Vegetation management issues across the network?

[yorksrob]

You can only spray so much, but after a while you have to hack the bugger away.

 

[chris_in_salop]

Of course the stuff left behind breaks down and forms compost for the next generation of trees and weeds. Or dries out and is an arsonists wet dream.

Yes, but for full decomposition of chunky dead wood into compost you are looking at least 20-30 years or more. In the meantime the dead logs cover up the ground, shading out seedlings of ash and sycamore trees and other fast-growing nuisances.

As for the wood becoming tinder dry and attracting arsonists, there's not much chance of that happening if it's kept out in the open. This isn't Ausralia or California. Most British native woodland burns about as effectively as wet asbestos.

 

[DelW]

It's gone crazy this year, been out walking & cycling a lot this week and there's a few places where weeds have overgrown to the point of some fairly wide paths being single file through them (have seen the council out cutting them down occasionally, but they grow back really quickly).

Out walking this morning, in places I was having to hack my way through 5' high nettles, bracken and brambles even on what are normally quite well used paths. I gave up trying on a couple of lesser used ones, I'd have needed secateurs, gloves and long sleeves to even attempt to force a passage.

I think it's the alternation of sunshine and showers for the last several weeks that has boosted growth rates for almost everything.

 

[Skie]

Yes, but for full decomposition of chunky dead wood into compost you are looking at least 20-30 years or more. In the meantime the dead logs cover up the ground, shading out seedlings of ash and sycamore trees and other fast-growing nuisances.

As for the wood becoming tinder dry and attracting arsonists, there's not much chance of that happening if it's kept out in the open. This isn't Ausralia or California. Most British native woodland burns about as effectively as wet asbestos.

Not just giant logs are left behind though. Noticed the other day large swathes of what looked like reeds that had definitely gone nice and dry.

 

[D6130]

This has been an ongoing problem for years since the BR/Railtrack 'maintenance holiday' in the early-mid 'nineties. the Phenomenal epidemic of Buddleia is the most obvious and visible problem, which has already claimed the station building at Northwich and the viaduct parapet wall at Nine Elms. Also, as has been mentioned upthread, there are widespread ash and sycamore saplings growing in the 'six foot' at numerous locations around the network and there are many sections of line - especially on scenic single line routes such as the West Highland and Central Wales lines - where trains are pushing through 'tunnels of trees' where the branches and foliage are scraping the sides and roofs of trains. Network Rail Group Standards require vegetation to be at least five metres from the sides and roofs of trains, but scenic views on such lines are nowadays in short supply on many stretches. Quite apart from the scenic aspect for many passengers, such overgrowth provides a severe danger during the Autumn leaf fall season and puts drivers in an impossible situation.

 

[Grumpy Git]

Watch the recent YouTube video of newly painted cl. 40 and cl. 47 being moved into Crewe heritage centre.

Its enough to make you weep. Why someone did not trim back the trees god only knows!

 

[aleggatta]

I'm curious as to if it were to be possible to fit one of those hedge trimmers you see on the back of tractors to an mpv to quickly remove encroaching foliage, or is there a specific reason as to why this could not work in a railway setting?

 

[WesternBiker]

It's gone crazy this year, been out walking & cycling a lot this week and there's a few places where weeds have overgrown to the point of some fairly wide paths being single file through them (have seen the council out cutting them down occasionally, but they grow back really quickly).

I think it has been the case for the last few years - if the footpath following the South Western mainline from Wimbledon southwards is anything to go by.

I'm always struck by the difference from steam days, when cuttings in particular were often bare (for obvious reasons).

 

[Meerkat]

Need one of these bad boys mounted on a train, with a load of conveyor connected wagons to cart the wood away for sale. Operating it under OLE might be a touch ‘challenging’….

(link is to an impressive forestry harvester with an arm that cuts a tree down, strips it, and cuts the logs into lengths into a pile)
And a train full of goats that lets them out on long leads to chomp through the veg as it trundles slowly along.

 

[Brush 4]

What happens if roots from bushes in bridge brickwork is left unattended? There must come a point at which it becomes dangerous to the structures safety.
Despite all the out of control bushes, I have noticed much tree felling in some areas. A recent trip along the Valley Lines revealed many stumps and piles of logs. Not enough though. The lovely views are largely blocked by foliage. Tree tunnels are a blight on both rail and some roads. Often view points at laybys are lost behind a wall of unmanaged bushery.

 

[Romsey]

I understand that a couple of owners of rolling stock used on charter workings are starting to record "foliage strikes" with mileage, line and location to submit to their TOC's control office.
Sooner or later someone will start putting in claims for repainting or re-varnishing to NWR to make good the damage.

 

[Highlandspring]

I understand that a couple of owners of rolling stock used on charter workings are starting to record "foliage strikes" with mileage, line and location to submit to their TOC's control office.
Sooner or later someone will start putting in claims for repainting or re-varnishing to NWR to make good the damage.

Most have already been doing that for years. Network Rail Scotland has paid for the Royal Scotsman stock to be repainted at the start of every season to settle the annual vegetation claim for a long time now.

 

[snowball]

A recent trip along the Valley Lines revealed many stumps and piles of logs. Not enough though.

Presumably they need to do it there for electrification.

 

[yorksrob]

I occasionally hack away at my garden, but it's like Day of the Triffids a week later.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I occasionally hack away at my garden, but it's like Day of the Triffids a week later.

Agent Orange is your friend. Or, there again, it's possibly not!

 

[WestRiding]

Sheffield. The wall that holds the tram line up along the length of platform 8. Full of trees and bushes. One day, they will compromise the wall, and a tram will end up in platform 8.

 

[yorksrob]

Agent Orange is your friend. Or, there again, it's possibly not!

That or nepalm

 

[Western 52]

Marketing some "scenic" lines as scenic these days may be contrary to the Trade Descriptions Act, if that still exists. Maybe sell them as the "green tunnel experience " instead! Seriously though the vegetation issue needs to be got under control.

 

[DarloRich]

Probably a reason but what happened to those weed sprayer trains that BR used to run? Is it not possible for the RHTT sets to to used to spray weed killer onto the track as they're only used in leaf fall season are they not?

Weed killer trains still run on a regular basis

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Weed killer trains still run on a regular basis

No doubt they do, but is their frequency and efficacy, sufficient for what's actually needed?

 

[Deepgreen]

Something about the hot, wet nature of this year has made the vegetation go particularly bonkers for some reason (I observe this from my own garden).

I think NR will have to have a bit of a blitz.

It's been a very cool summer this year so far compared with recent ones, but it has been very wet. April was the coldest on record and extremely dry in the south (the only precipitation we saw here for the entire month was snow!). Then it became wetter and warmer, sparking a huge surge in growth by June which has continued through July.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Seriously though the vegetation issue needs to be got under control.

indeed. God forbid it causes a serious accident.

 

[Western 52]

Along motorways vegitation seems to be well controlled. Yesterday I travelled along the M4 to Bristol and saw no obvious encroachment from plant life. If it's ok to keep it cut back on motorway routes, why are railways different?

 

[hwl]

No doubt they do, but is their frequency and efficacy, sufficient for what's actually needed?

The production and use of 2,4,5-T* (2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic acid) was banned and its production intrinsically resulting in trace levels of the very toxic 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD).

The modern replacements are less effective so much more regular treatment is needed on railways now.

*One of the two active ingredients in Agent Orange

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Jul 2021 ==

Along motorways vegetation seems to be well controlled. Yesterday I travelled along the M4 to Bristol and saw no obvious encroachment from plant life. If it's ok to keep it cut back on motorway routes, why are railways different?

They have done deliberate planting for far longer e.g. grasses wild flowers and slow growing bushes etc like hawthorn.
The roads are also far easier to do the gardening activities on.

 

[Bald Rick]

Along motorways vegitation seems to be well controlled. Yesterday I travelled along the M4 to Bristol and saw no obvious encroachment from plant life. If it's ok to keep it cut back on motorway routes, why are railways different?

Also, there’s no motorway in this country built before 1958, and generally they were built with appropriate cutting / embankment gradients to enable vegetation management to be, effectively, mowing. The same applies on railways built here since around that time too.

However most railways were built at a time before that was understood. As were many roads. If you’d been down the roads I have been cycling along the last few weeks, you’d know that roadside vegetation is just as out of control. I had to avoid a 10 foot high thistle today !

 

[Taunton]

There are invariably more complaints from neighbours about people in orange out with chainsaws than there are about encroachment of vegetation (with the single exception of Japanese Knotweed).

There really is no excuse for invasive vegetation getting to the stage where chainsaws are required. That takes years.

I've written before about how a large weed steadily grew in the six foot alongside the Down Fast conductor rail in New Cross Gate station platforms. Perfectly obvious to all. Eventually it started to be clouted by the collector shoes of each passing fast train. Must have wasted quite a bit of current to earth in wet weather too. It was there for months getting ever larger through the growing season before disappearing in late summer. I did wonder if it had finally knocked a collector shoe off and stopped the service one day before being attended to. Do night track patrol crews carry secateurs?

 

[Dr Hoo]

Secateurs just encourage growth in many species. “Growth follows the knife” is a common gardening adage.

You really need to dig out or kill off the roots for lasting benefit.

The growth on roads and paths in the Peak District has been phenomenal this year.

 

[D6130]

It's been a very cool summer this year so far compared with recent ones,

It may have been a cool summer in deepest, darkest Surrey....but up here in Yorkshire it's been pretty damned warm/hot, with much less rain than usual!

 

[alxndr]

Do night track patrol crews carry secateurs?

Not generally as a matter of course.

I carry a folding saw, secateurs, and often take a pair of shears and/or sickle in the summer months to remove vegetation around the assets I need to get to or to cut (small) things down so that I can walk there, but that's a personal choice and far more than most people. I certainly don't have the time or permits to do any serious devegetation work.

 

[lammergeier]

Apparently an extra issue this year is the inability, or reduced ability, to conduct cab rides to inspect the lineside due to covid restrictions. It's been emphasised to us as a result to report any areas we feel might encroach before they actually become a problem so they can be dealt with swiftly. Already this year we've had a couple of ESR's due to foliage causing signal sighting issues.