Washout at Dawlish

[Granitechops]

sorry, no pictures was doing some work at the time and just glanced at the screen...

Ah, thanks

I have been down at the Viaduct or maybe Boat Cove, see the crane move

 

by the time I get close enough to get a decent pic,

 

its finished its lift & it has returned to its  "parking" position facing south!

 

 

I wonder if the old corroded containers were considered too weak to provide any reliable protection

 

and have been replaced for over the winter

 

However swift construction may be fixing down the precast "L" sections

 

cant see 300 metres being completed before the onset of real winter storms

 

BUT

 

Time will tell

[lightengine]

22.30 tonight Dawlish beach, gentle rolling sea, hardly any swell, no white horses.

Weather bomb?

[TheQ]

Wind in wrong direction, I believe The late Thursday / Friday little blow should be more dramatic.

[Granitechops]

if the wind is SW, as forecast, that means it will be blowing from shore out to sea.

 

But the waves will be sweeping up the English Channel

 

so no direct powerful waves direct on shore

 

but probably heavy swells will be quite powerful

 

 

good job the orange army got to use the calmer weather yesterday, Wed, to get some concrete laid

 

pictures later of Terex ploughing through waves

[Granitechops]

Dramatic sky, yesterday at 7.53 am.

 

 

Dawlish, 12 noon

 

men at work on the platform railings at Dawlish station.

 

 

they appear to be replacing the 2 mtr uprights randomly

 

with larger section timbers, the darker ones

 

 

in this shot from Rockstone foot bridge,

 

you can see the dust from the rock drilling machine

 

at this end of the site, on the bottom walkway

 

I was told by a COSS chap that they were drilling down 20 mtrs

 

so if that is to anchor the new foundation, could be pretty robust when pins/reinforcing are inserted

 

they did similar on the breakwater at Boat Cove earlier in the year

 

you can also see where the swing arm is, what appears to be

 

a roadrail demountable lowsided body,

 

used as a reservoir for the dumpers to deposit their loads of concrete in

 

so they can do a quick turnaround & get back for the next load

 

while the swing arm deposits it bucket by bucket into the formwork

 

 

Terex about to get into difficulties as it next has to skirt to the right of those 2 white rocks

 

& through the chikane of the groynes

 

 

Apologies for quality of pic, limitation of my equipment,

 

was using my HD Vid cam. the limited zoom has packed up

 

but you can see where the Terex has crabbed sideways in soft sand

 

& he had a real struggle to get back up the beach, despite 6 wheel drive(one assumes)

 

 

 

 

 

 

More to follow

 

Operators of the Jacking barge

Edited December 11, 2014 by Granitechops

[Granitechops]

After dropping off the bottom concrete on to the beach again

 

the Terex proceeds though the waves

 

 

 

 

chased by the waves

 

a safety outlooker, watches the waves, stops the driver while bigger waves wash up

 

& waves him through as they lessen,

 

the tide was going out, so using the earliest possible passage

 

obviously more neccesary as they try to get the best window in the tides

 

 

turning round so as to tip into grounded body

 

 

and tipping (apologies again)

 

 

And returning

 

 

 

not a lot of room on that ledge

 

 

meets the next smaller dumper, who flashes him right of way

 

 

Who also gets bogged in that soft spot, he had to turn his front end

 

left & right repeatedly to get grip to get out

 

I was beginning to think he was in need of assistance

 

notice the other dumper has reached the other end of the beach by now

 

 

making progress

 

 

OOPs one side on concrete, the other side? how far will it sink?

 

 

safe on the concrete

 

 

although the Terex had been through, this dumper is much lower,

 

and the lookout guy really knows his stuff,

 

arm out he waits while 2 big waves come in, 

 

then waves the dumper through while smaller waves follow

 

 

just as well as bigger wave comes in

 

 

Safely through other side to tip

 

 

 

this last shot was about 1.30,  so they had another 50 mins to low tide

 

plus possibly another 3/4 hour before the tide stopped dumpers working

 

& of course the swing arm shovel would also have to go back

 

through the sea to park up at red rock compound

 

 

 

 

 

[jamie92208]

Thanks for all those picture Don.  It really helps to get some idea of the conditions people are having to work in .   Please keep the updates coming.

 

Jamie

Edited December 11, 2014 by jamie92208

[eastwestdivide]

Yes, thanks for the updates.

And hats off to the dump truck team, who presumably have to keep their hats firmly on. 

Are they really carrying liquid concrete in open trucks? I'd be worried that the sliding around you photographed would leave them ending up at an angle, dumping some accidentally where you don't need it.

[Re6/6]

Super pics Don. Thanks for all your efforts.

[Granitechops]

Yes, thanks for the updates.

And hats off to the dump truck team, who presumably have to keep their hats firmly on. 

Are they really carrying liquid concrete in open trucks? I'd be worried that the sliding around you photographed would leave them ending up at an angle, dumping some accidentally where you don't need it.

As a lorry driver I was on the edge of my seat JUST WATCHING them!

 

Actually I would be more worried about the surge of liquid turning the vehicle over as the centre of gravity moved

 

But  the drivers both made the change of angle, especially going up off the beach onto the concrete very slowly

 

especially the smaller one, who stopped & waited for the liquid to stop slopping about

 

with liquid concrete, as you drive ( in an open truck)

 

the chippings & sand sink to the bottom & the liquid comes up to the top 

 

making the surge worse than if the liquid stayed homogenous

 

 

From NWR webcam today  Thurs. 11th Dec at 12.42

 

Calm before the storm??

 

 

if I remember it was a yellow wind warning from 12.10 midnight tonight til 9 am Fri 

Edited December 11, 2014 by Granitechops

[Granitechops]

14.43  must be nearly LOW tide

 

from NWR webcam

 

swing arm shovel up on  walkway

 

( I think )

 

Edit;-

 

no he cant be, there were containers there yesterday,

 

must be still on the beach

 

at Dawlish end of container line

 

Edited December 11, 2014 by Granitechops

[mozzer models]

At 14.57 theres a Big Hook in view

[SHMD]

^

The proverbial "sky hook"!

 

 

Kev.

[Granitechops]

At 14.57 theres a Big Hook in view

Ropes not vertical,

 

camera lens??

 

or crane at limit of its reach, but very small load being lifted

 

Could not be something  being placed at that angle

 

 

and now the glory of the skies again

 

at 16.47

 

[APOLLO]

Red sky at night - Captain Kernow's Delight !!

 

Brit15

[hayfield]

Red sky at night - Captain Kernow's Delight !!

 

Brit15

 

Or a local barn on fire !!

[Granitechops]

Friday 12th Dec 2014

 

 they weren't there the last time I was there,  which was last week If I remember correctly

 

but this afternoon at Teignmouth Docks  

 

I spied 5 of the precast concrete units for the seawall in Dawlish

 

 

 

 

I would think that they are lying on their "backs"

 

in other words the base face is what is the upright to the right

 

The long face lying on the ground has an oblique offset 

 

with reinforcing protruding, so that will probably be the start of the next lift up

 

and part of an outward wave deflecting curve

 

they look massively chunky

 

and are not a simple "L" angle

 

there is a web inside the  angle

 

EDIT;-

 

on looking at all my photos again there are 6, not 5 units

 

some have 8 holes in the web, for fixing reinforcing/pins??

 

some have solid webs, with no holes

 

Back at Teignmouth Docks

 

Boojum Bay & Bobs box lie along side

 

with some marker buoys??  "obstruction below water level"    I assume

 

 

I also noticed that the Jacking Barge has got diggers & other plant on deck

 

so that would explain crane action when tides dont allow access along the beach

 

I was told that the end container at the Warren end houses the drilling equipement when not in use

 

I had wondered why the door was often open

 

 

Edited December 13, 2014 by Granitechops

[The Stationmaster]

The two yellow buoys are 'Special Marks' buoys which are used to mark things such as, say, a sewage outfall pipe or some particular feature - they are not navigational buoys.  They are probably associated with  marking items which might only matter to the way in which the supply boats work.  There doesn't seem to be any sign of any sinkers so they might well be used with the anchors visible on the barge and the presence of some short looking chains suggests they will probably be not far out from the seawall (unless teh chains are for another purpose?).

[Granitechops]

Sat. 13th Dec 2014

 

Frosty morning , so with heart condition was not out as early as usual

 

( have to avoid the cold)

 

you turn your back & things happen

 

captured fom NWR webcam at 11.18

 

must have been moved this morning

 

 

 

 

EDIT

resolution on the webcam does not allow much enlargement to see details

 

but I am pretty sure this is NOT a second jacking barge,

 

but the Seariser 4 moved from the north end of site, to south end

 

must go down there & check it out

Edited December 13, 2014 by Granitechops

[Granitechops]

11.33 

 

 

from NWR Webcam

 

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/timetables-and-travel/storm-damage/dawlish/

 

 

now jacking up platform

 

[Granitechops]

Barge in new position, crane in use

 

No more concreting to be done till next sat

 

due to neap tides not allowing access along the beach

 

[skipepsi]

Barge in new position, crane in use

 

No more concreting to be done till next sat

 

due to neap tides not allowing access along the beach

 

100_5330 (crop).JPG

Where is that train mounted concrete mixer when you need it?

[royaloak]

Yesterday (Friday) there was an articulated lorry with about 10 concrete 'L' sections on the trailer in the carpark at Dawlish station.

[Killybegs]

Barge in new position, crane in use

 

No more concreting to be done till next sat

 

due to neap tides not allowing access along the beach

 

100_5330 (crop).JPG

Why would neap tides not allow access to the beach? Do you mean spring tides?

[eastwestdivide]

Why would neap tides not allow access to the beach? Do you mean spring tides?

Maybe because low tide isn't low enough with neap tides. Spring tides = higher highs and lower lows? Only guessing.

Edited December 13, 2014 by eastwestdivide