Isn’t the water lovely!
Midnight last night (19/20 Feb), it was clear that the pump was not coping with the leakage in through the emergency stop gates. I was told that the plan was to stanch off the section from Worcester Bar almost to Salvage Turn.
Assembling the staunch.
This morning, the work started on the coffer dam.
Though those guys are in decent dry suits, rather them than me.
The stop gate that caused the problem – finally wedged shut.
In addition to the pump in the workboat just behind the stop gate, there are now two larger pumps beside the footbridge, ready to start go.
To clarify exactly where the aqueduct / tunnels are, I have taken a photo of the 1899 10 foot to the mile ordnance survey map, and marked out the two rail tunnels (the one to Midland Railway’s Worcester Wharf goods yard, the MR Birmingham and West Suburban line (the current main line to the West Country) and Holliday Street tunnel.
Isn’t the detail on maps of this scale amazing! Click on the image to see it in more detail.
Exploring the part completed coffer dam!
(or you see why CRT put up barricades when the work was finished!)
The frames were left in, to be completed on Saturday.
The tunnel that the aqueduct runs over – five ways end.
Inside the tunnel – you could hear but not see the water flowing from the leak.
Water flowing from the tunnel