of the former Rossington Colliery branch from the East Coast Main Line.
The development includes a 171-hectare (420-acre) intermodal rail terminal to be built on green belt land, of which over 50 hectares (120 acres) was to be developed into warehousing, making it the largest rail terminal in Yorkshire; the development also included over 150 hectares (370 acres) of countryside, the majority of which was to remain in agricultural use, with other parts used for landscaping, and habitat creation as part of environment mitigation measures.
It ;looks like the SYJR will be integrated with the warehouses, so goods can be handled by rail.
Onward To Doncaster
After the iPort, the trains can take a variety of routes, some of which go through Doncaster station.
I have some thoughts on the South Yorkshire Joint Railway (SYJR).
Should The Line Be Electrified?
This is always a tricky one, but as there could be a string of freight trains running between Doncaster iPort and Felixstowe, something should be done to cut the carbon emissions and pollution of large diesel locomotives.
Obviously, one way to sort out Felixstowe’s problem, would be to fill in the gaps of East Anglian electrification and to electrify the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line between Peterborough and Doncaster via Lincoln. But I suspect Lincolnshire might object to up to fifteen freight trains per hour rushing through. Even, if they were electric!
I am coming round to the believe that Steamology Motion may have a technology, that could haul a freight train for a couple of hours.
These proposed locomotives, which are fuelled by hydrogen and oxygen, will have an electric transmission and could benefit from sections of electrification, which could power the locomotives directly.
So sections of electrification along the route, might enable the freight trains to go between Felixstowe and Doncaster iPort without using diesel.
It should be said, that Steamology Motion is the only technology, that I’ve seen, that has a chance of converting a 3-4 MW diesel locomotive to zero carbon emissions.
Many think it is so far-fetched, that they’ll never make it work!
Electrification of the line would also enable the service between Doncaster and Worksop to be run by Class 399 tram-trains, which are pencilled in to be used to the nearby Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
What Rolling Stock Should Be Used?
As I said in the previous section, I feel that Class 399 tram-trains would be ideal, if the line were to be electrified.
Also, if the line between Shireoaks and Kiveton Park stations were to be electrified to Sheffield, this would connect the South Yorkshire Joint Line to Sheffield’s Supertram network.
Surely, one compatible tram-train type across South Yorkshire, would speed up development of a quality public transport system.
A service could also be run using Vivarail’s Pop-up Metro concept, with fast charging at one or two, of any number of the stations.
Conclusion
This seems to be a worthwhile scheme, but I would like to see more thought on electrification of the important routes from Felixstowe and a unified and very extensive tram-train network around Sheffield.
Beeching Reversal – Upper Wensleydale Railway
This is one of the Beeching Reversal projects that the Government and Network Rail are proposing to reverse some of the Beeching cuts.
This map from the Upper Wensleydale Railway web site, shows the location of the proposed reinstated railway.
This is the vision of how the railway will be used, taken from the web site.
It is hoped that a reinstated junction with the existing Leeds – Settle – Carlisle railway line at Garsdale will allow ‘through’ trains to run from Hawes via Garsdale Junction, past the Yorkshire Three Peaks to Settle, then onwards through Hellifield and Clitheroe into Lancashire for Preston and Greater Manchester.
We are also hoping that some Manchester – Blackburn – Clitheroe trains can be extended to Garsdale and Hawes thereby linking Lancashire to an enhanced service through Settle to the Yorkshire Peaks and Dales.
Connections with other trains could be made at Hellifield (for West Yorkshire & Lancaster) and at Garsdale (for Carlisle, Scotland & the North East of England).
This Google map shows the current state of the railways at Garsdale.
Note.
- Garsdale station in the South-West corner of the map.
- The Settle and Carlisle Line curving away to the North over the Dandry Mire Viaduct.
- The trackbed of the former branch to Hawes stands out as a green scar.
I have followed the route of the railway to Hawes in my helicopter and it doesn’t appear to be a very challenging project to reinstate.
- Although the comprehensive Routes and Structures page on the Upper Wensleydale Railway, indicates there is a lot to do.
- It is about six miles long.
- It is single track with a passing loop at Hawes.
This Google Map shows the town of Hawes,
It certainly looks the sort of place, where Wallace and Gromit might rent a cottage for a week and use as a base to explore the countryside.
- There’s a Wensleydale Creamery.
- There’s a traditional ropemaker called Outhwaite, dating from 1905, who have the web site; www.ropemakers.com.
- The headquarters of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority are located in the North of the town and shown by a green arrow.
Next to the Park Authority is a blue arrow marking the Dales Countryside Museum, which incorporates the original Hawes railway station.
Services To Hawes
Looking at the data from Real Time Trains, it looks like trains on the Settle and Carlisle average about fifty mph on that line, which is generally double-track with an operating speed of sixty mph.
- I would estimate that a modern diesel or hydrogen-powered train could do the return trip between Garsdale and Hawes station in around thirty minutes.
- This time would probably mean that the Hawes Branch could be worked with only one train operational on the branch.
- It would also fit in well with the service plans for the Upper Wensleydale Railway.
I am fairly certain that an hourly service could be run between Hawes and Hellifield stations, which could be extended as far South as the operator wanted.
Military Traffic To Redmire
In the Wikipedia entry for Redmire village, this is said.
Redmire is the terminus of the Wensleydale Railway. The Ministry of Defence uses trains to transport armoured vehicles from bases in the south to the Catterick military area using Redmire railway station as its terminus.
It looks like there must be a quality railway between Redmire station and the East Coast Main Line at Northallerton.
This Google Map shows the site of Redmire station.
Note.
- At the left hand side of the map, there look to be loading ramps for the military vehicles, at the end of two sidings.
- The building on the North side of the tracks appears to be the old Redmire station buildings.
- The blue dot to the right, is a Google Maps pointer for the station
If you type Redmire into Google Maps, it’s easy to find..
This Google Map shows the rail lines at Northallerton.
Note.
Northallerton station in the South-East corner of the map.
The East Coast Main Line runs about West-by-North from the station towards Darlington and Scotland.
The line to Middlesbrough branches off in a North-Easterly direction.
The Wensleydale Railway comes in from the West and joins the East Coast Main Line going North.
It also appears there used to be a tight chord that allowed trains to go between the Wensleydale Railway and the South.
It looks like the Army would like that chord for their vehicle trains.
This enlarged Google Map, shows the site of the chord.
It looks to me, that it was once a chord, but now it’s a substantial wood.
A Bigger Plan
In the Wikipedia entry for the Wensleydale Railway, there is a section, which is entitled Upper Wensleydale Railway, where this is said.
In late 2019/early 2020, a separate company was formed to campaign to reinstate the line between Hawes and Garsdale. The groups’ objective is to have a timetabled year-round service run by a train operating company, rather than a heritage service. This scheme was shortlisted for funding in the second round of the government’s Reverse Beeching Fund, in June 2020.
These are my thoughts on various topics.
The Eastern Terminal
There are three possible Eastern terminals.
- Northallerton
- Middlesbrough – There is no connection to the Wensleydale Railway.
- Darlington – Would probably mean slow trains on the East Coast Main Line.
I think we’re left with Northallerton and the tight connection, which requires the chord to be reinstated.
But, it does say in the Wikipedia entry for Northallerton station, that the station is the terminus for the proposed extended Wensleydale Railway.
This Google Map shows the Northern end of Northallerton station.
Would it be possible to sneak a line down the Western side of the East Coast Main Line and into a new bay platform at the station?
It would certainly allow trains from the Wensleydale Railway to terminate at Northallerton station.
The Western Terminal
As I said earlier, it’s the operator’s choice.
Personally, I would choose Blackburn station.
- It’s about fifty miles from Gardale station.
- There is a train depot at Blackburn.
- Blackburn station is in the Town Centre.
- Blackburn station has good rail connections to Blackpool, Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester and Preston.
Prior to COVID-19, I regularly stayed in the convenient Premier Inn next to the station.
Rolling Stock
The trains will have to be self-powered, as I don’t think the budget will run to electrification and much of the track-bed is owned by a heritage railway.
So that must mean the trains must be self-powered, which will mean either diesel, electric or hydrogen.
- I think diesel can be ruled out, except as a stop-gap, we are going carbon-neutral on the railways by 2040.
- Blackburn and Northallerton stations are too far for battery power.
So that means it must be hydrogen power.
But as, it appears that Teesside is going for hydrogen, as I wrote about in Fuelling The Change On Teesside Rails, that should be a convenient fuel.
The route might be a candidate for Vivarail’s Pop-up Metro concept, with fast charging at one or two, of any number of the stations.
Conclusion
I like this scheme, as it sorts a lot of problems.
I also think that there’s a fair chance, it will get the nod.
The local MP is the Chancellor of the Exchequer; Rishi Sunak and this could be a case of he who pays the piper, calls the tune!
The Anonymous Widower 