The weather

With all this downpour today, I wondered how all the various heritage railways had been affected by it. A months rain in 24 hours theres bound to be some water damage somewhere.

 

I was thinking of the VoRR having just made flood repairs, will they need to redo them?

 

The ECML has been in trouble since about lunchtime with flooding in Peascliffe Tunnel.
The rain has just reached Hampshire, so another soggy weekend in prospect.

Cheers, Neil

 

Water at Victoria Bridge was up to rail height at 2230 when we went through on the Murder Mystery Special, was quiet sureal approaching the bridge and not being able to see any track on the other side!

 

At the elr we were very lucky with no damage. Ashen Bottom Viaduct, the one that went a few years ago severing Rawtenstall, was nearly up to rail level on Friday but subsided overnight. Saturday was a nice sunny day.

 

At the Bluebell, the River Ouse burst its banks at Sheffield Park. This flooded the surrounding fields and the overflow car park (such that passengers on Sunday parked there were advised to move their cars into the coach park behind the loco works, which is higher ground), but fortunately there was no damage to the p/way, though an inspection was carried out and a close watch is being kept on all culverts, ditches etc. At Kingscote, the booking hall (and I think the station underpass) flooded from water running down the hill on the adjacent road not being able to drain as the roadside drains were already overwhelemed. According to the Environment Agency, the water level at the Freshfield Bridge (just upstream from Sheffield Park) rose nearly 2.5 metres between midnight and 9am...

Tom

 

As far as passenger numbers are concerned, does the rain drive punters off, say, the beach to the trains, or does the rain simply keep the punters at home?

 

I think very poor weather normally keeps people at home (though we were busy at the weekend, as there was a special event).

More generally, at the Bluebell, it's generally thought that poor weather leads to more passengers (because in good weather people go to the beach, but in poor weather they look for something else to do, and we are attractive as a kind of "inside" attraction). On the other hand, I'd expect at lines that finish on the beach (such as Swanage), it is the other way round: good weather attracts people to go to the beach via the train. Certainly that is what we do.

That's on the assumption you have odd poor days in a generally good summer. Who knows what the impact of this summer is going to be on passenger numbers!

Tom

 

so far no problems, but if the rain continues then they usually release some of the pressure from the Derwent dams uphill and thus inevitably the valley at Darley floods, quite spectacular for us as the railway sits above the flood area on a ledge of the embankment, having been up there yesterday it was overflowing readily and today though quiet compared to yesterday it only took a five minute rain shower a mile away to start the flow over the spillway going again.

keep touching wood all!!!

 

i hope you were wearing your Sou'West(ern)er that day?.........

 

Hi everyone,

With all the rain and wind we are getting over the weekend. I was wondering how your local preserved railway is coping. The railways that always comes to mind is SRV and G&WSR.

Thanks

 

No problems that I know of on the PDSR or SDR, but the mainline at cowley Bridge Junction, Exeter was flooded and now washed-out:

Here is the aftermath: Cowley Bridge Junction flood damages 25/11/2012 - YouTube

 

I hope you meant SVR.
With the vast sums of money put into repairing the railway 5 years ago. Id hope this relatively small amount of rain compared to June the 19th and July the 20th 2007. Other than maybe the syphon in Eyemore cutting, the railway is a ok!

 

Is everyone else getting along relatively unscathed from this prolonged wet spell? We at Swanage have had a couple of bank slips which have been temporarily dealt with and will need to be more permanently sorted in time, but touch wood have not lost any trains as yet. Line inspections each morning to make sure.

 

This year we have had some minor slips and mudslides on the NYMR but the worst we have had to cope with on the PW is getting from the carpark at Newbridge yard to the cabin.
We had about 6" of flowing water across the yard from the hillside to the beck.
The gang spent a few hours digging channels through the sleeper bays to get it away.

 

Saw the River Seven this afternoon while I was out. At some parts it's only about another foot away from breaking its banks. It was very high in November but it's higher now.

 

At the Nene Valley, the river has burst its banks flooding all flood plains and large parts of the country park we pass through, but thankfully, the railway has gone unscathed. Passing through on our Santa specials the last 2 days has been an odd experience - the railway being the only thing above water level for some distances! Wansford has become very much 'Wansford on sea'. Hope everyoneelse has had the same good fortune!

 

Hi Everyone,

There's another big storm front coming in tonight. I was wondering how your local preserved railway is fairing with this extreme weather.

 

I see part of the cliff face next to the signal cabin at Waterford in ireland has come down stopping services, twas Cork station roof last week