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working on the chain gang

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:36 pm
by Mr Bunt
What are these "yards" things? In my day if it wasn't miles it was chains.

Footbridge at Cheshunt earlier today.

Re: working on the chain gang

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 11:01 pm
by StevieG
Mr Bunt wrote:What are these "yards" things? In my day if it wasn't miles it was chains.

Footbridge at Cheshunt earlier today.
And I'd say it still ought to be in Chains ( - officially; however archaic that may appear: Well I'm pretty sure it would've been chains up to last year at least, anyway).

Re: working on the chain gang

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 11:07 pm
by Mr Bunt
StevieG wrote:
Mr Bunt wrote:What are these "yards" things? In my day if it wasn't miles it was chains.

Footbridge at Cheshunt earlier today.
And I'd say it still ought to be in Chains ( - officially; however archaic that may appear: Well I'm pretty sure it would've been chains up to last year at least, anyway).
Don't know when this plate went up, but grateful it isn't metric :-D

Re: working on the chain gang

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 10:14 am
by R. pike
This bridge was put up over Christmas and is marked in miles chains...
DSC02596a.jpg

Re: working on the chain gang

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 1:43 pm
by StevieG
R. pike wrote:This bridge was put up over Christmas and is marked in miles chains...
DSC02596a.jpg
Presume it's the first one to be put up between 107 and 108 (i.e., suffix 'A'), but wonder what the 'D's for?

Re: working on the chain gang

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 5:20 pm
by R. pike
StevieG wrote:
R. pike wrote:This bridge was put up over Christmas and is marked in miles chains...
DSC02596a.jpg
Presume it's the first one to be put up between 107 and 108 (i.e., suffix 'A'), but wonder what the 'D's for?
There is already a 107D i believe.. I've not really worked it out yet.

Re: working on the chain gang

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 1:20 am
by 52D
Doncaster or Darlington area?

Re: working on the chain gang

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 8:39 am
by R. pike
52D wrote:Doncaster or Darlington area?
Arlesey.

Re: working on the chain gang

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 10:54 am
by manna
G'Day Gents

Bang goes that bit of logic :twisted:

manna

Re: working on the chain gang

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 6:54 pm
by 60041
We live in a former railway property next to the ECML. I have had recent communications from Network Rail concerning drainage and fencing, and all their paperwork refers to miles and chains. Quite handy really as there is the 31 3/4 mile post at the end of the garden so it is easy to work out the distance along the boundary from that, if the paperwork was in Km and metres I would be totally lost.

Re: working on the chain gang

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 7:38 pm
by StevieG
manna wrote:G'Day Gents

Bang goes that bit of logic :twisted:

manna
Not necessarily.
Darlington area, and quite possibly Doncaster area if north of Shaftholme, as ex-NER territory, could easily have a different number series for ECML bridges.
The ELR (Engineer's Line References) codes for long routes are often sub-divided these days); e.g. ECM1, ECM2, etc., as seen in the photo in RP's post of yesterday (not sure how long this practice has been in place).

Re: working on the chain gang

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 8:37 pm
by 52A
ECML mileages count from zero at KX to York. Then from zero at York to Newcastle, zero from Newcastle to the border and from zero at Edinburgh to the border.

Re: working on the chain gang

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 9:49 pm
by Bryan
ELRs came into general use in the late 80s prior to that a numeric route code had been tried.
Can be easily found in Quail maps.

Most ELRs are fairly easy to work out.
Generally an initial for a junction or station at each end.
YMS - York - Malton - Scarborough.
HBS - Hull - Bridlington - Seamer
TJC3 - Tapton Jcn - Colne from Normanton through Leeds West to Skipton North.
The number is in place when the route has been subdivided as stated earlier like ECM 1,2,3,4,5,

As for how long the practice of including the code on bridge plates.
I seem to remember seeing my first one in the mid 90s on Leeds North West electrification works.

As for the use of chainages this is definately because all structure records are recorded in Miles, Chains and yards. I think Links have finally disappeared though.
Unless that is the structure is an Overhead Power mast then it is located in KMs.

Re: working on the chain gang

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 10:32 pm
by StevieG
52A wrote:ECML mileages count from zero at KX to York. Then from zero at York to Newcastle, zero from Newcastle to the border and from zero at Edinburgh to the border.
Agreed, 52A. But do the bridge number series start at the same zero mileposts I wonder. I don't know.
Oh for access to GEOGIS; - Sorry, CARRS!
Bryan wrote: " ELRs came into general use in the late 80s prior to that a numeric route code had been tried.
Can be easily found in Quail maps. .... "
There is also an alpha-numeric system in internal use called 'Line Of Route' (LOR) principally for non-engineering purposes I'd think, and is found in such as Sectional Appendix Table 'A' line diagram page headings and Weekly Operating Notice route sections; e.g. LN101 (the modern NR 'LNE' Route), and EA1310 ('East Anglia' Route).
Is that anything to do with the numeric code you refer to? Or is it the method used in the 1947 LNER Sectional Appendices?
Bryan wrote: " .... Unless that is the structure is an Overhead Power mast then it is located in KMs. "
... for the ECML electrification (including the earlier GN Suburban elec'n), and presumably other relatively modern schemes, yes.
But to be fair this isn't always so everywhere. For example the London - Liverpool/Manchester sections at least of the WCML elec'n, I'd have thought would be numbered imperially, and the early GE overhead structures (e.g. Liverpool Street - Southend Vic., are definitely No.'d in Miles / nnth structure in the mile.

Re: working on the chain gang

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 12:52 am
by cambois
Is the bridge the new Hitchin flyover and the D refers to one of the at least 4 spans?