FLOODLINE NEWS
For insurance reasons only working members of the Railway can be directly involved in repair activity. Any members not currently working volunteers and who wish to assist should contact Dewi Jones in the first instance.
FLOODLINE 59
22nd November 2007
Eymore Cutting looking towards Bewdley. The thirty foot long flat bottom rails have been laid in pairs in the cess ready for relaying.
Looking towards Trimpley Waterworks the yellow machine is levelling the ballast with its bucketready for the green rollerto tamp down the ballast. Beyond the roller can be seenthe newly laid steel track end-on to previously laid flat bottom rail on concrete sleepers.
Looking in the other direction towards Arley. The white membrane is there to allow the ballast to drainbut prevent fine soil to contaminate the newly laid ballast. 60 foot bullhead rails left in the cess for removal at a later date.
The sections of rail laid are thirty feet long and will be welded into 120 foot long lengths.
Removal of the old concrete bullhead sleepers is done by the crawler machine ‘feeding’ the road railer which then loads them onto a flat bed wagon for removal to Arley Yard.
All photos taken on 22nd November 2007
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
FLOODLINE 58
Tuesday 20th November
Sterns Cottage Slip looking towards Hampton Loade. The small machine is drilling under the trackbed at an angle to install 20 x 13 meter long concrete piles at 1.5 meter centres. These will be attached to the vertical piles being put in where the water is settling. Photo J Symonds 20/11/2007
Highley slip. All parallel drains complete, manholes installed, rock by the lorry load is now bringing up the level. This is then rolled before a plastic netting is laid on top. The process continues to form a ‘sandwich’. Photo J Symonds 20/11/2007
Borle Viaduct Trailing Wall. Concrete bags have been laid in the cracks resulting from erosion. Reinforcing steel mesh now covers the wall surface in preparation for shotcreting. The wooden plank at the top of the wall will prevent south Shropshire being similarly covered!
Work here is now at a halt as the river level has risen in the last few days - you may now have an idea why reopening is not always in the contractors hands. Photo J Symonds 20/11/2007
Fisherman's land slip. This machine has started clearing away the loose material and ‘benching’ the remains in preparation for incoming rocks. Photo J Symonds 20/11/2007
This photo was taken this afternoon showing the SVR's 30 Ton breakdown crane to the south of the Cleobury Road Bridge at Bridgnorth. The lift was successful and the repairs carried out satisfactory. Inspections by S+T and P Way will be required before passengers trains allowed to cross. Photo T Bending 21/11/2007
FLOODLINE 57
Monday 19th November 2007
FLOOD DAMAGE UPDATE
Oldbury Viaduct.
- Civils work at south end completed.
- Drainage system installed.
- Track bed handed back by contractors to SVR.
- New embankment hydroseeded. Completed
- Work above Daniels Mill to be completed before site considered finished, but does not impact on railway operation at this stage.
- Signal post re-erected.
- Cable troughing being laid.
- Track from viaduct relayed by volunteers. Completed
- Track ballast in place. Completed
- Track tamped. Completed
Knowlesands.
- All slips now repaired. Completed
- Drainage system installed.
- Track bed handed back by contractor to SVR.
- Bank hydroseeded. Completed
- Drainage ditch completed
- Cutting faces near tunnel inspected by specialists and loose debris/material removed.
- Cleaning of contaminated ballast completed by Shorthouse in trading estate.
- Cleaned / screened ballast returned to track bed.
- S & T cable to be installed.
- Cable troughing being laid.
- Track from viaduct relayed by volunteers. Completed
- Track ballast in place. Completed
- Track tamped. Completed
South of Knowlesands.
- Both areas of damage to cutting walls rebuilt. Completed
- New sections hydroseeded. Completed
- Contaminated ballast dug out.
- Cleaning of contaminated ballast completed by Shorthouse in trading estate.
- Cleaned / screened ballast returned to trackbed. Completed
- Drainage ditch to tunnel to be completed.
- S & T cable to be installed.
- Track relayed. Completed
- Track ballast in place. Completed
- Track tamped. Completed
Hay Bridge (not flood damage but included for information)
- Now complete and available for traffic.
Sterns Cottage Culvert.
- Track lifted.
- Culvert to be replaced.
- Agreement from EA and Bridgnorth Council now received.
- Track removed to permit civils work, started 12/11.
- Following completion of civils track to replace, ballast and tamp.
Sterns Cottage Slip.
- Track lifted.
- Piling machine on site, piles being installed, vertical and raking (45m length of piled wall required).
- Once piling complete caping beam required.
- Following completion of civils track to replace, ballast and tamp.
Sterns (historic slip).
- Track to inspect and tamp as necessary.
Little Rock Cutting.
- New drainage system installed beneath track.
Waterworks to Hampton Loade.
- Repair to small slip by Up Distant Signal completed.
- Main slip now re-instated. Civil work completed
- New drainage system installed. Completed
- New drainage pipework across caravan site to river completed.
- Track back in place waiting ballast and tamping.
- Small slip by bracket signal completed.
- Slips to hydroseed.
- S & T cable troughing now laid.
- New signal cable to be installed.
Hampton Loade to Highley.
- Previously unrecorded culverts found.
- 25 culverts inspected by camera, jet washed/pressure cleaned as necessary.
- Culvert at 144 3/4 replaced by new thrust bore culvert.
- Culvert near Highley station to replace (by pipe bursting technique).
- Many culvert headwalls replaced/rebuild.
- New drainage systems provided in some areas.
- Track to inspect and tamp as necessary.
Highley.
- Cattle dock and water tower removed to give access (to be rebuilt when work complete).
- Design approval of repair work by independent third party now received.
- New deep drainage to link into existing culvert complete (8.5m deep) installed (typically 3 to 5m deep).
- Work on main deep drains completed prior to embankment rebuild (typically 3 to 5m deep).
- Drainage route to river being installed. EA approvals received (to permit work to start).
- Infill of main slip by re-inforced earth now started.
- Track to prefabricated by SVR during December /January ready for installation once civils complete.
- Signalling to re-instate when track back in situ.
- When embankment work finished the approaches to the Engine House will be completed.
Highley to Fisherman’s Crossing.
- Started on site. (Including modifications to access road for plant).
- Track to relay, ballast and tamp when complete.
- Signal cable to be replaced following track re-instatement.
Borle Viaduct.
- Training walls deteriorated significantly since July.
- Access agreements in place.
- EA approvals now received (to permit work to start)
- Access roads now built. Completed
- Trees cleared for machinery access. Completed
- Nailing machines now on site.
- Alternative solution to SE wall agreed.
Bridge 18.
- Clearance work completed.
Highley to Arley.
- Work started on inspection, clearing of culverts. Additional previously unrecorded culverts found.
Victoria Bridge.
- Slips now repaired. Completed
- New drainage system installed Completed.
- Track bed handed back to SVR.
- Temporary track in place.
- Contaminated ballast dug out.
- Signal re-erected.
- Contractors relaying track from 19/11.
- Signalling cable to install when track back in situ.
- Signal troughing run to Arley being laid. 19/11
Eymore Cutting.
- Temporary track in place.
- Contaminated ballast dug out.
- Tree clearance work in progress.
- Culverts inspected by camera, jet washed/pressure cleaned as necessary.
- Contractors relaying track from 19/11.
- Signalling cable to install when track in situ.
- Rock netting inspected for damage and debris removed by specialists.
Trimpley.
- Work on two replacement culverts completed.
- Work required near STW pipe under railway.
- Several hundred tons of spoil to move off site once rail connection established.
Folly Point.
- Work below track complete (to prevent undercutting of embankment by river).
- Track in place requires tamping.
- One track panel to be lifted for consolidation of embankment.
- Spider crawler (specialist machine) completed work above track to clear loose debris and lay drains.
- Gabion wall completed above track (to catch future small slips) will require ongoing inspection and maintenance programme.
- Culverts inspected by camera, jet washed/pressure cleaned as necessary.
- S & T cable troughing to install.
- Replacement signalling cable to install.
Northwood.
- Design worked up.
- Tree clearance above and below line complete.
- Soil nailing machines installed test nails.
- Pull-out tests of nails completed, satisfactory.
- Three soil nailing machines now on site.
- When soil nailing complete track to remove then top 1m of embankment to remove for consolidation.
- When civils complete track to replace.
- New S & T cable required.
- Wyre Forest working up drainage scheme for area above railway.
- SVR scheme to accept drainage from above and pipe through railway.
- Land owner of chalet sites above railway on board with scheme.
- Agreement reached with same landowner for drainage across field to river. EA approval obtained.
- Culverts inspected by camera, jet washed/pressure cleaned as necessary.
- When civils complete track to replace.
- New S & T cable required.
Northwood to Bewdley.
- Some drainage and culvert work to complete (does not impact on railway operation).
- Handed back to railway.
General
- Many areas cleared of vegetation.
- Sight lines improved at Fisherman’s and other crossings.
- All culverts/drains now recorded by GPS and construction details recorded.
- Many other locations will require minor work to track (eg Kinlet).
- All track bed and track alignment to be inspected and signed off before services restart.
- Work in many areas has been subject to obtaining agreements and negotiations with adjacent landowners, this has involved land agents, solicitors, legal agreements, easements, approvals from statutory bodies etc, etc.
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
FLOODLINES No 56
Photos taken Friday 16th November 2007, showing various items of equipment that have been delivered to Sterns Cottage. These items will be used in the drilling and construction of the 45 metre long concrete piling wall.
Reinforced steel piles which will be lowered into the drilled hole to a depth of 7m.
The 30 ton drilling rig positioned at one end of the drilling line. The pipeline on the ground will take pumped concrete from the mixer to the drilling rig.
Looking back towards Bridgnorth lighting towers are positioned for longer working days.
Seen from Sterns historical slip.
similar
The sharp end!
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
FLOODLINE No55
Photos only, taken Thursday 15th November
Photos taken today around the high bridge in Eymore Cutting. Trees are being felled up until Saturday in time for track contractors to take over the site on Monday. The idea is to have as many trees felled before the new track is laid.
Pallets of S+T cable concrete troughing unloaded at the trackside between AY and Vic Bg. Contractors start Monday in laying the troughing.
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
FLOODLINE No 54
Monday 12th November 2007
CLEOBURY MORTIMER ROAD BRIDGE and BRIDGNORTH
The repair to the bridge is now booked for Wednesday 21st November. This will involve our 30Ton steam crane whilst road traffic will be controlled by traffic lights. I envisage that the Bridgnorth station to Mile Post 149 ½ shuttle should resume on Sat and Sun 24th and 25th November.
KNOWLESANDS
Ballast is now being brought in from the Clee Hills (about 10 miles away) by road to Eardington. Ballast trains are now running to KS to unload this should be completed tomorrow. The Shark ballast plough should be in use on Thursday with the tamping machine starting work from Oldbury Viaduct Thursday afternoon, possibly into early next week.
Only when other work (P Way and S+T) is complete the shuttle can be extended over Knowlesands to a point just short of Eardington station. This maybe during December. A different method of operating will be implemented. These will be the first passenger trains to run over any repaired section of track since June 20th. I will announce the start date of this extended shuttle as soon as we know we have an intact and safe section of railway.
STERNS CULVERT
Machines are now digging out a new formation and installing new drainage pipes. These are reinforced plastic about 4 foot wide and are being laid under the cottage car park and the railway.
STERNS COTTAGE SLIP
Insurance companies have come to an agreement which will now see a drilling rig building a concrete wall between the railway and the cottage and another retaining wall between the cottage and the river. Work on the latter will be scheduled for sometime in 2008. Work on protecting the SVR has already started. Track alongside Sterns Cottage was lifted last week and a 30 ton drilling rig is due tomorrow accessing the track bed. This machine will be in use for six weeks basically drilling holes which are then filled with concrete and each butts up against the other to form a wall. This work should be complete by Christmas.
January will see contractors place a concrete cap on top of the pillars to keep the tops in line. This work should be finished by the end of January. The track for about 45m can then be replaced, ballasted and tamped. As there are no other significant obstructions between BH and HL so trains can then to run to HL. Could this be February half term week?
Tuesday 12th November
SVR road railer moved BY to AY
Lorries moving S+T cable concrete channels KR to AY Station car park
Road railer will then take pallets of channels and dump them along the line side AY – VB
Mon 19th November
Carillion contractors will start to dig in the concrete S+T channels AY to VB (will take about two weeks)
Contractors Trackwork of Doncaster will be starting to relay half a mile of worn and damaged track from VB to Trimpley. This work will be complete by Christmas allowing the SVR to top ballast it and tamp it in the New Year. As Northwood Lane prevents any rail movements to this site, all materials will be coming in by road to AY station yard to be taken to VB by road railers. The first delivery will be half a mile of rail that’s 176 lengths of 30 feet. Any longer and longer lorries will not be able to negotiate the twisting lane to AY station. Once unloaded at AY the rails will be taken by road railers to site and laid alongside the present track work.
All the steel sleepers in KR car park will be removed and again taken by road to AY station.
Machines will then remove the present rails for scrap. The concrete sleepers will be lifted and stored on the flat areas either side of the track just south of VB. This will save time in removing them from site and finding storage space at AY. The contaminated ballast will be removed from the cutting and taken by road railers to AY and either stored or disposed of.
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
At KS, the tamping machine now laid to one side, work complete on this site, track reconnected and ballasted. Awaiting further tamping.
Looking towards Oldbury Viaduct, track reconnected and ballasted, concrete S+T channel in place awaiting cable. Redundant bullhead sleepers laid to one awaiting collection.
20 tons of ballast delivered from Hanson's quarry on the Clee Hill being tipped. The JCB awaits the lorry's departure before completing loading the ballast train.
Sterns cottage seen from the south. Track has been removed. The concrete pillar wall will be built between the trackbed and the garden fence.
Looking south various contractors welfare cabins, machinery and equipment in place to dig a new culvert.
All photos taken 13th November 2007
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
FLOODLINE No 53
Wednesday 7th November 2007
CLEOBURY ROAD BRIDGE BRIDGNORTH
Awaiting new weight bearing pads to be made and delivered to replace the damaged ones. These pads are specially made up of steel and a type of plastic.
OLDBURY VIADUCT
BH Down Home signal painted, ladder and various bits of cast iron attached.
Base ballast (cleaned) from here to near entrance to industrial estate
KNOWLESANDS
All the track has been relaid to join up between Oldbury Viaduct and the tunnel. Probably over 80% of the cleaned ballast has been put back under the sleepers. Initial tamping has started with a small machine that does one sleeper at a time to get the formation nearly level and aligned. Ballast is on its way into Eardington for it to be brought by rail maybe next week. The larger tamper arrived at Bridgnorth today (the same lorry took kitchen car 1682 to Derby for repairs). We are hoping that this section will be fully ballasted, tamped and aligned by the beginning of December.
STERNS CULVERT
For a few days there was a complete railway from BH to HY but due to a new culvert required to be built here, sleepers and rail for about 45m was removed from the formation today. This will allow earth moving machines in later this week to dig down into the formation about 3m and install new culvert pipes.
HIGHLEY
About ¾ of the deep drains have now been dug and filled with rock. These range from 5m to 3m deep and is a slow process of digging the trench, installing metal retaining walls, inserting an membrane before the rock can be put in. Only then can the metal trench walls be extracted and the same is carried out alongside with the next trench. To allow the earth moving machines to get to these depths they have had to dig away the hillside to a lower level so that the machines can get maximum reach.
STANLEY CUTTING CROSSING
A tracked excavator started clearance work here today. This is to prepare the site alongside the railway for tipping of rock. This rock will then be taken by road railer to the embankment washout. Excavating and filling of the washout should start next Monday. Portaloos, messing huts and offices were being delivered today.
FISHERMANS CROSSING
A road railer with an excavating bucket has removed some of the cutting side to improve road and rail users visibility.
Photos taken 7th November
Knowlesands viewed from Oldbury Viaduct, landscaped bank on left, track levelled and supported on cleaned ballast and concrete cable troughing on right hand side, now awaits top ballasting and tamping.
Sterns Cottage. The culvert runs under the track directly where the track bed starts.
Hay Bridge repairs
Highley station seen from the signalbox veranda. Yellow pipes are for a thrust boring job to repair culverts north of Highley station.
Trench drains at the base of the Highley slip. The finger like drains all join up at the base and run to the inspection chambers. The mechanical bucket is manoeuvring the trench support walls into place before the next load of rock can be put in.
Looking towards the station. I'm standing at rail height the station is at rail height so all the space between will now be filled with imported rock up to rail height. Completion date for this work is this side of Christmas.
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
FLOODLINE 52
Photos taken at Highley on Tuesday 30th October
Highley station just left of photo, rocks in the centre indicate where the new main drain runs. The footpath in the foreground will lead from the station to the Engine House
On the left is an already filled in trench drain. This is 5m deep and connects with the main drain being built at the base of the embankment. The right hand drain has been dug out with its walls supported by removable metal walls
The mechanical bucket has just deposited new rock in the trench while the dumper truck, which has been loaded outside the Engine House, waits to tip its load into the trench
Both machines work together to tip new rock into the trench. About 15 of these trenches will be dug, the first being 5m deep the last being 3m deep. Engine House and Down Home Signal in top right of picture.
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
FLOODLINE 51
Borle Viaduct on 30th October
On the 19th June, the Borle Brook, only about four miles long, rose thirty feet. Along the valley, trees up to a foot in diameter were snapped, tree trunks, rock, mud and this quantity of water headed for the River Severn. The bed of the Borle Brook was seriously eroded leaving the trailing and retaining walls unsupported. These would have survived normal flooding but took the brunt of this mass but as designed saved the viaduct.
Reinforcing arches at the base of the viaduct, 200 tons of rock was brought in to fill in the eroded river bed.
Down stream Arley end showing cracks in the stone retaining wall. This has resulted from stream erosion under the wall and the weight of the embankment above. With the collapse of the wall the embankment above has now slipped
Looking upstream. Note metal plates in the structure, a repair made years ago. On 19th June the river level was ten foot above the retaining arches.
Upstream Arley end. A reinforced concrete trailing wall had been put here in the 1960's? On 19th June the riverundercut the wall's foundations and left it unsupported leaving it to collapse. The weight of the saturated bank above put even more pressure on it. The metal spikes sticking out of the concrete are the tops of the concrete soil nails which go into the bank 30 meters.
An SVR(?) gabion basket repair upstream of the concrete wall. Note how erosion has started between the two.
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
FLOODLINE 50
Tuesday 30th October 2007
KNOWLESANDS
Four panels of track laid from the OV end using JCB and BH P Way.
All contaminated ballast removed cleaned OV to KS Summit.
Four panels of track to lay this week to reconnect OV to KS Summit.
Then all track ballasted with cleaned ballast by next week.
Tamper to be moved by lorry KR to BH Wed 7th November.
One dogfish ballast hopper (from Titley Jn) being delivered to BH Wed 31st October to be moved to Eardington once track is joined up at KS to join marooned SVR hoppers at Eardington.
30 tons of spoil on Eardington hard standing to be removed this week by lorry to allow new ballast to be delivered and unloaded.
Shark has been moved from HY to Eardington to join ballast train.
Ballast train will then work from Eardington to KS and OV to drop new ballast for the tamper to align the track.
FISHERMANS CROSSING
Earth being to be removed this week on Down side to increase road users visibility
HIGHLEY
Earth movers now moving away from the lowest manhole of the new drainage system and moving back up the hillside. The first drains were dug down to 15 feet deep. The machine digs a trench about a meter and a half wide, then metal trench retaining walls are lowered into the trench to prevent the sides caving in and further digging can take place until it reaches the designed level. Rock brought in by the lorry load is dumped in front of the Engine House were an earth moving machine scoops it up into a dumper truck. This then makes its way to the bottom of the slip and pours the rock into the trench. When the trench is full of rock the trench retaining walls are then removed. As the drains are built from the station end of the slip towards Arley they get shallower.
TRIMPLEY
One larger culvert replacement done another being done today, some track and sleeper displacement.
NORTHWOOD
Test drilling and soil nailing started yesterday. Found that when extracting water from the mains supply for the grouting that the water pressure to some of the huts in the Lane dropped. Looking into taking a loaded rail tanker of water to Northwood to supply grouting machines.
GWR Siphon 1257 due out of BY paint shop tomorrow to be moved to KR on Saturday
GWR Saloon 80969 due into BY paint shop
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
SVR Search for Bugler Kidderminster Shuttle
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