Bluebell track laying South from EG?

yes
missed that

 

It has been announced in the new Bluebell email newsletter that there is to be an extra 5 days of waste extraction this week commencing Dec 5th. Owing to mild weather allowing GBRF to release a loco that had been earmarked for snow clearance.

 

Does anyone know how long before the cutting will be cleared of the remaining waste. Are we talking weeks or months?


Thanks

 

From what I understand they have almost removed all the waste they require to enable a single track cutting through. What remains is a large quantity of spoil/clay/non waste material that will need to be moved out of the way, either taken south and distributed along the line or moved into the section of cutting that has been removed to double track width. It is hard to see from the photos and videos (I have been on the bridges myself) but waste has been removed in sections all the way along so all that is left is large 'humps' (if that is the word!) at various places. I am sure one of the other guys who post in this thread will put a more detailed answer later (Tom is it?)!

 

Thanks for the info. Am I right in saying that the most expensive part of the operation is almost complete and the issue with the increase land fill tax from 2012 has now need avoided.

 

It does look that way, quite abit more money is needed though to do the works on finishing off the cutting, stabalizing the remaining waste (which I think I read somewhere may even stretch beyond the second line of the cutting and under the council building to one side) and doing the track laying and signal works at Kingscote. Think it is in the region of £900,000 to finish the job (could be wrong!), the Bluebell is part of the big give christmas challenge for fundrasing starting tomorrow, details here... Blog: What's New at the Bluebell Railway?

 

From reading the various pieces of information available there is still some waste to be removed. This additional week will help clear some of it and the survey plus design work that will follow will determine the amount that remains to be removed. It looks like this could be an additional 1-3 weeks of waste removal trains, so the funds still need to be raised for this.

The Big Give this week is vital to help pay for the current Waste By Rail scheme, ready for the final assault next year and eventual permanent infrastructure works.

We mustn't fail now - not with the goal the BRPS have striven for so long to reach finally in sight.

Regards,

Dan

 

I noticed that the loading bay platform of waste material had been severely eroded by last Friday. I assume this was either because the contractors also assumed last week was to be the final week before christmas, or that the one tractor was not able to supply waste to the loaders as quickly as it was being loaded so the platform was used up instead. In either event that suggests that this week the contractors will struggle to load 5000 tonnes especially if working at ground level the excavator loader drivers cannot get clear sight into the wagons.
THe other observation is that thanks to Robert's most recent photos there seems to be a two metre base of clay - presumably to stop leaching into ground water. While being good news from the waste taxation viewpoint I wonder where on earth this remaining clay can be stacked unless it can be heaped on the eastern side! I do wonder whether when the cutting is cleared and grass is starting grow on the stabilising clay mountains the project manager might look at them and think "Nah let's just leave them where they are" - That would make one very short deep cutting, but save a lot of internal civil engineering ! Just a thought.

 

No big conspiracy: that material had to be removed at some point (because eventually the track will be slewed across to that side of the cutting) so it was removed last week. I understand from talking to people involved that the diggers are able to load from ground level, so there is no operational problem there.

The extra week at the end of this phase (rather than say next year) arose because the GBRf engine and crews had been rostered by Network Rail for snow clearance. As the weather is currently mild, they were stood down from that job and therefore became available at short notice, so the railway decided to take advantage of the availability for another week's digging - at effectively 5 days notice to roster staff as I understand! However, all the Bluebell volunteers needed are rostered.

As was mentioned earlier in the thread, a lot of the waste has gone (rather more than appears viewed from either end) and there is also a kind of non-waste "lump" at ground level, further reducing how much waste has to be removed. It looks like (touch wood, fingers crossed etc) that this week could be the last week of waste trains that need to run, but that is still to be confirmed. So the good news is that it looks like the taxation deadline has been well and truly beaten. That still leaves all the other enabling works (laying track, signals etc) to complete the railway. Those works will still take time (and money) so the tentative official opening date for service trains looks like being for spring 2013.

Tom

 

Alas the "Big Give" site appears to have crashed this morning, back up again at 10.00am tomorrow (Tuesday) so don't forget to try then!

Foxy

 

Just going back to the discussion about how popular travelling to East Grinstead will be, ie the Bluebell having an end "destination", whilst I dont know the area at all, East Grinstead does look a pleasant enough place going by what I see on the internet. (Ironic that one of the main streets is called "Beeching Way!)
As a long-standing Severn Valley member I have only recently found Bridgnorth town as an "end destination", and on Saturday, market day, can travel from Kidderminster, walk across the bridge and up the hill into the town. Pleanty of car parking at Kidderminster, less so in Bridgnorth, hence leave the car at Kidderminster.
Doing this journey recently I was surprised how many people travelled to Bridgnorth and walked up to the town. The public using the SVR as a means of transport to get somewhere. A somewhat different market to the pure "enthusiast" traveller.

I do note that East Grinstead appears very positive towards the Bluebell, there is even a link on the town website to the Northern Extension Appeal. No doubt when the time comes some joint marketing will be the order of the day. All in all completion of the extension should be good for both the Bluebell and for East Grinstead town.

(Can I all remind people about what happened in 2007 when the SVR was closed to Bridgnorth due to flood damage. I well recall TV interviews with Bridgnorth shopkeepers/cafe owners saying that they had noticed a drop in trade through the Summer.)

 

So named because Beeching used to board the train there - living nearby and Beeching Way is the route of an old railway

 

Robert Philpot has wasted no time in chronicling this new week of the dig on his latest webpage here - Imberhorne Cutting Removal - Page 4
(if only the official site were as quick). Interesting to note that the excavators are digging into the face beyond the siding end, suggesting a new cutting widening phase. Does anyone know what planning is behind this?

 

And it's an extra week this week. As mentioned both on the Philpot blog and on the Bluebell website.

 

Well, I just banged my donation in, the "Big Give" is up to £15,000 (the doubled total) - I hadn't clocked that with gift aid they'd add 125% to my donation! Wooohooo!

Foxy

 

Yes likewise, just donated, and the system worked ok, and the "doubling" was there.

Hope the Bluebell reaches the target.

Total @ 12-21 was £20212, doubled to £40424

Regards

46118

 

Is that the one that sat outside in the bushes, or the one in the shed? (I saw a DVD on the lines to Midhurst) Shame you couldn't have that brilliant goods shed at Singleton as welll!!!!

 

Looks as though today's "matched" money has been spent, and matching can recommence at 10-00am tomorrow.

Total at the "pause" is £23432, doubled to £46157.

Not bad for the first day!

(unmatched donations can still be made today)

I notice that the second figure above is not quite double the first. I assume that is because the gift-aid is not doubled.

 

It looks like a daily capped amount for matching of 22,725, plus a further 707 in unmatched donations, totalling 23,432

(22,725*2)+707 = 46157

Patrick

 

As I understand, there is a limit to how much funding the Big Give releases each day - something like 30% for the first three days and 10% on the last day. All fiendishly complicated, but the website problems seem to have settled down, and more funding becomes available tomorrow at 10am. (If you donate between now and then, the donation is accepted but doesn't qualify for the match funding, which I guess explains the extra £707 - that represents donations made after the match funding tap was turned off for the day).

That's as I understand it, anyway.

tom