RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted November 21, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 21, 2012 Well there's nothing running between Exeter and Crediton at the moment due to flooding according to National rails website Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted November 21, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 21, 2012 Well there's nothing running between Exeter and Crediton at the moment due to flooding according to National rails website Sadly true, there's been serious flooding at Cowley Bridge Jct, the worst I've seen since December 2000. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted November 21, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 21, 2012 My brother lives East of Exeter and he had a difficult journey home by car as most roads that he uses had been closed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 So apart from the flooding, how is this going? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
royaloak Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 As the line is effectively cut off and all available staff have been working on keeping the mainline open at Cowley Bridge and Dawlish I would assume very slowly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R A Watson Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 B B C television news yesterday reported that both Barnstaple and Looe lines are closed this week for maintenance, I assume this is the restart of the delayed planned work. Wally Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted December 31, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 31, 2012 B B C television news yesterday reported that both Barnstaple and Looe lines are closed this week for maintenance, I assume this is the restart of the delayed planned work. No, sadly it's not a case of re-couping the lost relaying works (although we are working on a different plan for that), it's to do with repairing the many wash-out sites that occurred along the length of the branch, and especially north of Crediton. There are also some bridges that need to be checked by divers before traffic can resume (standard risk-based precautionary matters, based on engineering knowledge of the structures concerned and as laid down in existing contingency plans), but the water was still too deep and fast for them to be dived today. The section to Crediton was reopened by NR today at 1340 hrs, although I don't think that FGW were initially able to re-deploy resources from elsewhere. There is tamping and repair work booked now on the rest of the line, with a possible reopening date for next Friday 04/01/13, although subject to a 'green light' from the divers (no reason to think otherwise). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted January 7, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 7, 2013 Following delays in getting the remaining bridges on the northern section of the line dived (water too fast & dangerous for divers to enter until the weekend), the Barnstaple line finally reopened in it's entireity this morning. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Good work chaps Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren01 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 HI Just read in the local paper that the line will be closed again!. Darren Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xerces Fobe2 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I hope they take care of the single platform at Barnstaple! LOL XF Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 HI Just read in the local paper that the line will be closed again!. Darren yeah there are blockades in March that were mentioned on the first page Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted January 15, 2013 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted January 15, 2013 HI Just read in the local paper that the line will be closed again!. Darren Given that flood repairs at Cowley stopped a lot of work, it's not a great surprise. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted January 15, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 15, 2013 The blockade in March was planned anyway, to relay different sites from those planned for November. One of the two sites planned for March has now been dropped (for other reasons not associated with the flooding), and I am currently awaiting confirmation of what mileage from the lost work in November can be recouped. The March blockade will only be for 5 days this time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted April 4, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 4, 2013 Despite the effects of the flooding late last year, we still managed to relay 3.8 miles of track during the 2012 - 13 financial year, so I thought I'd do a bit of trumpet blowing... and why not? (as Barry Norman used to say...) http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/Rail-firm-spends-3-75m-Tarka-line-passengers/story-18609110-detail/story.html#axzz2PUDTQHCg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ramblin Rich Posted April 4, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 4, 2013 Nice one! Shame the article picture is a bit dated (tho' i do like a bit of Wessex trains, meself...!) Does that mean there's isn't any bullhead on the line anymore? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 Good one Tim. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted April 4, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 4, 2013 Does that mean there's isn't any bullhead on the line anymore? Oh no! There are still around 15 - 20 miles of bullhead track on the line, in my estimation (I could check, but I'd need to be at work). There are also some lengths of bullhead 'CWR'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ramblin Rich Posted April 5, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 5, 2013 Nice to know there's still the prospect of "clickety-clack" for a while yet - even if it's not the best track to run a 143/144 on Better still, if I use bullhead on my North Devon layout, it could still run contemporary trains! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry Morris Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 So, leaving aside the debate of what constitutes an upgrade to Joe Public. What is the tangible upgrade that the traveller is experiencing now that the work has been done? Am I currently receiving a faster service, a smoother ride, a more frequent service? A lot of our money has been spent. It is reasonable to expect a return as we (the general public) pay airline level fares to go by rail in order to service this investment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted April 5, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 5, 2013 So, leaving aside the debate of what constitutes an upgrade to Joe Public. What is the tangible upgrade that the traveller is experiencing now that the work has been done? Am I currently receiving a faster service, a smoother ride, a more frequent service? A lot of our money has been spent. It is reasonable to expect a return as we (the general public) pay airline level fares to go by rail in order to service this investment. You are certainly receiving a smoother ride, especially in Class 143 units. Further down the line is the possibility of journey time reductions. Additional services will depend on other parties, such as DfT/new franchise, local authority input etc. We didn't do as much renewal as we had planned, by a considerable factor, due to the November floods, but hopefully more will follow in due course. More CWR type track also makes lines like this cheaper to maintain in the longer term, which can also only be a good thing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted April 5, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 5, 2013 So, leaving aside the debate of what constitutes an upgrade to Joe Public. What is the tangible upgrade that the traveller is experiencing now that the work has been done? Am I currently receiving a faster service, a smoother ride, a more frequent service? A lot of our money has been spent. It is reasonable to expect a return as we (the general public) pay airline level fares to go by rail in order to service this investment. I am unfamiliar with East Wivelshire, where you apparently dwell, so do you use the route in question? If so you would hopefully recognise that in 2013 this level of investment is very good news indeed, as the line hardly figures on NR's list of key routes, or the DfT's hot political favourites. Keeping such a line going at all is an expense NR could well do without, when capacity issues elsewhere on the network are pressing finances every day. How would renewals directly enable a more frequent service, pray? That requires investment in extra infrastructure and probably trains, which are already in short supply in the SW, a situation unconnected with NR. Be grateful that Captain Kernow is prepared to champion such a route and drive his proposals forward in budgetary terms. He is certainly on the passengers' side. Your motivation is less obvious at this distance, frankly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold JohnR Posted April 6, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 6, 2013 Its great to see such investment in the line - a far cry from the days when it was under threat of closure. Here's hoping that further investment int he future can lead to journey time reductions, a more frequent service etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 When I lived in West Wivelshire, we had an excellent train service. Most lines were electrified and there was good integration with other public transport, such as buses and, in the larger cities, trams. However, in the East there was less electrification, with a dependency on diesel traction supplied largely by a neighbouring country. With possible unification of Wivelshire, the residents in the East might enjoy their new found freedom and embrace their rail network like we did in the West. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren01 Posted May 15, 2013 Share Posted May 15, 2013 HI Must say that the line is much better ride now that KC and his gang have relayed the new track work, much better ride all round. Darren01 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.