Full coverage of the whole electrification programme in the latest edition of Rail. Good to see a full over view and how everything fits together, including the prospect of an electric spine from the South Coast to the Midlands.

I would agree that the South West is the loser. However there is also an article on the reopening of the "Withered Arm." For now just reopening to Tavistock from Bere Alston. However the gap to Oakhampton would only be 15.5 miles and most of the track bed is intact. Would this be a better route to electrify in the future? Would solve the problem of the Dawlish Sea Wall.

Finally there is an article on the design challenges of HS2. A look beyond the politics to the challenges of designing a transport facility for the 21st century.

This is an edition of Rail for those who want to be informed and gives a lot of food for thought.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

The Midland Mainline has been crying out for serious investment/electrification for years so its great its in the pipeline.

One route that should be electrified is Stalybridge-Leeds-York as an extension of the Edgehill (Liverpool)-Manchester Victoria-Stalybridge which is already in the pipeline as far as I know.

I know the Settle-Carlisle route is often used for keeping slower moving freight off the WCML but I think the whole character of the line would be ruined if they electrified it.

Robert Riddles
 

I think Robert Riddles was right when he set his face firmly against dieselisation, arguing that the way forward was to electrify. Riddles stuck to his guns over the Standard steam programme, and some fine Standard locos were built. Many Standard locos were needlessly scrapped in favour of expensive diesels. I think steam should have been used on most routes until electrification, as it was at my old shed Enfield.
The 1955 modernisation plan should have been a 25 year plan to electify all major routes.The diesels to cover all the remaining routes as the Steam locomotives became life expired. What a waste to scrap so many modern steam locomotives and also to scrap so many diesel designs that had been introduced in haste.

No plan in those days could last longer than a government, even likely to change with a change of Chancellor.

Got to agree with you there wyvern.

Midland Mainline
 

The Midland mainline electrification is undoubtedly welcome, but, how much use will the wires get?

At the moment at Peaktimes, I think, (someone corect me if i am wrong here) there are about 10 trains an hour south bound out of Sheffield. Of these, two an hour go to London, and can be electrically powered.

The rest, either go to Manchester, Nottingham,or the south west, none of which are on electrified routes.Very little freight will be electrically hauled as the "old road" is not to be electrified.

Wouldn't it be far better in the short term, to electrify from Sheffield down the old GC to the ECML, or across to Doncaster.

Ian

Well for me this is a long overdue start. Naturally not everything can be put into place at one go and a start has to be made somewhere. I would imagine once the initial routes have been built, future developments will take place. Over many years (long after I have left this mortal planet) I expect electrification will be expanded to the outlying areas too. What about freight! Certainly not in the first phases of electrification will this happen but again why not for the future! It has to be the only way to go, unless anyone can come up with an alternative!
Bring it on the sooner the better for all the country but I doubt I will ever see it completed.
All the best
Phil

Ian
you not far wrong per hour there are

there are usually 2 but sometimes 3 both ways Sheffield / London trains

then there are 2 Arriva Cross Country each way an hour (almost 30 minutes apart)

then there is a Northern Rail service Leeds / Nottingham one each way an hour

The last Passenger is the Norwich / Liverpool one service each way

then the Freight is confused as there are slots for RTC trains that rarely get used and there are some for GBRf Coal and Oil trains that don't get used too
but then there are some extra DBS / EWS services though not many usually Lt Engine workings towards Toton

Have got the timetables somewhere but not used them for a while as the weather doesn't help with the mobility scooter