Heading south

Thursday 16th October

Eight of the team attended, with the major task of continuing the annual clearance of culverts, cross drains, cess chambers, and crest chambers. With the exception of the cess and crests at Toddington North cutting, we have completed work north of Winchcombe. So the focus for the next couple of months is the south end of the railway. Hopefully we will be able to complete the programme by Christmas. We are still on schedule - helped by the continuing dry weather.

Dave, Ian, Martin, Peter, John and Phil headed off to Working Lane and dealt with the clearance tasks around culvert 24A, cross drain 24B, culvert 24C, culvert 25A and cross drain 25B. This included a good clear out of the grill where 24C exits under the adjacent property. Also under the category of silt removal, was the removal of mainly gravel from the open section of 25A which runs under Working Lane bridge. The continuing low water levels made these two tasks considerably easier.

Another dry one - 25B between the railway and the haul road. [Photo by Dave]

Little and large - 24C. In the foreground is the wee headwall for a pipe from the ditch beside the haul road. Whilst in the background is the main bore outlet headwall. [Photo by Ian]

Looking the other way the size of the 24C outlet headwall is apparent, it is one of the tallest we have. Just a trickle of water running, normally this stream has a good flow. [Photo by Ian]

24C exits the railway property into a pipe under the adjoining land, the grill here requires regular clearing. [Photo by Ian]

 

25B outlet, normally only the top inch of the pipe is above water. [Photo by Dave]

Cleared invert section of 25A under Working Lane bridge. [Photo by Dave]

The dry toe ditch leading from 25B down to the junction with 25A. [Photo by Dave]

The outlet of 25B runs as a toe ditch towards Working Lane, then enters a pipe to join up with 25A in an underground junction. The headwall where 25B disappears has a brass plaque commemorating Michael Beveridge, our team member who built it a few years ago. Hence a tin of brass polish was on the list of materials required for the job – and the result was a very shiny plaque.

Jonathan and Polly remained at Winchcombe and completed the levelling out of the area at the end of the up side sidings by the River Isbourne bridge.

Levelled out area between up sidings and River Isbourne bridge. [Photo by Dave]

They then had a good look over the newly-arrived addition to our road vehicle fleet, a white ex-Network Rail Ford Ranger.

The new (to us) white Ford Ranger. This should be in use at the Autumn Gala by the First Response team. [Photo by Jonathan]