The Aberdonian - 2019

A great shame as Tornado has managed just fine without assistance under DBC's auspices.

 

A few Aberdonians coming up in August, maybe the Mods can change the title to allow us to use this thread. There are some times on RTT for 1 Aug, outbound is via Stirling.

 

Any idea if these will be diesel free? A1 steward on the Border Raider said they were looking at it. Have recently emailed A1 Trust, but not yet got a reply.

Have done 60163 and 60009 to Aberdeen this year, but both were assisted at rear. Will gladly book on at least one trip if diesel free.

 

Not looking promising for the 1st. Looks like ECS dragged in from Bo’ness presumably with 60163 on rear via the suburban line and into platform 5. Train leaves 20 min later no LE moves follow.

 

Could someone please tell me why the train is going out via the sub when the website states that there will be a pick up at Haymarket? Train comes back via Haymarket.

 

Measurement train using morning path, apparently!

 

What?

 

The Network Rail measurement train is using the original timings path of the A1 in the morning. This has meant that "The Aberdonian" has had to be retimed earlier for the outbound, putting it right in the last hour of the morning peak, which in Edinburgh Waverley is the most chaotic due to the increase in through services from Tweedbank to Edinburgh and the Fife Loco Hauled services all requiring the through platforms, as do the Virgin West Coast/Cross Country trains using the suburban platforms etc...

Appears the only vacant platform found (with any suitable path) has been Platform 5, which is a bay platform access from Calton North Tunnel, East End only. This is why the ECS from Bo'ness is also turning via Dalmeny rather than running straight from Bo'ness to Edinburgh with Tornado already facing in the correct direction.

 

Or to put it another way, Bring back the Cally.

 

Biggest issue is, how would it be incorporated into today's Edinburgh infrastructure? Such a big station like that with the running lines into the station now completely tarmac or buildings make such a proposition nigh on impossible.

You also present a second negative to the situation, in that whatever services displaced from Waverley to Princes Street Station suddenly lose their service interchange ability at both Haymarket and Waverley (not just for passengers, but for stock and crews - more likely to affect ScotRail that any other TOCS). Whereas if Princes Street station had already survived, these issues would be non existent as the passenger flows and workflows would have been built around this. Introduce it as a whole new situation in the modern day, and attempting to get all the above factors to adapt to it would be of great difficulty and could have more negative impacts than positive.

Expanding Waverley would be the only option. At the East End, that has began with Platform 5 and 6 opening. Should the Calton Tunnels both be redoubled, you improve the flow at the bottle neck of the station but in honesty, quadrupling the line between Calton Tunnel and Portobello would have a massive effect if managed correctly. The ability to have sets coming on and off Craigentinny Depot, improving Portobello Jnc layout and double the triangle at Niddrie and down to Millerhill would additionally allow empties from there, and Tweedbank services to flow to Edinburgh without disruption to services on the ECML.

At the West End, would an option ever arise for a huge construction project where a third set of double tracks could run out from Waverley? A new North East sub terrain set of platforms underneath the current Waverley Mall, emerging out through the South East corner of Princes Street garden then under the Mound with an additional tunnel next to Tunnel Z. Continue with the separate tracks (with crossover points from the Up North and Down North) and an additional tunnel through to Haymarket.
Emerging at the West End would allow the Down Line to come onto the current Platform 0, the question is space in regards to an Up Line and additional North platform. Due to requirements of Haymarket Depot, it'd be difficult to add any tracks further West. However, upgrade the junctions at Haymarket West, Haymarket Central and Haymarket East to be High Speed Junctions would eliminate a lot of the slow progress now experienced going Up the Haymarket Straight, again improving flow.

I fear I'm probably getting way off topic with my ideas of how to improve the rail system in and out of Edinburgh however....

 

Waaaayyyy off topic but its interesting. I can see Calton and the east getting the work you describe, isn't that already being talked about...? But I fear the issues to the west are a more difficult proposition.

 

I believe the Calton Tunnels are being looked at. Re-doubling the North will be a simple procedure, but the South tunnel would be problematic. When the tunnel was singled, it was also reinforced with concrete to aid stabilisation and thus the space for a second track is non existant at present. The track layout from the East is also to be looked at along with Calton North.
Portobello is to also be looked at during this Control Period, but unsure of what the exact plans are at present. Certainly the junction needs to be either made into a high speed junction, or at least line speed increased over the junction as currently it's set to a very limiting 15mph onto a single track. The lines from Niddrie West Jnc and Niddrie South Jnc towards Portobello would also be improved while doubling, with a double slip onto the Up/Down Berwick. Currently operations are limited due to these single line sections, with more pressure on them now with the new EMU depot at Millerhill having opened within the last two years.

To the West of Haymarket, I believe improvements to way trains flow is to be investigated. Again, another issue of more trains being introduced during the last few years which puts pressure on the existing lines, but also the speeding up of the Glasgow Queen Street services and the tendancy to now have some of the from Cumbernauld/Bathgate services cross over between the Up South to the Up North to access Plat 1 at Haymarket. This in turn means you have a train slowing down to 15mph for a AWS magnet on a red signal controlling the signal to which to cross at, and then the junction itself at Haymarket Central being 25mph. It has a real knock on effect to any service behind it when itself is already a minute or two late.

 

Perhaps time to restore the Saughton crossovers ?

 

Something looks to have changed. There is now a light engine path , 0Z60, on RTT at 09.10 from Waverley Platform 5 to Portobello Junction.

 

So did Tornado take the diesel along today then? Hearing she is running behind schedule....

What was the last machine to go over the Aberdeen route unassisted??

 

From video I've seen elsewhere no diesel

 

No.9? 2013/14?