Work on Okehampton Line: progress updates

[Devonman2014]

Photo showing the trees being removed at Meldon, the equipment at north Tawton Stn mentioned previously and the blue lagoon at Meldon

 

[reddragon]

Tried the photos but file is this too large ??

The blue lagoon is the man made lake / bund with a number of chemicals in the water that cause it to look aqua blue, few hundred metres from meldon viaduct Stn towards okehampton.

I use the snipping tool t copy the images - much smaller!

 

[Cowley]

Photo showing the trees being removed at Meldon, the equipment at north Tawton Stn mentioned previously and the blue lagoon at Meldon

Thanks @Devonman2014.

 

[Devonman2014]

Looking in either direction from North Tawton Stn showing recently dropped CWR - was not there 2 weeks ago !

 

[D6130]

The second photo shows nicely the transition between FB switch & crossing work and BH plain line. (Apologies if that's slightly OT!).

 

[Dunfanaghy Rd]

The second photo shows nicely the transition between FB switch & crossing work and BH plain line. (Apologies if that's slightly OT!).

Which is worse, BH rail in rustbound chairs or FB rail with KT clips? Someone has a job on either way.
Pat

 

[Ash Bridge]

Tried the photos but file is this too large ??

The blue lagoon is the man made lake / bund with a number of chemicals in the water that cause it to look aqua blue, few hundred metres from meldon viaduct Stn towards okehampton.

Did you try uploading them individually?[\S]

Its amazing how quickly the infrastructure has got overgrown after just a year or so of disuse?

 

[yorkie]

Just a reminder infrastructure updates belong in this thread, but the following threads may also be of interest:

• Exeter to Okehampton services from May 2021 timetable
• Ideas/suggestions & other speculation for Okehampton / Exmouth lines

 

[Bald Rick]

Announced in the Budget today. (Para 2.132 of the budget report).

 

[davetheguard]

Announced in the Budget today. (Para 2.132 of the budget report).

Which says:

"This Budget will also unlock more than £40 million of funding to reinstate passenger services on the Okehampton to Exeter line, subject to final approval of costs and contracts."

So that sounds to me that there's still a final hoop to jump through - is that correct? Hopefully it is just a formality?

 

[21C101]

Announced in the Budget today. (Para 2.132 of the budget report).

Remarkably little (ie zero) media pickup from this so far.

If its ~£40 million, that is presumably for track renewal, GSM-R installation possible level crossing improvements like providing phones and hire of a DMU.

Assume the signalling dosent need anything done for a one train in steam service?

Which says:

"This Budget will also unlock more than £40 million of funding to reinstate passenger services on the Okehampton to Exeter line, subject to final approval of costs and contracts."

So that sounds to me that there's still a final hoop to jump through - is that correct? Hopefully it is just a formality?

My take is it means a sum of money has been provided and it will go ahead unless bids to do it exceed this sum.

Given the deposits of track etc, I suspect these details are already known but the big announcement cant be made until the contracts have been signed.

 

[Bald Rick]

So that sounds to me that there's still a final hoop to jump through - is that correct? Hopefully it is just a formality?

My take is it means a sum of money has been provided and it will go ahead unless bids to do it exceed this sum.

Yes that’s my take on it too, swapping ‘bids’ for ‘final estimate’.

 

[northernbelle]

Realtime trains is now showing the paths as bid - Exeter Central features for most services as predicted.

 

[davetheguard]

Thanks to 21C01 & Bald Rick for cutting through the Sir Humphrey speak and thereby clarifying things!

 

[PHILIPE]

Realtime trains is now showing the paths as bid - Exeter Central features for most services as predicted.

All the details have been posted here:-


www.railforums.co.uk/threads/exeter-to-okehampton-services-from-may-2021-timetable.214677/

 

[Devonman2014]

Remarkably little (ie zero) media pickup from this so far.

If its ~£40 million, that is presumably for track renewal, GSM-R installation possible level crossing improvements like providing phones and hire of a DMU.

Assume the signalling dosent need anything done for a one train in steam service?


My take is it means a sum of money has been provided and it will go ahead unless bids to do it exceed this sum.

Given the deposits of track etc, I suspect these details are already known but the big announcement cant be made until the contracts have been signed.

Correct and I’m under the impression that the contract exchange date is not far away now providing all goes to plan.

 

[21C101]

Correct and I’m under the impression that the contract exchange date is not far away now providing all goes to plan.

It looks like it will happen now, but as we saw with the Liverpool Light Rail and Met Line Extension, until the weightily challenged lady sings, nothing is guaranteed.

 

[REVUpminster]

Are Network rail doing all this work on tick? Have they purchased the sleepers and rail on sale or return?

 

[Devonman2014]

Are Network rail doing all this work on tick? Have they purchased the sleepers and rail on sale or return?

As everything delivered could ultimately be collected and used elsewhere I would imagine internally within NR transactions take place to credit the job and place it to another scheme if the oke job fell through.

There has been some minimal repairs made to the infrastructure so this, the physical labour and of course any delivery costs would be “lost money” to NR.

Saying that I very much doubt we would be this far down line with materials delivered, staff accommodation on site etc if there was any major chance NR could lose out and the job fall through.

These things just take time and patience gets rewarded is how I see it.

 

[Bald Rick]

As everything delivered could ultimately be collected and used elsewhere I would imagine internally within NR transactions take place to credit the job and place it to another scheme if the oke job fell through.

There has been some minimal repairs made to the infrastructure so this, the physical labour and of course any delivery costs would be “lost money” to NR.

Saying that I very much doubt we would be this far down line with materials delivered, staff accommodation on site etc if there was any major chance NR could lose out and the job fall through.

These things just take time and patience gets rewarded is how I see it.

There is zero chance NR could lose out, that’s not how it works. It’s all paid for after agreement by HMT.

 

[REVUpminster]

Empty ballast train coming off the Okehampton branch yesterday. Picture from facebook.



Two more freight movements Tuesday and Wednesday nights on realtime. They must start laying something sometime. I wonder if the tracklaying train might come down?

Anybody know what 6G70 is coming down on the 9 April? Odd line closure that week with the whole line closed then just Crediton to Barnstaple. Signalling? point moving?


The site has automatically linked the two posts

 

[Devonman2014]

View attachment 92248

Empty ballast train coming off the Okehampton branch yesterday. Picture from facebook.



Two more freight movements Tuesday and Wednesday nights on realtime. They must start laying something sometime. I wonder if the tracklaying train might come down?

Anybody know what 6G70 is coming down on the 9 April? Odd line closure that week with the whole line closed then just Crediton to Barnstaple. Signalling? point moving?


The site has automatically linked the two posts

Have no idea what the trains are bringing in this week although I have been told the track laying train is due on the line “soon”.

The 6G70 (and 6G71 early next morning on 10th) is for track works between Crediton and Exeter (think Newton St Cyres area is actual work site). Both 6G70 &71 leave on Sunday back to Westbury.

The week of the 12th maybe the bridge replacement and associated track works, points renewal etc at Penstone although last I heard this was due to be done in a closure in May - maybe a case of time will tell on that one....

Yesterday whilst in the area for work I popped by the various sites and found -

Penstone - as of this morning the road that leads to the bridge on the Barnstaple line closes until May. With the new bridge sitting close to the existing I think it is safe to say the April Barnstaple line closure is to replace this bridge.

Penstone junction - oke line , the track here is concrete sleepers and there has been no CWR dropped there so unsure if they got works to do at this location.

Just Okehampton side of former Bow Station is a level crossing, from here you can see there’s been CWR dropped in both directions. Also a rail mounted machine dropped in the hedgerow with some concrete sleepers.

Sampford Courtenay
There has been extensive vegetation clearance of the line, banks and station platform. The small compound that was there 2 weeks ago has gone with only a portaloo and a steel tool lock up still on site.

Okehampton Station - as has been noted previously there is a large compound containing a massive amount of new concrete sleepers and plant. Also noted was a small personnel carrier of which I have never seen before and looks like be fun to go on !!!

One thing I didn’t note was any new ballast - yet we had a ballast train down the line (as per post a few up) does anyone know where ballast was dropped ?
Cheers

 

[24Grange]

Where are hey going to bring the new ballast from for the relaying ? Scotland? Surely not Meldon - unless there is a load lying around to be picked up by a digger when the quarry closed? Nice set of pictures. Thanks

 

[Devonman2014]

Where are hey going to bring the new ballast from for the relaying ? Scotland? Surely not Meldon - unless there is a load lying around to be picked up by a digger when the quarry closed? Nice set of pictures. Thanks

Ballast comes from Eastleigh via Westbury as far as I am aware.
There is growing speculation Meldon is reopening to assist in provision of stone and ballast to HS 2.
Don’t think there has been official confirmation of this yet.

 

[yorkie]

There is growing speculation Meldon is reopening to assist in provision of stone and ballast to HS 2.

Perhaps someone would like to make a thread in the appropriate section

Edit: a thread now exists here:

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/could-meldon-quarry-reopen-and-if-so-could-passenger-services-also-resume.215212/

 

[30907]

Penstone junction - oke line , the track here is concrete sleepers and there has been no CWR dropped there so unsure if they got works to do at this location.

Thanks for the update. That's presumably Coleford Junction as was?

 

[Amlag]

Photo showing the trees being removed at Meldon, the equipment at north Tawton Stn mentioned previously and the blue lagoon at Meldon

The mobile lighting trailers etc pictured parked at North Tawton Stn are in connection with the NINE ( yes NINE! ) weeks of night time closures with resultant lengthy diversions ( unhelpfully, unlike the Railway, no actual start and finish times are shown on the yellow roadside warning notices !) of the A3124
Main road between De Bathe cross ( Near NT Stn) and Whiddon Down, for reactive repairs to the many large potholes and surface defects due increasingly heavy lorry and farm traffic damaging the poor formation/ foundations on the edges of this ( and numerous other ) roads.
To think that on the Okehampton line track renewals there are some rails of 1930's vintage and also some chaired concrete sleepers of 1948, many of whom will likely have a second life on a Heritage railway.

 

[fgwrich]

Ballast comes from Eastleigh via Westbury as far as I am aware.

And will itself I believe come from Mountsorrel Quarry - It's certainly not Scottish Ballast as it hasn't got that orange tint to it that a lot of the Scottish stuff does. That an I believe Mountsorrel provides the majority of ballast for NR.

 

[Devonman2014]

Thanks for the update. That's presumably Coleford Junction as was?

Yes it is, Penstone being the nearest village .... that and I couldn’t remember the junction name !!!

 

[REVUpminster]

690H in Exeter Yard arrived from Westbury. Ready to go to Okehampton or wherever at 22.43. Trailing load 1600 tons.