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 69
Wednesday 8th January 2008
48773 last operating days 12th and 13th January working 600 yard shuttles at Bridgnorth.
7714 has been returned from the Swanage Railway to Kidderminster. Next week it will be taken by road to Bridgnorth. The double handling was what suited Alleleys haulage schedules
A Mk1 coach RMB is expected next week from the Dean Forest Railway. It will go into Kidderminster Works for contract repairs. Currently in the paint shop at Kidderminster is diesel Class 73 73101
Flood Repairs
As someone said on January 1st 2008 - it’s no longer that we will be reopening next year – it’s now this year and if all goes well its only 10 weeks away. Hampton Loade could be reached in 3 weeks.
The BH-HL section has been walked with the contractors to draw up a list of any outstanding jobs. Apart from Sterns there are now no jobs that prevent this section of the line reopening.
The BH Station Shuttle will not be extended to Eardington as was once proposed.
It is hoped that the BH-HL section will reopen at the end of January/early February
Just a reminder that this Sunday 13th I will be leading a guided walk from BH d 10.00am along the track to Hampton Loade to view the repair work. This is open to any SVR working member.
Highley
All the rock layers have now been laid and rolled. The embankment side has been covered with top soil. 200 tons of base ballast is due to be delivered tomorrow and levelled ready for track laying.
The Hydroseed contractor has a meeting with the railway next week to discuss seeding Highley along with other similar rebuilt embankment areas.
Fisherman’s Crossing Slip
All rock layers have now been laid and rolled and all the base ballast has been laid. All the track materials have been delivered and are on site. Tracklaying may start here next week.
Eymore Cutting tree contractor should be finished here by the end of the week.
Folly Point
SVR P Way staff with road railer replaced one length of track here today. This was removed just before Christmas to allow drains to be installed. Bottom ballast in place now awaiting top ballast and tamping
Northwood
Soil-nailing should be complete by the end of this week
Large washers, nuts and netting is being spread out to cover the embankment
Next week the track bed will be removed to a depth of one meter and in 15 meter long sections
This spoil will be removed and replaced with new rock and compacted. It will then be ballasted.
The next 15 meters will then be tacked in the same way until the whole section has been replaced.
It can not be done in one go as it risks the stability of the ground above the line.
If all goes well it is estimated that track can be relaid here during the February half term w/c 11th Feb.
Ballasting
Ballast is currently delivered to Eardington and soon will be used at Sterns and Hampton Loade, then followed by Highley and Fisherman’s Crossing.
As it is envisaged that by late February Borle Viaduct may still not be fit for rail traffic consideration is now being given to moving 4 ballast hoppers and the shark ballast plough by road from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster to join up with another three hopper here. This train will then be filled at Kidderminster to drop ballast at Northwood, Folly Point and Eymore Cutting. This is to make use of the time while work continues at Borle Viaduct. It is likely that it is here that the last bit of track will go back into position and be ballasted. I don’t think there will be the time for a golden spike ceremony.
Any SVR P Way staff who have not made it known when they can assist should contact Steve Poole 07970 895916 so that you can be rostered and directed. Mid week and weekend staff required.
Gloucester Warwickshire Railway will be dispatching half a dozen of their P Way staff to assist on Sunday 3rd February.
FLOODLINE No 68
Christmas Eve 24th December 2007
I will be leading a guided walk along the track bed from Bridgnorth to Hampton Loade on Sunday 13th January 2008. This is for SVR working members only. No PTS is required but a working members pass is and may be checked before leaving. Meet at Bridgnorth Station platform ready to start walking at 10.00am. This is a four mile walk in each direction along the ballast. Please ensure that you have the correct weather proof clothing and footwear and that you are fit for such a walk. It maybe advisable to bring your own food and drink although Audrey may well have hot soup available at the HL kiosk? This will be an ideal chance for staff to inspect the repairs at close quarters, something you will not be able to do or probably have the time to once the first trains start running. Sites at Oldbury Viaduct, Knowlesands, Hay Bridge, Sterns Culvert, Sterns Cottage Slip, Hampton Loade Slip will be seen with a return time back at Bridgnorth of mid afternoon.
We are now six months into a nine month repair. A lot has been achieved but we have still a third of the repair facing us in the next three months. After the contractors have left us in mid January we will have two months to reopen the line. The Good Friday date can not be moved! The pressure’s on the P Way and S+T to achieve this date will be enormous and all staff should be prepared to do their bit in what ever way they can. The completion of the repair work and reopening of the line is now in sight and is achievable. Soon we will be back doing what we are (also) good at – running a railway.
Just a quick summary of what’s left to do!
STERNS
Contractor on site first two weeks in Jan, then track, ballast and tamp S+T
HAMPTON LOADE SLIP
Ballast and tamp S+T
HIGHLEY
Final rock and ballast
Track ballast and tamp S+T
FISHERMANS CROSSING SLIP
Track back, ballast and tamp S+T
BORLE VIADUCT
Repairs to brook walls
Reinstate track, ballast and tamp S+T
EYMORE CUTTING
Ballast and tamp
FOLLY POINT
Reinstate one track panel ballast and tamp
NORTHWOOD
Contractors netting hillside, installing drains compacting trackbed
Reinstate track, ballast and tamp
S+T Victoria Bridge to NX
I’d also like to pass on my thanks to:
you who have forwarded information and Floodlines to various other web sites and forums.
you who pass on Floodlines to your friends (it’s even read in China)
you who have made a physical contribution to the repairs (especially new volunteers)
you who have made a financial contribution (large or small – its what you are left with that counts)
you who have kept faith in the SVR and have volunteered over the last six months in whatever capacity (some have yet to see a train running)
to you who have let me know how well Floodlines have kept you informed, I’ll continue the best I can.
[and I’d like to thank Dewi for taking the trouble to keep these Floodlines flowing! PaulB]
Well, it’s Christmas Eve. Bewdley Station is quiet after handling 20,695 passengers so far this month, Santa has left the Grotto, the crowd barriers are of no more use, five engines are cooling down on the shed and the office phones are quiet. Maybe it’s time to go home.
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
Photo taken alongside a drilling rig on the track bed. The drilling rod is inserted in the breach similar to a bullet in a rifle and then by compressed air and water fed (note the hosepipes) drilling head inserts an 8 foot steel rod into the hillside. Previous ones are left with about a foot or so still exposed.
Northwood Lane Cement mixing station! Water drawn from the rail tanker above is mixed with a grout at this station then pumped via hose pipes back up to the drilling rigs on the hillside to be pumped down through the centre of the steel nails into the bore.
The steel nails are then cut with a disk long enough to be used to attach a washer and nut to hold down netting but short enough not to be noticeable when the vegetation returns.
Only the hillside below the track level will be soil nailed. Above the track can be see pipes to temporary divert water flowing from above and someone's garden shed!.
Northwood Lane! there will be some cleaning up to be done once the contractors go.
With only a few nails to go one of the drilling rigs has already left site. The four rows of soil nails can be clearly seen the top ones being 19m deep. The concrete will cure over the Xmas holiday, then below the trackbed will be covered with a steel net, the track bed will be lowered by 1m, consolidated and replaced with a layer of new rock and ballast and new drains put in before the track can be relaid
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
FLOODLINE 67
Tuesday 18th December 2007
Fisherman's Crossing Slip looking north. In the foreground up to the workman, is the original formation material (dark). Beyond it the light grey of the new rock being brought in, now about 10 foot deep. 11th December 2007
Similar view but showing the "benching" excavation that is done to help key in the new material. Beyond the crawler bucket is the road railer which has brought another twenty tons from Highley. 11th December 2007
At Highley home signal, rock is unloaded from a fleet of lorries. The road railer then fills its trailer (behind it) with 20 tons of rock and then goes just over a quarter of a mile to unload at Fisherman's Crossing Slip. 18th December 2007
Fisherman's Crossing Slip looking south. Note the remaining rails in the foreground and beyond the repair area. 18th December 2007
Fisherman's Crossing Slip looking north. Compare this photo with the earlier one from the same location to see the change within a week. It is hoped that all the rock and track ballast will be in place by the end of this week. 18th December 2007
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
FLOODLINE 66
Colas Rail owned Class 47 749 was stabled at Kidderminster over the last weekend in-between visiting Tyseley for wheelturning and returning to Plymouth on Monday 17th December
Highley Slip looking south. Dumper bringing in rock for the crawler bucket to spread for the vibrating roller to tamp down. Note the top of the inspection chamber on the left is at rail height.
View looking north from the new footpath to the Engine House. Note the SVR steam crane in use preparing track materials for reinstatement here.
Same location showing one lorry about to tip small stone which will be used in the areas where S+T concrete bases will need to be buried. The lorry and dumper are actually standing on a roadway built to access the slip. This roadway will be dug up as one of the last civil engineering jobs to expose the track to the Engine House buried underneath.
A view of the level crossing. The lorry is tipping stone which will be moved from here by road railer to Fisherman's Crossing Slip. The dumper is on its way from the rock stockpile outside the Engine House to feed the crawler bucket on the slip.
Arriving in the slip and awaiting the crawler bucket to stop. Note sticking out of the foreground remaining track and point rodding giving an idea of how close to the trackbed the new rock layer is.
All photos taken on Monday 17th December 2007
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
FLOOD DAMAGE UPDATE
Friday 14th December 2007.
Oldbury viaduct.
- Civils work at south end – complete.
- Drainage system – complete.
- Track bed handed back to SVR - complete.
- New bank to hydroseed - complete.
- Work above Daniel’s Mill to be completed before site considered finished, but does not impact on railway operation at this stage.
- Signal post re-erected with arm and sighting board - complete.
- Cable troughing laid - complete.
- Track from viaduct relayed by volunteers - complete.
- Track ballasting - complete.
- Track tamping - complete.
Knowlesands.
- All slips now repaired - complete.
- Drainage system installed - complete.
- Track bed handed back to SVR - complete.
- Bank to hydroseed - complete.
- Drainage ditch - complete.
- Cutting faces near tunnel inspected by specialists, loose debris/material removed - complete.
- Cleaning of contaminated ballast completed by Shorthouse in trading estate - complete.
- Cleaned / screened ballast returned to track bed - complete.
- S & T cable to be installed and connected – complete (testing 15/16 Dec)
- Cable troughing - complete.
- Track from viaduct relayed by volunteers - complete.
- Track ballasting - complete.
- Track tamping - complete.
South of Knowlesands.
- Both areas of damage to cutting walls rebuilt - complete.
- New sections to hydroseed - complete.
- Dig out of contaminated ballast - complete.
- Cleaning of contaminated ballast completed by Shorthouse in trading estate - complete.
- Cleaned / screened ballast returned to trackbed - complete.
- Drainage ditch to tunnel to finish.
- S & T cable installed - complete.
- Track relayed - complete.
- Track ballasting - complete.
- Track tamping - complete.
Hay Bridge (not flood damage but included for information) Complete.
Sterns Cottage Culvert.
- Culvert to be replaced – complete other than head walls.
- Agreement from EA and Bridgnorth Council now received - complete.
- Track removed to permit civils work - complete.
- Following completion of civils track to replace, ballast and tamp. Sterns Cottage Slip.
- Track lifted - complete.
- Piling machine on site, piles being installed, vertical and raking (45m length of piled wall required). Vertical piles – complete.
- 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 - complete.
Waterworks to Hampton Loade.
- Small slip by up distant signal - complete.
- Main slip now re-instated - complete.
- New drainage system installed - complete.
- New drainage pipework across Unicorn site - complete.
- Track back in place waiting ballast and tamping.
- Small slip by bracket signal - complete.
- Slips to hydroseed.
- New S & T cable troughing - complete.
- New signal cable to be installed.
Hampton Loade to Highley.
- Previously unrecorded culverts found - complete.
- 25 culverts inspected by camera, jet washed/pressure cleaned as necessary - complete.
- Culvert at 144 3/4 replaced by new thrust bore culvert - complete.
- Culvert near Highley station replaced (by pipe bursting technique) - complete.
- Culvert headwalls replaced/rebuild – 90% done.
- New drainage systems provided in some areas.
- Track to inspect and tamp as necessary.
Highley.
- Cattle dock and water tower removed to give access – complete (to be rebuilt).
- Design approval of repair work by independent third party - complete.
- New deep drainage to link into existing culvert complete (8.5m deep) installed (typically 3 to 5m deep) – complete.
- Work on main deep drains completed prior to embankment rebuild (3 to 5m deep) - complete.
- Drainage route to river being installed. EA approvals received. - complete.
- Infill of main slip by reinforced earth approx 50% done.
- New drainage system along station drive (and approach) to install.
- Track to be 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 (to include footpath, station drive station parking areas, fencing etc.
- Preparatory work for station footbridge to be completed prior to re-opening. Power lines and other overheads to re-route to under track ducts before re-opening.
Highley to Fisherman’s Crossing.
- Modifications to access road for plant - complete.
- Two new drains to river installed – complete.
- Infill of main slip by reinforced earth approx 50% done.
- 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 - complete.
- EA approvals – complete.
- Access roads - complete.
- Trees cleared for machinery access - complete.
- Soil nailing – complete.
- Spray concrete surface to complete Alternative solution to SE wall agreed.
Bridge 18.
- Complete
Highley to Arley.
- Work started on inspection, clearing of culverts. Additional previously unrecorded culverts found.
Victoria Bridge.
- Slips now repaired - complete.
- New drainage system - complete.
- Track bed - complete.
- Contaminated ballast dug out - complete.
- Signal re-erected - complete.
- Track relaying by contractors – complete.
- Signalling cable to install when track back in situ.
- Signal troughing run to Arley - complete.
- Old ballast and rail to remove from site when rail access established.
Eymore Cutting.
- Temporary track in place - complete.
- Contaminated ballast dug out - complete.
- Major tree clearance work underway.
- Culverts inspected by camera, jet washed/pressure cleaned as necessary - complete.
- Track relaying by contractors – complete.
- SVR to top ballast and tamp when rail access available.
- Signalling cable to install when track work complete.
- Rock netting inspected for damage and debris removed by specialists - complete.
Trimpley.
- Work on two replacement culverts - complete.
- Work required near STW pipe under railway - complete.
- Several hundred tons of spoil to move off site once rail connection established.
Folly Point.
- Work below track (to prevent undercutting of embankment by river) - complete.
- Two track panels to be lifted for consolidation of embankment – complete.
- Spider crawler (specialist machine) for work above track to clear debris and lay drains – complete.
- Gabion wall above track (to catch future small slips) will require ongoing inspection and maintenance programme - complete.
- Culverts inspected by camera, jet washed/pressure cleaned as necessary - complete.
- S & T cable troughing to install.
- Replacement signalling cable to install.
- Two track panels to replace then full length requires tamping.
Northwood.
- External design verification - complete.
- Tree clearance above and below line - complete.
- Soil nailing machine installed test nails - complete.
- Test pulls of nails satisfactory - complete.
- Three soil nailing machines now on site – nailing approx 70% complete.
- Track removed to allow top 1m of embankment to be removed for consolidation - complete.
- 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 - complete.
- Drain to river to install.
- Culverts inspected by camera, jet washed/pressure cleaned as necessary - complete.
- When civils complete track to replace and tamp.
- 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 road crossings.
- All culverts/drains now recorded by GPS and construction details recorded - complete. 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.
P Sowden Chief Engineer
Dewi Jones Traffic Manager
14th December 2007
FLOODLINE 65
Rising water in the River Severn raises the level of the Borle Brook. Here seen about 10 foot deep - so there's not a lot of chance for the contractors to "get on with it".
The pull-out test rig at Sterns Cottage Slip. Once the concrete soil nail has cured they are tested by attempting to pull out the "nail". If it fails then deeper "nails" will be bored. Otherwise contractors can continue with boring and concreting the remainder.
The drilling rig seen here is at Northwood Slip looking towards Bewdley. It has positioned itself on the trackbed and is drilling underneath itself. This will be one of the 118 soil nails on the top row of four, being 19 metres deep. A blocked off Northwood Lane can be seen in the bottom right of the picture
All photos taken Johnathan Symonds on 11th December
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
FLOODLINE 64
Wednesday 5th December 2007
EYMORE CUTTING
Contractors have three x 60foot panels to replace tomorrow and this relaying will be complete. Expansion joints will probably be inserted on Friday with contractors spending a few days next week roughly levelling and aligning the track so they could be going home early for Christmas.
Other contractors have started today welding up rails into 120 foot lengths. This is the Alumino Thermic Welding Process discovered in 1896 and first used by the GWR in 1935. A sacrificial refractory mould is placed around the rail joint and the rail ends are heated to 6-700 degrees centigrade. A hopper crucible is placed above the mould and is filled a combination of powders (3MeO + 2Al = Al2O3 + 3Me + heat), after reaction this will become molten and is then tapped to pour into the mould. After a short time the equipment is removed and the weld allowed to cool before the rail head is ground level.
NORTHWOOD LANE
About six panels of track (mostly concrete sleepers) on the slip have been removed. This is to allow a meter or so of the contaminated formation to be skimmed and removed. This formation will be consolidated with new rock, ballast and steel sleepers used when relaying.
Contractors are now are nearing the half way mark of installing the 475 soil nails. This is an extremely awkward location to work being on the railway embankment. Crawler machines with drilling equipment attached have to drive up the steep embankment and position themselves for drilling. Telehandlers (personnel basket on the end of a long metal arm) swing in men 20 feet above the lane to work off this platform. Here they align the drill head (100mm diameter) before boring. Also as one length of soil nail (8 feet long) disappears into the hillside they prepare to add the next section until the whole metal nail is sunk into the hillside up to 19 meters deep. Once the required depth has been reached, concrete is then pumped down the hollow soil nail to the end and then under pressure fills the bore back to the surface. The first few soil nails were then allowed to cure and a “pull out test” conducted successfully before continuing with the remainder.
Photos taken on 5th December 2007
Eymore Cutting looking towards Bewdley and the high bridge (No 14) Note the new level ballast and the machine with forks fitted ready to position the next steel sleeper panel with the flat bottom rail already in the cess.
Welding of a rail joint in Eymore Cutting. The powders in the crucible have just been ignited and when this reaches a temperature of about 2700 degrees centigrade it will be tapped into the mould. A completed weld can be seen on the opposite rail. Note the siphon overflow concrete channel on the left hand bank.
Once the weld has cooled and the equipment removed this is what remains to be chipped off with a hammer and the weld ground
Northwood Lane seen from rail height. The three rigs are drilling at various heights. The light grey metal bars are the remains of the metal soil nails. Note for safe working on this embankment the blue telehandler is used to get staff, equipment and soil nails to the drilling rig head.
Same work in progress but looking towards Arley. Note the water bowser, cement bags, pumps, mixers and other equipment parked in the lane which for most of it in the photo is covered in wooden boards to prevent the machines sinking in the mud
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
FLOODLINE 63
30th November 2007
STERNS COTTAGE SLIP
The large drilling rig has now completed the 75 vertical piles and has now left SVR. These 25 foot deep piles will be left for a week for the concrete to cure. During this week work will revert to completing the new culvert. About a third of it is already buried under the cottage’s car park so another two thirds will see these pipes laid underneath the railway line. The following week will see the smaller drilling rig inserting the raking piles that go underneath the track bed at 45 degrees. This work should be completed before Christmas and the concrete allowed to cure. The concrete capping beam, which joins the vertical and the angled piles, will be cast in situ in the first few days of January. This will then allow the track to be replaced during January with a projected reopening to Hampton Loade for February half term week.
HIGHLEY
The thrust boring of the new culvert just north of the station is now complete. The steel reinforcing walls will soon be removed and new headwalls installed. The french drains installed in the main slip have been completed and the level of the ground in the area of the slip is being raised back up to track level with every lorry load. The level is now about 15 feet below track level but it is planned that rail level should be reached before Christmas. There is also a possibility that if time allows then the ballast can be laid to allow tracklaying to start in January.
ENGINE HOUSE
All SVR working members (+1 guest) are invited to view the EH on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th February 2008. Although the rolling stock will still be awaited this is a chance for you to see the building and its facilities.
FISHERMAN’S SLIP
Lorries are now moving rock from the Clee Hills and storing it in an abandoned farm above Fisherman’s Slip. This then has to be loaded into a dumper truck. The dumper truck then makes its way down a steep lane which has had to be resurfaced before this work could commence. On arriving at the accommodation near the HY Down Distant the dumper tips the ballast into a road railer trailer. Once loaded this then trundles about 150 feet down the track towards Fisherman’s Crossing until it comes to the washout. Here the road railer scoops out the rock and loads it in to another dumper on caterpillar track which then descends from track level about 15 feet into what remains of the washout and starts tipping rock.
BORLE VIADUCT
Shotcreting of the damaged trailing walls still can not be carried out due to the high river level. Gabion rock baskets are being built and installed upstream of the viaduct. To get a crawler bucket to the south eastern side of the viaduct a temporary roadway has had to be built dropping about 30 feet from trackbed to near river level. This is to allow the demolition of the partially collapsed stone retaining wall which was undermined by the river. The excavation of this area did result in a further slip of the railway embankment shoulder. This is of a small nature but all rail movements have been halted as a precaution. The planned repair to the stone retaining wall is to replace it with gabion rock baskets set into the river bed.
BRIDGE 18
All repair work complete and contractors off site
ARLEY
I have made a point of not specifically thanking anyone as I know everyone deserves thanks for whatever you do to help the railway reopen. But a special thanks to those signalmen that have and are manning AY signalbox. 33 consecutive days (19th Nov – 21st Dec) having been rostered with in a week or so.
EYMORE CUTTING/TRIMPLEY LANE
Contractors are now in the cutting, relaying track between the pipe bridge and the high bridge. They should be working throughout this weekend (Sat and Sun). If you want to see this work in progress you can view it safely from the high bridge. Please park in the Severn Trent Visitors Centre car park and not the yacht club car park. A walk alongside the reservoir will let you see more of the completed track work and the tons of spoil recovered from Victoria Bridge, stored on the lineside.
NORTHWOOD
Due to the drilling rigs here requiring water to lubricate the boring heads and the mains pipe in Northwood Lane not able to supply the quantity required the SVR is now tripping rail tankers to site. Apart from the Esso tanker that has been here for some weeks we have now dug out of the brambles another tanker. It has not been run since it arrived certainly more than 8 years ago and probably much longer. This Gas Liquor Tank of 3,108 gallons is No 80990 of c1895. It has now been made watertight by replacing pipework and attaching blanking plates, replacing oil pads and cleaning journals and was taken to Northwood by Cl 73 101 earlier this week.
The three drilling rigs have installed about 80 soil nails out of the projected 475. Each one is 100mm in diameter and they are being installed in four layers below the track bed. The first layer below the track are 19m deep, then 16, then 13 and the bottom row being 11m deep. When the top layer has been installed about two track panels will be lifted for the trackbed to be dug down about a meter and consolidated before the track is reinstated.
BEWDLEY
A vast amount of vegetation clearance continued last weekend at Bridge 12 along Northwood Lane. The next effort here will be on Sunday 9th December so for those not helping on the Santa Specials your help would be welcomed here. Indications are that most of the work will be clearing what has already been felled ie BURNING!
SANTA OPERATION
Total of 17,955 booked on Santa Specials at close of play today (total seats available 26,000). Engines 45110, 42968, 5164 and 46443 on duty this weekend with 5764 working an evening dining car train on Saturday
P WAY WEEKENDS and POSSIBLE WEEKS in 2008
Advance warning
There may be a requirement for P Way staff on projects between Christmas and New Year. Further details are being worked out and information will be made available soon.
With the civil engineering works due to be completed at various sites early next year, the replacement of the P Way will follow. Unfortunately within a month or so we could be faced with returning P Way materials and relaying track at Sterns Cottage, Highley, Fisherman’s Crossing and Northwood all at the same time. On top of this we will still have to connect and lay track into the Engine House and understandably the SVR’s two P Way gangs will be overloaded. Failure to complete these jobs simultaneously may jeopardise the reopening date.
Therefore this is a request not only to SVR P Way staff to make themselves available but to any P Way gangs from other heritage railways to come to our assistance. The planned work dates are 19th, 20th, 26th and 27th January, also 2nd and 3rd February 2008. The type of work will be dependent on how far we will have progressed. Initially please contact Dewi Jones on 01299 403816.
Photos taken on 29th November 2007
Photo taken from 50 yards north of the Fisherman's Crossing Slip. The top soil has been removed in preparation for installing a new drain across this field to the River Severn. This drain along with another is part of a drainage scheme to avoid the build up of water experienced on June 19th.
Looking north across the slip. The loose material has now been extracted. Rock is unloaded from road railers on the other side and brought down the new inclined roadway built through the trees. The caterpillar dumper is parked in the trees and the roller is in place to tamp down the rock layers. Inspection chambers, headwalls and drainage pipes are already on site.
Looking north from the downstream side of Borle Viaduct. This machine will make its way down to the brook, twenty feet below to repair the damaged retaining wall.
The southern arch of Borle Viaduct. Before removing the damaged retaining wall in the brook (behind the cameraman) the earth embankment above it had to be removed. It was the weight of this saturated embankment and the erosion of the wall's foundations that caused the collapse.
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
FLOODLINE 62
Photos taken at Highley 29th November 2007.
Just outside the Ship Inn. At the bottom of the photo can be seen the new drain and outfall into the River Severn. This was buried under the roadway to the Ship and will be connected to the drains that run down the hill from the Highley Slip.
The original culvert headwall is marked 15 and new inspection chambers show the route of the new drain that collects the water from the new french drains. The level of the grey rock is still 15 feet below rail height. Note the inspection chamber in the centre of the photo and check the next photo
The same inspection chamber can now bee seen from track level. Its not the one in the bottom left corner - its the one further away towards the bungalow alongside the flat mesh. Note that the rolled rock has now been covered by a plastic mesh and this is then in turn covered by a new layer of rock
On the left can be seen the tops of the French drains which are now gradually being buried by the level layers of rock.
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
FLOODLINE 61
Drilling rigs below the embankment at Northwood Lane used to install the soil nails with other associated equipment. Note floodlamps for evening work and stores containers and floodlamps in field beyond.
View down one of the pits dug either side of the embankment just north of Highley Station. The metal pipe is being thrust bored underneath the railway line to replace a collapsed culvert
Fisherman's Crossing slip showing how the tracked bucket has ‘benched’ the formation ready for rock to be tipped. The damaged concrete sleepers have been left at the bottom and will not be retrieved. Notice how much of the original embankment is made of ash.
All photos taken on 23rd November by J Symonds
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
FLOODLINE 60
23rd November 2007
BRIDGNORTH SHUTTLES
Resulting from the successful repair to the Cleobury Road Bridge at Bridgnorth earlier this week and inspection work by the P Way and S+T departments, passenger trains can once again leave Bridgnorth. The shuttle to near Oldbury Viaduct restarts tomorrow and will run every Saturday and Sunday in December. Just think of it - a Santa Free Zone - any steam enthusiast wishing to go anywhere in December can’t avoid the white bearded gentleman. Well now you can, come along to our nice warm pub with a log fire, good ales with 48773 simmering outside the window, no screaming kids, no canned carol music and no Santa headboards.
STERNS COTTAGE SLIP
The large vertical drilling rig by Tuesday evening had drilled 24 of the 75 piles. These are 8 meters deep and are 450mm in diameter. They are initially installed every third one to allow the concrete to go off before drilling alongside. The rig will reposition itself and then drill the next 24 piles alongside the first piles at 600mm centres. This process will be repeated a third time to build the 75m long pile wall. It is hoped that this machine will have completed its work by the end of next week Working alongside the large rig is a smaller one, this drills underneath the trackbed at about 45 degrees. These are called raking piles and are set at 1.5m centres. They are then attached to the vertical piles and the assembly is held together with a concrete capping beam cast in situ. This work should be complete by the end of January allowing track laying to commence. The repair to the slip between the cottage and the river has still to be determined by the insurance company.
EYMORE CUTTING
Monday saw contractors arrive at AY and by end of day Tuesday all the rail had been delivered, taken by road railer and unloaded in pairs in the Down side cess between Victoria Bridge and Trimpley. Wednesday saw them replacing one 60 foot panel of track at a time. This involved de-keying the rail and moving them to the UP side cess. The machines then remove about 24 concrete sleepers for dispatch to AY No 1 Sdg. Some of the ballast is then removed and piles up on the flat area south of Victoria Bridge. A layer of membrane is then laid out across the formation and new ballast brought in by road railer from AY. A crawler bucket is then used to spread the ballast to near level and is then tamped down with a mechanical road roller. The crawler bucket changes its head for a forklift and picks up the steel sleepers in bundles of five for two men to lay out on the formation by hand. This process is repeated for the equivalent of a 60 foot length of track. The machine then lifts the 30 foot long new rails from the Down side cess and insert them into the sleepers for clipping up. Fish plates are attached every fourth rail joint for the others will be welded up at a later date to form 120 foot length rails.
ARLEY
Lorries arrive at AY from Kidderminster SVR with the steel sleepers, park on the road, side-on at the yard entrance to AY so that a fork lift can remove them for stockpiling in the yard. The lorry has to park on the road as there is no room in the yard to carry out this manoeuvre.
A road railer will arrive in AY No 1 siding from Eymore Cutting with about 24 concrete sleepers. The forklift then loads these onto the now empty lorry for dispatch and unloading at Kidderminster SVR. The forklift then loads the road railer trailer with about 30/36 steel sleepers for it to return to Eymore Cutting.
BEWDLEY
Tree clearing gang will be working at Bridge 12 on Sun 24th Nov. No train is booked so either by cars to Northwood Lane or walk out from the station. Dai Price will lead the gang leaving Bewdley about 10.00am 45110 booked to work services BY to KR this weekend.
Note slight alteration to timetable for Sat 24th Nov
am am pm pm pm pm
Kidderminster d 10.45 11.45 12.50 1.45 2.50 4.00
Bewdley a 10.58 11.58 1.03 1.58 3.03 4.13
Bewdley d 11.20 12.20 1.15 2.25 3.30 4.35
Kidderminster a 11.33 12.33 1.28 2.38 3.43 4.48
Dewi Jones
Traffic Manager
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