East Coast Mainline Blockade for Werrington Junction diveunder

[Donington Road]

Approach to the northern portal of the dive under.

 

 

A freight of containers on the existing Joint line to the left.  The large pipe carries Werrington Drain from the east over the top of the dive under.

 

 

 

The soil nails holding the embankment on both sides of the approach.

 

 

[Donington Road]

More of the approach to the northern portal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 18, 2021 by Donington Road

[Donington Road]

Coming out of the tunnel to the south portal.  The maintenance access is through the gap on the right.

 

 

Looking back at the south portal.

 

 

Looking south again, standing in the four foot of the Up Line and the ramp up towards Cock Lane.

 

 

Looking right from the last photo is the maintenance access and the over bridge carrying the Down Stamford/ECML Down Slow Line.

 

 

 

To the right of the access is a very deep pit containing pumping equipment which pumps drainage water to the two large siphons either side of the north portal.  These pumps run 24 hours per day.

 

 

 

Edited August 18, 2021 by Donington Road

[melmerby]

31 minutes ago, Donington Road said:

Approach to the northern portal of the dive under.

 

 

 

The down track looks like it still needs some fettling as there is a noticable kink visible in the photo

[melmerby]

8 minutes ago, Donington Road said:

 

 

 

 

The patterns left by the soil auger look almost artistic.

[Donington Road]

1 minute ago, melmerby said:

The down track looks like it still needs some fettling as there is a noticable kink visible in the photo

 

Yes, it still needs the tamper, apparently they have had problems with the reliability of the tamper but it should be here this weekend to complete the Down Line.

[Donington Road]

1 minute ago, melmerby said:

The patterns left by the soil auger look almost artistic.

 

It is caused by the core drill rotating backwards and forwards as it is withdrawn from hole after the cement has been poured but has not fully cured.

[Donington Road]

The pumps down in the hole next to the access.

 

 

The hole where the pumps are, to say it is deep is an understement.

 

 

The control equipment for the pumps is housed in the rather large cabinet.

 

 

The pump pit, south portal and ECML over the top.  It seemed very devoid of trains this afternoon as one would have made a nice photo.

 

Coming out between the dive under and the Down Stamford.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Donington Road]

Looking towards Cock Lane footbridge, The Down Stamford on the right.

 

 

What is left of Morgan Sindall's main site at Bretton (centre)

 

 

Looking north towards Hurn Road.

 

 

Looking east, the large gantry that spans the ECML at Werrington Junction.

[Donington Road]

Standing on the over bridge of the access, some trains, not a position that any of us will ever get to photograph from again.

 

 

 

[Donington Road]

Left over photos from a really interesting visit.  We didn't get to see the two large siphons on the north side as these are still being worked upon and the area between the dive under and Hurn Road was having spoil removed with frequent lorries in and out.

Retaining pond on the north side.

 

 

This crane has been on hire from day one.

 

 

Looking towards the A15 bridge.

 

 

The signal at Hurn Road showing a red aspect (centre, near yellow fencing)

 

265 metres from the north portal to the nearest steps up the embankment.

 

[Crun]

Down under Werrington dive under with Network Rail. A film by Trackside ECML:

 

[Trackside ECML]

My video is on here the second I put it up on you tube, its 6 minutes long so someone's

not watched it --just grabbed it and put it on here ??????

[Crun]

14 minutes ago, Trackside ECML said:

My video is on here the second I put it up on you tube, its 6 minutes long so someone's

not watched it --just grabbed it and put it on here ??????

I watched it as soon as it appeared on YouTube then added it to this forum. 

[40F S & T]

Hi

How good it was of Network/Rail to let you all down to parts no seen in closeup by us. The job looked big from the start but that underpass it makes me wonder how it was moved. Well done the planners. It was also nice to see where all the dumpers went up and down to get all the soil out. Great  photos and video. For anyone who went down was it bigger than you thought?

[Donington Road]

1 minute ago, 40F S & T said:

Hi

How good it was of Network/Rail to let you all down to parts no seen in closeup by us. The job looked big from the start but that underpass it makes me wonder how it was moved. Well done the planners. It was also nice to see where all the dumpers went up and down to get all the soil out. Great  photos and video. For anyone who went down was it bigger than you thought?

 

We should have gone in January to watch the box being pushed into position under the ECML but unfortunately covid put a stop to that at the last minute.  Network Rail were very opologetic and reinvited us this afternoon to a walk through.  I think we all agreed that todays visit was probably more interesting as the initial pushing stage would have been quite a slow affair to watch with only a few hours available over the nine day period it took to complete.

 

The box was constructed on the floor over the dive under with lifting pockets for hydraulic jacks in each side.  When it was completed the whole thing was jacked up about 40mm in one go and sliding pads of about 18 x 12 inches inserted every few metres under the edges and guides fixed to the front which guided it along the two tunnels previously bored.  Four large hydraulic rams were employed to push the box.  These were fixed to pockets in the base of the dive under and pushed the box the next set of pockets where the rams were taken out and moved forward to those pockets to repeat the process.  In the event it was found that only two rams were needed to move the box, impressive when it weighed 11,600 tons.

 

The whole thing is very impressive when taken from Glinton Junction to Marholm Junction.  The actual covered section - the box jack - which goes under the ECML seemed shorter than I was expecting it to be.  The width and height of it is large, the height from rail to ceiling is eight metres.  The views we have seen from Cock Lane footbridge with a telephoto lens show nothing of the south portal, the access from the west side, the drainage pumps and so on.  When you stand at the south portal it is a long way to Cock Lane, you can also appreciate why the Stamford Line is so far west because of the amount of space taken beside the dive under for the pumps and access.

 

Network Rail and Morgan Sindall have really gone above and beyond in their helpfulness and time to inform not only us who have taken a keen interest in this project but the local community as a whole.  Covid really did put a spanner in the works as it deprived us of the monthly meetings that we were having where we were given access to plans and upcoming work schedules, latest photos and general chat.

[chris p bacon]

Yet again it's a thanks from me. 

 

These updates have provided a comprehensive view of a large project, that we'd ordinarily only see a few snippets of and a couple of pages in Railway Magazine when it's over.

 

Your efforts have been much appreciated.. ..how about covering East West rail....

[Donington Road]

4 minutes ago, chris p bacon said:

Yet again it's a thanks from me. 

 

These updates have provided a comprehensive view of a large project, that we'd ordinarily only see a few snippets of and a couple of pages in Railway Magazine when it's over.

 

Your efforts have been much appreciated.. ..how about covering East West rail....

 

Thank you Dave for the nice comments.

It will be quite a sad day when it is all over, although photographing trains will continue until weed growth blots us out, just to see how the new line pans out with use.

East/West, now that would involve a house move which I'm too long in the tooth for.

[Richard E]

Slightly late to the forum but here are my pictures of the walkthrough. I've tried to leave out those that duplicate Micks.

 

A view of the Glinton Junction end from a slightly different angle, the crane on the right has been on site for almost the whole project. Apparently the biggest cost is moving the kit on and off site, hire is not significant by comparison.

 

Looking towards the portal from track level.

 

Our group making their way towards the portal.

 

Mick taking the lead here, looks happy with his lot ...

This is the reception pit to the west of the ECML, the Up Stamford is roughly above us

 

And this is the leading edge of the box

 

Exiting the south portal looking towards Marholm Junction.

 

Still a lot of work going on to fit out the pumps, various bits of kit in the foreground to do with unclipping and reclipping the rails when stressing them. The up line has been done, the down will done this weekend.

 

The stragglers emerge ...

 

Looking north from the west retaining wall of the DU.

We'd split into two groups here.

 

Still moving the 'muck' off site, most is going to infill Maxey Quarry.

 

Slightly better view of 170 638 on its journey past us.

 

 

And finally we wend our way back to the steps by which we accessed the DU.

 

There is just tidying up to be carried out along with acceptance testing and documentation before the first services use the line. That first service is likely to be in December.

[melmerby]

I noticed on those photos and the previous ones the pile of fishplates and bags of cement(?) at the low level access point.

I wonder what they are for?

[Crun]

Disruption on railways set to last ‘a few days’ after train hits tractor | Peterborough Telegraph (peterboroughtoday.co.uk)

 

https://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/transport/disruption-on-railways-set-to-last-a-few-days-after-train-hits-tractor-3352861

[melmerby]

31 minutes ago, Crun said:

Disruption on railways set to last ‘a few days’ after train hits tractor | Peterborough Telegraph (peterboroughtoday.co.uk)

 

https://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/transport/disruption-on-railways-set-to-last-a-few-days-after-train-hits-tractor-3352861

I wonder why the train driver didn't try and swerve away from the tractor?

 

Fortunately no serious injuries.

 

 

[phil-b259]

1 hour ago, melmerby said:

I wonder why the train driver didn't try and swerve away from the tractor?

 

Fortunately no serious injuries.

 

 

 

But lots of infrastructure damage including broken & fractured rails underneath the train complicating its removal.

 

A full 50ch of track requires renewal in addition to various bits of S&T kit. Estimated time needed to fix is 52hours from start of work so line won't be back in operation  till Monday at the earliest.

 

Lots of freight diverted via London as a consequence.

 

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by phil-b259

[Donington Road]

2 hours ago, melmerby said:

I noticed on those photos and the previous ones the pile of fishplates and bags of cement(?) at the low level access point.

I wonder what they are for?

 

High strength concrete, used for many applications all over the site. Network Rail's superglue equivilent.

All the yellow handrails and posts are plastic and very sturdy too.  These would have been put in using the bagged concrete.

 

Fishplates, to be used when the clickety-click needs putting back in the continuously welded rail.

[Donington Road]

The dive under during construction, a view from Cock Lane footbridge, that big green thing that dominates the skyline.

We bemoaned the fact that even with a telephoto lens it was difficult to see what was going on at the south portal from the centre span of the bridge.

So yesterday it became clear, you cannot see Cock Lane footbridge at all from the south portal.

 

 

 

This a cropped image from the photo above, the bridge in the centre background is Walton.  I think it just shows how high Cock Lane footbridge is for it to be obscured by the cross girders even though it is some 600 metres away from the point the second photo was taken from.

 

 

Another snippet of information.

Those white tubes with the red tops seen rising above the concrete top of the piles (first photo). There are five of them on both sides situated in the recess of the fence.  These have been housing monitoring equipment to measure ground movement.  Apparently there has been less than 5mm of movement since the piling has been installed.