Winter is coming

Or maybe Winter has already arrived. The last two Thursdays in November were certainly cold, with the ground white with either snow or a severe frost. And in between, we experienced Storm Bert. This coincided with the first full weekend of Santa trains, hence we received a report from Cheltenham Racecourse car park that our clearing out of the gully by the signal box crossing was working a treat. 

Rain run off from the car park at Cheltenham Racecourse flowing down to the cess thus avoiding a flood on the crossing. [Photo by Jonathan]

Also good news from our neighbours at Manor Lane, Gotherington, that after our work on culvert 36A in the summer, no deep flooding has occurred under the bridge there.

Thursday 21^st November

Six of the team braved the cold weather (the coldest working day since last January). But that is not now 60% of the team, but only 54½%, as the full team size is now 11. Welcome to new railway volunteer John who joined us for his first day.

Nigel and Martin started on the days culvert/cross drain clearance activities at culvert 17B, just north of New Farmers Accommodation bridge (19). This is probably the largest culvert we have, anything larger is classified as a bridge. Hence clearing around it does take longer than most others, particularly on a day with some snow still on the ground. The footpath bridge upstream of 17B is outside of the railway land, despite the allocation of number 18 to it. Hence clearance of it is limited to the bramble overhanging the footpath.

View from the track to the down (Cotswo1d) side inlet of 17B, foot path in background.

Looking into the brick arch bore of 17B - our largest culvert. (Anything larger is a bridge).

Jonathan started the day by replacing the battery in the Ranger vehicle. Whilst Roger, John and Andrew headed to Toddington. Here they removed some trip hazards around the porta-cabins, and used our gas monitor to check the inside of the down side cess chamber near the signal box. We abandoned the planned repair to the inlet of culvert 15A at Didbrook, the embankment side being too slippery to negotiate safely, plus working in the steam on such a cold day was not appealing. Instead at the next culvert down (16A); we removed some more of the silt in the field inlet chamber which we had identified on its inspection last week. Then on to Hayles Abbey Halt to resume clearance around cess chambers, mileposts and other lineside items.

All six of the team joined up at New Farmers Accommodation Bridge to continue with culvert/cross drain clearance and visual inspections. Before lunch this covered, cross drains 18A, 19A, and 19B. Also cleared were the gulley drains under New Farmers Accommodation Bridge (19) and Old Farmers Accommodation Bridge (20). After a shorter lunch break than normal, the final clearance and inspection of the day was culvert 20A. Then it was back to Winchcombe to warm up with a cup of tea in the mess room at Churchward House, before departing for home before the sunset.

Jonathan cleans out the inlet of cross drain 19A.

John attends to the down side toe ditch on the low mileage end of cross drain 19B.

Tree wise men? Left to right - Martin, Nigel, Roger.

Wildlife report: Not surprisingly for a cold day, animal sightings were few. However we did get brief glimpses of a hare at Didbrook and a weasel at bridge 20. As usual with clearance operations, a friendly robin or two soon appeared at most culverts/cross drains.

Thursday 28^th November

With nine of the team attending, our group split was 4, 3, 2.

Roger, John, Ian and Peter headed to Toddington then down the vacant trackbed towards Didbrook. Once again we abandoned the planned repair to the inlet of culvert 15A at Didbrook. For the second week running the embankment side being too slippery to negotiate safely, today it was due to severe frost. So it was straight on to Old Farmers Accommodation Bridge (20) to clear vegetation around the cess chambers, mileposts and other lineside items towards Chicken Curve. Here they met with the second group.

Up side cess drain exit headwall, empties into the ditch that runs down to the outlet of cross drain 20B. Winchcombe down outer home signal behind the Transit truck. [Photo by Dave]

Nigel, Martin and Dave were the second group of three. They traveled direct to Chicken Curve to undertake the clearance and internal visual inspection of cross drains 20B and 20C. 20B is one which just carries the down side cess; but the up side cess also empties into the outlet through a complex pipe route to avoid a high pressure gas main and a long ditch. 20C is a bigger structure as it carries a stream; and the outlet of the balancing pound in the orchard. Not surprisingly after storm Bert over the previous weekend this was flowing. A team of seven really does make ditch clearing quicker!

Looking the other way from the picture above, four of the team are at work clearing the up side ditch on the low mileage side of 20B. [Photo by Dave]

 

 

 

 

Another small repair job for our brick layer - half a dozen bull nose coping bricks on the down side cess exit to 20B have had a close encounter with a robo flail.

 

The combined group then moved on to tackle the clearance of the cess chambers between Greet Road bridge at Winchcombe and the south portal of Greet Tunnel. They also cleared the chambers on the cutting crest on the down (Cotswold) side; the crest drain here collects a large volume of water which flows off Langley Hill. With seven in the group and five brushcutters in action, they were able to complete this task before lunchtime.

Meanwhile, the remaining two (Jonathan and Andrew) visited Little Buckland. This was to view the progress on the drainage works at Archer Farm with the farm’s owner. This includes some modifications of the inlet of cross drain 5B. The drainage contractor has also commenced deepening and straightening the embankment toe ditch along side the farm. We were able to accurately determine the point where the flow in this changes from towards 5B to north towards cross drain 5A. The effect of storm Bert was evident with standing water where the field is yet to be re-profiled – when the work is complete this will drain into 5B.

Deepened and straightened down side to ditch on the high mileage end of cross drain 5B at Little Buckland. It will not require dredging out for a fair number of years!

 

Can I have one of these for Christmas, please! Jonathan examines the excavator at Archer Farm.

 

Next for the group of two was a check of Meadow Lane bridge at Laverton. The roadside silt traps were less than one third full; the gullies were flowing so the only action required was to remove a small quantity of leaves and debris. Hopefully this will prevent any deep flooding here in the next month of so. Finally on to Didbrook for another post storm Bert check. This was culvert 14B – it was still flowing strongly. No obstructions on the outlet (up or Malvern side); but the storm had deposited more old sleepers from an old occupation bridge on the down side inlet. These are in the stream by the footpath bridge just outside of the railway boundary. We will return with more manpower to remove them before another storm washes them into the bore of the culvert. (Full length wet sleepers are far to heavy for a two-man lift).

Old sleepers deposited above 17B inlet courtesy of Storm Bert.

Did you know that the footpath bridge just outside railway land by the inlet of 17B is named "Frank's Bridge"?

 

Following lunch (in the warm of the Churchward House mess), all nine found some useful housekeeping jobs in Winchcombe Yard. Some of these are a prelude to a bigger reorganization that will be required when the S&T move to their workshop and the C&M lead yard sort out completes.

Wildlife report: Lots of pheasants this week – on the track bed and the up (Malvern) side around Didbrook and Hayles Abbey. Maybe there were there as a shoot was taking place east of Hayles Abbey. Also we noted several wood pigeons, a large flock or crows, a kestrel (so low we at first mistook it for a larger raptor) and as usual several friendly robins. But not so friendly to get close enough to photograph well!

There is a robin there - honest!