Dawlish Avoiding Line - ongoing discussion, merged topic

[whole diary]

[FlyingDutchman]

Thanks

Guy

[34104]

Won't Dawlish Warren be where the line is breached first?

Therefore, the branch will be Newton Abbot to  Dawlish and no branch South along the river from Exemouth.

If Bere Alston Tavistock is a goer then Okehampton Tavistock is the obvious first route to cope with the first problems of the seawall. Hopefully someone DaFT^» (Department for Transport - critical sounding abbreviation I discourage - about) Devon CC et al is safeguarding the route from development.

Has any of it been given to Sustrans because that could be a major problem with their instance of a cycle way by the railway?

Then the  inland route from Exeter to Newton Abbot.

Part of the route is a cyclepath [the Granite way] between Meldon viaduct and Lydford,with a couple of diversions due to landowner objections.After Lydford,the route is pretty much clear [but overgrown] as far as the outskirts of Tavistock,where it once more becomes a cyclepath,then some encroachment has taken place on the trackbed from gardens and infill in Tavistock itself.Nothing serious though,if the powers that be were to decide that the line needed to be reopened,then the civil engineering would not be a major problem [leaving out Meldon viaduct strengthening],only a bridge or two missing or filled in on the entire route.Don't think sustrans would have much say in the matter if the scheme was backed by DCC^» (Devon County Council - website) or government,could be a fair while yet,though,before that happens.

[woody]

Not sure now politically acceptable it would be to cut cornwall off from therail network.

i suspect that in reality the Dawlish route will continue to be used for many years even when it starts being closd more frequntly for high water and/or subsequnt repairs.  We dn't do future planning very well in the country.

Sounds about right to me,I suspect that the powers that be are working on the basis of the probability that a major breach or breachs occuring will be far enough in the future that A-it wont be their problem and B-the hope that ultimately there wont be a need for rail link west of Exeter to Plymouth and Cornwall as aviation develops in the 21st century. 

[Chafford1]

Not sure now politically acceptable it would be to cut cornwall off from therail network.

i suspect that in reality the Dawlish route will continue to be used for many years even when it starts being closd more frequntly for high water and/or subsequnt repairs.  We dn't do future planning very well in the country.

Sounds about right to me,I suspect that the powers that be are working on the basis of the probability that a major breach or breachs occuring will be far enough in the future that A-it wont be their problem and B-the hope that ultimately there wont be a need for rail link west of Exeter to Plymouth and Cornwall as aviation develops in the 21st century. 

With climate change and peak oil, aviation will be on its way out.

[34104]

The CPRE^▸ (Campaign to Protect Rural England) have called for a feasibility study into the possible reopening of Okehampton to Bere Alston;


http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/reopen-old-train-line-Plymouth-Exeter/article-1853293-detail/article.html

Not very good at links but if it doesn't work,google This is Plymouth,Western Morning News.I don't know how much influence the CPRE have got,but it can't harm any chance of a possible reopening,i guess.

[Phil]

With climate change and peak oil, aviation will be on its way out.

I wouldn't bet on that. There's plans afoot to resurrect the airship - something I've often thought would be ideally suited to short-haul flights from the UK^▸ (United Kingdom):

11 November 2009
Electronics Newsweekly
^ Copyright 2009 Electronics Newsweekly via NewsRx.com 

(VerticalNews.com) -- "In a previous work it has been demonstrated that solar radiation intercepted by an unconventional airship is sufficient for all energetic needs for civil uses, namely broadcasting and telecommunications. This article analyses the energetic feasibility of an airship, named PSICHE (acronym for 'photovoltaic stratospheric isle for conversion in hydrogen as energy vector')," investigators in Italy report.

"It demonstrates the economic and industrial feasibility of high altitude production of electrolytic hydrogen fed by a photovoltaic plant. The most important aspects connected with high quote and hydrogen and oxygen production are discussed," wrote A. Dumas and colleagues, University of Modena.

The researchers concluded: "The advantages of this kind of hydrogen production are presented together with the environmental benefits of the system."

Dumas and colleagues published their study in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part G - Journal of Aerospace Engineering (Photovoltaic stratospheric isle for conversion in hydrogen as energy vector. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part G - Journal of Aerospace Engineering, 2009;223(G6):769-777).

[danregs]

The latest update from this, if you guys haven't seen already...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/8555272.stm

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

i think that last link says more about the poor build quality of the voyagers

[RailCornwall]

.... or the lack of AXC^» (Arriva Cross Country - about)'s willingness to do either remedial work to the vehicles or the requisite repair work if they fail.

Dawlish does have it's difficulties yes, but they are far less than people tend to think they are.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

says something if fgw can get there pacers threw it but axc cant i tent to agree they just cant be bothered

[paul7575]

I'm sure if somebody has discovered a way of completely waterproofing the air cooled wire wound resistor banks used by the Voyager braking system, Bombardier would love to hear from you.

Paul

[Tim]

I'm sure if somebody has discovered a way of completely waterproofing the air cooled wire wound resistor banks used by the Voyager braking system, Bombardier would love to hear from you.

Paul

Would it not be possible to disconnect the resistive braking and use the good old-fashioned friction brakes when the tide is high?

Of perhaps AXC^» (Arriva Cross Country - about) could take their HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) out of storage and use those (or drag the Voyagers behind class 57?). 

Or radical solution, I know but if Voyagers are unsuitable for the route on which they run, then replace them with alternative stock (class 180?) and cascade the voyagers to inland long distance routes like Cardiff-Manchester.  There is only one class of train which is susceptible to salt water spray.  It is idiotic to allocate it to the only mainline route that gets regulary drenced in said spray. 

Bombardier's design is fundamentally flawed and may be difficult or impossible to fix, but I am not convinced that a sensible work-around could not be thought up if AXC could be bothered.   Cancelling the trains is too easy an option and AXC ought to be severly financially puniched when it does that. 

 

[eightf48544]

 Cancelling the trains is too easy an option and AXC^» (Arriva Cross Country - about) ought to be severly financially puniched when it does that.

Doesn't high tide count as an "Act of God" an therefore makes AXC not liable to pay compensation when they can't run their voyagers along the sea wall.

Also technically isn't Networkrail responsible for allowing seawater to spray the tracks in the first palce?

Something for the "bean counters" and "legal leeches" to sort out at great cost.

[devon_metro]

The way I see it, FGW^▸ (First Great Western) operate trains past the section without issue thus it is the fault of Cross Country. If they can't find a work around to the issue they need to sort out as its not the passengers problems especially when they dump you at a freezing cold train station waiting for the next FGW service meaning you get home late etc 

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

It's basically the same as building a train with a paper roof and saying it can't run in the rain