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Washout at Dawlish


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Back from my annual Whitsun visit to Dawlish with the following observation - don't bother to make a special trip in the hope of seeing the repair as there is little you can see - security is too tight.

 

As reported earlier in this thread, at Dawlish Warren you still cannot get past the footbridge west towards Red Rock Cafe, or walk through the contractors compound in the car park between the Langston Cliff Hotel and the line.  At Dawlish you can only walk a short distance east towards the containers (or onto that part of the beach).  You can also see the containers from the footbridge at Dawlish station.

 

In the lobby at the hotel is a large (12 foot wide maybe) high quality colour digital print, presumably taken from an aircraft, approx half way through the repair with the spider in use.  An article alongside reports an estimated reopening date for the sea front path of September.

 

From what I saw, many punters were disappointed that the path is still closed - but they have to accept it's a big job.  Security is definitely needed.

 

What you can see briefly from the train is a lot of damage to the footpath awaiting repair, and if you look carefully the Dawlish beach webcam and the huge NR camera.

 

:)

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Back from my annual Whitsun visit to Dawlish with the following observation - don't bother to make a special trip in the hope of seeing the repair as there is little you can see - security is too tight.

 

As reported earlier in this thread, at Dawlish Warren you still cannot get past the footbridge west towards Red Rock Cafe, or walk through the contractors compound in the car park between the Langston Cliff Hotel and the line.  At Dawlish you can only walk a short distance east towards the containers (or onto that part of the beach).  You can also see the containers from the footbridge at Dawlish station.

 

In the lobby at the hotel is a large (12 foot wide maybe) high quality colour digital print, presumably taken from an aircraft, approx half way through the repair with the spider in use.  An article alongside reports an estimated reopening date for the sea front path of September.

 

From what I saw, many punters were disappointed that the path is still closed - but they have to accept it's a big job.  Security is definitely needed.

 

What you can see briefly from the train is a lot of damage to the footpath awaiting repair, and if you look carefully the Dawlish beach webcam and the huge NR camera.

 

:)

The only accurate answer as to when will  footpaths be open again,

 

is when you see it,

 

after its happened

 

 

But if you have followed Network  Rail publicity output

 

you may have noticed that they have several times

 

given expected times for completion of certain stages of recovery

 

and then fullfilled them early by days or even weeks 

 

Which of course does allow some leeway for the unexpected to occur

 

& still, hopefully keep to schedule

 

 

 

And of course when on, or near a beach

 

never turn your back on a wave

 

the first 5-6 may look harmless but

 

sometimes the 7th or so may be a LOT larger

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Much work is still ongoing over night

 

from the Dawlish beach live webcam

 

work was in progress with track possesion at least from midnight till past 3 am

 

inspection taking place with discussions

 

Tracked road railer with flat trailer collecting full dumply bags, wheel barrow etc 

 

post-22449-0-68028800-1401354602_thumb.jpg

 

 

post-22449-0-40286200-1401354651_thumb.jpg

 

post-22449-0-10176100-1401355350_thumb.jpg

 

 

looks like the dumpy bag was being filled with plastic sheet or empty bags

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The containers are not going anywhere in the very short term, so the noise that Don heard would not have been connected to that.

When I got down to the old life boat house barrier today

 

it looked as if

 

MAYBE

 

the digger had  been clearing debris from the flat toe section infront of the seawall

 

and some way in front of it

 

MAYBE

 

seeing how secure  and/or how far down it goes

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Managed to get my beach  buggy wheel chair down the steep (very) slipway at Boat Cove today

 

And more importantly back up again!!

 

 

Took several photos of the sea wall & the end breakwater

 

which I will try to upload tomorrow

 

the end of the breakwater is in a real sorry condition

 

two gents in this seasons distinctive  orange garments were inspecting at low tide

 

its lost more than one piece of masonry in the last month

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Managed to get my beach  buggy wheel chair down the steep (very) slipway at Boat Cove today

 

And more importantly back up again!!

 

 

Took several photos of the sea wall & the end breakwater

 

which I will try to upload tomorrow

 

the end of the breakwater is in a real sorry condition

 

two gents in this seasons distinctive  orange garments were inspecting at low tide

 

its lost more than one piece of masonry in the last month

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So now we know what will happen to the containers and their contents - they'll be built into the raised wall, clever stuff. ;)

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From the network rail statement:

 

Wherever we can we will be bringing in material by sea.

Someone should perhaps mention that the site is quite convenient from a railway too.... ;)

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From the network rail statement:

 

 

Someone should perhaps mention that the site is quite convenient from a railway too.... ;)

Er yes, but NR have just gone to an awful lot of trouble to reopen the railway so I doubt they'll be over keen to block it with trains unloading materials to go on the other side of the wal!

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Thursday 29th May

 

went down the Dawlish beach between the main breakwater & Boat Cove

 

on my beach buggy wheel chair

 

Breakwater at Boat Cove

 

that white dot at the end is a view of the sea looking right through a hole in the masonary

 

post-22449-0-92065500-1401547994.jpg

 

side view

 

post-22449-0-01503300-1401548044.jpg

 

two men in orange were later seen inspecting at low water

 

& the next day Friday erected  warning notices & a barrier

 

post-22449-0-92332800-1401548107.jpg

 

post-22449-0-29318400-1401548157.jpg

 

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Walking along the seawall on Dawlish beach to the right  under the viaduct

 

there is still a lot of loose paving slabs & cracks needing attention

 

Some of it was being given attention  the week before last using hammer & bolster

 

to chase out the cracks & then partially filled with mastic

 

but the guys were only allowed to work upto 10.30 ish am

 

before it got busy

 

they also filled in beneath the new steel fence along the inside & outside of the railway

 

between the post base plates (6" square) & the masonry base

 

Anti corrosion? & wave damage??

 

I noticed that past the repaired steps

 

post-22449-0-81511500-1401641713.jpg

 

there was a wider section with 2 manhole covers

 

post-22449-0-82929100-1401640740.jpg

 

and assumed that maybe there was an overflow chamber beneath

 

But  NO

 

2 different locals told me that there used to be a tunnel under the railway

 

with steps going down parrallell & inside the seawall ,through a tunnel & out & up the other side

 

interestingly on the road side of the tracks there is a small gate

 

where there are two different lines of fences

 

EDIT

add Photo

 

post-22449-0-63697100-1401642585.jpg

 

Must visit the Dawlish Museum ( closed Mon & Tuesday)

 

& see what I can find out

 

post-22449-0-22974000-1401641596.jpg

 

 

Logically the tunnel would predate the overbridge right by Kennaway Tunnel

 

It probably filled with seawater in rough weather,

 

& would probably suffered with poor drainage

 

whenever the sand levels rose & blocked the drain outlets

 

Blanked off about 1950 so I was told

Edited by Granitechops
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Back down on the beach at Boat Cove

 

(Thursday 29 May)

 

up near the slip way is an ancient pair of steps dissapearing into the wall

 

long since dissused & blocked off, very weather/sand worn

 

post-22449-0-85049100-1401642853.jpg

 

nearby a very rough patch of wall from a previous repair

 

looks like concrete blocks wedged in endways on

 

post-22449-0-02158000-1401643069.jpg

 

repaired steps from the beach with lower section on concretye panel that is very rarely seen

 

except when the sand level is as low as it is now

 

someone  (Nuttall Bam?)  has lost two of their galvanised stanchions with the large 4" holes in

 

used to hold up  shoring for  concrete, half buried in the sand by the steps

 

post-22449-0-43067300-1401643177.jpg

 

view of Marine Parade from low tide mark by main Breakwater

 

post-22449-0-22954500-1401643443.jpg

 

The undermining of the Main Breakwater

 

post-22449-0-42255000-1401643529.jpg

 

appears to be due to a broken pipe in the concrete ledge pouring out a fair bit of water

 

like a small brook & washing out the sand from under

 

post-22449-0-53463700-1401644170.jpg

 

There seems to have been previous concerns here as above there are

 

several bolts through the wall with accompanying steel crosses to spread the stress

 

post-22449-0-32967700-1401643703.jpg

 

if you look closely there still seems to be more wall going down below the concrete enclosed pipe

 

so in close up it does not seem so bad as it does from a distance

 

Further along main seawall  broken concrete with old reinforcing exposed

 

post-22449-0-52530900-1401643844.jpg

post-22449-0-98666500-1401642898.jpg

Edited by Granitechops
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Another view of repaired steps

 

with concrete fillet along base of wall

 

and it looks like they used the fibreglass moulds

 

previously used on the seawall further along near Red rock

 

when the repaired the top section

 

post-22449-0-19948800-1401644638.jpg

 

some of that concrete fillet has a concrete slab under it

 

post-22449-0-43678300-1401644783.jpg

 

looks like some of the base is old bedrock

 

but there is such a growth of seaweed its difficult to tell

 

post-22449-0-13871300-1401644929.jpg

 

and it looks like at some time rock/concrete samples have been taken 1" holes are apparent

 

post-22449-0-82091000-1401645027.jpg

 

Rock outcrop

 

post-22449-0-13566200-1401645072.jpg

 

old masonry from previous storms litter the beach

 

post-22449-0-53043700-1401645125.jpg

 

Drain hole below where the tunnel under the railway was

 

post-22449-0-81764200-1401645215.jpg

 

Soft bit of rock in the centre, spalled/eroded away over the years

 

post-22449-0-71448000-1401645340.jpg

post-22449-0-24418100-1401644859.jpg

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Bedrock uncovered in these low tides

 

fortunately was able to thread my way between the rocks with my wheelchair

 

post-22449-0-99161900-1401645549.jpg

 

you might just see the circle left in the sand by my chair doing a pirouette

 

post-22449-0-90116600-1401645699.jpg

 

more masonry

 

post-22449-0-81587600-1401645827.jpg

 

 

 

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Looking back at the Main Breakwater from the other side

 

the path is fairly clear for about a third of the way

 

post-22449-0-88151200-1401646224.jpg

 

thick layer of shingle where the platform overhang goes narrower

 

 

post-22449-0-09897300-1401646593.jpg

 

post-22449-0-51684500-1401646685.jpg

 

post-22449-0-63122400-1401646748.jpg

 

looking back to the Station from base of overbridge (open)

 

near the Old Lifeboat House

 

post-22449-0-32389200-1401646794.jpg

 

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Er yes, but NR have just gone to an awful lot of trouble to reopen the railway so I doubt they'll be over keen to block it with trains unloading materials to go on the other side of the wal!

very true

 

but at the moment they have been closing the line midnight to about 3am ish for road railers to work

 

but large volumes would take time & also possible litter the track with dropsies

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cracking photo`s there Don and uncovered a bit of Dawlish history in process.

 

Again Thanks for taking the time and posting here so others can read, learn and enjoy Dawlish in a great way.

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