Dawlish sea wall collapse

[Arglwydd Golau]

watching the Westerns and Warships in the sunshine eating ice-cream.

made me smile!

 

[swt_passenger]

Things seem very confusing this morning. NRE website details of flooding (and 'manual' announcements ar Birmingham New Street this morning) suggested there are still no trains between Bristol and Taunton. But the New Street CRS screens (and automatic announcements) and now NRE 'live arrivals' and RealTimeTrains both suggest the the 0815 from Birmingham New Sreet, which I got off at Cheltenham, is heading that way, due Exeter St David's 46 mins late...

I suggest when they announced 'no trains between' they might have meant no trains on the normal direct route, as RTT shows this service went via Bath and Westbury, and of course with no calling points on the diversion the departure screens would look pretty much normal...

 

[Goatboy]

Things seem very confusing this morning. NRE website details of flooding (and 'manual' announcements ar Birmingham New Street this morning) suggested there are still no trains between Bristol and Taunton. But the New Street CRS screens (and automatic announcements) and now NRE 'live arrivals' and RealTimeTrains both suggest the the 0815 from Birmingham New Sreet, which I got off at Cheltenham, is heading that way, due Exeter St David's 46 mins late...

The buses to Parkway are back on the timetables for today but still missing for tommorrow. The timetables all show a normal service running through Bridgwater which we all know is almost certainly not the case.

Why do they keep doing that? It's making it so hard to plan what you are doing - if they just left the buses in the timetable until they knew the trains would run it would be far easier. I've taken to planning my journey for tommorrow using todays timetable as I suspect that is what will be in operation.

Meanwhile FGW are running a full service from London to Cornwall next week, according to the NRES journey planner. Sigh.

Everyone knows there won't be a service to Cornwall next week and everyone has known this for a week. Why does the journey planner still pretend that there is?

This level of rubbish information provision really does undermine the sterling efforts the staff on the ground are putting in.

 

[lincolnshire]

I see the Prime Minister has his blue hard hat on at Dawlish on the television, its wonder that the site hasn,t become a construction site instead then differant regulations would apply for them.

Also see AMCO doing there advertisement on the back of the machine a very large banner with AMCO for all to see, looks like its buy shares in AMCO as they have the structres contract and this looks like another big money job for them as they also did Hatfield landslip I belive.

 

[infobleep]

The train information systems in use need a massive modernisation and if they have been modernised, what is stopping them putting out useful information? Perhaps it's not part of their franchise agreement to provide info about next week in advance.

Sent from my HUAWEI U8815 using Tapatalk

 

[Taunton]

Also see AMCO doing there advertisement on the back of the machine a very large banner with AMCO for all to see, looks like its buy shares in AMCO as they have the structures contract and this looks like another big money job for them as they also did Hatfield landslip I belive.

Good for them. It'll get done properly and quickly then. All the lads will be down from Yorkshire getting stuck in.

 

[D1009]

Does anyone know what these trains are?

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/B20113/2014/02/10/advanced

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O71200/2014/02/11/advanced

 

[Temple Meads]

Does anyone know what these trains are?

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/B20113/2014/02/10/advanced

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O71200/2014/02/11/advanced

I saw the down working last night, it was an engineers train loaded with rail, powered by top and tail DBS 66's.

 

[D1009]

The buses to Parkway are back on the timetables for today but still missing for tommorrow. The timetables all show a normal service running through Bridgwater which we all know is almost certainly not the case.

Why do they keep doing that? It's making it so hard to plan what you are doing - if they just left the buses in the timetable until they knew the trains would run it would be far easier. I've taken to planning my journey for tommorrow using todays timetable as I suspect that is what will be in operation.

Meanwhile FGW are running a full service from London to Cornwall next week, according to the NRES journey planner. Sigh.

Everyone knows there won't be a service to Cornwall next week and everyone has known this for a week. Why does the journey planner still pretend that there is?

This level of rubbish information provision really does undermine the sterling efforts the staff on the ground are putting in.

Have you noticed FGW have had a slight problem at Maidenhead today? If not please refer to the weather disruption thread.

 

[Goatboy]

Have you noticed FGW have had a slight problem at Maidenhead today? If not please refer to the weather disruption thread.

What does that have to do with the journey planner advertising trains to Cornwall next week? Nothing at all I would imagine. Everyone has known for a week that there wont be any direct trains so it isn't really right that the NRES planner is still proudly advertising them.

According to the NRES planner (Which the rest of the disruption pages advise you to use) everything is hunky-dory and Dawlish is fixed next week

 

[PHILIPE]

I think that he's trying to point out that Maidenhead should be on the "Weather Disruption" thread and not on the Dawlish thread

 

[LBSCR Times]

What does that have to do with the journey planner advertising trains to Cornwall next week? Nothing at all I would imagine. Everyone has known for a week that there wont be any direct trains so it isn't really right that the NRES planner is still proudly advertising them.

According to the NRES planner (Which the rest of the disruption pages advise you to use) everything is hunky-dory and Dawlish is fixed next week

Until NR cancel it all off in Trust, then it will still show a normal service.

 

[sor]

Until NR cancel it all off in Trust, then it will still show a normal service.

But how long does that take / how much effort?

It's not as if they can claim they're keeping it in the system just in case the sea puts the wall and track back in place before next week..

Hopefully FGW can confirm the bustitution timetable soon, as they aren't selling advance tickets until then according to their website/twitter.

 

[D1009]

But how long does that take / how much effort?

It's not as if they can claim they're keeping it in the system just in case the sea puts the wall and track back in place before next week..

Hopefully FGW can confirm the bustitution timetable soon, as they aren't selling advance tickets until then according to their website/twitter.

Please see my post in the weather related disruption thread.

 

[KBD1]

I see the Prime Minister has his blue hard hat on at Dawlish on the television, its wonder that the site hasn,t become a construction site instead then differant regulations would apply for them.

Also see AMCO doing there advertisement on the back of the machine a very large banner with AMCO for all to see, looks like its buy shares in AMCO as they have the structres contract and this looks like another big money job for them as they also did Hatfield landslip I belive.

Well noticed
The PM in the blue hat has no PTS.
AMCO are NWR principal contractors throughout the UK. I'm sure they will love the publicity, although loads of work contracted to NR.

 

[Goatboy]

FGW are confirming bus arrangements:

https://twitter.com/FgwLee/status/433353666414641152/photo/1

https://twitter.com/FgwLee/status/433353811504005121/photo/1

 

[LateThanNever]

See the BBC news website now says
"One railway worker told me the pounding earlier this week had caused the whole [Dawlish station] platform to shift. Services can't get in or out even if the track was mended, he told me, although there was no official confirmation of this additional insight."

 

[455driver]

The down platform is deliberately weaker than the wall it is attached to so the platform will displace before the wall is damaged, it is easier to rebuild the wooden platform than it is the stone wall.

 

[Cliveblackpool]

The down platform is deliberately weaker than the wall it is attached to so the platform will displace before the wall is damaged, it is easier to rebuild the wooden platform than it is the stone wall.

Up to the early 70's the wooden down platform had gaps between the planks for the waves to fall through.
Apparently a woman complained that she got the heal of her shoe stuck in the gap, resulting in the gaps sealed over. The next storm the platform collapsed under a large wave. 1974?
Water is very heavy, over 60lbs a cu ft, or 10lbs a gallon. (Cubic metre = 1 tonne) Seawater is 3.5% heaver.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It is quite a clever solution. I wonder who came up with it. Owners of the redundant containers must be pleased as they were probably wondering what to do with them and how to dispose of them. They have now solved their problem by flogging them to Network Rail, who can either leave them there until the sea destroys them or have the problem of disposing of them later.

I could have now found a new "fantasy-use" location for the ex-Merseyrail Class 142 Pacers, had not someone got in first with those containers...

 

[DXMachina]

I could have now found a new "fantasy-use" location for the ex-Merseyrail Class 142 Pacers, had not someone got in first with those containers...

The only real difference between a Pacer and an intermodal container is the container has a higher top speed and is more crashworthy

maybe a few should be drafted in as replacements.

 

[LateThanNever]

The only real difference between a Pacer and an intermodal container is the container has a higher top speed and is more crashworthy

maybe a few should be drafted in as replacements.

Love it! But they do have all round windows (that's the Pacer!) so good for the Dawlish view - when they're running...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Up to the early 70's the wooden down platform had gaps between the planks for the waves to fall through.
Apparently a woman complained that she got the heal of her shoe stuck in the gap, resulting in the gaps sealed over. The next storm the platform collapsed under a large wave. 1974?
Water is very heavy, over 60lbs a cu ft, or 10lbs a gallon. (Cubic metre = 1 tonne) Seawater is 3.5% heaver.

Remember Piers used to have those gaps too - don't know if they still do?

 

[D1009]

Up to the early 70's the wooden down platform had gaps between the planks for the waves to fall through.
Apparently a woman complained that she got the heal of her shoe stuck in the gap, resulting in the gaps sealed over. The next storm the platform collapsed under a large wave. 1974?
Water is very heavy, over 60lbs a cu ft, or 10lbs a gallon. (Cubic metre = 1 tonne) Seawater is 3.5% heaver.

I'd have thought the weight of the water crashing vertically on the platform would have done just as much damage gap or no gap.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I could have now found a new "fantasy-use" location for the ex-Merseyrail Class 142 Pacers, had not someone got in first with those containers...

They'd be just as useless for that as they are for anything else.

 

[Windy42]

Hello, I'm new to this forum. I just joined because I wanted to ask a question I've not heard discussed regarding the line at Dawlish. For most of the route the sea wall is substantial and there's a wide walkway between the wall and the track, but for a short section the walkway drops and the track is only protected by a much less substantial wall. Not surprisingly this is the section which has collapsed. Does anyone know why the wall was built with this weak point? Did they run out of stone? Was it an earlier repair done on the cheap? Even as a child in 60s I used to wonder this as I walked along there on family holidays watching the Western class locos.

 

[D1009]

Hello, I'm new to this forum. I just joined because I wanted to ask a question I've not heard discussed regarding the line at Dawlish. For most of the route the sea wall is substantial and there's a wide walkway between the wall and the track, but for a short section the walkway drops and the track is only protected by a much less substantial wall. Not surprisingly this is the section which has collapsed. Does anyone know why the wall was built with this weak point? Did they run out of stone? Was it an earlier repair done on the cheap? Even as a child in 60s I used to wonder this as I walked along there on family holidays watching the Western class locos.

Welcome to the forum.
If you go back to previous pages in the thread you will find this has already been discussed several times.

 

[najaB]

Does anyone know why the wall was built with this weak point? Did they run out of stone? Was it an earlier repair done on the cheap?

This was discussed earlier in this thread. To summarise: the owner of the house next to the track didn't want people who were walking along the path to be able to see into their windows. That house is no longer there, three smaller houses have replaced it.

 

[IanXC]

Hello, I'm new to this forum. I just joined because I wanted to ask a question I've not heard discussed regarding the line at Dawlish. For most of the route the sea wall is substantial and there's a wide walkway between the wall and the track, but for a short section the walkway drops and the track is only protected by a much less substantial wall. Not surprisingly this is the section which has collapsed. Does anyone know why the wall was built with this weak point? Did they run out of stone? Was it an earlier repair done on the cheap? Even as a child in 60s I used to wonder this as I walked along there on family holidays watching the Western class locos.

Welcome to the forum!

I'm not certain off hand which thread its in, but the reported story is that at the time the line was built there was a large house, the owner of which objected to the footpath being at the same level as the railway (as it is for the rest) as it would allow people to see into their house. That large house has subsequently been demolished and a street of houses build in its place.

Whether Network Rail's rebuild will be as before, or will include the high level footpath is unclear as yet.

 

[455driver]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm not certain off hand which thread its in,

I think its in all of them, several times over.

 

[Windy42]

Sorry, I confess I didn't read all the pages! Maybe less of the blame should be directed at IKB and more at this anonymous nimby!

As has been said, it will be interesting to see how it's repaired - I suspect for reasons of cost and speed it will be rebuilt as it was, thereby storing up problems for the future.

 

[Starmill]

I think its in all of them, several times over.

I wonder why that could be!

FFS read what has been written several times already-

WHEN THE SEAWALL WAS BUILT THERE WAS ONE VERY LARGE HOUSE THERE AND THE RESIDENT (SINGULAR) REFUSED TO HAVE THE FOOTPATH SO THAT WALKERS COULD SEE INTO HIS (SINGULAR) HOUSE, THE HOUSE HAS SINCE BEEN DEMOLISHED AND OTHER HOUSES (PLURAL) BUILT ON THE SITE.

Is that clear enough!

It is very unlikely that the current residents would complain if NR wanted to build the wall up to match the rest!