Options..? Tree next to Railway

[benedmonds]

After some inspiration...

I have a client with a large beech 20m tall approx 5m from main railway line.

Currently in good health, with no issues.

Small garden with limited area to stack and narrow 1m wide access to get all the waste out...

The client wants to reduce the tree..

 

First issue is that there is no point doing minor reduction as it is going to be a ball ache and so needs to last.

But if we do 5m reduction, we are stressing the tree to a level that might create issues to a currently healthy tree...

 

Then the practicalities....

Rail track need a track closure, if we are going to do any works which could fall within 3m of the track (so any works)

Day time week day closure is about £100,000 a day. So not really an option.

A full block could only be nights. Not sure on price yet..

Or Sundays would give  45 minutes on, half hour off and so on, at best, at least £1,800 a day.

The Client has to pay the costs of Railtrack

 

There is no point throwing men at it as the limited access is going to restrict the rate ot the works on the ground.

I would want 2 days for the reduction in the day.. But with 45mins on 30 mins off that is going to push it to 3 days at least possibly 4.

I have never tried reducing a tree at night? But don't think that is going to be quicker and pretty sure neighbours won't be happy with chipper running through the night.

 

We could just remove the tree as long term it is an issue but that is going to take even longer...

The cheapest option might be just felling it on the house and clearing it up..

Or stick head in sand and make sure they have decent insurance..

 

 

[monkeybusiness]

Reduction seems an insane waste of time/money to me. Leave it alone or remove.

If removing, do as much as possible from the garden side without any track involvement, and then get the rest smashed out in 45 minute windows on a Sunday.

I’d be measuring up for a crane from the road though - 100 tonner would give you a decent pick at 40m and then removes the garden bottleneck. 

[dumper]

Crane near railway!!!! Looks from all angles  big money job, house doesn’t look in the stockbroker belt 

might be best left alone

[LGP Eddie]

Nothing there that couldn’t be done by hand in the 45 minute windows, you’ll have a head start on the side away from the line anyway.

Either a Crane or 360 Telehandler with Crane Winch taking the material out for you and process it on the road.

 

Going with a Crane that could be deemed to reach the line has all changed now and will throw up all sorts, just aim to reach a sweet spot in the garden and you’ll not need a huge crane.

You can even hire a skip and keep filing this with smaller stuff to lift over.

 

 

Eddie.

 

 

[patrickgalloway3]

Years ago I had to remove some poplars that had mysteriously died in someone's yard. The owner of the yard had asked network rail to remove the trees the year before and had been told no as they were not a risk to the railway. After the trees got ringbarked network rail were happy to pay for their removal! Network rail really don't like trees falling on their lines so if it can be suggested that the tree poses a threat to the line they may well remove them free of charge.

[monkeybusiness]

2 hours ago, LGP Eddie said:

 

 

Going with a Crane that could be deemed to reach the line has all changed now and will throw up all sorts, 

 

 

Eddie.

 

 

Is that taken as worst case scenario (ie crane collapse) or working envelope Eddie? The railway is not an industry sector I’m massively familiar with tbh. 

 

Decent modern crane (unlikely to not be at the size needed for this sort of reach) on a contract lift shouldn’t throw up any problems from what I can see. Nothing is slewing towards/over the railway - get the crane set up for the maximum radius necessary for the job (inboard of the property boundary should be more than adequate for this job from the pics) and no part of the crane can ‘accidentally’ end up railway-side. Line block for those few branches that appear to hang over the boundary, and get the whole team in the pub for early doors!

£4k plus the cost of the line block, no more tree, happy days boys and girls! (Or the same price for a reduction!!!) 

[CDMR]

Could the works be delayed for a while? Could be worth seeing if Network Rail have any scheduled closures in the future e.g. for track renewal. If you can jump in on someone else's closure it may not cost and you may not have to work within 45 minute windows. Doesn't look like there are overheads or third rail so could be fairly simple.

[Rough Hewn]

Why do you need line closure?
I've done emergency rail work felling trees 2.5m from railside, on a live line.
Whilst surrounded by rail HSE.
If it's not over the fence?
Just rig everything, very slowly.

[Mick Dempsey]

As others have said, I wouldn’t muck about with a reduction, out or nothing.

 

Crane it, charge the earth for it, and if you don’t get it, even better.

[openspaceman]

3 hours ago, monkeybusiness said:

Is that taken as worst case scenario (ie crane collapse) or working envelope Eddie? The railway is not an industry sector I’m massively familiar with tbh. 

 

 

In railway speak it's called Any Line Open working. The rules changed as I was retired but up till then there were 3 different types of situation, the one that affected us was that our machines, tracked 1928s, had to be kept far enough from the rail that if they overturned they would not obstruct the trains. Diggers, cranes and such had to be fitted with movement limiting devices so that they could never  impinge on a working line.