Main line to the west out for weeks as tracks washed away at Dawlish

[editor]

oh, and the plymouth library turned this up during the week.

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Doe...-washed-away/story-20589201-detail/story.html

Blimey!

Wonder how long the Victorians took to fix it.

The GWR nearly sorted an alternative line in 1939 too:

In 1936 the GWR surveyed an inland deviation termed the Dawlish Avoiding Line, initially in 1936 proposed progressing 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) inland between Exminster and Bishopsteignton, and a 1937 shorter route ending west of Dawlish. After gaining Parliamentary approval for the required Bill, construction started in Spring 1939, but the advent of World War 2 brought the project to an end. The GWR was nationalised into British Railways on 1 January 1948, and the land sold. The powers of the associated Act of Parliament only lapsed in 1999
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Devon_Railway_sea_wall

 

[editor]

Passengers just walked over the gap!

According to their report , Easterly gales during the first fortnight of February in 1855, had washed away the beach near Teignmouth, exposing the marl on which the railway and sea-wall were built. Heavy seas scoured the marl and despite remedial work, 30 yards of wall collapsed on the 16th. Severe frosts and turbulent seas prevented reconstruction, and by the time work could begin, 50 yards of the embankment had been washed away.

Traffic was resumed by running trains to the edge of the breach and passengers walking round. A wooden viaduct built across the gap was completed in early March. Further strengthening was carried out during the summer under the personal supervision of Brunel.

 

[ChrisD]

Meanwhile this morning I learn from twitter that the replacement bus from exeter to newton abbott is broken down at peamore DUE TO WIPER FAILURE

 

[Greebo]

<snip> broken down at peamore DUE TO WIPER FAILURE

Not enough facepalms on the entire net for that.

 

[Dogsauce]

Found a map of the original 'avoiding line' proposal. Wonder what if anything of the route remains undeveloped? The construction effort only got as far as staking out the route before WW2 led to abandonment of the project.

(from http://trainsferriesbuses.co.uk/somdev.htm)

 

[toggle]

Meanwhile this morning I learn from twitter that the replacement bus from exeter to newton abbott is broken down at peamore DUE TO WIPER FAILURE

they really couldn't organise the proverbial pissup, could they.

 

[toggle]

Blimey!


Wonder how long the Victorians took to fix it.

The GWR nearly sorted an alternative line in 1939 too:

thought you might like that.

I believe one of the advatages of the okehampton route is that the trackbed is still sitting there on most of the route. bakunin thinks most of it is a cycle track, although I think it is blocked at tavi. only other bother could possibly be the viaduct at tavi and there's a fair few of the stations that have been reused. even on the bere alston branch. there there will be a mexican wave of hissyfit about the increaced disruption and noise along the route. most places will respond better than tavi though. tavi is excellent at the parochial nimby thing. only that is coming from the people who retired there wanting to keep it quaint, rather than locals.


as much as they would probably make me go wibble and I do love the look of the stone viaducts, I do wish there were a few of these left. this is the one on the final approach into truro.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Carvedras_Viaduct.jpg

although I think the oldest of them was in use until the 30s

 

[editor]

Tavistock South was a beaut of a station.

 

[editor]

Tavistock North wasn't bad either

http://www.oldtavistockrailwaystation.co.uk/history-tavistockrailway/

 

[ChrisD]

Here's some notes on the barriers to opening the Okehampton to Tavistock section. (now known as "The Granite Way"

http://www.devon.gov.uk/cycling-leismaps-graniteway.pdf

 

[ChrisD]

Meanwhile buses to the Met Office in Exeter can't get through even with working windscreen wipers..... cos their barrier is jammed !!

 

[laptop]

oh, and the plymouth library turned this up during the week.

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Doe...-washed-away/story-20589201-detail/story.html

Staff at Plymouth Central Library stumbled across the picture while putting together a display this week.

The library service is in a worse state than I thought if they had no-one with enough knowledge of local history to know there was something to look for...

bears an uncanny resemblance to this week's shocking images...

Not really, it doesn't - the 1850s washout is into a little inlet, the 2014 is hard up against a road and buildings...

 

[Bungle73]

they really couldn't organise the proverbial pissup, could they.

And how exactly is a windscreen wiper not working "their" fault? Things break.

 

[toggle]

And how exactly is a windscreen wiper not working "their" fault? Things break.

of fuck off

 

[Bungle73]

of fuck off

Why don't you fuck off yourself? I'm sure you'd enjoy people talking shit about you, and blaming you for things which are clearly not your fault, when you're working in difficult circumstances, wouldn't you. It'd funny how some people always want "someone" to blame, even when no one is.

 

[editor]

This is the transport forum. It's where people play nice. Please do so.

 

[toggle]

Why don't you fuck off yourself? I'm sure you'd enjoy people talking shit about you, and blaming you for things which are clearly not your fault, when you're working in difficult circumstances, wouldn't you. It'd funny how some people always want "someone" to blame, even when no one is.

I think you will find it is people's experience of dealing with problems caused by intractability and incompetence that leads people to assign blame.

 

[teuchter]

Not enough facepalms on the entire net for that.

Why does it deserve even one facepalm?

 

[Bungle73]

I think you will find it is people's experience of dealing with problems caused by intractability and incompetence that leads people to assign blame.

How easy it is to sit in a comfy armchair and throw around terms like "incompetent" when one doesn't know the first thing about doing the job, what the problems are, or why things they are done the way they are, which is usually for very good reasons. The wiper is broken, it happens. And the vehicle obivously cannot travel without it in this weather because it would be dangerous.

 

[editor]

More pictures of trains, tracks and stations please.

 

[Dogsauce]

More pictures of trains, tracks and stations please.

Can we have a thread for nice pictures of old stations?

 

[teuchter]

Can we have a thread for nice pictures of old stations?

There's one already I think

 

[toggle]

How easy it is to sit in a comfy armchair and throw around terms like "incompetent" when one doesn't know the first thing about doing the job, what the problems are, or why things they are done the way they are, which is usually for very good reasons. The wiper is broken, it happens. And the vehicle obivously cannot travel without it in this weather because it would be dangerous.

it's exceedingly odd then that the station staff and drivers who I've spoken to about this don't share your opinions of the rail companies competence

 

[_pH_]

I think they might be being slightly optimistic there. This landslip in Yorkshire took about six months to repair:

That was a bit different though. It was the spoil heaps on the colliery next to the railway that started to move so they had to shift several thousands tons of spoil to stabilise them before they could even think about reinstating the track.

 

[neonwilderness]

That was a bit different though. It was the spoil heaps on the colliery next to the railway that started to move so they had to shift several thousands tons of spoil to stabilise them before they could even think about reinstating the track.

True, plus I guess since it's the only route to the South West there's probably a greater sense of urgency about getting it sorted. It seems like things are well underway already:

 

[toggle]

More pictures of trains, tracks and stations please.

truro in 1912,

and a more recent image, I'm not quite sure when, but probably about 10 years ago.

that's the viaduct over carnon creek with the devoran/chasewater tramway running underneath

 

[_pH_]

True, plus I guess since it's the only route to the South West there's probably a greater sense of urgency about getting it sorted. It seems like things are well underway already:

Hopefully that won't all be washed away again by the morning...

 

[teuchter]

it's exceedingly odd then that the station staff and drivers who I've spoken to about this don't share your opinions of the rail companies competence

Have you really discussed the broken windscreen-wiper incident with several station staff and drivers?

 

[editor]

Network Rail is now denying the BBC story.

NETWORK RAIL has denied reports that it has chosen another rail route through Devon, avoiding the vulnerable coastal stretch through Dawlish.

Damage to the Great Western Main Line caused by storms in south Devon will take some time to repair. Network Rail now says the link is unlikely to be restored beforre April, and the number of flights between London and Cornwall will be doubled from tomorrow.

But the company has denied a BBC report which claimed that the former Southern main line through Dartmoor via Okehampton and Tavistock had been selected for reopening, providing an inland alternative between Exeter and Plymouth.

A Network Rail source commented to Railnews: "I think there have been a few assumptions here, and they are not true."

In a statement about the former Southern line, Network Rail said: "It was closed in the 1960s and the land was sold off and built on. It would require substantial engineering, including new bridges and viaducts, before a new line could be constructed.

"While it is right to look at the alternatives, our priority now is to resume rail services to Devon and Cornwall as soon as possible. We will take forward a professional study on this once the current situation is resolved, engaging business, local authorities, communities and the rail industry in the advantages and disadvantages of alternative routes.

"In addition, we plan to develop a strategy and scheme that will provide increased levels of resilience to marine erosion as part of the Western Route Climate Change Adaption Plan by 2019. Implementation is currently planned for 2019 to 2024."

Parts of the former Southern line are still in use, from Plymouth to Bere Alston and from Exeter to a point just past Okehampton. In addition, there are plans to restore a further section from Bere Alston as far as Tavistock.

Other possible routes avoiding Dawlish are the restoration and upgrade of a former single track line which closed to passengers in 1958, or a completely new railway. The Great Western Railway bought land for such a line in the 1930s, but the scheme was interrupted by the outbreak of war and the land was resold by British Railways after nationalisation in 1948.

http://railnews.mobi/news/2014/02/11-network-rail-denies-dawlish-plan.html

 

[Dogsauce]

You could probably protect the four miles of seawall route with gold-plated sheet piles for less money than it's cost to put the Tavistock route back in. Can't realistically see it happening, though maybe the route should be protected through the planning system anyway, just in case. The LSWR never looked particularly direct, which is probably why it was closed.