"Bridge & Wheels Appeal" NYMR

Will the heavy crane stay on site or go away and return once the abutments have been finished ? I am presuming the abutment work is more than a couple of weeks work

 

The crane is on the NYMR until the middle of February. Hence, there is somewhat of a "race against time" to get the abutments ready for the new deck before it is due to leave. The Volker Rail crane is going to undergo its winter maintenance at Grosmont MPD (undertaken by Volker Rail staff, I would add!) between lifts. There are the 5 parts of the old bridge to load on to DB Schenker Wagons. These will then be transported to Thompson's at Stockton when the crane returns.

Steven

 

Combining the maintenance period with the period for when the crane is not needed sound like good planning all round.

 

Work has continues on the shuttering needed for the abutment work. The actual changes to the abutments - which will involve taking out 3 metres where the new deck will go as well as an estimated 150 tonnes of spoil - will start today by CML.

Volker Rail will move the old sections of bridge further out of the way.

CML representatives visited Tarmac yesterday to inspect the first conrete deck units. These each weigh 6 tonnes and there will be 27 in total. 12 are so far complete and all have passed inspection.

If anyone can give me a clue as to how to clear the pcitures I have laready uploaded from my personal upload manager, I will try and up load some more!

Steven

 

Thanks to hints from Glyn on uploading, I can now add some pictures of recent work. These show the various stages of the demaintling over the last few days - thanks to Nigel Trotter, Kev Yeoman and John Bruce for the photos.

Steven

 

Update from Nigel Trotter, NYMR Civil Engineer

The old bridge sections have been moved clear of the immediate worksite.
Breaking out the Goathland abutment is proceeding well with the Down side now at its final level. The rest will be dug out by tomorrow and with the steel fixers etc working over the weekend it should be ready for the first concrete pour on Tuesday.
The Grosmont one is also proceeding but is not as advanced as the track had first to be removed yesterday and the excavator is the smaller one as it was the biggest that could be got safely over the deck and also the abutment has more concrete in it. Hopefully it will be concreted on Tuesday/Wednesday.

Both abutments have to have a second concrete pour for the back wall etc and it is the Grosmont one that dictates when the Kirov can lift in the new steelwork due to the imposed 27tonne axleloads when lifting.

The shutters for both abutments are almost complete. The first concrete pours for the step/ballast retaining wall units will be tomorrow

Steven

 

Steven: Is there much work to undertake on the stone abutment walls in terms of grouting/pinning/general repair, or are they deemed fit to take their new concrete cappings onto which the new bridge beams sit without any major work?
Are you sure about the weight of each of the concrete decking sections? 27 at 6 tonnes is 162 tonnes, sounds a bit much when the steel bridge beams dont weigh anything like that.

 

Don't know if Steven is planning to reply on this but I will have a go.
In the 2nd photo above of the Goathland side Abutment.
There is a large vertical crack running almost full height of the wall.
I think part of the plan is to repair this and any others like it as part of the works.

 

Nigel Trotter reports:

Friday 22 January 2010
The step & ballast retaining units had their first concrete pour today. They need three pours to create the steps. There was sufficient ready mix concrete to also provide a blinding layer on the Goathland abutment to enable the joiners and steel fixers to assemble everything over the weekend for the main concrete pours early next week. The Grosmont abutment is now broken out down to final level on the Up side and the Down side is not far behind.

All in all, good progress.

In answer to 46118, as Ploughman has said, there is a crack to repair. Until the abutments were broken, the exact extent of reapirs wasn't clear. There is a hefty modification to make to accept the new bridge as it is a rather different design. Around 150 tnnes of spoli is expected to be moved from the abutments as part of the modification. I have not heard of any thing major being found that will require extra repairs. Sone abutment repairs can be done after the bridge is complete and trains runninng again.

I agree the weight sounds quite a bit but I am sure 6 tonnes is the weight per unit and there are definitely 27. I will check tomorrow if I get chance.

While all the work is going on, the NYMR Pway Gang, as well as being part of the work at Bridge 30, are undertaking embankment repairs near Newtondale Halt and work on Bridge 18 in this area. Ploughman probably has a better idea of progress to date on this.

Steven

 

I don't know what size the final decking actually is but some early sketches I have show the decks as having a cross-sectional area working out to be 1.668 sqm. This works out at about 3.84 tonnes/metre run. This early scheme had 21 deck units at 1.220 metres length, which would give a total weight of 98 tonnes. However,this excluded the end sections , which were originally going to be cast in-situ to accommodate the skew. If the end units are now pre-cast, then something like 27 will be needed. Using my figures, this comes out at just over 126 tonnes. If the concrete decks have been thickened slightly from those early designs, it is fairly easy to get up to 160 tonnes.

 

Steven, you forgot the other bridge.
Last weekend while Br 30 was resisting efforts to vacate its position, we were busy in the middle of Northdale.
At Br 20 removing the roadway alongside the track and redecking over the culvert before placing new stone.
This weekend coming the gang will be at Br 18 Newtondale slewing the track away from a small bankslip and preparing to install gabion baskets for strengthening.
Check the group website for some recent photos.

 

Update from Nigel Trotter

Saturday 23 January 2010
CML have been working on the abutments today and will do so tomorrow. The Goathland one is having the shutters and rebar assembled. Now that we can see the vertical crack, CML are to stitch and grout it which should make it secure, but it will have to be monitored for future movement over the next few years. It may have stopped moving and with the better track loading etc from the ballasted track may stop and remaining movement.
The Grosmont abutment is now down to final level at the front but needs two big stone lumps at the back breaking out and trimming for the concrete screed on Monday so that fixing the shutters and rebar can proceed. Apart from these two, there has been little unknown found in the abutments.
Manufacture of the precast concrete deck units continues at Tarmac. 16 are now cast with 6 next week and the remaining 5 the following week.

Yes - sorry Ploughman - I knew there had been balast movement at Bridge 20 (a nridge "done" many years ago by culverting) - I believe the movement was actually at the ends of the Bridge.

Nigel has also updated on the two remaining "big" brigde projects (any of others will, at most, need new decks costing "only" about £100,000 each maxiumum). These are Bridges 27 at Goathland and 7 at Pickering. Both are much easier to access than Bridge 30 being in the stations. Total cost of the two is likely to be about £1/2 million but this may be capable of being reduced by doing part of the work "in house", as the PWay team are doing at Bridges 18 and 20 and have done at Bridge 39 last year. Work will need to start on Bridge 27 next year.

Steven

 

Thanks for your further update Steven. Appreciated.

Presumably NYMR TV will have been around filming, and a further update will be in the "cutting room".

As an aside, if there is sufficient material, maybe someone with the necessary desktop publishing skills should produce a short booklet about "Bridge 30", for future sale on the railway and elsewhere, as a last boost to the Appeal. A synopsis of the history, the problems faced, the solutions, the actual work, and the reopening.
... I would buy one.

 

Not sure about when the bnext NYMR TV will come out - I guess they will return to Bridge 30 for the new girders going in as progress will not be as photogenic until then!

Progress was good on the preparing of the abutments over the weekend - today's update later hopefully.

Great minds think alike. The idea of a booklet to celebrate the rebuild came up over the weekend/during last week and you are at least the 3rd one to suggest it. It will be pursued - I can see I might get landed with compliers job!

Steven

 

Work on the shuttering and reinforcing continued yesterday, with all in place the main pour of concrete on the Goathland abutment to take place today (Tuesday).

Over the next few days, whilst work will be continuing, reportable progress may seem rather less as conrete pours are made and then have to be left to harden.

Steven

 

Updates from John Bruce and Nigel Trotter

Good progress to report. Work continued over the weekend to prepare the abutments for concrete pouring. The Grosmont side (with the smaller excavator working on it)
has been slower than the Goathland side. The reinforcing and shuttering was ready today on the Goathland side and has been concreted as planned. The steel fixers were completing the other side.

The wagons for loading with the remains of the old bridge were shunted round so that they are easily accessible to take to site for loading next week, and at the same time, the new bridge steelwork was taken through Grosmont Tunnel – confirming that planning measurements and calculations were correct, as it fitted with about a foot or so to spare!

The Kirow is “on shed” at Grosmont getting its annual maintenance, and has meet up with the Grosmont Steam Crane, which is having its annual insurance inspection.

An article detailing the work is in this week’s Rail Engineer. Web version (which has less pictures than the printed version) here:

http://rail-news.com/2010/01/26/nothing-lasts-forever/

Steven

 

Apologies for recent lack of updates - very busy time work wise - will aim to provide full update tomorrow plus some details cribbed from Ploughman on the work to the bank slip near Bridge 18 in Newtondale.

Steven

 

Apologies for the lack of updates in recent days – I have been working until gone midnight trying to get as many Tax Returns in as possible ahead of the deadlines – the joys of being a self-employed accountant!

Thursday 28 January 2010
Another day of good progress. The detailed setting out is continuing and a planning/progress site meeting was held to agree various technical issues, key dates and also how Gerry Cater and the NYMR Pway Gang will fit in with the various activities.
Basically, when the bank slip in Newtondale is finished, the NTMR Pway is going to load up the precast concrete deck units (4 per lorry, 8 per train) and take them to site.
Work is progressing on the Grosmont side abutment which will be concreted tomorrow and Saturday with the ready mix coming to the Goathland side and a lorry mounted pump then pumping it across to the other side.
Concrete cube testing will then be carried out to determine the projected strength for the Kirow to stand and lift in the new steelwork, which will be about the middle/end of w/c 8th Feb.
At present about 3 days behind the master programme with scope left for further gains.

Saturday 30 January 2010
The Grosmont side abutment base was cast yesterday afternoon. Today, in spite of apparently 4/5 inches of snow CML are erecting the shutters for the back and side walls (about 2 metres high and 18 inches thick) so they will be cast on Monday morning. The plan is for the specialist sub-contractor to fix the waterproofing membrane joint on 4th February and then the backfilling can be done so that the crane track can be put back into new position ready to lift the steelwork in the following week. So all going well in spite of the weather.

Monday 1st February 2010
Volker Rail's 100T crane at Scunthorpe has developed a problem and cannot now do a job there this coming weekend. Therefore the 125t at Grosmont is leaving the NYMR this Wednesday to carry out the work and will return to Grosmont on Tuesday ready for the big lift later in the week.
This will require some changes and possibly the use of our 45T steam crane at Grosmont to lift in the two lengths of crane track and also to support the centre girder while it is being cut up ready for loading. It has to be supported for safety reasons, weighing 33.5T. These changes will not affect the overall programme for Bridge 30.

As reported previously, both abutment Bases have now been cast and the back walls will be done tomorrow so that the waterproofing membranes can be fixed on Thursday so the Grosmont one can have the drainage pipe installed and then be backfilled and then the crane track laid and then packed to that the Kirow can then lift in the new steelwork and then load up the scarp and then go back to Grosmont and then finally depart on 15th Feb!! As you can see, it is all a planned sequence but all dependent on the concrete achieving its design strength in time. The first cube test indicates it will, more tomorrow on this. The Goathland abutment will follow as there will be no crane loads on that side.

Tuesday 2 February 2010
Today the end walls of the new abutment slab tops were being concreted so that Water Seal can fix the waterproofing joints on Friday.
The stones to build up the cut ends in the abutments are also being cut.
The cube tests on the Goathland abutment base slab show excellent hardening and indicate that they will both reach the specified strength in another few days. In fact they will achieve far more than we require but we had to put more cement in etc to counter the cold weather. The walls may not reach their strength as quick as they are more open but CML are looking at using heaters.

Wednesday 3 February 2010 (Report from John Bruce)
Concrete is going off well, so target of getting steelwork in at the back end of next week looks good. Bearings for the steelwork were supposed to be delivered to the MPD via Esk Valley, but the dreaded Satnav struck and the lorry ended up in the centre of Grosmont, and, with icy road conditions, got stuck. We transhipped the bearings on the level crossing using his vehicle’s Hiab. DRS came to take the Kirow away to Scunthorpe for the weekend job, but due to some Network Rail issues, were not able to get away today. The train currently in Platform 2 and another attempt will be made tomorrow.

All looking on schedule to lift in main girders middle to end of next week.

Many thanks to Nigel Trotter and John Bruce for updates. By the way, NYMR and North York Moors under 5 to 6 inches of snow again this week!

Steven

 

Many thaks steven for your update loads of snow here in cheshire so can only imagine whats its like in NYMR land.....

 

Steven, thanks for the detailed update.

Just out of interest as a total layman, in winter conditions do they add anything to the concrete to allow it to set and not be affected by the cold, a sort of concrete " antifreeze"? I know it can be added to traditional building mortar, but structural concrete?

Do you have a latest figure for the Bridge & Wheels Appeal total? ( or at least the money from the total allocated to Bridge 30 because I guess some donors will have specified either the bridge or the standard tank for their money)

46118