Changes

Jump to: navigation, search

Sterns

432 bytes added, 01:38, 26 June 2020
2020 movement
Sterns is a location between [[Hampton Loade]] and [[Bridgnorth]], at the foot of [[Eardington Bank]] at approximately MP 147. It is the point at which the [[River Severn]] is closest to the railway, and is notorious as a maintenance trouble spot, due to the ground regularly slipping towards the river many times over the history of the railway, especially after periods of heavy rain. The line of telegraph poles adjacent to the railway vividly illustrates this, with one post having been carried away from the line by ground movements since the mid-1970s<ref>SVR News 52 p26 notes that the poles were adjacent to the track until shortly before 1979.</ref>, now only just visible in the trees towards the river.
SVR News and newsletters regularly refers refer to repair work at Sterns. Some examples are as follows:
*Over the winter of [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1970-1979#1977 | 1976-77]], intense cold followed by heavy rain resulted in the line dropping 2ft 6" and moving 4ft nearer the river.
*In [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1990-1999#1995|1994-95]] ten feet of river bank was washed away, triggering further slippage. 3,000 tons of rock was deposited on the river bank as a temporary measure.
*In the [[2007 Storm Damage|Summer 2007 storm damage]], the first severe thunderstorm did not affect Sterns, but further slips began in the following weeks as the wet weather continued. Part of the solution involved building a 150 foot long piled concrete retaining wall alongside Sterns Cottage, the house alongside the line on the side nearer the river.
*In February 2014, evidence of further subsidence appeared with a significant dip in the line. Pictures of the repair work in progress can be seen in this news archive page on the [http://www.svrlive.com/Pages/News0414.aspx SVR Live] web site.
*Following [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 2020-2029#2020|extensive flooding in February 2020]] land movements were again observed. A comprehensive drainage network was proposed to collect rainwater and transport it to the river in an efficient manner before it can get down to the slip planes and exacerbate the problem.<ref>[https://www.svrlive.com/bljun20 Branch Lines, June 2020] (Retrieved 26 June 2020)</ref>
The section of line through Sterns was for many years under a strict 5mph speed limit, with drainage improvements and earthworks in 2013/14 finally allowing for the limit to be increased to 15mph (although further ground movement led to the reinstatement of a lower temporary speed limit soon after). A consequence of this speed restriction is that northbound trains are made to work harder as they are prevented from ‘taking a run’ at Eardington Bank.
Trustworthy, administrator
6,533
edits

Navigation menu