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Deforestation of SSR line at Pleck

Posted by ROB on October 28, 2012 at 4:35 AM

 

Work continues at Walsall Pleck


How pleck junction looked back in August 2011


Deforestation of a small section of the South Staffs Line (Walsall to Stourbridge) has been nearly finished by Network Rail contractors. On- trackplant machinery have been seen cutting back trees and undergrowth and preparing the track on the out of use line between Pleck junction & Wednesbury JunctionGate on the mothballed line.

 

It is believed it is related to resignalling work in the Walsall/ Bescotarea. Freightliner who normally use Bescot Yard to run around there Rugeley Power Station coal trains are believed to have partly funded the works, as an alternative run around rather than using there competitors  (former EWS) DB Schenker.

 



March 2012                                                                         October 2012

March 2012                                                                           October 2012


From Wallows Lane bridge you can now see straight towards Wedsnesbury (M6 motorway bridge) for the first time in years.


The trackbed seems to be in rather good condition, it seems that some parts of the track have been replaced in sections, with the track its self seems to have been weeded, either by hand or some other tracked vehicle.





The photo below (Google maps) shows the line just past the gates under the M6 bridge. It shows the new bridge which can be seen whilst driving around to Wednesbury Ikea ect. The track was never replaced across the new section.

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8 Comments

Reply Dave Cres
12:37 PM on October 28, 2012 
Those track lengths must have been placed there since I reported to you Rob the fencing gates had been removed.
Reply mark
1:53 PM on October 28, 2012 
Wonder how far up the track bed they will be going? I can make out some new sections of track in the zoomed in photo of the M6 bridge.
Reply ROB
2:27 PM on October 28, 2012 
mark says...
Wonder how far up the track bed they will be going? I can make out some new sections of track in the zoomed in photo of the M6 bridge.

Ive uploaded a new photo that shows just past the zoomed in photograph you have mentioned. Im sure some kind of points will have to be installed.
Reply Jonathan
8:52 AM on October 29, 2012 
There will be a set of hand points at the end of the new loop.
Reply mark
9:08 AM on October 30, 2012 
Jonathan says...
There will be a set of hand points at the end of the new loop.

Do you know how far the loop is going? As the google maps photo above shows the new Wednesbury bridge with no track.
Reply Jonathan
11:49 AM on October 30, 2012 
I can find out the exact length, but it will be enough to fit a 66 and 20 or 21 HTA wagons.
Reply mark
1:25 PM on October 30, 2012 
Jonathan says...
I can find out the exact length, but it will be enough to fit a 66 and 20 or 21 HTA wagons.

Yeah that would be interesting, ive tried to find out the length of HTA wagons with no results. Class 70's run the Rugeley Power Station aswell as 66's. Not much in it with a 70 being 21.710 metres and a 66 being 21.4 metres in length. It must take the loop's length past the m6 bridge?
Reply Dave Cres
4:46 PM on November 8, 2012 
Last weekend engineers lifted some of the track between Morrisons and what was the gate across the SSR and have lifted some of the track and stored it further up the SSR line whilst replacing ballast and wooden sleepers with concrete ones. There is still plenty of work to be done on that part of line. This i suspect will be done when line is closed again on Sunday 18th November.