"Bridge & Wheels Appeal" NYMR

Update from Nigel Trotter:

Wednesday 24 March 2010
And yet another good day.
John Bruce tells me that Gerry and his gang were pleased with what they were doing having mended the tamper. The two photos (from Nick Carter) show the ballast regulator and tamper at work. If you ever want to hear about my (Nigel’s) experiences with tampers on BR it comprises many expletives with short, infrequent gaps when they worked perfectly. Still, ours is going well so fingers crossed. Note the good depth of ballast. The depth of ballast at the Grosmont side of the bridge, where we had to lower the formation for the Kirow crane is such that we will have to provide ladders for our shorter legged train crews!

CML have now completed the stonework on the Grosmont side of the bridge and were planning to clear up and level off the formation areas and remove the scrap etc to the Goathland side. The area is self-landscaping with the strategically placed blocks of stone having landed where they are as a result of glacial activity many thousands of years ago.

In discussions today, Ray from CML told me that they hope to finish on site over the weekend with the cabins going tomorrow.

More to say after tomorrow as it is getting closer to signing off the works!
Regards
Nigel

The aim is to have the track ready for a BBC TV news filming special tomorrow morning, hand over to the Traffic Department at 14:00 Friday!

Steven

 

Steven
Photos mine not Nicks
Nick is in the cab operating.

 

Sorry Bryan!

Anytime now BBC filming special should be setting off for the bridge. Final works are still being undertaken with planned hanD back to the traffic department 14:00 today.

Steven

 

Nearly there!
The 6 welds on and next to the bridge were completed by Volker Rail about lunchtime. For those who would like to weld the joints on the whole of the NYMR, the cost of each weld is 5 times the cost of a new fishplated joint with 4 new bolts.

CML are finished off the bridge and will leave the site by next week. The cabins were lifted out by the P Way today and taken to New Bridge.

Some finishing off of the P Way tomorrow so that Martyn Canning can give up possession at 14.00. The track is now fine but will settle under traffic and Gerry will tip more stone and tamp on nights after Easter. Gerry is now going on a very well deserved holiday until after Easter.
Tomorrow it is final signing off day in between BBC filming.

Today was very warm with most of us complaining about the heat, quite a change from early January.

More over the weekend.
Regards
Nigel

For those who would like to meet the man behind the updates, Nigel is scheduled to be on the GW Saloon over the weekend explaining the project and no doubt trying to encourage further donations!

Bridge 30 is now finally Bridge 30 again, as the new Bridge plates have been fitted – you will recall they are “glued” and Nigel says anyone fancying purloining them will find they have to take the whole Bridge!

Arrangements for tomorrow are that 825, 30926, 49395, 76079 and D5061 will be in use on passenger trains and it is hoped that 45428 will be in steam and moving about the MPD. Final work on 45428 is expected to be completed today but unfortunately the Insurance Inspector can’t come to undertake the final examination until the morning so the loco won’t make the first train. 76079 will be the first steam loco over the Bridge on a passenger train.

Steven

 

Well done to all concerned; let's hope that the BBC team does you and the railway proud, and here's to a successful 2010 season.

Mark

 

From John Bruce

The possession was handed back early (at 1210), and the first move down the bank was D7628 hauling 45212 back to Grosmont. The 25 then brought the freight train up from Grosmont, and D5061 then took the Diner set down. No "clickety-clacks" on the bridge, and ever so smooth.

BRIDGE 30 IS BACK IN THE HANDS OF THE TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT!!

Steven

 

A gallery taken over Winter showing the removal of old bridge 30 and the first trains over new Bridge 30 http://markt79.fotopic.net/c1777607.html

 

well done to everyone concerned.

Now it's just the wheels appeal then?

 

That's right - focus will switch to 80135 shortly - did you know the boiler the loco carries (which is the area where much of the cost of the overhaul will be spent) was originally fitted to 80116 - when delivered new to Whitby Shed!

We are still collating the actual build costs and comparing with the budget. Extra costs arose at the start due to the weather and delays in removing the old bridge but the abutment works were just about as straightforward as we could have hoped (there were the biggest area where extent of work could not be judged in advance and hence potential costs were a range) as well as some savings being possible in the completion and finishing off. Withe the proceeds of the public appeal (over £250,000) and the North Yorkshire County Council and National Park LEADER Grants (£390,000 in total), the initial forecast cost has just about been covered but now the work is complete, Nigel Trotter can turn to doing the final totting up of actual cost to confirm that. Some money specifically for 80135 has been received and continues to be but most has been for the "whole appeal".

May I close with Nigel's final sign-off on his reports. He promised these about every 3 days but throughout much of the work they have been far more frequent and I would like to thank him for enabling me to keep yourselves updated on this project. A huge number of people have been involved with this, by far the largest infrastructure project the NYMR has tackled but Nigel has, along with his assistant Roger Bastin, been the major driving force behind the project and we owe him a very great debt of gratitude. Nigel has been our Civil Engineer since practically the start of the Railway and has had this bridge hanging over him since he was a young man! He must be mightly relieved tonight!

Here is his last report:

Friday 26 March 2010
Martyn Canning handed back possession over an hour early after the BBC1 filming. CML will spend next week on finishing off jobs and I may ask them for a couple of days work after Easter to further tidy up the whole area.

This is the last dairy for bridge 30! Thank you to those who have read it, I hope you found it interesting.
Regards
Nigel
ps next one?

He means Bridge 27 at Goathland - he and I have an appointment to view it from the middle of the beck at some point - that is what happens to checky accountants!

Steven

 

Congratulations to all involved - an excellent piece of engineering and installation, and the updates have been much appreciated by those of us with a technical interest in the work

I'll try and add something to the appeal coffers when I visit at the end of April!

Regards,

Dan

 

John Bruce's photo says it all! Four firsts today:

* Passenger train over the bridge (pictured) - in Up Direction.
* Just under an hour later, first Down Train (825)
* First ever view of the river (not quite the Murke Esk at this point - this officially starts the other side of Beck Hole) over the sides of the bridge - the old sides were too high to look over. The shuttles today have enabled probably around 100 people to actually "walk the bridge" and see this view (previously only those who built the bridge have seen it)
* First loco failure on the new bridge (D5061)

An historic day - £ 3/4 million project complete - probably details more later!

Steven

 

Steven: Any "final" photos of the totally finished bridge with all the tidying up done?

What have passenger numbers been like over the first two weekends?

46118

 

Final tidying up still being done while trains run although there are a few pictures in the present Heritage Railway that show a reasonably finished product.

Paaengers numbers were pretty good over the first week or so, but always difficult to compare at this time of year. Last year, Easter was a week later and we didin't run to whitby the first week except the opening day (which was the equivalent day to the 27th). This year was much better every day thanks to the Whitby service. Easter was a bit down on last year, no doubt due to poor weather and then things get even more confusing! For some reason, NYCC schools only broke up for Easter on Maundy Thursday and haven't gone back yet! Easter week wasn't brilliant (but also wasn't bad) but this week up to Wednesday (not seen today yet) has been very good. i would say takings are on a par with last year which probably means just slight less people as prices are a bit higher.

"Official" Opening by Pete Waterman and blessing of the bridge by the recently appointed Bishop of Whitby scheduled for Monday.

Steven

 

Thanks steven.

I think even at this early stage there may be a pattern developing that points to a relatively modest year for our Heritage railways. The Severn Valley look to have got off to a quiet start, and the West Somerset numbers were well down for their first big gala. A year to be very careful with the money I suspect!

By the way, can I respectfully point out that the Bridge & Wheels Appeal website hasn't been updated since February 11th, and I thought there was the small matter of 80135 still outstanding....

 

I have pointed this out to the Appeal Manager and web guru!

Very much - 80135 still needs funds - we hope to relaunch focusing on this shortly.

Agree on 2010 probably being a tough year.

Steven

 

Nigel Trotter's Book detailing the history of Bridge 30 abd the project to rebuild it is now available online at:

http://www.nymr.co.uk/shop/Books.html#a283

Published late last year, this is the definative guide to the project that was awareded the 2010 Heritage Railway Association Large Groups Award as a pathfionder for major bridge renewals int he heriatge railway world.

Steven

 

Will the start of the main running season see the relaunch (or launch?) of the wheels part of the fund for 80135?

Hope so; as even during October last year it was the bridge still getting top billing from those collecting money on the ground.

 

The Moors Line magazine currently at the prrinters will include a push fior an extra £20,000, which will take the funds available for 80135 to the external quote for forming the new inner firebox, but would cover more work than that if done in house. Our Boilersmith has drafted a plan for doing work in house and will be finalising it over the next few weeks..

Donations still gratefully received.

Steven

 

When we visited the FR last October, they had donation envelopes on coach seats. The appeal was for Prince's overhaul, and each envelope had a line drawing of the loco, and a description of what was required and why. Is this something we should be looking to replicate, for 80135 this year, and Vera next?

 

Thanks for the update Steven