Washout at Dawlish

[skipepsi]

That's right, although I heard from another (non-railway) local source of a reference on a local Facebook page to it going back at the higher level, which is completely against everything that I have heard via official channels.

 

It was originally one James Powell, owner of the former Sea Lawn House (on the site of Sea Lawn Terrace) that got the South Devon Railway to construct the walkway at the lower level from the outset.

I think the current owners might have a slightly different point of view now.....

Edited March 21, 2014 by skipepsi

[melmerby]

 

It was originally one James Powell, owner of the former Sea Lawn House (on the site of Sea Lawn Terrace) that got the South Devon Railway to construct the walkway at the lower level from the outset.

Didn't want the plebs walking along the path to be able to see into his house.

But what about the train passengers who were even higher up?

 

Keith

[EdChap]

Perhaps one of the containers should be presented to the National Railway Museum?

 

Edwin C.

[Ozexpatriate]

Could always sells chunks of the containers themselves to RMWebbers a la Berlin Wall..........

I wouldn't mind a 6" square to hang on my basement wall. Would go well next to my vintage steel Indian Motorcycles sign,

Just so long as no one turns them into plagues.

[Ozexpatriate]

The interesting bit is going to be how 'they' remove the containers - their structural strength must be somewhat impaired and they would appear to be rather overloaded as well.  Tip them onto the foreshore?

... or tow them by tugboat just down the coast to Branscombe beach. The locals there will think it's the MSC Napoli all over again.

I can confirm that they will be cut up on site and the material in them disposed of.

Chop the seaward side out of the containers and the sea will take care of most of the disposal I reckon.

Surely there be some descendants of Devon coast wreckers who can take care of it in the dark, quiet like?

 

Or do we need to go to Cornwall for that?

Edited March 21, 2014 by Ozexpatriate

[Gwiwer]

the green sea.jpg

 

Signal failure!!!  There's at least one yellow aspect missing in there

 

It has been normal for breaking seas to put spray over the wall and across the railway at high tides and in rougher weather.  That is what the drone clip shows.  If whole waves were overtopping the wall I would be rather more concerned.  Many a photograph exists of such spectacular moments and the failure of Voyagers (and sometimes other types) through seawater ingress is well known.  

 

I see nothing whatsoever to be alarmed about in the seas shown in the drone clip.  I see everything to suggest those seas are breaking normally as the wave patterns reach the shallows and are finally faced with the solid resistance of a stone wall.

 

There is a shelf at the foot of the wall which at low tide forms the South West Coast Path and which serves at high tide to dissipate wave energy and force breaking before the vertical element of the wall receives a full impact.  It is that shelf which also reduces any need for a concave profile to the vertical wall as there is less opportunity for air to become trapped between the breaking water and the stone; compression of air in such situations does considerable structure damage as it is repeatedly forced into any void or weakness.  Possibly more damage than the water itself causes.  

 

That my be relevant at the Teignmouth end but not locally at Dawlish where the design has successfully withstood many years of marine attack and has only failed this time under repeated barrages of uncommon severity.

[lightengine]

Signal failure!!!  There's at least one yellow aspect missing in there

 

It has been normal for breaking seas to put spray over the wall and across the railway at high tides and in rough weather.  That is what the drone clip shows.  If whole waves were overtopping the wall I would be rather more concerned.  Many a photograph exists of such spectacular moments and the failure of Voyagers (and sometimes other types) through seawater ingress is well known.  

 

I see nothing whatsoever to be alarmed about in the seas shown in the drone clip.  I see everything to suggest those seas are breaking normally as the wave patterns reach the shallows and are finally faced with the solid resistance of a stone wall.

 

There is a shelf at the foot of the wall which at low tide forms the South West Coast Path and which serves at high tide to dissipate wave energy and force breaking before the vertical element of the wall receives a full impact.  It is that shelf which also reduces any need for a concave profile to the vertical wall as there is less opportunity for air to become trapped between the breaking water and the stone; compression of air in such situations does considerable structure damage as it is repeatedly forced into any void or weakness.  Possibly more damage than the water itself causes.  

 

That my be relevant at the Teignmouth end but not locally at Dawlish where the design has successfully withstood many years of marine attack and has only failed this time under repeated barrages of uncommon severity.

Gwiwer,

The sea wall at the the town end in Teignmouth i.e. the part from just west of the swimming pool was built with a concave profile. East of this the sea wall is either much less concave or flat.

On 5th February we were watching the sea at high water near the pier. The concave wall was returning the water well at most times with just the occasional (7th?) wave crashing over. The concave wall was constructed with a shelf as you mention but in places this shelf is now under a lot of sand. West of the pier the shelf shows whereas east of the pier it is buried.

 

Along the sea wall, the part that supports the railway, again it is a case of at times the shelf is visible and at times the shelf is covered. One of the photos I took last Monday shows the handrail that was put in place many years ago to help you step down to the beach from the raised ledge at the bottom of the sea wall. This handrail now vanishes into the sand, I am not sure how deep the sand build up is exactly.

Whilst watching the sea break over the railway sea wall, you could see that it was less dissipated by the sea wall shape than it had been by the concave wall in the town. Obviously these tides were high and the sea state much rougher than normal.

 

At present we cannot access the beach eastward of Sprey Point going towards Smugglers Lane, but in the past I have seen the beach in part of that area quite badly scoured and in one area you could see the sea wall footings exposed.

 

A friend who lives about 60-70 metres from the (concave) sea wall said that indoors on the night of the 4th he could feel the waves hitting the wall.

 

Cheers

LE

[PhilJ W]

Hopefully Captain Kernow and the rest of the orange army's efforts will be recognised in the next Gong-fest. It will make a pleasant change from all the luvvies and political hangers-on. Arise Sir Kernow,   or maybe Lord Kernow?

[woodenhead]

Looking at the new concrete L sections which protect both the railway line and the houses, you've got to think those residents are now sitting pretty in their homes with their shiny new strong defences. Pity the rest of the residents along the wall waiting for next winter's storms wondering if they will be washed out at some point.

 

This year was bad, luckily when the wall went and the houses were undermined no one was injured or worse. And there is is buildings insurance renewals, any floods in the past 12 months?

[hayfield]

Hopefully Captain Kernow and the rest of the orange army's efforts will be recognised in the next Gong-fest. It will make a pleasant change from all the luvvies and political hangers-on. Arise Sir Kernow,   or maybe Lord Kernow?

 

 

Can we have a little round face with a hard hat and orange jacket please

[Pete 75C]

Good point, woodenhead. Having grown up in London where the only stretch of water was the stagnant River Wandle, in adulthood, I've always been drawn to living by the sea. Using Dawlish as an example, I would choose to live facing the sea rather than further back in the town, up a hill, with an inland view. Yes, there are risks and as property is pretty much your biggest financial commitment in life, I do wonder how the recent storms have affected house-buying in this and similar areas? I would take the gamble, but I think I might be in the minority.

[trisonic]

I was waiting for this moment..................

So British.

 

Best, Pete.

[Dunsignalling]

Looking at the new concrete L sections which protect both the railway line and the houses, you've got to think those residents are now sitting pretty in their homes with their shiny new strong defences. Pity the rest of the residents along the wall waiting for next winter's storms wondering if they will be washed out at some point.

 

This year was bad, luckily when the wall went and the houses were undermined no one was injured or worse. And there is is buildings insurance renewals, any floods in the past 12 months?

I wouldn't fancy it, even with all that new concrete in place. When things get heavy along there, the waves can throw shingle hard enough to clear the railway line. 

 

There's only one certain way to avoid flooding or damage caused by salt or fresh water, and that's living far enough away from it and far enough above it!

 

With sea level rising, there is only one way the risk is going, and it's not down. 

 

John

[Coombe Barton]

Is it next the ducting for the cables so the cables can be removed from the bridge over the Dawlish "Grand Canyon" so the bridge can be taken down and the rubble from the ship containers dumped in the hole and the ship containers scrapped before they relay the track.

 

I don't think that that will be pattern of operations. The ballast is going in and they won't disturb that. In any case it's only two weeks away from re opening.

 

What I think is more likely is that they'll move the signalling cables ASAP in parallel with getting track down. Then they can get rid of the scaffolding bridge. When that is clear they can get road tippers up to deposit decent rubble, rather than the scrap stuff that was sacrificial in the containers. This would be in parallel with the track and signalling works.

 

With the bridge removed you have a decent amount of workspace to repair behind the railway in front of the houses. Nothing is going to delay the re-opening of the line.

 

Everyone's seemingly fixated on the containers - they're still doing a job of protection. IMHO they'll be the last things to be moved.

Edited March 22, 2014 by Coombe Barton

[Pannier Tank]

Is it next the ducting for the cables so the cables can be removed from the bridge over the Dawlish "Grand Canyon" so the bridge can be taken down and the rubble from the ship containers dumped in the hole and the ship containers scrapped before they relay the track.  

Did I notice some black round flexible trunking (for cables) being laid against the Sea Wall L Sections and buried in ballast?

Edited March 22, 2014 by Pannier Tank

[PhilJ W]

Can we have a little round face with a hard hat and orange jacket please

Blue or white hard hat?

[Clive Mortimore]

Blue or white hard hat?

Hi Phil

 

Blue for important post.

 

White for the others.

 

I think I have it the right way round, if not I am sure someone will inform you of the correct class distinction.

[Gary H]

Pannier Tank, on 22 Mar 2014 - 13:42, said:Pannier Tank, on 22 Mar 2014 - 13:42, said:

Did I notice some black round flexible trunking (for cables) being laid against the Sea Wall L Sections and buried in ballast?

Im very sure that wont be used for the cable route, David.

The cable route all along the sea wall has its own concrete trough route that runs along the up side, opposite from the black pipe on the down side.

The black pipe will be purely for cess drainage I would have thought.

Edited March 22, 2014 by Gary H

[lmsforever]

The latest picture shows just how amazing is the job done by the men and women in orange ,I wonder what Brunel would have said ?

[Coombe Barton]

Probably have said it's the wrong gauge.

[96701]

Hi Phil

 

Blue for important post.

 

White for the others.

 

I think I have it the right way round, if not I am sure someone will inform you of the correct class distinction.

Blue hatters are either non-Personal Track Safety or are under mentorship. It might be that the absence of track means that they are actually working in a 'High Street' environment.

[Coombe Barton]

CK said that this was being treated as a construction site

[yorkie_pudd]

blue are cold and white dried sea salt and other colours you don't wanna know what they fell in   

[96701]

CK said that this was being treated as a construction site

Indeed so, but we generally only have one hat each.

[gismorail]

Note the hand of God appearing at the end of the video!!!

Very interesting video . Truly shows the extent of the damage to length of the coastal route and how it is open to the wrath of nature. Frightening in many ways as a repeat storm could just undo all the hard work .