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From the web: "With optimal conditions, wild pear trees can live upwards of 50 years."

So if it was a former tree of the year it probably didn't have long to go anyway. 

And have the protesters asked what HS2 is doing to replace removed woodland?

We have supposedly the second most important tree in Europe near Newtown, an oak. They rerouted the bypass to avoid it, at great cost. To be honest it is not a very attractive specimen. There are much better ones in the hedgerows (see my Sarn thread in Railways of Wales). 

Jonathan

 

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6 hours ago, corneliuslundie said:

From the web: "With optimal conditions, wild pear trees can live upwards of 50 years."

So if it was a former tree of the year it probably didn't have long to go anyway. 


 

 

I visited a farmhouse in Dorset a few years ago which had a paddock with several pear trees. They were in excess of 70' tall and certainly much more than 50 years old.

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23 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

I visited a farmhouse in Dorset a few years ago which had a paddock with several pear trees. They were in excess of 70' tall and certainly much more than 50 years old.

 

There's a similarly sized one overhanging my parents drive. You need to park carefully at certain times of the year, as a ripe pear falling 50' will dent your car roof....

 

What amused me most about the Grauniad article was the protestors faith that eventually they'll stop HS2, presumably having not quite understood that once construction has started the project is unlikely to be stopped part way through. 

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18 hours ago, melmerby said:

There was an extended piece in Midlands Today just now with loads of tearful protesters bemoaning the loss of the pear tree and other woodland, saying the replacements are just not enough.

 

I live 5 miles from the tree and our local rag was banging on about it in the last issue. Apparently, people come from hundreds of miles away to see it. Except they didn't. No-one had heard of the thing until a couple of years ago when anti-HS2 campaigners all voted for it in some competition just because it was on the route. It was in no way a tourist attraction. If you want to see a tree, there is an oak at the north end of Leamington which claims to be the centre of the country, and people don't trek to see that either.

 

I wonder how the protestors get to the site? By public transport (no chance), magic carpet (slightly more chance) , mummy's 4X4 (very likely). Basically, they are all in favour of tarmacking the countryside, they just disapprove of electrically powered mass-transit. </rant>

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16 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

I wonder how the protestors get to the site? By public transport (no chance), magic carpet (slightly more chance) , mummy's 4X4 (very likely). Basically, they are all in favour of tarmacking the countryside, they just disapprove of electrically powered mass-transit. </rant>

Nothing's changed then.

I posted some time back about a meeting that was called before HS2 was even approved, where the protesters were complaining how it was going cover the countryside in railway and how it would be detrimental to practically everything, causing pollution, end of life as we know it etc.

Again, how did they get to the meeting?

Public Transport? No.

Hire a coach? No.

Most arrived, singly in 4 x 4s.

As long as they can carrying driving their 4 x 4s everything else can go hang!

Edited by melmerby
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Nothing new about new railways built through the Chilterns.

 

100 or so years ago, cutting through the Chilterns: Looking towards High Wycombe from Loudwater tunnel: SWA Newton

 

image.png.2715c5778dc9b2aef9be521f7eacd89f.png

 

Great crested newts ? - the Navvies had 'em for breakfast !!!!!

 

Brit15

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2 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

 

I live 5 miles from the tree and our local rag was banging on about it in the last issue. Apparently, people come from hundreds of miles away to see it. Except they didn't. No-one had heard of the thing until a couple of years ago when anti-HS2 campaigners all voted for it in some competition just because it was on the route. It was in no way a tourist attraction. If you want to see a tree, there is an oak at the north end of Leamington which claims to be the centre of the country, and people don't trek to see that either.

I think the Major Oak near Edwinstowe is about the only tree that could remotely claim to be a tourist attraction. And that's more due to being associated with Robin Hood than because of it being a tree. 

 

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I recall from my dad's prewar 'Boys book of trains' that the Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway originally had a station booking office in a hollow treetrunk, there was a photo of it.

 

Anyone else recall this, it evades Google searches? Possibly a cost-cutting option for a Chilterns HS2 station?

 

Dava

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On 21/10/2020 at 17:11, Phil Parker said:

 

I live 5 miles from the tree and our local rag was banging on about it in the last issue. Apparently, people come from hundreds of miles away to see it. Except they didn't. No-one had heard of the thing until a couple of years ago when anti-HS2 campaigners all voted for it in some competition just because it was on the route. It was in no way a tourist attraction. If you want to see a tree, there is an oak at the north end of Leamington which claims to be the centre of the country, and people don't trek to see that either.

 

I wonder how the protestors get to the site? By public transport (no chance), magic carpet (slightly more chance) , mummy's 4X4 (very likely). Basically, they are all in favour of tarmacking the countryside, they just disapprove of electrically powered mass-transit. </rant>

I thought this was the only tree that was a proper tourist attraction: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Oak

Remember being taken to see it as child!

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9 minutes ago, melmerby said:

More complaints about trees:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54628840

Yes even over here in France Radio 4 news on long wave had items about this. No mention of the actual amount if ancient woodland thst's being felled, which us pretty small.

 

Jamie

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.

Just to the East of the Chilterns Tunnel South Portal, will be the Colne Valley viaduct, which will cross the various lakes in the river valley.

Work sites are in evidence here and clearance work has begun between here and Ruislip.

 

 

82-20_10-9-Denham-Water-Ski-Club-looking

 

 

Same place, from a different angle (the South Portal sites visible in the background).....

 

81-20_10-5-Colne-Valley-Viaduct-looking-

 

 

 

Clearance work and site preparation to the East of the Colne Valley, heading towards the Ruislip/ Northolt direction.....

 

83-20_10-1-Denham-Water-Ski-Club-looking

 

84-20_09-3-Denham-Water-Ski-Club-looking

 

87-20_09-8-Colne-Valley-viaduct-looking-

 

76-Looking-south-along-the-Colne-Valley-

 

 

.

Edited by Ron Ron Ron
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The Chalfont St. Peter vent shaft construction site (Oct 2020)......

 

111-20_10-2-Chalfont-St-Peter-Vent-Shaft

 

 

 

Clearance work underway for the Chalfont St. Giles vent shaft construction site (Oct 2020).....


232-20_10-29-A413-looking-south-Oct.-202

 

235-20_10-44-Chalfont-St-Giles-vent-shaf

 

 

Bridge foundations (Misbourne Bridge), for the site haul road, @

 

Chalfont St. Giles.....

 

244-20_10-20-Misbourne-Bridge-foundation

 

245-20_10-62-Misbourne-Bridge-foundation 

 

250-20_10-27-Haul-road-looking-west-Oct.

 

 

.

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1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

Yes even over here in France Radio 4 news on long wave had items about this. No mention of the actual amount if ancient woodland thst's being felled, which us pretty small.

 

Jamie

 

Surely every single 'ancient' woodland in the UK is being destroyed by HS2 ? Whereas no other tree anywhere is being or will be felled for any other project ? That, at least, is the impression I get from stories such as that on the BBC today. In reality of course anyone who has ever driven or ridden in a road vehicle, which I would imagine includes most if not all of the anti-HS2 mob, is indirectly, if not directly, responsible for the destruction, and ongoing blight, of far more countryside than HS2; Not far from the route of HS2 through the Chilterns the M40 for example cuts a huge swathe through the landscape infinitely more catastrophic to nature than any railway ever could be. 

 

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On 15/10/2020 at 12:57, phil-b259 said:

 

Given the age of many of the structures in the Euston area, finding more asbestos that needs dealing with shouldn't be a surprise - many 1960s train carriages used it extensively for insulation!

 

I'm also told one of the big problems with the Houses of Parliament is the place is riddled with the stuff and the costs of removing it are only a 'best guess' as lots of it is suspected to be hidden and only accessible once rebuilding starts. To a degree I suspect the same is true of Euston - pre work surveys can only tell you so much, particularly given the fact that anything which might be considered asbestos cannot be removed to probe further without specialist equipment.

 

Given the HSE regulations state that Asbestos may be left in place if it is sealed in / undisturbed then obviously if HS2 wasn't happening then the Asbestos would stay in place. However it would still present an issue to other developers and NR when they come to consider rebuilding / regenerating the Euston area

 

 

The high street store I used to work in was an older building which contained asbestos (mainly cladding and ceiling tiles etc.)

There was an up-to-date Asbestos Survey which detailed what there was & where, which needed to be consulted if there was any work going on (no matter how minor).

During a refurb, the contractors discovered asbestos in an area which was supposed to be clear - job stopped instantly, workers had to strip out of their clothes, arrangements for decontamination made, immediate clean-up etc etc.

Instant major headache for the firms carrying out a supposedly routine refit.

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1 hour ago, caradoc said:

 

Surely every single 'ancient' woodland in the UK is being destroyed by HS2 ? Whereas no other tree anywhere is being or will be felled for any other project ? That, at least, is the impression I get from stories such as that on the BBC today. 

I think that's a reflection of the way that these protestors have a micro-focus on one issue, and ignore everything else. 

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I wondered why the two bay platforms at Wigan North Western were marked OOU (out of use) on Traksy

 

https://traksy.uk/live/M+22+ECCLES+4/M+48+MSGT+-15/M+27+INCE+-27+487Q

 

Did a bit of googling and found this, also refers to the proposed HS2 services through / stopping at Wigen (etc). 

 

https://anonw.com/2020/09/02/wigan-north-western-station-set-for-platform-extension-work/

 

Seems OK (ish) - Are these service forecasts valid ?

 

Brit515

 

 

 

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Looking at the dvd of the route through Warickshire  I have to wonder just what the anti,s are going on about that track bed is not a problem.Look at a motorway build and resultant road its horrendous once its all running you wont know its there.I used to be anti but now I totaly agree with HS2 the worst time is construction and the anti  ,s  wont have anything to complain about once its running.

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2 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

.Clearance work and site preparation to the East of the Colne Valley, heading towards the Ruislip/ Northolt direction.....

.

Please tell me people aren't claiming that section is ancient woodland.  There looks to be a lot of silver birch in the edges of the cut area, they grow like b****y weeds around here.  I have potted one which sprouted in our front lawn this spring, it is now 2' tall.

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