Above: Eurostar class 373/2 sets 3309 and 3310 form the 09:10 King's Cross to York on Sunday 18th June 2000, leaving Peascliffe tunnel and approaching Gadd's Lane bridge at 10:30. Photograph by Tom Boustead.
Introduction - the Electrification of the ECML
The post-WW2 modernisation timetable for Britain's railways prioritised the electrification of the West Coast route (between London Euston and Glasgow, with branches to Manchester and Liverpool), putting future electrification of the East Coast Main Line (ECML, out of London King's Cross to Edinburgh, with a branch to Leeds) on the back burner.
As an interim step the East Coast route would convert from steam to diesel electric traction employing, at first, Type 4 locomotives from English Electric. These proved inadequate for the heaviest and fastest passenger trains so 22 high-powered (Type 5) English Electric Deltic locomotives were ordered, along with others of Type 4 and below from various manufacturers. During the early 1960s these would replace a fleet of steam locomotives designed and built between the 1920s and the early 1950s.
The West Coast route electrification programme was completed in 1974. A few years later the first phase of ECML electrification, from King's Cross to Hitchin, was carried out between 1976 and 1978, this being part of the Great Northern Suburban Electrification Project. BR's Inter City sector authorised the second phase (north to Edinburgh and Leeds) in 1984, with construction commencing in 1985. The section between Hitchin and Peterborough was completed in 1987, with Leeds reached in 1988, York in 1989, Newcastle in 1990 and, finally, Edinburgh in 1991. At the peak of the project, during the late 1980s, work was underway at almost every point between Peterborough and Edinburgh, more than 250 miles, and it was claimed to be "the longest construction site in the world".
Grantham and Electrification
In the Grantham area the mid-to-late 1980s was a period of intense activity, first with preparatory work, such as the reconstruction or removal of many bridges which cross over the line and the provision of power supplies, and finally with the installation of the Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) itself.
In May 1988 a Class 91electric locomotive set new UK rail speed record of 168 mph on Stoke bank, and in the following October regular electric haulage for Grantham passengers commenced in with services between London and Leeds.
The following five photographs were supplied by Eric Jeyes, a former railway civil engineer who advises: "These photographs are from my old railway colleague, Mick Jacobs. He was out 'on the ground' providing Operations support to the OLE construction teams. An awful lot of the OLE construction work was carried out while trains were still running."
First, three pictures from around 1986:
The next mast to the north, out of sight behind the camera on the right hand side, bears a plate drawing attention to its significance:
THIS MAST, THE 10,000TH ON THE EAST
COAST MAIN LINE ELECTRIFICATION
PROJECT, WAS "PLANTED" HERE AT
GRANTHAM ON WEDNESDAY 15TH OCTOBER,
1986, BY THE RT. HON. JOHN MOORE, M.P.,
SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRANSPORT.
Now two later photos from around 1988, with wiring nearly completed:
At this point Mick notes that "the OLE is still not live, with works ongoing to finalise wire positions, heights, gradients and tensions. The pan [pantograph] is down at our request as we had pull lifts on the wires."
Electrification around Highdyke, Stoke Tunnel and Stoke Junction
The following four photographs were taken by Mick Jacobs in February and March 1988 during the final adjustments, registration and testing of the overhead line equipment (OLE).
It's very important that the overhead line is positioned accurately and supported effectively to maintain good, continuous electrical contact with the pantograph of a fast-moving train.
Mick explains registration as follows. "When the wires were first put up they were not properly staggered left and right, and there was no height adjustment. Registration is the laborious task of fine tuning each mast's wires and headspan in relation to the track below. On the ECML in the 1980s it was planned for daytime, between trains mostly. After a track renewal the overhead line engineer will check the wires and re-register them.
More information
For more reading on ECML electrification:
ECML: Electrification as it used to be – Rail Engineer
For technical information about overhead line equipment:
Scotland's+Railway+Guide+to+Overhead+Line+Equipment+November+2021.pdf
Back to Looking after the Line
Wonderful to see these photos from that period. One thing I would say in the writeup which reads as inaccurate is the second paragraph which suggests that Type 5 and Type 4 locomotives were ordered concurrently for the dieselisation of ECML services. In fact only English Electric Type 4 locomotives (Class 40) were ordered (being also ordered for GEML and WCML services but were quickly found to be inadequate to effect any improvement over express passenger steam locomotives, in fact they were arguably underpowered in comparison to A4s, especially at the higher end of the speed range (no reverse EMF on a steam loco!). The Type 5 (Deltic) order came later, as a result of this realisation and the knowledge that, unlike on the West Coast where the situation would be resolved by the authorised electrification, the ECML was now going to have to manage with diesels for the foreseeable future. Gerry Fiennes was the driving force behind getting the (expensive) Deltic project agreed.
Thankyou Andy. I've amended the second paragraph to take account of the chronology you've set out.
Regards,
John