New Layout Day Two

Everything seemed to be running fairly smoothly this morning apart from the first train to Manchester which was cancelled due to a "diagram error", which I think means someone forgot to organise a train or a crew.

I wandered up to Huyton at lunchtime to admire the new platform 4:

Everything seems to be finished, although a number of TSRs apply while the track beds in.

Next, off to Lime Street to see what's happening there.  There's just a single track available between Edge Hill and Lime Street, the Up Slow, and only platforms one and two at Lime Street are in use.  A new crossover has been installed between the two platforms so that trains can use the single bore "rat-hole" tunnel.  There's just room behind the two temporary signals for a four car train on each platform:

Here's a train leaving from platform two and crossing over:

Unfortunately my train was the last movement on platform one for some time because after the above departure the signaller was unable to get point detection in the platform one position.  Everyone on the Wigan train in P1 was moved to P2, and then the service was cancelled altogether.  Eventually an orangeman arrived and cleared a few stones away from the blades, but this was no help:

As I left on a train from platform two a further team of staff were arriving, and normal service was restored for the 13.45 departure which ran from one.

Elsewhere at Lime Street, lots of the work is hidden behind hoardings, but I could see that platform seven has no track:

In the throat there's lots of new track, and a new ladder crossover has appeared half way along the tunnels - I think this is to be the new Crown Street Junction.  Two class 66 locos were powering works trains in the tunnels and at Edge Hill.

New Layout Day One

Well, things got off to an inauspicious start this morning with 15 cancellations, but things seem to be running a little more smoothly now.  The problem was with the temporary single line working between Edge Hill and Lime street, and not our new track at Huyton, which seems to have been fine, although I did notice all up trains used platform four for a while.

My live diagram at http://charlwoodhouse.co.uk/rail/livesig/3 has now been updated to show the new signals and route selections, and also an approximation of what is available at Lime Street at the moment.

All Quiet At Huyton

I paid a brief visit to Huyton station this morning and in a marked contrast to yesterday there was almost nothing going on.  I take this as good sign that the work is pretty much complete.

One gang of orangemen were digging a hole adjacent to the fourth track for a new sign, another TSR board maybe, or perhaps a permanent "Restricted Clearance" board.

So I think everything is looking good for Monday morning, I'm guessing we'll see a test train on Sunday.  Anyone going for a ride on 2P11 06:15 Liverpool Lime Street to Preston on Monday, the first passenger train over the new track?  No, me neither!

Literally as I was typing the above, one of the new signalling berths came to life on my diagram (http://charlwoodhouse.co.uk/rail/livesig/3) so it looks like signalling testing is under way.

Huyton and Roby Thursday

At Huyton Junction this afternoon a whole line of road-railers were working on the new line:

and another one was near the station:

Meanwhile, at Roby I could see the new signal is in position and lit:

Does anyone know the number?

Huyton Wednesday

I wasn't intending to do a post every day, but there's so much progress to report!

I visited Huyton this morning to find another new signal erected, on the Up Slow a little east of platform four.  It has a position 4 feather for trains heading to the Chat Moss lines (It's the far one in this picture.)

Frustratingly, the plate with the number on hasn't been applied yet, so I can't update my diagram at http://charlwoodhouse.co.uk/rail/livesig/3.

More importantly, and just about visible in the picture above, the overhead for the fourth line is in place.  To the untrained eye it looks complete - catenary and contact wire, and I couldn't spot any temporary pulleys etc.

I'd forgotten how much more copper-coloured and shiny new overhead is, it was obvious from some distance away that some had been put up, as soon as I could see the line.

Update:  Lo and behold, a few hours after I wrote the above, the signal's plate has been fitted!  LL5580.  Coincidence, or is someone reading this blog?