Embankment work in progress photos

Managed to visit Wilbury Way this morning and take a few pictures of the embankment construction as it was happening.  I must say it is a very slick operation.  I counted six dumper truckers working and in the short time I was there there was always one full and one empty truck on the haul road from the quarry with another being filled.  I could see one bulldozer and one roller working but I guess there must have been others.

 First picture shows a loaded dumper arriving with the roller and bulldozer waiting in the foreground

 Here an empty truck returns to the quarry while a full one makes its way down to the site.  Another empty one can just be seen moving into position to be loaded by the excavator.

 A loaded truck moves around the corner out of sight to another part of the site.  The purple strip in the background is a lavender field for which Hitchin is well known for.  There is a tea room and you can pick your own lavender.  It is at Cadwell Farm, Ickleford for anyone interested.

 This is another shot of the area where the existing and new embankments converge.  The difference in height from the same shot on the 5th August is quite dramatic considering it was only five days ago..

 I took the opportunity to take a couple of pictures from the redundant part of the sewage treatment works in Bury Mead Road while I had the camera with me.   Centre left is the access road that has been built up from the entrance of the scrapyard in Cadwell Lane.  The two orange clad workers are standing on the former Bedford branch embankment which ran alongside the mainline at this point.  This has been cleared in readiness for the height to be increased to match the mainline.  The extreme left of the picture is where the viaduct starts.

A longer shot of the same area with more workers visible to the right.  There is also some plant hidden by the trees.  A more secure fence has been installed along the main line to protect the workers.  This doesn't stop trains sounding their horns all day long as they pass!   Somewhere to the right will be the new junction where the Cambridge bound trains will leave the main line to move onto the new alignment.