Highlights from a week at Royal Oak

Monday 2 March

Multiple jobs on the go today, more work on the turning area, some vegetation removal and removing the blocks to a safe place. At least the weather was fine for once.

Royal Oak weather 

In the past we have spent a lot of time and energy shovelling materials on and off the flat bed truck as well as digging holes by hand. So that we can improve productivity, we are moving towards a more mechanised form of working. The excavator is on hire for the Royal Oak work and a couple (or five) other jobs. Plus we have the latest addition; a cheap tipper, this will allow us to move bulk material between sites as well as some of the on-site work. The tipper didn't cost a fortune, in fact it was less that one person's fare for each day of the running season. We'd like to thank that person for their generosity 😊

Loading the ballast for the turning area
(Photo: Dave) 

Unloading the spent ballast on the turning area
Fast than shovelling it off 😉 

Royal Oak forward operating area 

It's bird nesting season already, so we did a thorough survey of the area to be cleared before starting to remove the brambles. 

Nigel and Dave clearing the hedge to get to the crest drain. 

Run off from the field has slowed down 

Clearing the area on the slope next to the former slip site 

The Lineside Clearance team have taken the spindly trees out on the down side between Culverts 24A and 24B. This will allow us to get the kit in to rebuild the culvert headwall. 

Culvert 24B down side, one old alder left to come out 

Culvert 24B down side, water pooling in the old ditch near the fence 

Looks like an old gully drain encased
in concrete at 24B 

Excavator reached Culvert 24B down side 

Area from Culvert 24A to the previous slip cleared 

The bramble and thorn had to be removed from the slope so that we can see what's causing the toe area to be so wet. Just to finish off the day, the hollow blocks removed from the cess drain were taken away to be stacked ready for reuse. 

Nigel and Dave with the first trolley load of blocks 

Down side cess cleared up 

Time for a breather, after the hard work 

Last little job was to measure up Culvert 25A at Working Lane, Gretton to do the design for the rearrangement of the up side flow so that the roadway doesn't collapse into the stream. 

Culvert 25A down stream 

Brick channel on Culvert 25A up side 

Flow along from Culvert 25B 

Looking at the outfall of Culvert 25B the water appears to be stagnant, not sure where the flow that reaches 25A comes from. 

Culvert 25B up side outfall 

Culvert 25C up side outfall 

The forestry contractors have been busy along this stretch of line removing the trees that are overhanging the line and causing safety concerns. 

Working Lane looking West 

Working Lane looking East to Winchcombe 

Culvert 25A outlet stream from the bridge 

Thursday 5 March

With 5 volunteers in today a lot was going to be done. Martin and Dieh dug out the down side crest pipe at Royal Oak, this was an exploratory dig to see how deep the pipe was, what the covering is, and why it isn't catching the run-off from the field. The answer is that it has a covering of earth that is holding the water so it isn't permeating down to the pipe. The length will need to be dug out and backfilled with stone. The excavation may have to wait until the ground dries as it's a bit precarious to get a machine in on the boggy sloping ground. 

Andrew and Michael went to the tunnel portal to clear both sides so that we can see how it is draining. There's a lot of water seeping in through the construction joints in the bore, the drain over the portal will need to be cleaned out. 

Royal Oak, run off grip drying up
showing the pile of silt washed down 

Royal Oak, down side crest drain pipe exposed 

Greet tunnel high mileage portal 

Tunnel down side wing wall 

Tunnel up side wing wall 

Tunnel down side wing wall and cap stone
Water has been running down and over the wall here 

The rest of the day was spent in the cess drain removing more drain blocks and discussing how best to address the issues caused by the blocks. We need to be conscious of the costs of the reinstatement works. It's estimated that over 250 tonnes of stone would be needed to do a full replacement, but a plan is being worked on that will involve a compromise solution using less stone. 

Andrew, Dieh and Michael in the cess ditch 

Martin and Andrew top side, with Dieh and Michael in the wet 

As the team worked along the discovered a last remaining wall from a chamber, the end bricks show where the end walls were broken out. It looks like this trouble spot has a long history 😧

Rail side chamber wall uncovered 

Hollow blocks removed 

At the run-off collection point, the pipe joints were cleared to let the water run into the pipe. 

Cess drain pipe with open joints 

Open joint on the cess pipe 

Next area along to the tunnel 

Blocks removed from this one section 

Saturday 7 March

Down to Gotherington to catch the first service train go over the slip repair. All went according to plan, with the loco crew craning their necks to have look down to the shelf. Then, after a bird survey, we cleared the area for the 3rd phase of soil nails. Clearing it now will save any hold ups where expensive machinery is involved. 

7820 Dinmore Manor tender first over the slip at Bridge 37 

Bridge 37 up side slip, snout still cracking 

Water running out of the slope over the haul road 

Michael and Roger brush cutting the up side slope 

Up side slope area cleared 

Back round at Royal Oak the run off has slowed down considerably, not surprising after a few dry days. The upturn in the weather allowed Michael to get back to brick laying in the crest chamber on Culvert 24A. Roger has taken over mixing duties, while Stuart excavated the the footings for the next chamber and headwall on Culvert 24A up side. 

Royal Oak down side cess run-off 

Exposed silty cess pipe drying up 

In the area further along towards the tunnel an oily film has formed on the water. This is caused by anaerobic organisms working away in the sodden ground. It's a bad sign as it means the drainage isn't working at all. 

Grip below the old slip, Royal Oak down side cess 

Another example of the hollow blocks inhibiting the drainage operation
water just can't penetrate into the pipe 

Culvert 24A up side has a no headwall and has a deep scoured channel, this is a hazard for passing traffic on the track above and for the vegetation management equipment. The plan is to pipe it and build a new chamber. Then construct a headwall on the other side of the haul road.  

Culvert 24A up side exit ditch 

Culvert 24A new headwall site 

Digging the new chamber footings
(Photo: Roger) 

Start of the chamber footings excavation 

After many interruptions, the crest chamber has risen above ground today. 

Michael in the hole again 

Roger mixing concrete to go behind the chamber wall 

The up side ditch had a root problem, it took a while to extract, but it's been sorted out. 

Root canal work 😊

Work stops for the DMU to roar through 

New chamber footing excavation 

Headwall footings started 

Root removed, after a tussle 

Progress on the crest chamber