East Coast Mainline Blockade for Werrington Junction diveunder

[Donington Road]

1 hour ago, Crun said:

Many thanks. I must remember that when I am next in the building. This forum is one of the most friendly and informative ones I belong to. I must have a ride around the area and use the bridges at the end of my regular cycle ride on Sunday and see if there are any developments since last Sunday.

 

You see, sometimes you can learn a lot by going 'slightly off topic'

This site is well worth registering, it's free and you can do more like zooming in on photos.

https://britainfromabove.org.uk/en

 

This weekend, 22:30 Friday to 04:00 Monday there is possession of the lines at Werrington Junction for joining up the Stamford lines, so no trains other than perhaps two or three on engineering work.

 

Edited January 4, 2020 by Donington Road

[jamie92208]

As to the cast iron columns. They were often hollow and did a double duty as roof supports and also downpipes for rainwater. If they are no longer needed structurally they may well have collected water in them. I duscovered this when researching station canopies for my modelling.

 

Jamie.

[rockershovel]

That’s a very interesting picture. Apart from the three bridges (bottom left corner) and the indicated structure, virtually nothing else of it remains standing. Is that the Great Northern Hotel, top right? 

[rockershovel]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

As to the cast iron columns. They were often hollow and did a double duty as roof supports and also downpipes for rainwater. If they are no longer needed structurally they may well have collected water in them. I duscovered this when researching station canopies for my modelling.

 

Jamie.

 

I worked for some years for John Murphy and Sons Ltd, whose head offices in Kentish Town were based on the former MPD. The conversion of that building, including the preservation of much of the ironwork, was reckoned to have taxed their resources to the limit. They were very proud of the results, and they were often cited as a demonstration piece to clients. 

[Joseph_Pestell]

2 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

As to the cast iron columns. They were often hollow and did a double duty as roof supports and also downpipes for rainwater. If they are no longer needed structurally they may well have collected water in them. I duscovered this when researching station canopies for my modelling.

 

Jamie.

 

I had never noticed this feature until looking at Barnstaple Town station with a view to purchase (about 35 years ago). The water was piped from the base of the column below the platform to outlets onto the track. But someone had filled in the trackbed to platform level so the water was not running away and overflowed in heavy rain causing a lot of damage.

[rockershovel]

It’s a common feature in buildings which have valleys in their rooflines. 

[melmerby]

That arrow is wrong that's Unex House.

https://goo.gl/maps/2dnWoZeiwoaftxjU8

Pets at home is it the smaller adjacent two ridge building just up to the right.

The other ex-railway building with the single ridge and kink, further up & right is also extant (at least most of it) as the Solicitors "Buckles"

 

https://goo.gl/maps/z8m1W8XuQdRbXjLd7

Edited January 4, 2020 by melmerby

[pete_mcfarlane]

1 hour ago, rockershovel said:

It’s a common feature in buildings which have valleys in their rooflines. 

I work in such a building. In heavy rain it sounds like you are sitting next to a fast flowing river, which takes some getting used to. 

[Crun]

5 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

As to the cast iron columns. They were often hollow and did a double duty as roof supports and also downpipes for rainwater. If they are no longer needed structurally they may well have collected water in them. I duscovered this when researching station canopies for my modelling.

 

Jamie.

 

Yes you are quite right, I should have said that they double as downpipes and roof supports. I think the people who cleared them claimed they had been blocked with building materials.

[rockershovel]

2 hours ago, Crun said:

 

Yes you are quite right, I should have said that they double as downpipes and roof supports. I think the people who cleared them claimed they had been blocked with building materials.

 

I can certainly tell you that rodding them is an absolutely horrible job! 

[Donington Road]

Preparing the new track bed at both ends of the Up Stamford today.

Three spoil/ballast trains at Hurn Road and two at Cock Lane.  Speaking to NR there was a shortage of side discharging ballast wagons so they have had to make do with ballast arriving in open wagons then scooping it out with a large digger bucket.  Seemed at bit time consuming, certainly not proceeding as quickly as they did at Christmas with the Down Stamford.  They are taking away the old spoil in the same train, so it was a bit of digging out then ballasting with backward and forward train movements to fill the once empted ballast wagons.  Surprisingly deep excavations as well.

 

Hurn Road end:

 

 

 

 

Cock Lane end:

 

 

 

Still removing the old track in short panels and stacking it up on site to be removed by road, somebody is going to have nice contract to do that.

It is now quite a distance away that they are 'walking' the panels to stack, behind the thin row of trees to the right in the photo below.

 

 

[Mike Storey]

6 hours ago, melmerby said:

That arrow is wrong that's Unex House.

https://goo.gl/maps/2dnWoZeiwoaftxjU8

Pets at home is it the smaller adjacent two ridge building just up to the right.

The other ex-railway building with the single ridge and kink, further up & right is also extant (at least most of it) as the Solicitors "Buckles"

 

https://goo.gl/maps/z8m1W8XuQdRbXjLd7

 

Yes, quite right. The Buckles building used to be the Area Civil Engineers' offices in the 1980's. (It was quite strange to go back in there around 2012, when selling my house!)

 

I think the Pets at Home and Unex House buildings had already been sold off for commercial use by then, or shortly thereafter.

[Richard E]

Good to meet Donington Road again today, I've got one or two shots as well.

 

At the southern end of the site the up Stamford has been lifted down as far as the footbridge. I was surprised to be able to get pictures like this as I didn't think the worksite would go quite as far south as it does.

 

 

 

 

And from Cock Lane footbridge.

 

 

Looking at the wagon contents at the south end of the site it is fine gravel going in first, that is being compacted and then the membrane and ballast go on top of that. I must remember my steps next time so that I can get some shots over the parapet of the bridge!

 

We both gathered, albeit third hand, that the siting of the signal by the footbridge is questionable on sighting grounds, it was being said that it is not really visible until you are almost upon it. SPAD time here we come?

[Donington Road]

1 hour ago, Richard E said:

Good to meet Donington Road again today, I've got one or two shots as well.

 

At the southern end of the site the up Stamford has been lifted down as far as the footbridge. I was surprised to be able to get pictures like this as I didn't think the worksite would go quite as far south as it does.

 

 

I like your photos from the Walton end, nice addition to what we normally take.

Do I need wire cutters to make a hole in the mesh for the lense to poke through?

[jamie92208]

46 minutes ago, Donington Road said:

 

I like your photos from the Walton end, nice addition to what we normally take.

Do I need wire cutters to make a hole in the mesh for the lense to poke through?

Wire cutters indeed. In the good ole US of A a lot of photographers have a chain saw as part of their kit to remove bushes and trees that have had the temerity to grow where they want to get a shot.

 

Jamie

[Donington Road]

I was going to put together a video of the whole weekend shutdown but as there were many short video clips to assemble it started to get a bit unweildy.
So I have decided to make the video in parts which also helps me with the rendering process and prevents my computer throwing a few wobblies.
I am sorry that some clips are a bit wobbly in places as I do all shooting hand held and old hands tend to wobble more than I like, plus the wind is a nuisance at times on those exposed bridges.
Talking of wobbles, note the container flats on the up Stamford, especially the three rear ones.

 

Part 1 is Friday afternoon before the 22:30 possession showing the new and old Stamford lines in use before the Up Stamford line is joined to its new alignment.
I thought it gave some unusual views with the width between the Up and Down lines, although when the dive-under is completed the width will be even greater as the Up Stamford will be moved back closer to the ECML.

 

 

[ess1uk]

15 hours ago, Richard E said:

Good to meet Donington Road again today, 

 

We both gathered, albeit third hand, that the siting of the signal by the footbridge is questionable on sighting grounds, it was being said that it is not really visible until you are almost upon it. SPAD time here we come?

It will be even more difficult to see if it gets spray painted.

still can’t believe it was put there

[Richard E]

Been  out this morning, as at 10:35 the northern end is complete.

 

 

The old up Stamford is disappearing quite rapidly too.

 

 

The southern end is busy but it seems to be 10 watching and one working (quoting a passer by). Note the laser alignment reflector modules on the up line.

 

 

The tamper is busy down there as well. Even that had its watchers. All of these are shot through wire mesh with the lens filter against the mesh itself.

 

In this first shot you can see the ground wire for the OHLE as well.

 

 

 

And the ballast came in by the usual mode of transport this time.

 

 

And at Cock Lane they were railing what looked like a railhead grinder to me. You can see the laser alignment reflector modules again on the end of each sleeper in this shot but on the up line this time.

 

 

And I am surprised at the ground bonding for the footbridge at Cock Lane.

 

I remembered my steps today, it makes taking these shots a lot easier.

Edited January 5, 2020 by Richard E

[Fat Controller]

16 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Wire cutters indeed. In the good ole US of A a lot of photographers have a chain saw as part of their kit to remove bushes and trees that have had the temerity to grow where they want to get a shot.

 

Jamie

Not just in the States; a French friend carries a selection of loppers and bow-saws. As he's almost 2m tall, I can't imagine why he might need them

[phil-b259]

3 hours ago, ess1uk said:

It will be even more difficult to see if it gets spray painted.

still can’t believe it was put there

 

Is it not a temporary installation? As the plan is for the dive under to start between the Stamford lines then once construction is completed then there may be further track realignment which moves the Down Stamford further away from the footbridge and gives better signal sighting.

[melmerby]

6 minutes ago, phil-b259 said:

 

Is it not a temporary installation? As the plan is for the dive under to start between the Stamford lines then once construction is completed then there may be further track realignment which moves the Down Stamford further away from the footbridge and gives better signal sighting.

Indeed.

The completed plan shows the southbound Stamford close to the alignment of the (removed) down ECML slow, then the diveunder, then the northbound Stamford, so a bit further east than the temp alignment.

[The Stationmaster]

26 minutes ago, phil-b259 said:

 

Is it not a temporary installation? As the plan is for the dive under to start between the Stamford lines then once construction is completed then there may be further track realignment which moves the Down Stamford further away from the footbridge and gives better signal sighting.

While it is/could be temporary that should have no effect whatsoever on the siting and sighting of the signal - it has to conform to the existing standards if it is being provided to govern the running of trains, even if it was only going to be there for a week.   We carried out SPAD risk assessments for all the various stage works at St Pancras during the construction of the international lines etc and some of those stages were of shorter duration than the likely duration of this arrangement north of Peterborough.

[phil-b259]

2 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

While it is/could be temporary that should have no effect whatsoever on the siting and sighting of the signal - it has to conform to the existing standards if it is being provided to govern the running of trains, even if it was only going to be there for a week.   We carried out SPAD risk assessments for all the various stage works at St Pancras during the construction of the international lines etc and some of those stages were of shorter duration than the likely duration of this arrangement north of Peterborough.

 

Understood - but do we know for sure this has not been undertaken?

 

Several of the photos show a 75mph sign just past the signal - has a speed restriction been imposed on the approach to the signal to bring sighting times within acceptable perimeters for example?

 

Also if drivers are 'used' to achieving a certain sighting distance (which may well be far in exceed of the minimums quoted in the standards) before the dramatic shortening of said sighting distance may seem worse than it actually is. The human brain is quite easily fooled when it comes to perception of distances.

[Crun]

View from Hurn Road bridge looking south 05/01/2020

Edited January 5, 2020 by Crun

[Richard E]

1 hour ago, melmerby said:

Indeed.

The completed plan shows the southbound Stamford close to the alignment of the (removed) down ECML slow, then the diveunder, then the northbound Stamford, so a bit further east than the temp alignment.

The plans posted by Donington Road a couple of pages back seem to show the down Stamford slewed to roughly the centre of the new formation once the dive under is completed. It certainly will not go back on or near the old down Stamford (also ECML down slow) alignment as that runs down the centre of the dive under. It can't be moved too far without having to rearrange the OHLE and rebuild some of the culverts/under track access point yet again surely?

Edited January 5, 2020 by Richard E