East Coast Mainline Blockade for Werrington Junction diveunder

[ess1uk]

If it’s anything like the Acton diveunder it will soon have a pond in the bottom without pumps

[Donington Road]

3 hours ago, ess1uk said:

If it’s anything like the Acton diveunder it will soon have a pond in the bottom without pumps

 

A bit like the old watershute ride we used to go on at Wickstead Park when we were kids.

Edited December 6, 2020 by Donington Road

[jamie92208]

I must admit that when I read that a flyover had been rejected , i think on aesthetic grounds, I thought that they were going to have serious problems with water in the diveunder.

 

Jamie

Edited December 6, 2020 by jamie92208

[ess1uk]

8 hours ago, Donington Road said:

 

A bit like the old watershute ride we used to go on at Wickstead Park when we were kids.

It’s not that old, my brother in law rebuilds it every year!

trigger’s broom!

[Donington Road]

My good friend Trackside ECML has been out with the camera this morning and sent a lot of photos to have a look at.

We will start with the flooding of Marholm Brook.  Carrying on from his video yesterday, the water level has gone down slightly due to the shallow channel that was dug yesterday.

 

 

The inlet to Werrington Brook which has a restricted size pipe instead of the sluice gate as before is even more restricted now.

 

 

We now have a new bridge across the newly dug relief channel.  I would have thought a couple of scaffolding boards or a sheet of steel plate would have sufficed to bridge the gap.

 

 

The access tunnel under the Stamford lines is officially known as the Stamford Under Bridge according to this sign on the right.

[Donington Road]

Since Crun's photo taken from Hurn Road bridge yesterday showing the new rolled and flattened area north of the dive under, this large heap of hardcore seen in the distance has appeared overnight.

 

 

The modern day equivilent of the Pyramids beginning to form with spoil from the dive under.

 

Quiet day in the 'hole'.  Post and rail fencing just started being fixed to the steel angle on the right hand side near the roller.

 

Line possession on the Joint but no idea what for as there were no visual signs of activity when my friend went to Hurn Road/Lincoln Road.

Edited December 6, 2020 by Donington Road

[Donington Road]

All quiet at Glinton Junction.

 

 

Drainage not working yet at Lincoln Road.

 

New steps, just needs the diving board now.

 

Smokers well catered for with large ash tray but no USB charging point for the mobile users.

 

Many thanks to Trackside ECML for all todays photos.

Edited December 6, 2020 by Donington Road

[Donington Road]

Nothing much to report up at Lincoln Road.  Anglian Water are still at work on the mains water pipe.  They seem to be digging holes everywhere looking for their pipe.  I must say there is no logical direction it appears to go in.  There was a new valve put in some months ago half way between the excavator buckets and the new bridge wall in the background.  Now we have these four holes with the pipe exposed, with the one near the dustbin having been filled with concrete and what looks like a connecting flange.

 

 

 

 

Our resident security man has a new office to protect him from the elements although he prefers to stand outside as it is warmer than this steelbox.  It has been here a week, with the electrician on holiday it has still to be wired up for heating and lighting.

 

 

Still doing the fencing on the retaining wall at Hurn Road.  Apparently they should be doing some brickwork on the old Lincoln Road abutments this week. I was too cold to go on to Cock Lane but my good friend Trackside ECML was going this afternoon so maybe he will have something to report later.

 

 

[Donington Road]

Trackside ECML has thawed out and sent all the following photos to me.

Not a day to be out and about and by the looks of it the orange army thought the same.

 

 

More ballast arriving but no one in sight directing operations.

 

Bit of action down at the south end.  I think they are starting to run out of room to store the spoil in the wide-way so they have resorted to putting it between the buildings on the industrial estate.

 

 

 

 

 

Marholm Brook has receeded to near normal levels but the inlet to Werrington Brook is still clogged up.  It will be interesting to see what happens when we get the forecasted rain over the next few days.

 

 

We were not sure what these are lurking in the gloom near Walton footbridge.  They could be the switch panels for Marholm Junction.  When the weather improves we will have to go and investigate.

 

 

[Richard E]

38 minutes ago, Donington Road said:

Trackside ECML has thawed out and sent all the following photos to me.

Not a day to be out and about and by the looks of it the orange army thought the same.

 

We've done it again - I was over at Cock Lane and also Lincoln Road earlier.

 

Cock Lane was very quiet and I didn't bother with any pictures there.

 

At Lincoln Road there was a bit going on. They were clearing trees from the line of the old road down towards the current junction of Davids Lane and Lincoln Road. I got the impression that they are searching for the pipe south of the railway especially as Anglian Water were there 'dowsing' for pipework as well beyond the excavator that can be seen.

 

 

At this end of the bridges they were also burying the valve and pipe in concrete whilst I was there.

 

 

The Shotcrete boys have left site now.

 

 

But it seems there are to be some changes made to the work they have done as the marking paint has been brought to bear.

 

 

I too saw the flange and valve buried in concrete in the original hole, there are three other holes and it looked to me as if they were trying to track the path of the main. The 8 loose bolts on top of the big cover look as if they will fit the flange on the valve. The verge down towards the A15 looked, to me, as if the main has sprung a leak again very recently as the grass showed signs of being 'knocked down' by water flow.

 

 

Under the A15 they had a diamond cutter out cutting into the concrete platform that is at the side of the walls.

 

 

And they were clearing the trackbed area of excess soil bringing the level down to that of the bottom of the side walls.

 

 

The southern wall is almost completely backfilled now as well.

 

 

That's it from me, hopefully I've managed to add a bit to the pictures taken by Mick and Chris.

Edited December 8, 2020 by Richard E

[Donington Road]

12 minutes ago, Richard E said:

 

We've done it again - I was over at Cock Lane and also Lincoln Road earlier.

 

You got some good photos Richard so it doesn't matter if we have duplicated a bit.  It is always interesting to see things from a different angle.  I think you must go in disguise, I hardly ever see you.

 

12 minutes ago, Richard E said:

 

Cock Lane was very quiet and I didn't bother with any pictures there.

 

I was just too cold for me to cycle further to Cock Lane even though I had all thermal clothes on, breathing and gulping cold air doesn't do me any good.  I will have to get the car out next time if it doesn't improve.

 

12 minutes ago, Richard E said:

At Lincoln Road there was a bit going on. They were clearing trees from the line of the old road down towards the current junction of Davids Lane and Lincoln Road. I got the impression that they are searching for the pipe south of the railway especially as Anglian Water were there 'dowsing' for pipework as well beyond the excavator that can be seen.

 

 

I don't think AW have a clue as to where their pipework goes.  They are probably on the right track clearing the trees as it is probable that the pipe does indeed follow the route of the old Lincoln Road on the west side.  At the time the pipe was laid there would have been no houses on that side of the road until it reached as far as the old Werrington Mill.

 

12 minutes ago, Richard E said:

At this end of the bridges they were also burying the valve and pipe in concrete whilst I was there.

 

 

I think that was the valve that they put in earlier in the year with the matching one the Glinton side of the new bridge.

 

12 minutes ago, Richard E said:

The Shotcrete boys have left site now.

 

 

But it seems there are to be some changes made to the work they have done as the marking paint has been brought to bear.

 

 

Our security man said they are going to face that rough surface later.  Perhaps the markings are something to do with connecting all those drainage pipes that were placed between the concrete piles before the Shotcrete was sprayed on.

 

12 minutes ago, Richard E said:

I too saw the flange and valve buried in concrete in the original hole, there are three other holes and it looked to me as if they were trying to track the path of the main. The 8 loose bolts on top of the big cover look as if they will fit the flange on the valve. The verge down towards the A15 looked, to me, as if the main has sprung a leak again very recently as the grass showed signs of being 'knocked down' by water flow.

 

 

As I said in my earlier post.  There doesn't seem to be any logical direction in which this water main goes.

 

12 minutes ago, Richard E said:

Under the A15 they had a diamond cutter out cutting into the concrete platform that is at the side of the walls.

 

 

I was told that they are putting steps down to track level.

 

 

[Donington Road]

Update from Cock Lane.

Not taking anymore risks with potential flooding, the overflow pipe is being re-instated from Marholm Brook into Brook Drain.  A dilema now because this will cut off access from the site to the haul road along the Stamford Lines.  Perhaps in hindsight they were a bit premature dismantaling the land bridge a few months ago.

 

 

The lifebouy in the above photo must be for the surface puddles as it is the wrong side of the fence for Marholm Brook.

 

Yet more ballast.  This heap goes up and down like a yo-yo.

 

As we thought yesterday, now confirmed, four switch panels laying in the wide-way at Walton.  This is what they cleared the undergrowth for.  It will be the switch for the Up Stamford at Marholm Junction.  Planned install is 24th - 29th December.

 

Still laying the trackbed of the dive under towards Marholm Junction.  They are getting a bit short of space now having to ship spoil out as they bring sand in.  The spoil is still being dumped next to the industrial units.

 

Towards the north, the large heap of hardcore that was there in Sunday's photos has disappeared.  Two large sheets of black polythene hang from the steel girders.  Weather protection or hiding something?  It looks as though the concrete piles are getting a clean up, possibly for future Shotcreteing.

 

 

Edited December 9, 2020 by Donington Road

[40F S & T]

Hi    What is the switch for?   The up Stamford will stay in the same place. Is it for track laying at that end (all 3 lines)?

[Richard E]

1 hour ago, 40F S & T said:

Hi    What is the switch for?   The up Stamford will stay in the same place. Is it for track laying at that end (all 3 lines)?

 

Up Stamford is to be moved to the eastern side of the dive under, the dive under lines will be accessed by means of a new junction, Marholm Junction, from the Up and Down Stamford lines. It is the Down Stamford that is staying where it is now, to the west of the dive under.

 

They can lay the Up switch before slewing the line to run to the east of the dive under.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Richard E

[Donington Road]

1 hour ago, 40F S & T said:

Hi    What is the switch for?   The up Stamford will stay in the same place. Is it for track laying at that end (all 3 lines)?

 

8 minutes ago, Richard E said:

 

Up Stamford is to be moved to the eastern side of the dive under, the dive under lines will be accessed by means of a new junction, Marholm Junction, from the Up and Down Stamford lines. It is the Down Stamford that is staying where it is now, to the west of the dive under.

 

They can lay the Up switch before slewing the line to run to the east of the dive under.

 

Richard said it while I was drawing it !!!

 

The switch will go in at the approximate position on the existing Up Stamford leaving the existing Up Stamford as it is now.

Once the dive under box is completed the new Up Stamford line to the east will be laid and connected to the switch, at which time the existing Up Stamford will be severed and that arm of the switch will become the Up Joint from the dive under.  Once this is done it then clears space to put the Down Stamford switch in which will connect to the Down Joint, going down to the dive under.

The whole caboodle will then be known as Marholm Junction

 

[40F S & T]

Hi   Does that mean it will not be connected to the running line in December?

[Richard E]

54 minutes ago, 40F S & T said:

Hi   Does that mean it will not be connected to the running line in December?

 

Do you mean the dive under or the switch? The switch will be inserted into the running line this month according to the timetable that has been seen and is posted earlier on in this thread and which I've copied into this post.

 

Of course this has already been done for5 the other end of the dive under on the Spalding lines.

 

Edited December 10, 2020 by Richard E
extra info.

[jamie92208]

As I understand  it, the switch will be inserted into the running line in the position that it needs to be when the diveunder is in use. The new Up Stamford can't be built until the actual tunnel is in place. That happens during the blockade in January. Then they can build the new Up Stamford. The switch will be secured out of use for the time being.

 

Jamie

[40F S & T]

Hi All   Thanks for the info and thanks to all for all  the photos & videos over the past months. I will miss it when the job is done. 

[jamie92208]

It will be interesting to see how all the materials forvlaying the Up Stamford get to site ascit's quite restricted access wise.

 

Jamie

[ess1uk]

Just seen on LinkedIn that the TBM for the siphon has started its push Under the main tunnel

[Crun]

23 hours ago, Richard E said:

 

Do you mean the dive under or the switch? The switch will be inserted into the running line this month according to the timetable that has been seen and is posted earlier on in this thread and which I've copied into this post.

 

Of course this has already been done for5 the other end of the dive under on the Spalding lines.

 

Will the GNGE be closed this weekend?

[Richard E]

12 minutes ago, Crun said:

Will the GNGE be closed this weekend?

Up Stamford affected this weekend I believe.

[melmerby]

23 minutes ago, Richard E said:

Up Stamford affected this weekend I believe.

Not according to RTT

XC services to/from Birmingham - Cambridge/Stansted running all day Saturday & Sunday.

However for some strange reason passing times for Werrington Jn. & New England North Jn. are not shown for Sunday!

 

1L48 Saturday:

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C86412/2020-12-12/detailed

 

1L48 Sunday:

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C82400/2020-12-13/detailed

[Donington Road]

12 hours ago, ess1uk said:

Just seen on LinkedIn that the TBM for the siphon has started its push Under the main tunnel

 

Yes, this is to link the two siphons together.

Yesterday the box was jacked up and successfully moved 15 metres.  I was shown some photos on a phone by one of the workers which unfortunately will probably never be seen publically.

There were also photos of the western dive under looking from under the steel girders that go across the top to the two bored tunnels.  It is so cavernous, photos that we take with a long lens cannot even see in there.  It is huge, like the eastern side but without the box.