Another Civil Engineers day out on the Midland line with a return to Blackburn Meadows - 6509+511
* Blackburn Meadows
Wasn't sure about doing this as parking isn't all that easy, access to a decent view to the north isn't that easy and cars rattle past well beyond the speed limit some, very alarmingly so. Having negotiated both the low metal barriers and the hurtling traffic, from the southern end of the viaduct, the view was well-worth the effort, the greenery another matter. The work-site extended from just the other side of the bridge deck, around the curve towards Jordan Lock, the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation and the River Don, just being over on the right, in the shot on the left. A wide roll of what looked like white PVC matting was being laid in the excavated-out ballast pit with, in the distance, work proceeding to lay new ballast from the back of the 1400 tonne train onto the top of the new matting. The rollers were out as well following? the cranes as they scooped the material out of the NR, yellow JNA wagons, and placed it on top of the base material.. the logistics look superbly worked out, though with the limitation of time this work is subject too, before midnight Sunday to the early hours of Monday morning, around 20 hours, things have to be this way. The line was open again on Monday morning with services running once more, a Stourton Cemex train ran past on the undisturbed line, a few minutes late, at 04:56, en-route to the Peak Forest, the 1st working of Monday morning; the first passenger service ran along the relaid line about a half hour later... on the right Colas class 70, 70813, stands ready with a rake of spent and new ballast, coming into the Possession on the 6C82, Belmont Down Yard to Masbrough Junction, working and will leave at 16:43 this afternoon on the same working number, this time, having drawn forward to Brightside, it will leave from there, like DBS 66113, and head off to Toton North Yard.
Another Civil Engineers day out on the Midland line with a return to Blackburn Meadows - 6509+511
* Blackburn Meadows
Wasn't sure about doing this as parking isn't all that easy, access to a decent view to the north isn't that easy and cars rattle past well beyond the speed limit some, very alarmingly so. Having negotiated both the low metal barriers and the hurtling traffic, from the southern end of the viaduct, the view was well-worth the effort, the greenery another matter. The work-site extended from just the other side of the bridge deck, around the curve towards Jordan Lock, the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation and the River Don, just being over on the right, in the shot on the left. A wide roll of what looked like white PVC matting was being laid in the excavated-out ballast pit with, in the distance, work proceeding to lay new ballast from the back of the 1400 tonne train onto the top of the new matting. The rollers were out as well following? the cranes as they scooped the material out of the NR, yellow JNA wagons, and placed it on top of the base material.. the logistics look superbly worked out, though with the limitation of time this work is subject too, before midnight Sunday to the early hours of Monday morning, around 20 hours, things have to be this way. The line was open again on Monday morning with services running once more, a Stourton Cemex train ran past on the undisturbed line, a few minutes late, at 04:56, en-route to the Peak Forest, the 1st working of Monday morning; the first passenger service ran along the relaid line about a half hour later... on the right Colas class 70, 70813, stands ready with a rake of spent and new ballast, coming into the Possession on the 6C82, Belmont Down Yard to Masbrough Junction, working and will leave at 16:43 this afternoon on the same working number, this time, having drawn forward to Brightside, it will leave from there, like DBS 66113, and head off to Toton North Yard.