Moorlands and City Railway

Try a small diameter chimneysweep's brush..

 

Presumably this is a pipe with open ends as the brush would push out whatever you need to remove. I notice some gorse in one of the pics, 'fuzz' bushes are good for sweeping chimneys so they would clean out a pipe, that is if you can feed a rope or similar through the pipe. Holly is also great. Just a thought.

 

It was one of the irigation pipes, that connects between numerous manholes spaced apart every whatever yards ish. Not sure if holly would be suitable for this sort of size surely?

 

I would recommend having a look at this site.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gwr-lineside-drainage-management/

Gives a wealth of info on drainage maintenance and repairs. My own experience on drains suggests brushes or 'holly' will not removed limescale and hardened silt dams inside the pipes. You need to insert something solid to break these up.

Brian

 

The problem is getting something through the pipe as the manholes are about 80 yards apart.

Today we were 'gardening' cleaning up the sight lines at Apesford crossing as well as re-finding the access path to Bradnop station.

 

Excellent work guys. There is another works party to Bradnop in September concentrating on the platform area. Also still need to finish the access path we had a go at in June.

 

Oh the delights of working up in the Moorlands! Started in a monsoon. The linewalking trio looked distinctly unenthusiastic

Then the vegetation around the Bradnop station sign needed removing - still in the rain.
becomes
Then the sun came out and we were sweating buckets as we set about improving the track geometry just north of Chedd

 

Outline planning permission granted for the Leek station proposals on 17/08/2015.

Now we have somewhere to head to, we await the decision on the housing application for Leek Brook that will fund the track extension.

 

Is planning permission and a TWAO needed for reinstatement of the line?

 

Yes, as that land is presently Council owned but they have earmarked it's use as "railway related" in their adopted masterplan which is to be implemented over the next 15(?) Years.

 

In 2009, that nice Mr Kemp promised CVR shareholders that trains would run from Leekbrook Junction to Leek and Stoke within 5 to 7 years.

 

Was it a promise or an aspiration? Given that he does not manage Network Rail, and they still hold many of the cards, it would be difficult to give a cast iron promise. There are still a few months to go until the 7 years expire anyway.

 

And in those preceding years, the Network Rail personnel have changed (several times!) from those who handled the Cauldon negotiations - meaning discussions have always been sent back to square one.

Now you know this, you can put your wooden spoon away after having a good stir (as I notice you've regularly done reading your previous posts). Appreciate it's been quiet on here, but when we have something to say we shall say it. Notice how many posts were made that we'd never get to Leek - and yet my post containing the good news Leek station has received outline planning permission only gets 1x reply! Says a lot doesn't it?

 

Someone on the "Support the plans for the railway to be opened to Alton Towers (MCR)" facebook group has started a UK Government and Parliament Petition - Reopen the railway line from Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire to Alton Towers. I have already signed it and would like to encourage all supporters of the MCR project to sign it too.

Best wishes to all,
Nigel

 

Petition reads "My Background is I Have Worked on the Railway for 18 years and I Find if this Railway is opened it will ceate jobs and boost the Economy for Stoke-on-Trent and cut Down on Traffic through Alton and make a better transport service into Alton Towers".

I wish him luck with that.

 

76 people have signed the petition so far - and it needs 10,000 before anything happens. By the time that happens the Leekbrook triangle will probably have been reinstated.

 

This type of petition seems to be the fashionable thing at the moment. I suppose they give people a warm happy feeling if nothing else.

 

At first, perhaps; but I'd have thought that when nothing happens, it could/would result in increased frustration.

Noel

 

82 signed when I looked just now. That is 4 new ones in 36 hours. At that rate it will take roughly 10 years. I revise my estimate - Leekbrook triangle reinstated and the line to Waterhouses operational.

 

It would help if anyone supportive of the MCR project who can think of other places to post the link could do so. This is the only board I use so I'm stumped as to where to get the message out. Just for the record, I have no connection with MCR or the CVR. I would just like to see the project succeed in its various endeavours.