West side story 26th August

A quick visit to the west side of the main line where work is also continuing at an impressive rate. Two more sections of viaduct have been installed and work to prepare the former Bedford line trackbed for the new junction continues.

 As I approached the work site from Bury Mead springs, I could see the viaduct for the first time through the trees.  These were the two new sections added in the last week.

 A closer shot with the viaduct now moving off the higher ground on to the first pier on the lower ground.

 As I suspected, the two new sections are not as deep and there is still a gap between these two.  Decking has been added to the bottom of the left section.

 New sections from further north looking towards the scrapyard.

 Looking back from the trackbed of the former Bedford line.

 I then moved down to the lower ground at took this shot looking north.  The crane that lifted the sections in to place is still there.

And another further on.  The curve is quite apparent from this angle.  The next two piers are ready to receive their sections so I am guessing there will be two more next week.  I think there are probably eleven more sections to go in counting the piers.

On my way out I took a few from the River Hiz underbridge.  The mound of brick rubble has been reduced making it possible to take pictures looking north.  Here the first viaduct support can just be seen middle left.

A drainage pipe protrudes from the side of the embankment. The striped pattern below is a row of concrete piling exposed when the rubble was removed.  I am pretty sure these were put in quite early on as I remember seeing a piledriver at this end. 

Standing slightly precariously on the gas pipe that crosses the river here, I was able to get a better shot of the first three viaduct supports.

Moving round to the scrapyard entrance, a shot of pier number one. Behind it is the shuttering for what I guess will be an end wall similar to the one at the other end of the viaduct.  The prepared trackbed can be seen getting ever closer in the background.

 Turning round, piers number one and two ready for their mountings to be installed, while construction of number four is now well under way.