Fire Risk

I remember the summer of 1995, in particular camping near Watchet for 3 weeks while my then fiancée was mapping the geology there. It was hot and dry. I wasn't aware of the mainline position, but remember a parched landscape giving rise to diesel assistance on the railway, and still the fire brigade came out.

I can't speak for the S&C but this summer feels drier and hotter than 1995 while much of Yorkshire is already on a hosepipe ban. I'd be inclined to cut the decision makers a bit of slack.

 

And just because parts of the route have seen rain, doesn't mean all of it has. Kirkby Stephen might've been wet, but what about Carlisle or Hellifield? The rain that appeared on Sunday down south was very localised. In north London we had a few drops about 3pm but that was it. 25 miles further north there was torrential rain and flooding.

 

D213 has run down to Taunton from Crewe today in order to work the tour to Kingswear tomorrow vice 5029.

 

Well as the ORR/DfT do not seem too concerned about keeping out OAO applications (which would be worth more) would HMG i.e. the Treasury really are about a few charters?

 

Wouldn’t be much use in the present conditions!

 

This photo shows the aftermath of a heavy rainfall which occurred this afternoon. The railway bridge is at Scotby on the Settle-Carlisle line

 

Here is your photo after processing using Network Rail's FIre Risk Evaluation Software. It appears that the software may have some bugs, but could explain the risk levels here in the north west.

 

I hope you have left someone at home to feed Maisie while you enjoy your time at Lake Havasu in Arizona Oswald. Well, from your photo it looks like you can still go for a paddle there. I said pAddle, doing anything else won't have much impact on the water level in the lake!

Bryan

 

Maisie has just eaten her lunch and is fine, she wanted to go outside but stalled at the front door when she saw the rain (true!). As for the picture, we didn't have to travel that far, this is actually a view of the countryside behind Settle Jn signal box (that may not be true!)

 

Here in my part of Surrey we have now had well over half an inch of rain over the last two days (19mm), and, from checking the rainfall radar frequently (I am an amateur meteorologist and gardener) many places in the south of England have had far more than us. More to come tonight, tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday! Based on this, I have hopes that steam can do the work on Wednesday's 'Dorset Coast Express'.

 

Well based on NR allowing the two tours to run yesterday it is perhaps a possibility. I am totally confused by the "selection criteria" NR use. A couple of weeks back the Kingswear trip was diesel hauled I seem to remember, yet after virtually no rain in the intervening period it ran steam hauled yesterday.
Weymouth seems to have had more rain than here in Swanage, as has Brockenhurst, but not up to the figures in your area.
https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/rainfall-station/44201
https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/river-and-sea-levels/weymouth-dorset?group=rainfall
https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/rainfall-station/E14420

Is it enough? no idea.

But at the end of the day it will be when NR make the decision to whatever parameters and if the Wessex Area Manager has recovered from the events of last years Swanage Belle and does not pull a veto I guess similar to what happened in Kent the other week.

 

I just keep a couple of rain gauges and in my garden here in Mid-Kent I have had 20 m. And like you have missed a lot of the really heavy stuff that I have watched pass nearby on the rainfall radar.

Bryan.

 

20m, hope you have your snorkel and flippers handy?

 

SCUBA more like.

 

latest photo of @The Gricing Owl

 

And @Victor

 

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Hmn, seems reasonable because even at 86 I've managed to retain my youthful good looks.

P.S. ignore my walking stick, that's just to get sympathy from the ladies.

 

Errrr, I can't go back and edit my post now, or it will spoil all the subsequent posts!

Bryan

 

Typing this VERY carefully as my talons do hit the wrong keys sometimes, I can report that from checking the rainfall radar from last night along with my rain gauges, it looks like Kent and East Sussex at least in my general hunting area had another excellent dousing last night.

Nothing like the biblical level I reported in #212, but 19 millimetres here at my roost- millimetres being the smallest unit of measurement owls can understand on the metric scale of measuring that my species use to judge vole sizes.

Bryan

 

30mm in Leeds in the last 24 hrs. A long time since we've had that. Gutters and drains tested. More to come in the next couple of days.