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| Attempts at replacing the "Stockport 5" 19/09/2019 at 22:19 #120509 | |
Muzer
718 posts |
I'm having a conversation with some friends right now and wanted to discuss the stories of the (two?) attempts to replace the five signalboxes in the Stockport area with more modern installations. Reaching into the depths of my memories I can remember reading something about an attempt during electrification to create a Stockport PSB, and a later attempt under Railtrack's WCML upgrade which eventually was abandoned in 2007 after some work had already been done. However I can't find any reference at all to the first when googling, and as for the second I can only find quite brief news articles about it, and crucially not why the system failed and had to be abandoned. Does anyone know where I can read the full stories behind these two failures to replace the Stockport 5? Have there been any more attempts to replace them that I'm not aware of? (Incidentally I feel like a witch must have once worked in one of the boxes and enjoyed it so much she put a curse on any future replacement plans :D) Log in to reply |
| Attempts at replacing the "Stockport 5" 19/09/2019 at 22:27 #120511 | |
Steamer
3985 posts |
I understand Stockport was intended to be resignalled as part of the projet that created Manchester South; however, that project descended into farce and the decision made to life-extend the Stockport area. There was also Railtrack's barmy idea of pairing the lines by speed, rather than direction- despite the platforms at Levenshulme and Heaton Chapel being on the outer (Slow) lines only, with no space for a central island. "Don't stress/ relax/ let life roll off your backs./ Except for death and paying taxes/ everything in life.../ is only for now." (Avenue Q) Log in to reply |
| Attempts at replacing the "Stockport 5" 20/09/2019 at 09:15 #120513 | |
jc92
3689 posts |
Steamer in post 120511 said:I understand Stockport was intended to be resignalled as part of the projet that created Manchester South; however, that project descended into farce and the decision made to life-extend the Stockport area.I think it was around that time that the remaining mechanical shunt discs were replaced with GPLs and the points went over fully to motor operation. "We don't stop camborne wednesdays" Log in to reply |
| Attempts at replacing the "Stockport 5" 20/09/2019 at 12:56 #120515 | |
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Steamer
3985 posts |
There's a fairly detailed series of posts on WNXX Forum, where the subject came up as a tangent to another discussion. The posts are here, you need a (free) account to read: https://www.wnxxforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=25400&p=600986&hilit=Ansaldo#p600925 A simple summary is that Railtrack, in their infinite wisdom, decided to award the scheme to Ansaldo, which had no prior experience of UK signalling systems. You can guess how well that went... "Don't stress/ relax/ let life roll off your backs./ Except for death and paying taxes/ everything in life.../ is only for now." (Avenue Q) Log in to reply |
| Attempts at replacing the "Stockport 5" 20/09/2019 at 17:34 #120516 | |
Edgemaster
332 posts |
Steamer in post 120515 said:A simple summary is that Railtrack, in their infinite wisdom, decided to award the scheme to Ansaldo, which had no prior experience of UK signalling systems. You can guess how well that went...Searching for "Ansaldo" on RSSB's register of deviations from UK railway standards is also rather enlightening. Log in to reply |
| Attempts at replacing the "Stockport 5" 20/09/2019 at 18:01 #120517 | |
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Steamer
3985 posts |
Edgemaster in post 120516 said:Steamer in post 120515 said:The one on Page 66 especially...A simple summary is that Railtrack, in their infinite wisdom, decided to award the scheme to Ansaldo, which had no prior experience of UK signalling systems. You can guess how well that went...Searching for "Ansaldo" on RSSB's register of deviations from UK railway standards is also rather enlightening. "Don't stress/ relax/ let life roll off your backs./ Except for death and paying taxes/ everything in life.../ is only for now." (Avenue Q) Log in to reply The following user said thank you: jc92 |
| Attempts at replacing the "Stockport 5" 20/09/2019 at 22:00 #120518 | |
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Jan
906 posts |
I also stumbled across this topic (and further mentions of Ansaldo's trials and tribulations) a little while ago while browsing through some back copies of the IRSE News, although unfortunately it seems that those particular issues have (hopefully temporarily) become unavailable after their homepage redesign - the old public archive used to go back to Issue 131, whereas currently it only starts at issue 196, and the issue in question must have been one near the start of the old homepage...
Two million people attempt to use Birmingham's magnificent rail network every year, with just over a million of them managing to get further than Smethwick. Log in to reply |