Captain Kernow

Here are some photos from yesterday, the section covered is again between Dawlish Warren and Dawlish station. New sleepers waiting to be used: Dumpy bags of new ballast for spot ballast replenishment: R/R machine and trailer returning to the access point at Dawlish Warren: view looking towards Dawlish: A lot of the gaps in the parapet wall apparent last week have now been filled with new, reinforced concrete replacements, featuring the masonry effect mouldings on the outer face: Refurbished troughing route: More sections of new parapet wall: Closer to the main breach, a slightly deeper repair was well underway, with concrete expected any time via road-railer. The lads expected to have this section completed by close of play today: A more general view looking east: More photos in next post.

Yes, the 'L' shaped sections will form a trough to contain the ballast, but the inner ones will also help support the roadway above etc. The outer wall will feature a separate masonry wall outside the 'L' sections, the cavity between the two will then be filled as well. I have some photos from a site visit yesterday to follow.

Presumably you're referring to the 'deep toe' protection installed in the late 1990s and early 2000s? These were specifically to protect the Sea Wall against the traditional mode of failure, including Sea Lawn Terrace and anywhere else along its length, where the bedrock is particularly soft. In such cases, historically, the beach sand level has dropped (due to natural sea/wave action), and exposed the soft red sandstone underneath. The softer rock cannot withstand heavy seas, and quickly leaches away, leaving the base of the masonry wall exposed. The sea then leaches more infill material from inside the masonry face, resulting in voids starting to appear in the down cess. This eventually leads to the fill material under (first) the down line and (if no action taken) then the up line. Finally, with nothing but air immediately behind the masonry face, a heavy sea can punch a hole in the masonry wall itself. This was the mode of failure in 1986 and 1996 (and doubtless most - if not all - the previous failures). In 1996, I remember a big hole in the masonry wall near Sprey Point, but the walkway above was intact! The concrete 'deep toe' foundations provided long-lasting protection at all locations where the soft sandstone makes this a risk. The design differs, according to individual site requirements. As a result, the foundations have never been compromised since, even during the severe storms of October 2004 and December 2005, and of course, most recently. It's perhaps cold comfort, but the most recent failure was not one of the foundations, which were found to be intact on the morning of 5th February last.

I showed the guy on the gate my Sentinel one time, and he wouldn't let me in because it wasn't the weathered Tarmac one... (Sorry, it's getting late, so it's probably way past my bedtime...)

I'll try, but it probably won't be possible until the containers are removed, unless you're interested in just what it looks like 'right now'...? I am due to visit site tomorrow, if there's time I can enquire whether access to the beach is possible, but they were restricting that only to those connected to a harness, last time I was there.

It should be no higher than the original wall was.

Yes, that was one sent to me by the lads on site, which was forwarded on to the lady who updates the NR website Hmm, also looks familiar!

I reckon the bit with the scrap train at Alphington was filmed last Thursday, when I was down with Channel 5 in Riverside, filming the timber train. The footage of the timber train on the Heathfield branch in the BBC report must have been from their archives.

Can't be too careful, security-wise. Lots of dodgy attempts to get into the site... apparently there have been reports of some geezer pretending to be a naval officer, trying to gain access to take photos for some internet forum or other... Shhhhh! Don't tell 'em about the cheap burgers..! Just when they thought I was going down there just for them!! Yes, you are correct in that regard, Andi...!

No, there should still be a down cess, but the top of the 'L' sections is not the whole story. Bit difficult to describe, but it depends on the design of what goes on the outside of the 'L' sections...

Yes, think 'glued and screwed'...

Yes, they are quite high. The main functions of these 'L' sections is to (a) retain the ballast/formation and form part of the new parapet wall. As I understand it, further concrete will be poured immediately outside the 'L' sections and then faced with stone masonry to closely resemble the original wall.

Never mind Westerleigh Yard, surely you've all heard about the time that Harold Morris, the Bath Green Park shedmaster got his hands on one, that one of his footplate crews had inadvertently brought back from Gloucester one day (well, it was very strong cider...). Egged on by Ivan Petersfield and Norman Locksmith, Harold used it for a couple of weeks over the Dorset, working heavy goods trains down to Templecombe and back. He nearly lost it back to the LMR one day, though, when the northbound working was diverted via Engine Wood and Hallatrow...

They are delivered to Dawlish station car park by road, so you may well have seen some.

As a result of the Heathfield branch being flooded a few weeks ago, with some serious wash-outs, and then Dawlish happening, we have today moved the first load of Devon timber by train from a temporary facility in Riverside Yard - more here - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/83178-helping-freight-beat-dawlish-timber-from-riverside-yard/

Some views of the main wash out site at lunchtime today: This is the temporary walkway we installed for the residents of the far end of Riviera Terrace to be able to get to and from their homes: Repairs to the section of wall where the walkway starts to rise up again, nearer Coastguards: New track panels waiting to be laid in the breach, these will be welded and stressed once in position: The public face of 'Dawlish Beach dot com': Scenes showing the on-going works at Dawlish station: One of the pre-cast reinforced 'L' sections being made ready for a lift, prior to being taken to the main breach site: Back at the main breach site, further views: A significant moment - the first of the pre-cast 'L' sections is lifted into position: And back at Dawlish Warren:

OK, here are some photos from my site visit today, which started at Dawlish Warren and progressed along the Sea Wall to Dawlish, and back. R/R activity at Dawlish Warren: This mysterious tent structure reeked of fibre glass, and then I realised that this was where the moulds for the concrete parapet walls were being made. The replacement parapets are of reinforced concrete, rather than traditional masonry, and are being attached to the main structure of the wall in a very robust manner. The inner face (next to the railway) will be plain concrete, but on the public walkway side, they have taken moulds from other parts of the wall and are moulding the concrete to match, it is rather good, as we will see later. Damaged walkway in process of being fixed: Telephoto views of the main breach site etc. Work on-going to extricate the signalling cables from the troughing route that was buried by sand and debris during the storms. The troughing routes are being re-seated, a bit higher up, and many cables are being renewed: Now some views showing the on-going repairs to the parapet walls, including the steel reinforcements and some sections of new concrete wall: Sheets of fibre glass with moulded masonry effect: More S&T repairs: More photos in next post.

You beat me to it, Rod, although I think I asked the nice lady in the hard hat earlier, but I've been out on the Sea Wall all day (at the other end), so I've only just got back to my neglected computer. Yes, all you say is correct. I think she said they are doing up to 3 boreholes, the first is 20 metres down, the other two probably less. She wasn't sure if this was some kind of flood mitigation (ie. accumulate flood waters in the tank), or to do with sewage... Yes, I watched the first one being positioned earlier this afternoon. Photos to follow a bit later, after tea!

I can assure you that I have no intention of acting like any princesses residing in this world or the next...!

I have absolutely no idea what that's about... I think I might stop off there and have a closer look tomorrow...

I suspect this ballast is destined for various locations between Teignmouth and Dawlish. There is a huge pile of ballast in Riverside Yard ('virtual quarry'), waiting to be taken to the site of the main breach by train. There is also a re-ballasting job planned next week at Smugglers, to deal with the site of last year's major landslip and the contaminated ballast at that location. Good news re the 4th April announcement!

That must mean you're volunteering, Brian. And you know that this can only mean one thing for you on Engine Wood... 3-link couplings!!!

Martin & Michelle McDermott (Mr & Mrs Pugsley) came for a visit yesterday, and whilst the ladies were keenly plotting some new cake recipes for the Taunton Members Day, Martin & I slipped into the next room and had a bit of a play around on Callow Lane. I'd earlier put all the buildings and other structures up on the layout; here are a few photos I took afterwards. In deference to Martin's preference for diesels, I kept the kettles in their boxes