Difference between revisions of "2007 Storm Damage"

From SVR Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
(add picture and links)
(add link to S&T article on restoration and confirm last section to be re-opened)
Line 20: Line 20:
 
*Highley: A large portion of the embankment opposite the cattle dock and water tower collapsed, taking with it the Highley Up starting signal.  To achieve a repair the water column and cattle dock had to be removed, and the unstable ground carefully dug out in stages to avoid further collapses. New drainage was installed and the ground repaired with ‘reinforced earth’.  By November a single track had been re-installed allowing rail access to the areas affected further south.  Further work was then required to reinstate the cattle dock and water tower, and also to give access to the new Engine House.
 
*Highley: A large portion of the embankment opposite the cattle dock and water tower collapsed, taking with it the Highley Up starting signal.  To achieve a repair the water column and cattle dock had to be removed, and the unstable ground carefully dug out in stages to avoid further collapses. New drainage was installed and the ground repaired with ‘reinforced earth’.  By November a single track had been re-installed allowing rail access to the areas affected further south.  Further work was then required to reinstate the cattle dock and water tower, and also to give access to the new Engine House.
  
*Borle viaduct: Another large collapse near Borle Viaduct was reported by a local farmer, who rang the Railway to ask “Do you know your embankment is in my field?”  Once again the repair involved replacing the embankment with ‘reinforced earth’, supplemented by new drainage.  The concrete and brick ‘training walls’ upstream and downstream of the viaduct itself also suffered cracking.  Repairs were delayed for some months waiting for the water level in the brook to subside, but ultimately involved soil nailing and rock filled ‘gabion’ baskets.
+
*Borle viaduct: Another large collapse near Borle Viaduct was reported by a local farmer, who rang the Railway to ask “Do you know your embankment is in my field?”  Once again the repair involved replacing the embankment with ‘reinforced earth’, supplemented by new drainage.  The concrete and brick ‘training walls’ upstream and downstream of the viaduct itself also suffered cracking.  Repairs were delayed for some months waiting for the water level in the brook to subside, but ultimately involved soil nailing and rock filled ‘gabion’ baskets.  This was the final area to be reinstated shortly before the public re-opening of the full line in March 2008.
  
 
*Victoria Bridge: Another washout immediately south of Victoria Bridge left the track suspended in mid-air. A new concrete retaining wall was installed, including a large drainage chamber.
 
*Victoria Bridge: Another washout immediately south of Victoria Bridge left the track suspended in mid-air. A new concrete retaining wall was installed, including a large drainage chamber.
Line 35: Line 35:
  
 
An appeal for help was launched within days, and many fellow railways as well as members of the public rallied round to help the SVR.  The final cost of repairs was approximately £3.7m.  Of this total, grants from the European Regional Development Fund, Advantage West Midlands and the Heritage Lottery Fund amounted to approximately £1.9m, insurance contributed approximately £1.0m with the balance met by funds from the public appeal and SVR reserves.  
 
An appeal for help was launched within days, and many fellow railways as well as members of the public rallied round to help the SVR.  The final cost of repairs was approximately £3.7m.  Of this total, grants from the European Regional Development Fund, Advantage West Midlands and the Heritage Lottery Fund amounted to approximately £1.9m, insurance contributed approximately £1.0m with the balance met by funds from the public appeal and SVR reserves.  
 +
 +
A description of some of the repair work undertaken by the SVR's Signal & Telecommunications Department is contained in this article from SVR News reproduced on their informal web site. ( [http://www.svrsig.org.uk/svr/Iss161.htm Link] )
  
 
==Sources==
 
==Sources==

Revision as of 15:39, 18 February 2015

How SVRSevern Valley Railway News reported the flood damage

A freak thunderstorm hit the Severn Valley Railway on the evening of Tuesday 19 June 2007, causing massive damage to the Railway’s infrastructure. Embankments collapsed, cuttings were filled with debris, and much other destruction took place.

An inspection of the line on Wednesday 20th June confirmed that only the section between Bewdley and Kidderminster was relatively unaffected and could remain open for passenger traffic. By Thursday 21st June the full implications for the Railway were understood and development of a recovery plan was under way. This would involve properly considered engineering solutions, not only to resolve the problems but hopefully to prevent them recurring.

Even as the recovery efforts began, the wet weather continued, culminating in another thunderstorm on 20 July 2007 which caused further damage towards the South end of the line. In total the line was breached in 45 separate locations between Bridgnorth and Northwood Halt.

Some of the worst affected places on the line and the repair work involved were as follows (from north to south):

  • Oldbury Viaduct: the track bed was washed out immediately south of the viaduct, and the face of the embankment began to slide towards Daniels Mill. To resolve the problem a retaining wall was built, consisting of 25 concrete piles up to 30 feet in depth capped with a concrete beam.
  • Knowlesands: Three sections of the railway were washed out in the area previously affected in November 2000. The repair involved replacing the unstable ground with ‘reinforced earth’, new fill material sandwiched with geotextile mesh.
  • Eardington Summit: Two cutting walls collapsed across the line, contaminating the track ballast. New cutting walls were built, reinforced with old concrete sleepers, and the track was re-ballasted.
  • Sterns: The traditional ‘weak spot’ was not affected during the storm itself, but further slips began in the following weeks. A 150 foot long piled concrete retaining wall was built alongside Sterns Cottage, and a great deal of ‘soil nailing’ was carried out.
  • Hampton Loade: The side of the embankment collapsed by the caravan park north of Hampton Loade station. The repair was achieved using ‘reinforced earth’ and the installation of new drainage.
  • Highley: A large portion of the embankment opposite the cattle dock and water tower collapsed, taking with it the Highley UpIn reference to the direction of travel means towards the major terminus (i.e. towards Kidderminster on the present day SVR) starting signal. To achieve a repair the water column and cattle dock had to be removed, and the unstable ground carefully dug out in stages to avoid further collapses. New drainage was installed and the ground repaired with ‘reinforced earth’. By November a single track had been re-installed allowing rail access to the areas affected further south. Further work was then required to reinstate the cattle dock and water tower, and also to give access to the new Engine House.
  • Borle viaduct: Another large collapse near Borle Viaduct was reported by a local farmer, who rang the Railway to ask “Do you know your embankment is in my field?” Once again the repair involved replacing the embankment with ‘reinforced earth’, supplemented by new drainage. The concrete and brick ‘training walls’ upstream and downstream of the viaduct itself also suffered cracking. Repairs were delayed for some months waiting for the water level in the brook to subside, but ultimately involved soil nailing and rock filled ‘gabion’ baskets. This was the final area to be reinstated shortly before the public re-opening of the full line in March 2008.
  • Victoria Bridge: Another washout immediately south of Victoria Bridge left the track suspended in mid-air. A new concrete retaining wall was installed, including a large drainage chamber.
  • Folly Point: Another traditional ‘weak point’ above the River Severn where the railway is carried on a series of gabion baskets supported on a stone wall. Storm water had displaced these gabion baskets, and the flood swollen river was threatening to undercut the stone wall. Within hours permission had been received to dump stone into the river to prevent further erosion. Work then took place to replace the gabions and the embankment above them, although the site had to be evacuated when adjacent parts of the hillside began to move. Work re-commenced once these had been made safe.
  • Northwood: The Northwood area was not significantly affected by the June thunderstorm, but cracks appeared in the embankment above Northwood Lane following the second storm in July. The road was closed while repairs were carried out. These involved sinking more than 450 ‘soil nails’ each up to 50 feet in length, together with new drainage and geotextile mesh reinforcement.

An idea of the amount of work involved can be gained from the following statistics:

  • 7,700 tonnes of debris were removed from the Railway
  • 31,000 tonnes of stone were brought in and used in repairs
  • Almost 2.5 miles of pipes were installed to provide new drainage
  • More than 4.5 miles of ‘soil nails’ were used to stabilise the ground

An appeal for help was launched within days, and many fellow railways as well as members of the public rallied round to help the SVRSevern Valley Railway. The final cost of repairs was approximately £3.7m. Of this total, grants from the European Regional Development Fund, Advantage West Midlands and the Heritage Lottery Fund amounted to approximately £1.9m, insurance contributed approximately £1.0m with the balance met by funds from the public appeal and SVRSevern Valley Railway reserves.

A description of some of the repair work undertaken by the SVRSevern Valley Railway's Signal & Telecommunications Department is contained in this article from SVRSevern Valley Railway News reproduced on their informal web site. ( Link )

Sources

Phil Sowden: ‘Severn Valley Recollections, The Story of the Big Flood’
SVRSevern Valley Railway News issue 158

See also

Severn Valley Railway Timeline 2000-2009