'Railway plants'

[Captain Kernow]

I thought it might be useful to start a thread showing images of plants typically associated with railway lines, such as wild flowers that grow in railway cuttings etc.

 

To start us off, a couple of images of that shrub now inextricably associated with the modern railway scene - the buddleia...

 

 

[cromptonnut]

There was an article in ModelRail December 2000 (issue 26) on making buddleia.

 

Ragwort is, I believe, another plant - the yellow one.

[Black Sheep]

 

 

[Oldddudders]

ISTR a bit of a panic in the '80s about the Giant Hogweed, and what it might do to PW staff. Still an issue?

[Guest stuartp]

Giant Hogweed is still about, it gets reported and dealt with fairly quickly though, at least round here. I do occasionally get the odd phone call in my capacity as "Receiver of Bizarre Traincrew Reports" for my employer.

 

"I think there's some at XXXXX but I'm not really sure"

 

"Is it higher than the train, got flower heads the size of dustbin lids, a stem as thick as your arm covered in purple blotches and scare the s*** out of you just looking at it ?"

 

"Er...no not really"

 

"Then it's probably one of the other umbellifers but I'll pass it on for someone to go and take a look."

 

There was a cracking bit growing in a car park on Wellington Street in the middle of Leeds the other summer !

[Suzie]

Found this pic of Giant Hogweed on Google which gives a good indication of size. Best patch I have ever seen is around park Royal and Hanger Lane so it is probably all around the Piccadilly and central lines now. Not seen it modelled yet though. Quite an attractive plant originally introduced as an ornamental plant. Probably no more dangerous than the ordinary hogweed which only grows to 2m high, which is much more common and will give you severe sunburn (so bad your skin will blister) if you touch it and don't cover the exposed area.

 

 

Another plant that really thrives in ballast is Verbascum Thapsus (Great Mullein). I found this picture on Google so that you can get an idea of the size behind the third and fourth wagons.

 

 

It is particularly rife around Colchester station, and the big silver rosettes and 2m+ yellow flower spikes are quite striking in otherwise barren ballast. It must be immune to the weedkiller.

[Guest stuartp]

Quite an attractive plant originally introduced as an ornamental plant.

 

It's certainly very impressive. My boss once arrived at the normally not quite so aptly-named Botanic Gardens in Hull to find a particularly fine specimen growing outside the shunter's cabin. The lads had no idea what it was but were well impressed and were watering it when it looked a bit thirsty.

[Fat Controller]

Oxford Ragwort, which like Giant Hogweed, has to be notified and destroyed, was originally spread around the UK along the railways. It is toxic to grazing animals.

Image from Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senecio_squalidus

I can vouch for the effects of Giant Hogweed- in 1971, I and some classmates had a summer job clearing the vegetation from the bypass canal at Swiss Valley reservoir in Llanelli. It being hot, we tended to wear just shorts as we scythed the plants down- a friend brushed against some Giant Hogweed, and was soon covered with large, burn-like, blisters, such that he had to be taken to casualty for treatment. My viticulteur friends in Beaujolais were similarly affected on one occasion.

[hmrspaul]

Anyone wanting to make their layout just right should see

 

Britain's Railway Vegetation

 

(ISBN 10: 0904282767 / ISBN 13: 9780904282764 )

 

by Caroline Sargent Published by Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, NERC 1984.

 

There are a couple available on Abe Books

 

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&an=&sortby=3&tn=&kn=&isbn=0904282767&x=36&y=11

 

It is a scientific treatise of 34 pages, which shows various lines all over the country with the results of identifying the vegetation along the railway. 23 colour photographs illustrate the main scenario. Well worthwhile trying to get via interlibrary loan, but a good botany book is needed with it to translate the names - "Keble Martin" is one of the British standards very readily available, often very cheaply in charity shops.

 

A couple of personal comments. Ragwort - which is [supposed to be] a controlled weed was incredibly numerous alongside HS1 in Kent immediately after it opened.

 

Rosebay willow herb - a blxxdy nuisance for us lineside photographers - often very thick immediately alongside sidings - it appears in many of my photos in Hitchin Engineers depot. http://bit.ly/OKakY8

 

Rhododendron has become increasingly common - an amazing plant (the UK appears to have a hybrid which is not solely R. ponticum) very prolific in the far South West and in Scotland and many places inbetween. I remember a trip along the line from Newcastle to Carlisle where it was very impressive - but this is quite a recent spread (hardly noticed for the book in 1984).

 

Paul Bartlett

[28XX]

Er sorry, my dad's fault. He smuggled several rhododendron and azalia species in from Nepal in 1971

[Oldddudders]

Ragwort - which is [supposed to be] a controlled weed was incredibly numerous alongside HS1 in Kent immediately after it opened.

Mother Nature's work being done by Eurostar - the hedgerows and verges here are alive with the stuff! I have to keep an eye on our pasture, as it does crop up year after year. I believe the dangerous dosage is cumulative in equines.

[Silver Sidelines]

I don't think Ragwort is notifiable. Local farmers and equine establishments seem happy to leave the plants growing even with animals present. It is not pleasant to eat and animals naturally avoid it. The problem with Ragwort comes when it gets mixed in with hay and then horses in particular can eat it without realising that it is present - with disastrous consequences.

 

Ray

[JohnR]

Dont forget Rosebay Willowherb.... seems to love railway lines up here.

[Fay Singpoint]

Japanese Knotweed http://en.wikipedia....panese_knotweed is up there on the things to avoid/report list.

 

Tomato plants were quite popular in and around the 4' in some stations before the introduction of chemical retention toilets. It seems you have a nice salad and the tomato seeds pass though the digestive system, then you crap on the track so the seeds have a nice little supply of fertiliser to get them going.

 

Cannabis plants appear from time to time so that normally brings out the BTP on a harvesting session.

[hmrspaul]

I don't think Ragwort is notifiable. Local farmers and equine establishments seem happy to leave the plants growing even with aninals present. It is not pleasant to eat and animals naturally avoid it. The problem with Ragwort comes when it gets mixed in with hay and then horses in particular can eat it without realising that it is present - with disastrous consequences.

 

Ray

 

Complex legislation but it is included in the Ragwort control act 2003 http://www.ragwortfacts.com/index.html which means an Order for control can be served. I agree it isn't used often which is why I used square brackets. It poisons horses, as any Archers listeners will be aware.

 

Paul Bartlett

[hmrspaul]

Japanese Knotweed http://en.wikipedia....panese_knotweed is up there on the things to avoid/report list.

 

 

 

Also not so straightforward

 

"While there is no statutory requirement for landowners to remove the plant from their property, because of its potential harm to native species, it is listed on Schedule 9 and subject to section 14 of the Act 1981, which makes it an offence to plant, or cause this species to grow, in the wild. Both the Police and local authorities have enforcement functions for the 1981 Act. " http://archive.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/wildlife/management/non-native/knotweed.htm

 

Paul Bartlett

[Suzie]

Rosebay Willowherb is a really good indication of where a railway is and especially where a railway used to be. It must be the plant most closely associated with railways. Again I have not seen it modelled yet.

 

[Silver Sidelines]

 

 

Also not so straightforward

 

"While there is no statutory requirement for landowners to remove the plant from their property, because of its potential harm to native species, it is listed on Schedule 9 and subject to section 14 of the Act 1981, which makes it an offence to plant, or cause this species to grow, in the wild. Both the Police and local authorities have enforcement functions for the 1981 Act. " http://archive.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/wildlife/management/non-native/knotweed.htm

 

Paul Bartlett

 

 

Paul, you might like to contemplate the attached picture taken some years back of our previous neighbours.

 

Regards Ray

[Re6/6]

Rosebay Willowherb is a really good indication of where a railway is and especially where a railway used to be. It must be the plant most closely associated with railways. Again I have not seen it modelled yet.

 

 

It's been well done on the 'Gresley Beat' modelled by Roger Daltry.

 

Can just be seen on this pic. There's much more than on this shot.

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=gresley+beat+railway&start=15&num=10&hl=en&rlz=1I7GCNV_en-GB&biw=1280&bih=655&tbm=isch&tbnid=qSoR5H_JExbVEM:&imgrefurl=http://locoyard.wordpress.com/tag/millwall-goods/&docid=-yYs8b5CUmo6_M&imgurl=http://locoyard.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/gresley-beat-3.jpg&w=2592&h=1944&ei=Qb4jUPvUAsi-0QWh7oCYBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=382&vpy=350&dur=2712&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=122&ty=106&sig=109716860825085536923&page=2&tbnh=138&tbnw=186&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:15,i:9

[BernardTPM]

I modelled some Rosebay Willowherb about 30 odd years ago on 'Brigenshaw' using tiny bits of aquarium fern with the tips painted pinky mauve (Humbrol MC10 Polish Crimson - which is pink!) individually stuck in place.

[PhilJ W]

When I used to commute from Burnham-on-Crouch in the mid 1980's there used to be a large number of apple trees together with a few pear trees and a couple of cherries and I even spotted a plum tree on the embankments of the Southminster branch, particularly on the down side between North Fambridge and Althorne. Some years there was a very heavy crop of fruit but it all went unpicked. I wonder if the trees are still there or have they been cleared.

[Suzie]

When I used to commute from Burnham-on-Crouch in the mid 1980's there used to be a large number of apple trees together with a few pear trees and a couple of cherries and I even spotted a plum tree on the embankments of the Southminster branch, particularly on the down side between North Fambridge and Althorne. Some years there was a very heavy crop of fruit but it all went unpicked. I wonder if the trees are still there or have they been cleared.

 

The days are numbered for being able to throw apple cores and cherry pips out of the window with the introduction of aircon stock, so there may not be many more fruit trees growing like that when the dustys go from Southminster.

[RJS1977]

Farmers can lose some or all of their CAP payments for not keeping certain weeds under control - see:

 

http://rpa.defra.gov.uk/rpa/index.nsf/7801c6143933bb248025713f003702eb/e3ef1f0daaa63d2a802573860052bc03!OpenDocument