What are these called?

[Darandio]

Found at many railway stations and placed in between the running lines, I presume they are some sort of drainage equipment (probably wrong!) but do they have a name/term?

http://photos.ianbradshaw.co.uk/Hope Railway Station/021 - Hope Railway Station.JPG


Also, I cannot find a photo of my next request but I have noticed them a lot recently. They are a sort of concrete box with a blue lid and are generally spaced alongside the track. No idea what they are or what for so can someone identify them for me please.

 

[Old Timer]

Your picture shows a six-foot drain catchpit ring. If you lift the lid you can see down to the drain which runs along the track centre.

They are provided for inspection and drain clearing purposes.

 

[Darandio]

Thanks for that Old Timer.

Any ideas on the rectangular box with a blue lid? I cannot find a picture unfortunately so I was hoping someone would recognise what I was reffering to.

 

[Old Timer]

Thanks for that Old Timer.

Any ideas on the rectangular box with a blue lid? I cannot find a picture unfortunately so I was hoping someone would recognise what I was reffering to.

Could possibly be a drain catchpit cover but without a photo I would be reluctant to speculate.

 

[SWT Driver]

As above, I had a look at one a short while ago whilst stuck at a signal with no CSR available.

It's deep & has water at the bottom of it. There's a very deep one at Ascot between Platforms 2&3 with a very suspect & rusty set of bars on it, I wouldn't want to step on it by design or accident.

(Waits for the insult from Royaloak).

 

[chuffchuff]

Sorry about the quality, if you mean these on the right



They are drains

 

[Darandio]

Thats the ones mate, thanks!

 

[royaloak]

As above, I had a look at one a short while ago whilst stuck at a signal with no CSR available.

It's deep & has water at the bottom of it. There's a very deep one at Ascot between Platforms 2&3 with a very suspect & rusty set of bars on it, I wouldn't want to step on it by design or accident.

(Waits for the insult from Royaloak).

Moi, as if I would! You would probably sit on me

 

[Old Timer]

Old Timer once fell into a catchpit during heavy snow many, many, many, years ago.

All that was visible was his head just above the snow.

A train crew on a parcels train had to come and pull him out !

Of course that was in the days when there were such trains running about the system.

Days when 45s and 86s ruled supreme

 

[Trog]

Old Timer once fell into a catchpit during heavy snow many, many, many, years ago.

All that was visible was his head just above the snow.

Its alright for some the last catchpit I fell in had 3' of clay slurry in it.

The top had been dozed off and there was a thin layer of fresh ballast over the slurry. I was walking along minding my own business, when all of a sudden the earth seemed to swallow me up.


The catchpit rings are I think an LMS design, or possibly very early BR. The blue tops are plastic and are a recent development in reaction to people starting to steal the older metal types for scrap. When building a new catchpit the concrete rings are usually placed on a GRP sump designed at the ACE Watford Office in the late 1980's. As this is much easier to install particually when working in a wet trench, than the original system based on three seperate concrete slabs.

 

[SWT Driver]

Old Timer once fell into a catchpit during heavy snow many, many, many, years ago.

All that was visible was his head just above the snow.

A train crew on a parcels train had to come and pull him out !

Of course that was in the days when there were such trains running about the system.

Days when 45s and 86s ruled supreme

At least it was only snow, nowadays you're more likely to be up to your neck in something brown.