Delay to blog publishing does not constitute lack of work by the team! Far from it. The main focus of January was to complete the programme of internal visual inspections and clearance of the culverts and cross drains. This internal programme covers all those drainage structures which are not externally inspected and which are not bridges. Ideally we inspect and clear these once in each financial year, which ends on 31st January. Last winter some overran into February and even March – a hangover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Even with our month out back in October to concentrate on the rebuild at culvert 7A (by the B4632 Bridge at Stanton) and the loss of one working day before Christmas due to snow and ice; we have succeed this year. Just. The final four inspections took place on the last Thursday of January. Hence mission accomplished.
Thursday 5th January
All seven team members in attendance, eager to work off any Christmas excess!
A group of two fixed the missing coping stone on the high mileage up side parapet wall of bridge 37. Then spent most of the rest of the day repointing the wall. At least the track side and the end of the outside which can be reached with out scaffolding.
Our plant operative (singular) took the repaired flail and cut the vehicle parking area adjacent to milepost 16; then proceeded south reaching the foot crossing at 16m30c. In the process discovered more badger activity just south of bridge 37. The flail is working well, but it best to trim waist high brambles with a hedge cutter first.
The culvert clearance and inspection group of 4 continued with the inspections and clearance. They started with the down side cess drain to 37B which was missed before Christmas; then completed cross drains 37C, 37D, 37E, 37F and 37G.
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| The one we missed before Christmas. Down side cess drain to inlet ditch of 37B. [Photo by Roger] |
The last, 37G, is the one that runs under the footpath on the down side at accommodation bridge 38; it empties into the down side ditch alongside the mobile home park which flows into culvert 38A. Thankfully, no major deterioration to report. A couple need some loose bricks fixing, and a couple need the silt/clay fully removed from the inlet (down side) traps, it was far too wet and slippery to do on this visit.
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| Two more loose bricks for the bricklayer to reset - otherwise all fine. Cross drain 37E up side (outlet as you can see from the water flowing out) |
Thursday 12th January
The team formation today was 3 + 3.
The rebuilding group attended to the minor brickwork repairs on cross drains 37A, 37B, 37E noted in the recent internal inspections.
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| Cross drain 37A up (outlet) side - loose bricks fixed and gaps repointed. A minor repair but will prevent further frost damage. [Photo by Dave] |
They also continued with repointing of high mileage up side parapet wall of bridge 37 (Gotherington accommodation); really the joints were too wet after previous nights rain. Then back to bridge 36 (Manor Lane), where the down side parapet only has cement rendering as coping. The exercise here was to measure up for proper replacement coping stones. Unfortunately a search around our stock piles failed to find sufficient of the correct size. So maybe we rebuild using solid bull nose bricks. That requires another pallet of 400, which are not cheap. But this is the price of heritage rebuilds!
The clearance and inspection group tackled cross drains 39B, 40B, 41A, 41B and 41C; between Two Hedges Road bridge and Kayte Lane crossing. As there had been a lot of heavy rain the night before(and quite a bit in the proceeding week); this was a valuable inspection. [Does make getting up at 6am in the dark and a very wet drive to Winchcombe worthwhile!]
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| One of the inlet chambers (down side) of cross drain 39B is this circular manhole. The actual cross drain is a syphon, one of a number we have on the railway. |
40B takes the water from two streams coming down from Cleeve Hill, the northern most enters at the crest of the cutting just south of Two Hedges Road. Most of this now flows down two pipes to the down cess (installed in 2019); whilst some takes a right angle turn to run in the crest ditch which eventually becomes an embankment toe ditch to join with the input of the other stream.
This originates at a spring part way up the hill. This crest then toe ditch is very overgrown, but is flowing well. The down cess also empties into it. So quite a lot of water passing through 40B which leaves by the ditch across the playing field. Fortunately this appeared to be draining well. The next cross drain south, 41A, is one which rarely has a flow. This time it did, mainly from high mileage down side toe drain. On the down (outlet side) there is no proper exit ditch in the adjacent sports field. So not surprisingly water was pooling to about 4" by the outlet. We will keep an eye on this one, to ensure the ponds disappear in once the wet spell is over.
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| The pipes down the embankment from the northern stream at 40B enter the down side cess. It was a very wet night before this inspection. |
Another syphon is 40C at Kayte Lane crossing - but this has these large open inlets. Back in the summer the inlet here was completely dry.
Thursday 19th January
Initial plans for today had to be changed at the last minute as the Gretton to Gotherington road was closed for resurfacing. So this meant we were not able to inspect and clear culvert 30A at Tunnel Bridge (30); or visit Prescott Road bridge (32) to speak with the contractors working on the bridge regarding culvert 31B downside old headwall.
Again six of us working; but this time the formation as 2 + 4.
The team of two took the drain rods to top of the Working Lane haul road opposite the Royal Oak. They attempted to rod the out outlet pipe from the pond on the up (Malvern) side, near the tunnel mouth. They may have partially shifted the blockage – which appears to be a long way in. However, they did discover the outflow, it is in the adjoining field at the far boundary. So it does not enter the outlet ditch of culverts 24A and 24B which runs down hill inside of our boundary. After the rodding, water was noted flowing out of the outlet, but not much flow from the pond.
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| The up side pond near southern end of Greet Tunnel. There are plans to expand this as part of the biodiversity scheme which includes planting trees on the old navvy camp. (Our Lineside Clearance colleagues have the full story). [Photo by Jonathan] |
The team of 4 undertook the clearance and visual inspections of cross drains 35A, 35B, 35C and 35D. These are those by the loop at Gotherington. Ability to use a permaquip trolley whilst the line is closed was a bonus.
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| Dave, Nigel & Roger get kitted up and load the permaquip trolley at Manor Lane. It is almost half a mile back to cross drain 35A near Gotherington Signal Box. |
No serious problems to note; but some animal (probably badger) activity on down side at 35A and 35B. Also the vegetation has grown thick here; up side access to 35A was cleared along the boundary fence line from 35B; thorn trees behind the signal box make that route impossible.
Interestingly even after the recent wet weather 35A was just damp; no water flowing through it. Like 41A at Bishops Cleeve, this is effectively a storm drain.
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| Outlet on up side of cross drain 35B has an unusual shape to incorporate a run-off from a cess drain. |
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| A good flow through 35C even after a couple of days without rain. |
Weather wise this was a spectacular winter’s day – cold by bright sunshine. At Gotherington, some of the morning coffee break time was spent watching a kestrel, perched on the nearby power lines. The kestrel was in turn watching a robin, who was scavenging in our freshly cut scrub.
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| Gotherington Loop 19th January. |
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| Gotherington Loop 26th January - after our clearance contractor had cleared to the fence line on the down (Cotswold) side and a strip on the embankment top on the up (Malvern) side. We can now drive a vehicle as far as the up home signals. |
Thursday 26th January
Down to five members today; the missing two both absent with medical situations. So a very reduced 3 + 2 formation.
The group of thee cleared and inspected syphon cross drain 40A at Two Hedges Road. They then started clearing the down side crest ditch which runs between 40A and 40B. Took the rest of the day to reached the point where it becomes a toe ditch at bottom of embankment – this just shows how much as grown over the past couple of years. They recovered the two loose sections of 59cm diameter pipe installed by our contractors about 3 years ago. We are planning to pipe the rest of the ditch where it is on the crest, we have some lengths of large diameter pipe in stock which may be suitable.
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| The down side 40B inlet ditch along the crest of the embankment after clearing, reveals two lengths of big pipe. [Photo by Dave] |
An unwelcome discovery was a leak from the ditch through the embankment; almost opposite milepost 17½. We had not noticed this leak two weeks ago (January 12th) when clearing and inspecting cross drain 40B. It might be due to snow /frost melt; but most likely a crack in the ditch. We will keep it monitored. Fortunately the water is running into the down cess and thence eventually to cross drain 40B and away.
The team of two cleared and inspected culvert 30A (Tunnel Bridge 30) - this involved being escorted along the road closed for resurfacing. Then along the track to Bishops Cleeve, stopping to speak with the clearance & fencing contractor working the big flail. This is an impressive pieces of kit and the clearance results impressive too). Met with the group of three at Bishops Cleeve for coffee break and to observe the reported leak. Then on to Cheltenham to clear and inspect the two culverts south of Hunting Butts; 44A and 45A. On both of these there was noticeable deterioration in the condition of the up side structures. However, we have an abandoned railway here, no track and certainly no trains. Intriguingly at Wymans Brook we could here the mainline trains on the nearby former Midland line to Cheltenham Landsdown station.
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| Looking into the manhole on the down side at culvert 45A, Wymans Brook. The inlet is in a pipe all the way from the lakes in Pittville Park. |
Next time
We might be able to make a start on our long planned work at Stanton; diverting the outlet of cross drain 11B to avoid a small diameter pipe in our neighbours field. Plus we need to return to Two Hedges Road to monitor the cutting leak; and return to Gotherington to check out 41A. Or we might get diverted elsewhere. There is never a dull moment in the drainage team!