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Washout at Dawlish


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  • RMweb Gold

Unfortunately the BBC say that I cannot watch this in my country.......What on earth did the good Cap’n say??????

 

Hollywood will have to miss out.

 

Best, Pete.

Not much really Pete...he was talking about 'crumbling shoulders'.....!

 

There are ways to see UK stuff  http://televisionplayers.com/watch-demand-5-abroad/ 

 

http://www.my-expat-network.com/uk/?gclid=CO_F9bmTr8ICFaR02wodvAIAhA

 

 at around $8 per month and some that claim to be free. Might be worth looking into.

 

It is worth watching if you can. More like your sort of weather than here!

 

John

Edited by Re6/6
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Not much really Pete...he was talking about 'crumbling shoulders'.....!

 

There are ways to see UK stuff  http://televisionplayers.com/watch-demand-5-abroad/

 

http://www.my-expat-network.com/uk/?gclid=CO_F9bmTr8ICFaR02wodvAIAhA

 

 at around $8 per month and some that claim to be free. Might be worth looking into.

 

It is worth watching if you can. More like your sort of weather than here!

 

John

 

Has anyone outside the UK actually tried these sites and do they work?  Are they easy to use or are they just empty promises like some other 'get around things' sites that cost an arm and a leg?

 

Brian.

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  • RMweb Gold

Has anyone outside the UK actually tried these sites and do they work?  Are they easy to use or are they just empty promises like some other 'get around things' sites that cost an arm and a leg?

 

Brian.

Mind you, your arms and legs are the least of your worries if you've got crumbling shoulders...

No I think he was negotiating his appearance fee in pounds of sausages.

What a good idea, I shall apply that maxim if I can wangle my way onto any future series...

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Has anyone outside the UK actually tried these sites and do they work?  Are they easy to use or are they just empty promises like some other 'get around things' sites that cost an arm and a leg?

 

Brian.

I tried one and it only offered old US tripe which I can watch at any time. I wanted to watch the Cap’ns tripe.....or half a pound of sausages.

 

Best, Pete.

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  • RMweb Gold

Has anyone noticed how the Captain and Timmy Two Trousers are never seen in the same room? Most people have only one alter ego but to be two super-heroes in one body....What a man!

It's hard, to be sure, but what helps is a regular helping of roast parsnips.

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At 8pm GMT this Thursday night, if you live in the UK, TV Channel 5 start a second series of First Great Western, with the Dawlish incident a main item.

 

One report suggests they were actually filming when the "duty officer" received the black warning: "we've never had one of those before"... :)

Just watched it on catch up tv.

Bet the film crew couldn't believe it, if they had scripted that they would have been laughed at!

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  • RMweb Gold

Just watched it on catch up tv.

Bet the film crew couldn't believe it, if they had scripted that they would have been laughed at!

But it was actually true, and those words were also said by various others in receipt of that same forecast...

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  • RMweb Gold

But it was actually true, and those words were also said by various others in receipt of that same forecast...

It definitely sounded true Tim - his voice and face told us everything.

 

Overall I think that one programme will have done both FGW and Great Western Zone (or whatever it's called this week) a tremendous amount of good as it showed all too clearly what the railway can be up against when things get rough.  'At least I can have a cup of tea' summed it all up for me - we might be in a mess but the railway goes on as best as we can make it and without it getting us down.

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Just watched it on catch up tv.

Bet the film crew couldn't believe it, if they had scripted that they would have been laughed at!

Did I hear right that the storms really were the worst to hit that bit of coast since IKB decided that a storm lashed seafront was a good place to build a railway?  It wouldn't surprise me and in that case condition blacks on that scale probably had never happened before.

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  • RMweb Gold

Did I hear right that the storms really were the worst to hit that bit of coast since IKB decided that a storm lashed seafront was a good place to build a railway?  It wouldn't surprise me and in that case condition blacks on that scale probably had never happened before.

To put this in context, I think that they were certainly the worst to have happened during the careers of current serving railway staff, certainly as far as I am concerned.

 

They are probably the worst storms since the second world war, although there wasn't much damage recorded in the 1950s and 1960s (probably one reason why BR felt content to close the Bere Alston - Meldon section in 1968 - if there had been a really bad wash-out in - say - 1967, do we really think they'd have axed that line a year later?).

 

There was damage in the 1930s, but I'm not totally sure how severe it was, it certainly closed the line for a short while. Going further back, there were problems also in the Victorian era.

 

The previous worst storm for me was in January 1996, when a 30 metre section of the support for the Down Main was washed out at Sprey Point, and a large hold punched into the vertical face of the wall, although the walkway above remained intact! The Up line was just about still supported at that point. There was also (less serious but still bad) damage up in the Dawlish area. That storm led to the introduction of the current Operations and Inspection protocols, which are still in use, albeit with a more sophisticated weather forecasting system now.

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  • RMweb Gold

ITMA in a commanding pose! 

 

attachicon.gifCK at Dawlish 1AB.jpg

 

The official photographer!

 

attachicon.gifCK at Dawlish AB.jpg

Well, either you've been busy with Photoshop, John, or I was nodding off, because I don't recall seeing those particular images when I watched it!

 

What I was pointing at in the upper photo was what appeared to be a portion of the original masonry wall, that would have pre-dated the railway, but which would have been buried when the Sea Wall stretch of line was built. It would probably have formed a supporting wall for the garden of Sea Lawn House at the time.

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To put this in context, I think that they were certainly the worst to have happened during the careers of current serving railway staff, certainly as far as I am concerned.

 

They are probably the worst storms since the second world war, although there wasn't much damage recorded in the 1950s and 1960s (probably one reason why BR felt content to close the Bere Alston - Meldon section in 1968 - if there had been a really bad wash-out in - say - 1967, do we really think they'd have axed that line a year later?).

 

There was damage in the 1930s, but I'm not totally sure how severe it was, it certainly closed the line for a short while. Going further back, there were problems also in the Victorian era.

 

The previous worst storm for me was in January 1996, when a 30 metre section of the support for the Down Main was washed out at Sprey Point, and a large hold punched into the vertical face of the wall, although the walkway above remained intact! The Up line was just about still supported at that point. There was also (less serious but still bad) damage up in the Dawlish area. That storm led to the introduction of the current Operations and Inspection protocols, which are still in use, albeit with a more sophisticated weather forecasting system now.

What about the one around 73/74. I worked some of the time as a crossing keeper for passengers when the down platform was washed away. We had a hut and a foot crossing in the carpark and had to see passengers across.

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  • RMweb Gold

What about the one around 73/74. I worked some of the time as a crossing keeper for passengers when the down platform was washed away. We had a hut and a foot crossing in the carpark and had to see passengers across.

Yes, that was quite dramatic and is actually featured in the Peter Kay book, but I wasn't yet in BR employment at that time!

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Well, either you've been busy with Photoshop, John, or I was nodding off, because I don't recall seeing those particular images when I watched it!

You must have been nodding off, as both of those were in the episode I watched :D
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