LizzieM 9,519 Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 Did you actually live in Dawlish til last week Stephen? If so how close to the devastation were you? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 Lizzie - yes, until Thursday 30 January we were living in Dawlish. We were only about 5 minutes walk from where the damage is, but that was 5 minutes walk back from the coast. Most of the houses that you see on the pictures (Sea Lawn Terrace and Riviera Terrace) are three storeys high - mainly flats - and there is a rear entrance/exit from the top floors which is at the level of the main road to Exeter. It is unlikely that these houses would have been built there if there had not been the protection of the railway-owned sea wall. With that breached I would imagine they are extremely vulnerable, as the sandstone on which they are built will be easily scoured away if exposed for any length of time to the continuous force of the waves. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NewBasfordlad 3,599 Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 Its been reported that the breech has been sprayed with concrete over night and they are using rubble filled shipping containers as a temporary break water. As an aside has anyone read of the chaos in Tokyo. There has been a very heavy snowfall, flights cancelled trains not running and people hurt. The authorities have urged everyone to stay inside whilst the storm lasts. The snow was reported to be 4 centimetres deep, yes that's 1.6 inches, even we could cope with that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 It appears as of now that, so far as the railway is concerned, the whole south west peninsular is cut off. No route to Exeter west of Yeovil Junction owing to a landslip at Crewkerne. Floods between Castle Cary and Taunton, and between Bridgwater and Taunton. The route from London Paddington to Exeter is now train to Bristol Parkway then bus, or from Waterloo to Yeovil Junction then bus. Cross Country trains to Bristol Temple Meads, then buses to Taunton, connecting (or not as the case may be) with further buses to Tiverton Parkway, Exeter or Plymouth. Limited local services Exeter - Exmouth and Exeter - Barnstaple, Paignton to Newton Abbot, Plymouth - Penzance and Cornish branch lines. That's in addition to the mayhem at Dawlish. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,328 Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 Good old Dr Beeching, removing all the alternative "Duplicate" routes - the tw*t! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 The world revolves around what is trendy - and the car was the big thing in those days. Even railway enthusiasts were using cars to get to their railway destination. It was so convenient then, until every family had at least two cars. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted February 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Firbeck , A more detailed map of an alternate route has just appeared . http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26068375#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed Typical media, not doing their research. That map shows the GWR route to Tavistock, single track throughout and long closed and erased from the face of the earth apart from the preserved Plym Valley section near Plymouth. The original LSWR double track section from Tavistock to Bere Alston is apparently in good condition as is the rest of the trackbed to Meldon Viaduct, apart of course, from the centre of Tavistock where the local authority should have seen sense and not allowed building on this very small but important section of the route. It would appear that plans have been in place to re-open the railway from Bere Alston to a point to the west of Tavistock providing a new station, but nothing has been done so far apart from technical surveys of the viaducts and tunnels. What can be done:- This is Okehampton Station before and after, I don't know whether any of you have been there, but it is a magnificent restoration job, only thing is, it's potential has never been fully realised, the powers that be have only ever provided a half hearted minimum service to Exeter. Back to the Firbeck archives and happier times:- An unrebuilt West Country Pacific facing the other way at Exeter St Davids en route to Plymouth via this line, August 1962. Another one drifting down the infamous gradient from Exeter Central. Climbing the bank out of St Davids, you can see the gradient, nothing to an HST though. Now I see that the line through Crewkerne is closed, not much they can do about that, perhaps they should consider re-opening the Yeovil-Taunton route as another alternative, I think it misses the Somerset Levels!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DAVIDW 1,690 Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Theres a half hour programe about the alternate route tonight at 7.30 on our local S.West regional programme , channel 967 on Sky. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 The trouble is that the GW main line north of Exeter (around the Silverton/Stoke Canon area) is also heavily prone to flooding. I heard one guard (conductor - or is that buses?) comment gloomily "You only have to spill your tea and line's flooded there." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted February 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Now we're getting a result, Tory heartlands in Surrey getting threatened as the Thames rises, all those celebs houses on the banks of the Thames could be under water, what a shame, forget the rest of the country, the news will be all about that now. With a bit of luck Eton will be swept away, I presume Cameron will be down there in his wellies trying to save his heritage for future generations to suffer the consequences of their elitism. . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted February 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 The trouble is that the GW main line north of Exeter (around the Silverton/Stoke Canon area) is also heavily prone to flooding. I heard one guard (conductor - or is that buses?) comment gloomily "You only have to spill your tea and line's flooded there." In the good old days, aka the 70's, BR used to run weekend specials around the country for a fiver. My old man booked us tickets to go down to Plymouth for the day from Nottingham, the weather was not good and when we got to the Barnstable junction north of Exeter, the river was high. On the way back, things were serious, we had to travel through the water over the tracks at this point, but then, this was Mk1 stock hauled by a 'Peak' Class 45, no problem, we sailed through it, a bit of blood and guts without Health and Safety and we were fine, these days it would have been shut and we would have probably have spent the night on St Davids Station. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Merthyr Imp 729 Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Now I see that the line through Crewkerne is closed, not much they can do about that, perhaps they should consider re-opening the Yeovil-Taunton route as another alternative, I think it misses the Somerset Levels!!! Or re-open the Taunton to Barnstaple line and use the current line from there to reverse at Crediton and reach Plymouth without going via Exeter. But as Captain Mainwaring might have said - I think I'm getting into the realms of fantasy here! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Well it appears that Network Rail are spinning about the possibility of re-opening the LSW route from Exeter to Plymouth as their preferred option for an alternative...whether this means it is going to happen or not is a different matter of course. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FLY2 10,109 Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Re # 35 yes quite correct Firbeck, once the Home Counties get a bit of disruption, the rest of the country can go and get f**ked. The village of Datchet near Windsor has dominated the news reports today, deary deary me. "Auntie" Elton lives near Windsor Great Park. I bet all his luvvie chums will be panicking in their pink wellies. Sod the poor beggars in Somerset who've been under water since late December. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Where's Noah when you need him. Seriously. I remember slight flooding on the railway line between Sawley and Spondon. They diverted trains over the Castle Donnington Branch and we got overtime doing run rounds at Willington. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Yes, it was the shallow cutting on the Borrowash side of Draycott where it always came up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Was it the canal or the river or was it both? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted February 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Theres a half hour programe about the alternate route tonight at 7.30 on our local S.West regional programme , channel 967 on Sky. I just tried to watch this on BBC iplayer but for some weird reason it was without sound. However, I put on the sub titles and got the gist of what they were saying, ie open up the route from Okehampton to Bere Alston ( Forgive me if I keep saying Bere Regis but this is where 'Tess of the D'Urbavilles' came from, it lurks in my mind, not only one of my favourite books, but my Braintree District Council nature reserve contact and pal, Amanda, is a direct descendant and a real Turberville the name and family being used by Thomas Hardy from his Bere Regis church musings.) Incidentally, forget the GWR Taunton to Barnstable route, it's been mainly wiped out by the A361, I have fond memories of that old trackbed, having stayed in a farm caravan near Wiveliscombe a few years ago, a place we fell in love with, nowt incredibly historic or particularly picturesque about it, but it had an undefinable character, anyone ever been there? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Re #42 - I forget the exact reasoning, but it was to do with the closure of the Derby canal, that was alleged to have previously carried the excess water. Re #43 - yep, been to Wiveliscombe, and I agree about its atmosphere - knew the minister at the congregational church there, who has since retired to the island of Tiree, where I gather from the CalMac website, they have also been having a bit of travel disruption lately. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rob.L 1,090 Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 I see someone has started a petition to reopen the railway from Exeter to Plymouth, via Okehampton & Tavistock. "With the ever more severe weather conditions that the UK, and especially the South West of England now experience, it is time to consider reopening the section of railway between Okehampton & Bere Alston in Devon. " http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/60320 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
taxi ray 170 Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 There is a short time lapse video, on the BBC website showing the repair at Dawlish. not sure how to link a video. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FLY2 10,109 Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 Completion two weeks early, brilliant ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,488 Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 There is a short time lapse video, on the BBC website showing the repair at Dawlish. not sure how to link a video. This one I think. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26257117 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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