Difference between revisions of "Falling Sands Viaduct"
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[[File:Viaduct - geograph.org.uk - 499261.jpg | thumb|200px|right| Falling Sands Viaduct (Geograph)]] | [[File:Viaduct - geograph.org.uk - 499261.jpg | thumb|200px|right| Falling Sands Viaduct (Geograph)]] | ||
| − | Falling Sands Viaduct (Bridge 3) was completed in 1877 as part of the [[Kidderminster Loop Line]]. It carries the railway across the [[Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal]] Conservation Area and 64 feet above the River Stour, about a mile from [[Kidderminster]]. | + | '''Falling Sands Viaduct''' (Bridge 3) was designed by Edward Wilson, West Midlands Railway engineer, and was completed in 1877 as part of the [[Kidderminster Loop Line]].<ref name="CT">[https://www.fallingsandsviaduct.org.uk/post/journey-to-the-finish-line-a-look-back-at-phase-2-by-nick-yarwood CVR Charitable Trust's Falling Sands Viaduct website] (Retrieved 20 November 2021)</ref> It carries the railway across the [[Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal]] Conservation Area and 64 feet above the [[River Stour]], about a mile from [[Kidderminster]]. |
| + | |||
| + | ==Construction and commercial history== | ||
| + | The [[Loop Line specification and contract]] of 1874 specified that the masonry of the viaduct should be "''...of the best quality of Red Sandstone of the district''". In May 1875 the contractor Charles Dickinson wrote to the GWR explaining his difficulty in obtaining suitable stone for the piers of the viaduct and requesting the difference in price for it to be built entirely of brick, to which the GWR agreed.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Marshall (1989)]] pp. 81-82.</ref> Accordingly the viaduct was built of red brick. It is 132 yards in length, with seven arches of 46ft span.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Marshall (1989)]] p. 92.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
The Viaduct was also numbered as Bridge 3 during the BR era; the BR-era numbering plate, which may still be seen on the northern parapet, gives its location as [[Gradient profile and mileages#Mileages|135 miles 78 chains]]. | The Viaduct was also numbered as Bridge 3 during the BR era; the BR-era numbering plate, which may still be seen on the northern parapet, gives its location as [[Gradient profile and mileages#Mileages|135 miles 78 chains]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | During the early 1970s British Rail dismantled and rebuilt the parapets from the Bewdley end but stopping over half way across, between the canal and the river. This destroyed the stone-capped pilasters at the Bewdley end and the attractive blue brick bull-nosed corbelling running across the viaduct, which the original designers had provided to deflect water.<ref name="CT"/> It is believed that BR engineers were undertaking as much work as possible to the main structure within the budget, but were instructed 'decorative' work would be left off<ref group="note">The Charitable Trust's website refers to the 1980s. The SVR's consultant engineer, Jonathan Symonds, told Branch Lines in March 2020 that the Falling Sands Viaduct stonework was taken down by British Rail in the 1970s. A programme of replacement started but the project stalled half way across; the stonework being removed but never replaced. A reader, Allen Morgan, responded by email on 19 November 2021: "From mid 1969 to late 1972 I worked at the sugar beet factory. I was involved in the model railway exhibition circuit and the factory manager was also a rail enthusiast. During part of that time repair work was being carried out by BR on the viaduct. It was suggested to the manager, and passed to me, that as much as possible was being done to the main structure but within the budget some 'decorative' work would be left off. True or not I can't confirm, but I think likely"</ref>. | ||
==Closure== | ==Closure== | ||
===Passenger services=== | ===Passenger services=== | ||
| − | The last scheduled passenger service over the | + | The last scheduled passenger service over the viaduct was the 19:20 DMU from Bewdley to Kidderminster on Saturday 3 January 1970, with passenger services between being formally withdrawn from 5 January 1970.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Marshall (1989)]] p. 164.</ref> When the SVR acquired the southern section of the line between [[Alveley Sidings]] and [[Foley Park]], the Viaduct remained in the section of the line still owned by BR. Following the SVR's reopening of Bewdley in 1974, BR ran a number of summer weekend DMU specials between their Kidderminster station and Bewdley. One of these was photographed on the Viaduct on 11 September 1982 during that year’s Enthusiasts Weekend.<ref>SVR News 66,67</ref> The last passengers to cross the Viaduct under BR ownership were on the “Severn Valley Enterprise” rail tour from Bewdley to Paddington and back on 8 October 1983. |
===Freight services=== | ===Freight services=== | ||
| Line 11: | Line 17: | ||
==Preservation== | ==Preservation== | ||
| − | The line between Foley Park and Kidderminster, including the | + | The line between Foley Park and Kidderminster, including the viaduct, was acquired from BR in 1984, with passenger services commencing on 30 July 1984. |
| − | == | + | ===Repairs=== |
| − | + | The all-brick construction of the viaduct meant that historically it had required relatively little structural maintenance when compared with the sandstone viaducts at [[Wribbenhall Viaduct|Wribbenhall]] and elsewhere. However by around 2015 it had been determined that extensive repairs were needed to secure the Viaduct. Water had seeped into the structure causing cracks and erosion, and a speed restriction became necessary. | |
===2016 HLF bid rejected=== | ===2016 HLF bid rejected=== | ||
| Line 22: | Line 28: | ||
In June 2017 the Trust secured £71,800 of HLF financial backing to develop a bid seeking £927,000 from the HLF for a large part of the quoted £1.324 million total project cost. The SVR met the challenge of raising matched funding of £397,000 (originally £275,000) for which the Trust co-ordinated efforts through a campaign entitled "'''Helping hands for Falling Sands'''". Preliminary structural investigations in Summer 2018 had revealed two gas mains, one live, which increased the cost and SVR's contribution. | In June 2017 the Trust secured £71,800 of HLF financial backing to develop a bid seeking £927,000 from the HLF for a large part of the quoted £1.324 million total project cost. The SVR met the challenge of raising matched funding of £397,000 (originally £275,000) for which the Trust co-ordinated efforts through a campaign entitled "'''Helping hands for Falling Sands'''". Preliminary structural investigations in Summer 2018 had revealed two gas mains, one live, which increased the cost and SVR's contribution. | ||
| − | The Trust submitted its bid on 26 October 2018 and on 25 March 2019 announced the award of a further £853,800 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund which together with the earlier grant took the total amount of its funding to £925,600. The grant, along with other funds raised, | + | The Trust submitted its bid on 26 October 2018 and on 25 March 2019 announced the award of a further £853,800 grant from The [[:Category:Lottery funding#National_Lottery_Heritage_Fund|National Lottery Heritage Fund]] which together with the earlier grant took the total amount of its funding to £925,600. The grant, along with other funds raised, was used to restore the Viaduct and to launch a programme of community engagement and exhibitions that explore the Railway’s early history. In August 2019 the Trust unveiled a large donation wall at [[The Engine House]] acknowledging the individuals, organisations and businesses who had donated to the "Helping Hands for Falling Sands" appeal, and in 2020 an exhibition was held there. [[LMS 2886 Six-wheel Passenger Brake (later 32919)|LMS six-wheel Passenger Brake 2886]] was adapted to host a mobile exhibition. |
| + | |||
| + | ===2019-20 repair work=== | ||
| + | The timing was chosen to make the most of the annual six week shutdown period, with the work to be fully completed by the autumn in two phases.<ref>[https://www.svr.co.uk/NewsItem.aspx?a=875 SVR website]</ref>. The first stage necessitated closure of the railway between Bewdley and Kidderminster from the end of [[Christmas services]] with the line reopening at Easter. Phase 2 from May 2020 would involve replacing damaged brickwork and corbelling, and repointing throughout.<ref>[http://svrtrust.org.uk/our-projects/falling-sands-viaduct.html 'Falling Sands Viaduct', Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust website] (Retrieved 20 November 2018)</ref><ref>Shareholders' Newsletter, undated</ref><ref>SVR News 203, 204</ref><ref>[https://www.svrlive.com/epnovember18 Express Points November 2018]</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | Repair work began at the very end of December 2019 with the lifting of the track by a team of volunteers and paid staff. External contractors then removed the ballast and fill from the viaduct. After the infill was removed, the contractors improved the drainage channels and added a waterproof membrane, before putting everything back together. These works were essentially complete when interrupted in March by [[2020 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic|coronavirus disease (COVID-19)]], although track was not joined and signalling not yet in place. | ||
| + | |||
| + | While the railway remained closed, the contractors began work on stage 2. Easing of lockdown restrictions allowed work on stage 1 to restart in the week of 19 June, with laying of rail completed on 25 June. The following day [[BR Class 50 50035 Ark Royal]] became the first train to cross the viaduct since December while delivering S&T equipment for the new [[Ground Frames at Foley Park|Foley Park ground frame]].<ref name="bljul20">[https://www.svrlive.com/bljul20 Branch Lines, July 2020]</ref> Discovery of roosting bats held up repairs while a licence was obtained from Natural England to allow work to be carried out.<ref name="bljul20"/> Work recommenced in August,<ref>[https://www.svrlive.com/blsep20 Branch Lines newsletter, September 2020] (Retrieved 29 August 2020)</ref> and the civil engineering work was completed in mid-December with the final piece of corbelling being slotted into place. The contractors then left the site.<ref name=bljan21>[https://www.svrlive.com/bljan21 Branch Lines, January 2021]</ref> | ||
| − | + | On 1 December 2021 the project was highly commended at the [[Awards|National Railway Heritage Awards]].<ref>[https://www.svrlive.com/bldec21 Branch Lines, December 2021]</ref> In 2022 10 navvies who perished during the construction of the Severn Valley Railway were honoured with a commemorative blue plaque<ref>[https://www.svrlive.com/bldec22 Branch Lines, December 2022]</ref>. | |
<gallery> | <gallery> | ||
| Line 30: | Line 43: | ||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
| + | ==Note== | ||
| + | <references group="note"/> | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
| − | [[Worcester Road Bridge | Towards Kidderminster]] | + | *[[Worcester Road Bridge | Towards Kidderminster]] |
| − | [[List of infrastructure]] | + | *[[List of infrastructure]] |
| − | [[Underbridge off Lisle Avenue | Towards Bridgnorth]] | + | *[[Underbridge off Lisle Avenue | Towards Bridgnorth]] |
| − | [[Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust Ltd]] | + | *[[Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust Ltd]] |
==References== | ==References== | ||
| Line 41: | Line 56: | ||
==Links== | ==Links== | ||
| − | [http://svrtrust.org.uk/ Charitable Trust website] | + | *[http://svrtrust.org.uk/ Charitable Trust website] |
| − | [https://www.svrlive.com/charitable-trust SVRLive page] | + | *[https://www.svrlive.com/charitable-trust SVRLive page] |
| − | [https://www.fallingsandsviaduct.org.uk/ Falling Sands Viaduct website] | + | *[https://www.fallingsandsviaduct.org.uk/ Falling Sands Viaduct website] |
[[Category:Lottery funding]] | [[Category:Lottery funding]] | ||
[[Category:Featured articles]] | [[Category:Featured articles]] | ||
Latest revision as of 14:40, 8 December 2022
Falling Sands Viaduct (Bridge 3) was designed by Edward Wilson, West Midlands Railway engineer, and was completed in 1877 as part of the Kidderminster Loop Line.[1] It carries the railway across the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal Conservation Area and 64 feet above the River Stour, about a mile from Kidderminster.
Construction and commercial history
The Loop Line specification and contract of 1874 specified that the masonry of the viaduct should be "...of the best quality of Red Sandstone of the district". In May 1875 the contractor Charles Dickinson wrote to the GWRGreat Western Railway explaining his difficulty in obtaining suitable stone for the piers of the viaduct and requesting the difference in price for it to be built entirely of brick, to which the GWRGreat Western Railway agreed.[2] Accordingly the viaduct was built of red brick. It is 132 yards in length, with seven arches of 46ft span.[3]
The Viaduct was also numbered as Bridge 3 during the BRBritish Rail or British Railways era; the BRBritish Rail or British Railways-era numbering plate, which may still be seen on the northern parapet, gives its location as 135 miles 78 chains.
During the early 1970s British Rail dismantled and rebuilt the parapets from the Bewdley end but stopping over half way across, between the canal and the river. This destroyed the stone-capped pilasters at the Bewdley end and the attractive blue brick bull-nosed corbelling running across the viaduct, which the original designers had provided to deflect water.[1] It is believed that BRBritish Rail or British Railways engineers were undertaking as much work as possible to the main structure within the budget, but were instructed 'decorative' work would be left off[note 1].
Closure
Passenger services
The last scheduled passenger service over the viaduct was the 19:20 DMUDiesel Multiple Unit from Bewdley to Kidderminster on Saturday 3 January 1970, with passenger services between being formally withdrawn from 5 January 1970.[4] When the SVRSevern Valley Railway acquired the southern section of the line between Alveley Sidings and Foley Park, the Viaduct remained in the section of the line still owned by BRBritish Rail or British Railways. Following the SVRSevern Valley Railway's reopening of Bewdley in 1974, BRBritish Rail or British Railways ran a number of summer weekend DMUDiesel Multiple Unit specials between their Kidderminster station and Bewdley. One of these was photographed on the Viaduct on 11 September 1982 during that year’s Enthusiasts Weekend.[5] The last passengers to cross the Viaduct under BRBritish Rail or British Railways ownership were on the “Severn Valley Enterprise” rail tour from Bewdley to Paddington and back on 8 October 1983.
Freight services
After crossing the viaduct when travelling toward Bewdley, the area of land on the left of the line was the site of the former British Sugar Corporation's Foley Park Factory. Freight services between the factory and Kidderminster continued after 1970, finally ending with the factory’s closure in late 1982.[6] The last visible structures on the site, two large silos, were demolished in 2012 and the area is now being developed for housing.
Preservation
The line between Foley Park and Kidderminster, including the viaduct, was acquired from BRBritish Rail or British Railways in 1984, with passenger services commencing on 30 July 1984.
Repairs
The all-brick construction of the viaduct meant that historically it had required relatively little structural maintenance when compared with the sandstone viaducts at Wribbenhall and elsewhere. However by around 2015 it had been determined that extensive repairs were needed to secure the Viaduct. Water had seeped into the structure causing cracks and erosion, and a speed restriction became necessary.
2016 HLFHeritage Lottery Fund (National Lottery Heritage Fund from 2019) bid rejected
On 6 September 2016 the HLFHeritage Lottery Fund (National Lottery Heritage Fund from 2019) rejected a bid from the Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust Ltd for £902,200 but "agreed the project as a medium priority for support" and "noted that a strengthened resubmission that addressed [its] concerns would be welcomed." The concerns were "that community engagement and interpretation plans were not sufficiently strong."[7]
2017-19 National Lottery Heritage Fund bid
In June 2017 the Trust secured £71,800 of HLFHeritage Lottery Fund (National Lottery Heritage Fund from 2019) financial backing to develop a bid seeking £927,000 from the HLFHeritage Lottery Fund (National Lottery Heritage Fund from 2019) for a large part of the quoted £1.324 million total project cost. The SVRSevern Valley Railway met the challenge of raising matched funding of £397,000 (originally £275,000) for which the Trust co-ordinated efforts through a campaign entitled "Helping hands for Falling Sands". Preliminary structural investigations in Summer 2018 had revealed two gas mains, one live, which increased the cost and SVRSevern Valley Railway's contribution.
The Trust submitted its bid on 26 October 2018 and on 25 March 2019 announced the award of a further £853,800 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund which together with the earlier grant took the total amount of its funding to £925,600. The grant, along with other funds raised, was used to restore the Viaduct and to launch a programme of community engagement and exhibitions that explore the Railway’s early history. In August 2019 the Trust unveiled a large donation wall at The Engine House acknowledging the individuals, organisations and businesses who had donated to the "Helping Hands for Falling Sands" appeal, and in 2020 an exhibition was held there. LMS six-wheel Passenger Brake 2886 was adapted to host a mobile exhibition.
2019-20 repair work
The timing was chosen to make the most of the annual six week shutdown period, with the work to be fully completed by the autumn in two phases.[8]. The first stage necessitated closure of the railway between Bewdley and Kidderminster from the end of Christmas services with the line reopening at Easter. Phase 2 from May 2020 would involve replacing damaged brickwork and corbelling, and repointing throughout.[9][10][11][12]
Repair work began at the very end of December 2019 with the lifting of the track by a team of volunteers and paid staff. External contractors then removed the ballast and fill from the viaduct. After the infill was removed, the contractors improved the drainage channels and added a waterproof membrane, before putting everything back together. These works were essentially complete when interrupted in March by coronavirus disease (COVID-19), although track was not joined and signalling not yet in place.
While the railway remained closed, the contractors began work on stage 2. Easing of lockdown restrictions allowed work on stage 1 to restart in the week of 19 June, with laying of rail completed on 25 June. The following day BR Class 50 50035 Ark Royal became the first train to cross the viaduct since December while delivering S&TSignals & Telegraph equipment for the new Foley Park ground frame.[13] Discovery of roosting bats held up repairs while a licence was obtained from Natural England to allow work to be carried out.[13] Work recommenced in August,[14] and the civil engineering work was completed in mid-December with the final piece of corbelling being slotted into place. The contractors then left the site.[15]
On 1 December 2021 the project was highly commended at the National Railway Heritage Awards.[16] In 2022 10 navvies who perished during the construction of the Severn Valley Railway were honoured with a commemorative blue plaque[17].
View of the viaduct in January 2020 with the infill removed.
Note
- ↑ The Charitable Trust's website refers to the 1980s. The SVRSevern Valley Railway's consultant engineer, Jonathan Symonds, told Branch Lines in March 2020 that the Falling Sands Viaduct stonework was taken down by British Rail in the 1970s. A programme of replacement started but the project stalled half way across; the stonework being removed but never replaced. A reader, Allen Morgan, responded by email on 19 November 2021: "From mid 1969 to late 1972 I worked at the sugar beet factory. I was involved in the model railway exhibition circuit and the factory manager was also a rail enthusiast. During part of that time repair work was being carried out by BRBritish Rail or British Railways on the viaduct. It was suggested to the manager, and passed to me, that as much as possible was being done to the main structure but within the budget some 'decorative' work would be left off. True or not I can't confirm, but I think likely"
See also
- Towards Kidderminster
- List of infrastructure
- Towards Bridgnorth
- Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust Ltd
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 CVR Charitable Trust's Falling Sands Viaduct website (Retrieved 20 November 2021)
- ↑ Marshall (1989) pp. 81-82.
- ↑ Marshall (1989) p. 92.
- ↑ Marshall (1989) p. 164.
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 66,67
- ↑ Railways in Worcestershire (retrieved 23 April 2018)
- ↑ Minutes - Heritage Lottery Fund: Committee for West Midlands Meeting on 6 September 2016
- ↑ SVR website
- ↑ 'Falling Sands Viaduct', Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust website (Retrieved 20 November 2018)
- ↑ Shareholders' Newsletter, undated
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 203, 204
- ↑ Express Points November 2018
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Branch Lines, July 2020
- ↑ Branch Lines newsletter, September 2020 (Retrieved 29 August 2020)
- ↑ Branch Lines, January 2021
- ↑ Branch Lines, December 2021
- ↑ Branch Lines, December 2022
