On Sun, 23 Dec 2012 15:33:18 -0000, "James Heaton"
wrote:


"roger" wrote in message
...
On 12/23/2012 04:59 AM, Denis McMahon wrote:
On Sat, 22 Dec 2012 23:25:15 +0000, Graham Harrison wrote:


It also looks as if they've laid some large tubes across the track north
of the bridge that the google link above refers to, I guess they're to
carry water pumped out from an area East of the A396 into the river,
presumably to stop it flowing across the road and perhaps washing out the
ballast. That looks like it could be the reason the lines have been
blocked, but that may be primarily to protect housing East of the A396
rather than the line - I guess they're expecting more water than the
existing culverts into the Exe can cope with - so that bit may be an EA /
LA rather than FRS activity.

http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/VIDEO-...-travel-South-
West/story-17656490-detail/story.html

http://tinyurl.com/bvfufwt

A journalist described them as water filled tubes to act as barriers to
protect the rest of the track. Presumably that is where the water enters
National Rail property and the barriers prevent the water flooding
adjacent track.

From what I saw on the BBC news last night, the barriers literally ran
across the track, so nothing could have passed.

IIUC, the purpose was indeed to stop water from entering sensitive
equipment - so probably the signaling.

There is presumably more than water in the tubes (sand?) otherwise
there isn't much to stop them being moved by the flowing water.