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Cowley Bridge Junction - likely to flood again?

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swt_passenger

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FGW drivers (Exeter based) are route learning into Waterloo for when Reading is closed again some time in 2014. I am not sure if it is just between Westbury - Sailsbury and into Waterloo or if it includes Exeter - Yeovil. I would have though that some drivers are maintained route knowledge of Exeter - Castle Cary Via Yeovil Junction & Pen Mill.

There's no evidence that FGW will need to run to Waterloo up the main line again until Easter 2015. (That is, the 2014 Engineering Access Statement has no Waterloo diversions showing for Western Route, although the 2015 version does - for the one long weekend.) As I understand it the Reading station area track layout itself will be mostly finished within a couple of months, and I can't think of anything much remaining to be done concerning the western viaducts that would need the entire route to be closed in the way they did at Christmas/NewYear 2010/11 and Easter last year.

The recent route learning may be more to do with the Whiteball Tunnel blockade, for about three weeks in January/February coming up?
 
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HowardGWR

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Outstanding work from Network Rail.

Assuming reference is to Taunton to Exeter, indeed.

The SWT has run no trains at all today from Exeter to Salisbury (nor will looking at the web site).
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1E63 1524 Plymouth to Leeds has just taken a half hour dead to get from Taunton to Bristol (45 miles). That's not shabby today of all days.
 

louis97

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Exeter to Tiverton Parkway is now open, can only assume the flooding at Hele level crossing has subsided and the flood defenses at Cowley Bridge have been removed. First trains through left Tiverton Parkway at 1608 and Exeter St Davids at 1634.
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20mph speed restriction over Staffords Bridge, which is between Cowley Bridge and Stoke Canon Level Crossing, just east of Cowley Bridge.
 
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embers25

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Assuming reference is to Taunton to Exeter, indeed.

The SWT has run no trains at all today from Exeter to Salisbury (nor will looking at the web site).
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
1E63 1524 Plymouth to Leeds has just taken a half hour dead to get from Taunton to Bristol (45 miles). That's not shabby today of all days.

Despite what the SWT website says the 1726 from Exeter to Salisbury is running and has made it as far as Sherborne only 25 mins late.
 

Goatboy

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Exeter to Tiverton Parkway is now open, can only assume the flooding at Hele level crossing has subsided and the flood defenses at Cowley Bridge have been removed. First trains through left Tiverton Parkway at 1608 and Exeter St Davids at 1634.

This suggests Cowley Bridge didn't actually flood but was succesfully defended against doing so by Network Rail, and that the actual flooding was at Hele Crossing. Is this correct?
 

louis97

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This suggests Cowley Bridge didn't actually flood but was succesfully defended against doing so by Network Rail, and that the actual flooding was at Hele Crossing. Is this correct?

I believe so, remember though that the flood defenses are only there to protect the relay room down the line, if the junction had flooded it would not of opened straight away as ballast would of been washed away - so it looks like the junction was not flooded/affected at all.

Good precaution taken though by Network Rail, although it would seem a bit extreme as what happened last year was far more extreme than this with regards to the amount of rain, as it was far more prolonged and was falling on land that was already soaked. Perhaps if the storm on 27th December is just as bad we might see the junction totally washed out again, if land is already soaked that is.
 

HowardGWR

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Despite what the SWT website says the 1726 from Exeter to Salisbury is running and has made it as far as Sherborne only 25 mins late.

Yes I saw that too and good on them (although I hate to think of what the conditions on board could be if a whole day's worth of pax boarded).
 

455driver

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Hele LC was flooded and the decision was made to put the inflatable booms across at Cowley 'just in case', unfortunately a proving train had just been sent up to Barnstaple and so was trapped on the branchline but it didnt get through because of flooding at Eggesford! :lol:
 

TEW

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Think a 143 got stuck at Crediton for over a week last year when Cowley Bridge flooded.
 

TEW

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It was definitely quite a long time. It was stabled just the Barnstaple side of the station mostly IIRC.
 

47245

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There was also engineering work going on at the time so a couple of 66s were also stuck, one at Eggesford and one at Portsmouth Arms I think.
 

PHILIPE

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Think a 143 got stuck at Crediton for over a week last year when Cowley Bridge flooded.

An ATW 150/2 was recently stranded at Llanwrst North on the Conwy Valley Line for several days waiting re-opening of the line following floods.
 

simon.exd

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This suggests Cowley Bridge didn't actually flood but was succesfully defended against doing so by Network Rail, and that the actual flooding was at Hele Crossing. Is this correct?

Not really... the water levels were nowhere near high enough to encroach onto the tracks at Cowley Bridge...
 

455driver

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Cowley didnt flood and wasnt "successfully defended against".

The booms are there to keep (most of) the water out of the relay room, the track over the junction itself is allowed to flood and there is no defence against that.
 
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