East Coast Mainline Blockade for Werrington Junction diveunder

[Donington Road]

10 minutes ago, melmerby said:

Still looks very wet around there.

I suppose it's all really the flood plain of the River Nene.

 

Yes it's taking a long while to drain away, although the land here is low and very saturated.

The Nene is four miles away.  It is not a flood plain, the water runoff  here is eventually discharged into the River Welland.

 

According to Network Rail and The Environment Agency.

On the map, the old Bretton Drain will flow northwards through the culvert into the new drain (at the moment it is pumped with those large pipes that run along the back of the industrial units) then onwards passed Glinton where the outfall is in to the River Folly, then into The River Welland.

This is classed as dirty water because most of it is from the roads and such like around Bretton.

 

Marholm Brook originates west of Marholm, flows passed the Lloyds building and along the side of the industrial units then under the railway lines into Werrington Brook.  This is classed as clean water/spring water, this goes into the lake at Cuckoos Hollow and eventually into the River Folly.

 

At Cock Lane footbridge the new culverts apparently keep the two water flows separate.

I am sure that before they all flowed into the same stagnant pool next to the old footbridge.

The clean water is to keep all the insects and amphibians happy but those in the dirty water have to rough it!, even though NR have built the new drain with riffles and wildlife areas.

 

This website has info about waterways https://www.wwf.org.uk/uk-rivers-map

 

[John Tomlinson]

3 hours ago, melmerby said:

Unless you take the Eastern end as the start point, then it warrants a "1"

Dig out a map and try any road anywhere - I think you'll see what I mean by starting at a point and going clockwise. Another example, A49 from Ross on Wye to Preston, starts in the segment clockwise from the A4.

 

Sorry, I really will go now!

 

John.

[melmerby]

51 minutes ago, John Tomlinson said:

Dig out a map and try any road anywhere - I think you'll see what I mean by starting at a point and going clockwise. Another example, A49 from Ross on Wye to Preston, starts in the segment clockwise from the A4.

 

Sorry, I really will go now!

 

John.

A34 Manchester to Southampton (it's not normally classed the other way around!) Manchester end is between 5 & 6

A38 Mansfield to Bodmin also starts in the 5 & 6 segment.

However both are officially starting in the 3 zone and going the other way.

 

There are quite a lot of anomalies of which the A14 is one:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anomalously_numbered_roads_in_Great_Britain

 

https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Numbering_anomalies

Edited January 2, 2020 by melmerby

[rockershovel]

The A14, as it presently stands, really demonstrates that the original system of numbering main routes is fine; it’s just that it has been projected Northwards from its original function, that of providing a link from the more Southerly of the East Coast ports, to the A1

[Zomboid]

7 hours ago, melmerby said:

A34 Manchester to Southampton (it's not normally classed the other way around!) Manchester end is between 5 & 6

Being from the south, in my mind the A34 is the Southampton (actually Winchester...) to Manchester road, and not the other way round.

 

For one thing it's actually a trunk route between the M3 and M40, but has been superseded in that role by motorways further north.

 

Not that it matters in the slightest, just a perception thing. I suspect if you lived in Oxford it would be primarily the road to the south coast.

[caradoc]

2 hours ago, Zomboid said:

Being from the south, in my mind the A34 is the Southampton (actually Winchester...) to Manchester road, and not the other way round.

 

For one thing it's actually a trunk route between the M3 and M40, but has been superseded in that role by motorways further north.

 

Not that it matters in the slightest, just a perception thing. I suspect if you lived in Oxford it would be primarily the road to the south coast.

 

In the 1970s the A34 was part of my cycling route from Oxford to Didcot, from the bypass to the Abingdon turn. I would not dream of cycling that road nowadays however ! 

[woodenhead]

3 minutes ago, Crun said:

At the risk of being pedantic, is it possible for a moderator to please move the road content to a more relevant thread or forum?

 

Thanks to those posters for resuming the Werrington Junction thread amongst the road 'diversion'...

Welcome to the forum, diversions off topic are welcomed here as long as they are sensible.

 

A34 a local road for me, never realised it resurfaces in near Winchester.

[Crun]

7 hours ago, woodenhead said:

Welcome to the forum, diversions off topic are welcomed here as long as they are sensible.

 

A34 a local road for me, never realised it resurfaces in near Winchester.

 

Thanks for the reply. I am used to threads on other forums I subscribe to being moderated very strictly if there's any movement off topic. Apologies for misunderstanding the way this forum operates. I have enjoyed this thread greatly.

 

Edited January 3, 2020 by Crun
Addition of word.

[woodenhead]

2 minutes ago, Crun said:

Thanks for the reply. I am used to threads on other forums I subscribe to being moderatored very strictly if there's any movement off topic. Apologies for misunderstanding the way this forum operates. I have enjoyed this thread greatly.

 

No worries, we are well moderated so we don't slip into silly business and should that happen the thread is tidied up.

 

There are a few layout threads on here where the actual layout modelling is the last thing people talk about but the content is both interesting and convivial.

[Crun]

23 hours ago, Donington Road said:

 

Yes it's taking a long while to drain away, although the land here is low and very saturated.

The Nene is four miles away.  It is not a flood plain, the water runoff  here is eventually discharged into the River Welland.

 

According to Network Rail and The Environment Agency.

On the map, the old Bretton Drain will flow northwards through the culvert into the new drain (at the moment it is pumped with those large pipes that run along the back of the industrial units) then onwards passed Glinton where the outfall is in to the River Folly, then into The River Welland.

This is classed as dirty water because most of it is from the roads and such like around Bretton.

 

Marholm Brook originates west of Marholm, flows passed the Lloyds building and along the side of the industrial units then under the railway lines into Werrington Brook.  This is classed as clean water/spring water, this goes into the lake at Cuckoos Hollow and eventually into the River Folly.

 

At Cock Lane footbridge the new culverts apparently keep the two water flows separate.

I am sure that before they all flowed into the same stagnant pool next to the old footbridge.

The clean water is to keep all the insects and amphibians happy but those in the dirty water have to rough it!, even though NR have built the new drain with riffles and wildlife areas.

 

This website has info about waterways https://www.wwf.org.uk/uk-rivers-map

 

 

Many thanks for this enlightening information. I live in Werrington in the north of Peterborough and have followed the Werrington Junction upgrade from when it was first proposed. There has been a nature conservation aspect of this project involving surveying and or trapping of Great Crested Newts in the land/water bodies possibly affected. New ponds were constructed south of the GNGE line to Spalding and beyond to move the newts to, should any have been found...

 

Edited January 3, 2020 by Crun

[melmerby]

17 hours ago, Donington Road said:

 

Yes it's taking a long while to drain away, although the land here is low and very saturated.

The Nene is four miles away.  It is not a flood plain, the water runoff  here is eventually discharged into the River Welland.

 

 

A lot of the rivers in Eastern England are managed to keep the water from where it isn't wanted and put it where it is.

I just assumed it was downhill to the Nene, however looking at an OS map I see there is "high" ground south of Werrington, albeit only 10 or so metres above the rest and the Welland is nearer.

[Crun]

6 hours ago, woodenhead said:

No worries, we are well moderated so we don't slip into silly business and should that happen the thread is tidied up.

 

There are a few layout threads on here where the actual layout modelling is the last thing people talk about but the content is both interesting and convivial.

 

I work in central Peterborough in an office that overlooks the ECML just south of the station. We've been there for nine years and in that time my interest in railways and locomotives etc has been revived. People in the office keep an eye or an ear open for unusual sightings such as old diesels or the Flying Scotsman using the ECML

 

I used to live in Long Eaton within walking distance of Toton Sidings from 1960 to 1969.

 

I often combine my Sunday cycle rides with a visit to the Nene Valley Railway at Wansford.

 

 

Edited January 3, 2020 by Crun

[woodenhead]

8 minutes ago, Crun said:

I work in central Peterborough in an office that overlooks the ECML just south of the station. We've been there for nine years and in that time my interest in railways and locomotives etc has been revived. People in the office keep an eye or an ear open for unusual sightings such as old diesels or the Flying Scotsman using the ECML

 

I used to live in Long Eaton within walking distance of Toton Sidings from 1960 to 1969.

 

I often combine my Sunday cycle rides with a visit to the Nene Valley Railway at Wansford.

 

 

My old company had a site in Stevenage where I could watch the ECML from, lots of trains though not much freight that far south.

 

These dive unders and overs on the WCML and ECML interest me because they make such a difference.  The one I benefit from is north of Stafford at Norton Bridge - a once difficult flat junction with lots of traffic from Manchester via Birmingham needing to cross the fast lines on the Stafford-Crewe route and the junction IIRC was also a permanent speed restriction.  Now Cross Country services can sail over the WCML on the new junction whilst Pendolinos make the most of their tilt as they no longer need to slow down.  I am surprised they haven't done something similar at Colwich where there is another slow junction.

[Donington Road]

1 hour ago, Crun said:

Many thanks for this enlightening information. I live in Werrington in the north of Peterborough and have followed the Werrington Junction upgrade from when it was first proposed. There has been a nature conservation aspect of this project involving surveying and or trapping of Great Crested Newts in the land/water bodies possibly affected. New ponds were constructed south of the GNGE line to Spalding and beyond to move the newts to, should any have been found...

 

 

Great Crested newts were indeed found and have been relocated to near Foxcovert Wood.  According to the young ladies that monitor conservation on the site, the newts are doing fine.

There was also a rare species of moth found, which nobody was expecting, around the old drain on the west side opposite Werrington Junction.

Conservation around the site is quite to the forefront.  For every tree/shrub removed (yes, they have all been logged) twenty five new trees/shrubs will be planted.

[Donington Road]

1 hour ago, Crun said:

Thanks for the reply. I am used to threads on other forums I subscribe to being moderated very strictly if there's any movement off topic. Apologies for misunderstanding the way this forum operates. I have enjoyed this thread greatly.

 

 

A little off topic conversation can add to one's knowledge.  I wonder how many people have learned something new about roads from the website link I posted?

I have many interests and learn something new virtually every day, mostly down to converstion with other people.

 

Take these two signalling engineers I spoke to earlier today.  They were replacing clips on the signal heads on the up and down slow lines from Helpston to Hurn road.

They arrived by road from their base in Hitchen.  The area they cover is from King's Cross to milepost 100 on the ECML and the Hertford Loop.  Not wishing to appear dumb I didn't ask where milepost 100 was.  Hopefully someone here will enlighten me so I can have another bit of knowledge in my armoury.

 

 

[Richard E]

Milepost 100, assuming Kings Cross is milepost 0 should be somewhere just north of Stoke Junction (99.60 miles from, KGX). Milepost 80 is 0.66 miles north of Werrington Junction by using the same logic and base information (RTT website).

[Crun]

5 hours ago, woodenhead said:

My old company had a site in Stevenage where I could watch the ECML from, lots of trains though not much freight that far south.

 

These dive unders and overs on the WCML and ECML interest me because they make such a difference.  The one I benefit from is north of Stafford at Norton Bridge - a once difficult flat junction with lots of traffic from Manchester via Birmingham needing to cross the fast lines on the Stafford-Crewe route and the junction IIRC was also a permanent speed restriction.  Now Cross Country services can sail over the WCML on the new junction whilst Pendolinos make the most of their tilt as they no longer need to slow down.  I am surprised they haven't done something similar at Colwich where there is another slow junction.

 

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I am based in a converted old railway building. It may have been an engine shed. It still has the original cast iron columns that run from the ground floor, through our office into the roof space. We had to get them cleared out as heavy rain caused them to overflow more than once. 

Edited January 3, 2020 by Crun

[melmerby]

3 minutes ago, Crun said:

 

I am based in a converted old railway building. It may have been an engine shed. It still has the original cast iron columns that run from the ground floor, through our office into the roof space. We had to get them cleared out as heavy rain caused them to overflow more than once. 

Can you point it out on a Google earth view?

Someone might be able to give more information on it's origins.

[Crun]

4 hours ago, Donington Road said:

 

Great Crested newts were indeed found and have been relocated to near Foxcovert Wood.  According to the young ladies that monitor conservation on the site, the newts are doing fine.

There was also a rare species of moth found, which nobody was expecting, around the old drain on the west side opposite Werrington Junction.

Conservation around the site is quite to the forefront.  For every tree/shrub removed (yes, they have all been logged) twenty five new trees/shrubs will be planted.

 

Many thanks for the reply. I often cycle north over the GNGE line using the new bridge and its cycle friendly ramps. We waited for the Bittern several winters ago on this bridge on a cold and frosty day. Several diversions from the ECML made for interesting viewing more recently.

 

I've seen several species of birds of prey along Fox Covert Road such as a Marsh Harrier, Red Kites and Buzzards. I also once had a Woodcock fly out from near my feet along the hedge south of the site where the ponds were dug.

Edited January 3, 2020 by Crun

[Crun]

6 minutes ago, melmerby said:

Can you point it out on a Google earth view?

Someone might be able to give more information on it's origins.

 

It's called Unex House, PE1 1NG. Another similar building houses Pets at Home off Bourges Boulevard. 

[melmerby]

Here you are:

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=18&lat=52.5702&lon=-0.2466&layers=168&right=BingSat

 

As you can see they are all old railway buildings

Yours was the tarpaulin store.

Edited January 3, 2020 by melmerby

[Crun]

Thanks for the link. I work with all sorts of maps, aerial and satellite photographs as part of my job. I have looked at the map series you used amongst others. I have worked on maps of nature conservation designations such as SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) and NNRs (National Nature Reserves).

[melmerby]

I've just added a snip showing the building as "Tarpaulin store"

[Crun]

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.

Edited January 3, 2020 by Crun

[melmerby]

The NLS site is the first port of call when looking for info on old maps.

https://maps.nls.uk/os/25inch-england-and-wales/

The side buy side viuew is good for comparing now with 100 years ago!

 

Old Maps UK is another one as they have some different dates to the NLS which is useful.

https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/