Baiter Park Bridge replacement 09th September 2006
Originally started in November 2003, as part of a £150 million construction partnership between Network Rail and Nuttall Construction, then postponed in 2004, the weekend of September 9th finally saw the installation of a new bridge over the water inlet to Poole Park. This was originally scheduled to happen in February 2004 but this was cancelled due to atrocious weather conditions including driving rain and gale force winds which would have been dangerous for the bridge lift to take place. Installation was further held up as tests on the current state of the original 2003 made bridge sections were deemed unsafe due to the wrong type of concrete being used in the construction. So in May 2006 work started in the old goods yard at Poole on 6 more sections of bridge to be installed in the second week of September. The following pages contain that story. All the photos unless otherwise stated were taken by me.
Tech Specs Over the 4 days I attended the work site I took 150 photos in RAW format, Amassing to a staggering 2.5 gig of photos on this subject, By far the most I have ever taken. From those 150 pictures I have cut it down to about 47 photos over the next 4 pages. These have been optimized in RAW format using Sony's image data converter software and then converted to high quality Jpeg's then in Paintshop Pro they have been re sized to 777x518 and sharpened.
Tech Specs Over the 4 days I attended the work site I took 150 photos in RAW format, Amassing to a staggering 2.5 gig of photos on this subject, By far the most I have ever taken. From those 150 pictures I have cut it down to about 47 photos over the next 4 pages. These have been optimized in RAW format using Sony's image data converter software and then converted to high quality Jpeg's then in Paintshop Pro they have been re sized to 777x518 and sharpened.
September 7th 2006
A sunny Thursday night below Seldown Bridge we came across a RM Page & Sons Volvo unit and trailer having just delivered two Hydrex road/rail excavator's to a new Network Rail access gate.
The old Bridge as it was after the surrounding brick work had been removed back in 2004. Already installed was scaffolding underneath the bridge protecting the numerous contractors from falling in the water. Note the markings on the brickwork telling the contractors how much is to be removed.
Entrance to the work site was the same as it was back in 2003/2004. Up an inclined bank and about a 335 meter metal road bed across grass to the main work site entrance. Here a small excavator sits on a newly arrived load of ballast ready for the weekend.
September 8th 2006
In this shot taken on Friday afternoon we see the bridge sections have been moved during Thursday night Friday morning (which I missed) and are parked up in the Skaters car park.
The sections on the trailer to the left of the picture will be going in first. Followed by a 2nd section sat in the main work site, then the section on the 3rd trailer from the left and then the final 2 "end" pieces sat on the middle trailer.
A final shot of the 5 bridge sections.
A more busy looking work site with a Baldwins 500 ton Liebherr crane now on site off loading equipment from its support lorry.
Saturday September 9th
2419 BBC South Today sits in platform 1 with a departure for Weymouth. This will traverse wrong line about a quarter of a mile behind me and then crossover to the downline and continue with its journey to Weymouth. Over the weekend period there were only 3 Class 442 units running between Weymouth & Poole. The other 2 units were 2422 and 2403.
Saturday afternoon and near the Seldown Bridge a Hydrex Roadrailer sits with a P-way trolley loaded with Concrete sleepers from the work site further up the line.
A Volvo low-loader has just been loaded with 2 excavator's from the work site. Behind is a lorry that has pieces of the old bridge on it.
The main worksite for the bridge was suspended over the water inlet to Poole Park. So scaffolding had to be used so access to the bridge "space" could be enabled. Here the old bridge has been removed, the brick work cut and the surface is being prepared for the bedding cement to be added.
A wider shot of the "hole".
This page updated:- 20th September 2006
All Pictures unless otherwise stated on this web site have been photographed and are Copyright of Anthony Henley
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