The reopening of the full line, Easter Friday, 21 March

    It's so good to be back in one piece! 

The reopening to Hampton Loade, 9 February

  
  
  

The Rebuild

This week's tutorial is: "How to repair a bridge", Take 2.

 

First, get your 60-ton crane. Oh, and an emergency road closure order. And preferably a bright sunny day for the photographs.  

To straighten the track, simply slide the bridge sideways - Crane 'Want a hand?' Man in Jacket 'No, we're fine, thanks'. By the way, that little lump of stone next to man-in-orange-jacket belongs ...

                                                                                  

  here, on top of this pier. Bridge now back in proper place.

If we just leave the crane here... no more lorries can hit the bridge! Ingenious - wonder if the council will agree?

 

 

These (above) are the cream-coloured scratch marks from the offending lorry - the driver certainly knew what he'd done!

This (upper right) is the top view of where the capping should be - it didn't fall off, Guv - it was pushed! Mind, if it had fallen off - what a way of identifying the lorry (or what was left of it!)

(Opposite) Looks a bit heavier now, doesn't it! Crane, we admit it, you did lift it down - thanks for your help!



The Great Flood!

The night of Tuesday 19 June saw the equivalent of two weeks rain fall along the Severn Valley in the space of just thirty minutes. In forty-five separate locations between Bridgnorth and Bewdley, the ground slipped or moved. The majority of these locations have required attention which is within the scope of our expanded maintenance teams, assisted by some machinery; where drainage channels have been blocked by debris, and silt and mud have covered the tracks completely.

In at least ten locations, however, the damage was such that external expertise and heavy plant and equipment has been required to enable our full service to recommence. Repairs to this damage, including an additional major problem with land above the Railway at Northwood, are now estimated to require funds in excess of £3 million.

Reopening of the complete line between Bridgnorth and Kidderminster is currently planned for Good Friday. Visit www.svr.co.uk for more details, and your chance to help us raise the necessary funds.

At Bridgnorth, we have raised £10,600 for the Flood Appeal from our Steam Shuttle visitors since September when Anthony started paying in the receipts locally, so - WELL DONE EVERYONE!

Donations, Sat 19 Jan £237 + Sunday 20 Jan £142

Donations, Sat 12 Jan £237 + Sunday 13 Jan £278

Donations, for the christmas-new year 5-day holiday run

Thank you everyone who helped us raise £104 on Friday, £209 on Saturday, £295 on Sunday, £224 on Monday, and a grand £366 on Tuesday, New Year's Day, towards the Flood Repair Appeal - another £1198 contributed from Bridgnorth Station!

Sorry for the lapse in info - like the bridge, normal service is being resumed.

Donations, 20-21 October

Thank you everyone who helped us raise £616.89 over this weekend towards the Flood Repair Appeal. We also emptied the Bar's collecting tin, which amounted to £109.41, so some £725 will be credited this week from Bridgnorth Station for the flood fund account.

Floodline Report 46, 17 October

Hay Bridge's displaced girder was returned to its rightful place yesterday. The road crane also assisted in fitting the deck, handrails, signage and returning the coping stones, this was followed by repairs to the stonework.

100s of tons of contaminated ballast stored on track bed at Knowlesands will from tomorrow be loaded into dumpers to be taken into the industrial estate for cleaning. The first loads of clean ballast will then be returned to Oldbury Viaduct and tipped on top of the panels of track that were laid last weekend southwards from Oldbury Viaduct.

Donations, 13-14 October

Thank you everyone who helped us raise £425 over this weekend towards the Flood Repair Appeal.

Floodline No 44, 12 October 

Oldbury Viaduct: civil engineering work completed, contractor off site; drainage system installed; trackbed handed back to SVR; PW gang reinstating four panels of track southwards from OV; repaired embankment hydroseeded; down home signal post re-erected; cable troughing being laid; track from OV to KS to relay; work above Daniel's Mill to be completed during next 12 months before site considered finished, but trains permitted to run while work being carried out.

Knowlesands: several slips between KS and OV been repaired; drainage system been installed; trackbed handed back to SVR, contractor off-site; repaired embankment hydroseeded;drainage across field to river to be finalised; drainage ditch being constructed and lined; contaminated ballast dug out for cleaning/replacement; ballast being screened in trading estate to be returned clean to SVR to reuse; S&T cable to be installed; track to relay; cutting faces near tunnel inspected by specialists and loose debris/material removed and vegetation cleared.

South of Knowlesands: both areas of damage to cutting walls rebuilt; new sections hydroseeded; contaminated ballast being dug out for cleaning/replacement; ballast being screened in trading estate and clean returned to SVR; drainage ditch to tunnel to be dug; S&T cable to be installed; track to relay.

Hay Bridge (not flood damage): road closure booked 0900-1500 16.10.07 to replace beam; mobile road crane to be used (no rail access); some vegetation clearance undertaken. 

Sterns Cottage culvert: culvert to be replaced, hopefully at new level, subject to EA and BDC consent; subject to consents should start within two weeks; one track panel to be removed prior to culvert replacement.

Sterns Cottage slip: final attempt to reach agreement with insurance companies in hand; drilling and piling machines booked for end of month, start to pile wall between railway and cottage, 45m; piling to take 12 weeks followed by capping beam.

Sterns (historic slip): track to be lined and levelled using tamper brought in by road from KR.

Little Rock Cutting: new drainage system installed beneath track, work complete; contractor off-site. 

Waterworks Crossing to Hampton Loade: small slip by up distant signal completed; main slip now reinstated; new drainage system installed; drainage across Unicorn site and across field to river has been started; track bank in place waiting tamping; tamper arrives after OV, KS, Sterns; small slip by bracket signal north end station now complete; all slips hydroseeded; S&T cable troughing being laid; new signal cable to be installed.

Hampton Loade Station (not flood damage): north end platform ramps rebuilt by contractors; barrow crossing to replace.

Floodline Report 40, Monday 8 October

OLDBURY VIADUCT

The concrete piles and the capping beam have now been completed. Contractors today were just tidying up the site and will vacate tomorrow – all civil engineering work now ready for track laying

KNOWLESANDS INDUSTRIAL ESTATE

Contractors today just tidying up the site and will vacate tomorrow – all civil engineering work will be complete. Armaloc drainage segments all laid in the cess, work complete. Embankment seeded. Contractors mess room and toilet to be retained for volunteers use whilst working in this area. When all the contaminated ballast has been removed from the KS Tunnel area to the industrial site then it should only take one day to clean it all and have it ready to be returned to the track bed.

KNOWLESAND TUNNEL

The NYMR gopher unfortunately broke down last week and repairs to some of the parts are being carried out at BH MPD, hopefully should be back in full production this week. Completion of ballast cleaning is envisaged within three weeks.

HAY BRIDGE

Closure of the Highley Road on October 16th 9.30am until 3.30pm. A road crane will be used to move the bridge beam back into position and contractors will effect the stone repairs at the same time. The timber deck can then be replaced.

STERNS (Cottage Slip)

Work is now awaiting a decision by two insurance companies and the Board on how the railway should proceed. Situation should be clear by the end of the week. Plan was and may still be to start piling here on 29th October. This work should take four weeks. Depending on work methods this may require the track to be lifted. Rail tamper at KR to be moved by road to BH in time to tamp OV, KS, Sterns and HL

STERNS (Historical Slip)

The bit of the line which we have always kept an eye on has had a “wobble” but nothing more than we have seen in the last 10 years or more. No remedial action needed except for the passing of the tamper.

HAMPTON LOADE

Track reinstated good enough for goods trains. Debris in Waterworks Crossing car park yet to be moved out. Contractors laying S+T troughing. Drainage HL-HY camera survey virtually done. River erosion on riverside of cycle path repaired.

Thank you everyone who helped us raise £430 over this weekend towards the Flood Repair Appeal.

Donations 29-30 September

Thank you everyone who helped us raise £400 over this weekend towards the Flood Repair Appeal.

Donations 6-7 October

Autumn Steam Gala - 22-23 September

Saturday: footplate ride donations £326.77, platform collections £509.59 = £836.26

Sunday: footplate ride donations £331.69, platform collections £396.32 = £728.01

Weekend total towards Flood Appeal = £1,564.27

Donations 15-16 September

Thank you everyone who helped us raise over £600 over this weekend towards the Flood Repair Appeal.

Donations 8-9 September

Thank you everyone who helped us raise over £530 over this weekend towards the Flood Repair appeal.

Donations 1-2 September

Thank you everyone who helped us raise over £650 over this weekend towards the Flood Repair appeal. The target is £530,000 and so far over £412,000 has been raised. We're getting there!

Bank Holiday Weekend: donations

Thank you everyone who helped us raise £525 on BH Monday - the record so far - making the BH weekend total £1155, towards the Flood Repair appeal.

Wednesday 29 August: Report from engineering planning meeting

Following the flood damage meeting today we can increase the limit of the operation at Bridgnorth. The southern most limit of the operation will now be Milepost 149 1/2 (approximately midway between the advanced starter and Oldbury Viaduct) adjacent to the old PWay hut concrete base.  


 
 
 
 
 

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