Joining the jet set

Thursday 28 November

We had contractors in today to jet the drain in the 6 foot at Toddington Station and then the gully drains at Stanley Pontlarge. This means that it was a less strenuous day for the team as there was quite a bit of standing watching, for no better reason than to see how the professional work. We did get wet as the rain came in the afternoon and the light was failing by the time we got back to unload.

Deploying the kit into the drain
(Photo: Alastair) 

6 foot drain chamber at the end of the blocked line 

Jetter nozzle ready to go in, it can deliver 90 gpm at 2,000 lb 

Vacuuming the water and sludge out 

Faster and easier than digging 😉

Jet runs through the blockage to the next chamber 

Dieh and Michael keeping an eye on things 

The other end of the hoses 

Waiting to check everything is flowing 

The jetter nozzle after blasting the clay out of the pipe 

The blockage seems to have been mostly clay, there was no bits of pipe flowing out. We think this section may be rather flat and possibly dipped in the middle causing the clay sediment to build up over time. It will get a CCTV survey to check the integrity of the pipe, it's an area that will need monitoring during wet weather to observe the flow characteristics.  

As soon as Toddington was flushed clear we headed of to Stanley Pontlarge to clear the gully drains around Bridge 28 and to clear the end of Culvert 28A. 

Culvert 28A, Michael gully grabs the outlet to clear the pipe end (Photo: Alastair) 

Jetting from the end of Culvert 28A
(Photo: Alastair) 

The jet reaches the downstream chamber and stirs the water up 

A bit of a squeeze to get into the gateway 

Vacuumed down to the concrete base 

The vacuum in action... 

Then on to the gully drains and pipe runs under Bridge 28. 

These drains are a bit smaller than the modern standard 

Watching from a safe distance to avoid any spray back 

Upside under bridge gully 

The high mileage up side gully from above
(Photo: Alastair)

Loose brick base in the upside gully 

Jetting the run down the lane 

While the work was going on in the lane Alastair, Michael and Dieh went off to clear the vegetation at Culvert 27C. This was rebuilt in September last year so it's still in top condition.  

Michael clears the up side headwall on Culvert 27C
(Photo: Alastair) 

Dieh clearing off the lids on Culvert 27C down side
(Photo: Alastair)  

The inlet on 27C is a design masterpiece, it has 3 inlet pipes and an open channel all feeding into a 12" pipe. It's amazing it doesn't overflow. 

Culvert 27C inlet chamber
(Photo: Alastair) 

Culvert 27C up side headwall
(Photo: Alastair) 

Splitting up

Monday 25 November 

So much to do and so little time, we split into 2 teams to day; Andrew and Stuart went to Stanton to start on the yard rearrangement; Roger, Alastair, Dave and Nigel went to Hailes to work south doing Culvert clearance. Then in the afternoon it was down to Dixton for some tidying up jobs and to retrieve the plank stuck in Culvert 33A.  

First today there's the report and photo's from Alastair starting at Culvert 17B, one of the more awkward to clear because of the steep sides. 

Culvert 17B down side before clearing 

Culvert 17B up side before clearing 

Dave clearing the up side of 17B 

Nigel and Roger on the up side of 17B 

Nigel and Roger working towards the occupation bridge that borders the railway 

Culvert 17B down side headwall cleared 

Coffin shaped barrel on Culvert 17B 

Dilapidated occupation bridge, not a GWSR asset 😌

Dave starting on Culvert 18A down side 

Culvert 18A up side cleared 

Culvert 18A, level drop in the chamber 

Culvert 19A up side, Oh! if they were all like this 😊

Culvert 19A internals 

Dave clearing Culvert 19B down side 

19B has the orange poles to protect it from flail damage 

Culvert 20A down side 

Roger clearing round the gully under Bridge 20 

Culvert 20A extended inlet  

Culvert 20A, brick headwall visible beyond the twinwall pipe 

Where culverts have been extended it's usually because the embankment has slipped and overwhelmed the original headwall. Eventually we will get around to adding headwalls or re-profiling to get back to the original headwall. 

Down at the bottom of Defford Straight just before Chicken Curve the cess drains run out on each side, small headwalls were built last year. 

Nigel clearing the up side cess outfall 

Chicken Curve, Culvert 20B up side 

Chicken Curve Culvert 20C down side 

Culvert 20C extended with twinwall pipe, in need of jetting 

Up at Stanton, the intrepid duo managed to dodge the rain by returning to Winchcombe to collect the generator and breaker to pulverise some concrete so that it's easier to handle. Work is planned to on the viaduct drains over January and February next year. The yard at Stanton will be used for storing materials hence the need to make space and see if we can sort out what's there. The waste hardcore pile was first on the agenda... 

Waste hardcore pile 

Going... 

It looks too easy 

16 tonnes removed, still some left 

The sides of the yard have got a bit overgrown, the problem for clearing is the stored rail and other equipment is in the way!  

What's in here? 

A pile of concrete sleepers

Another store of rail 

Andrew breaking blocks 

Remains of a grit bin 

Andrew brushcutting round the top of the yard 

After lunch it was off to Gotherington and Dixton, a longstanding job to replace a heavy concrete slab with our newly manufactured lids was completed. 

New lids on Culvert 33A up side chamber 

Dave posing with the plank rescued from Culvert 33A outlet pipe 

At the 3 arch bridge over Dixton cutting there is a crest drain that runs down into the cess, this has an unusual arrangement of 2 pipes taking the outflow down the slope. 

Bridge 33 Dixton, down side crest chamber 

Bridge 33 down side crest chamber, outlet on the left 

We've more more jobs lined up for Thursday, hopefully it will stop raining soon.