Chaser, Manchester

Ojay/Nickindroy...

Working away lends no time to drains and little time to follow up an ever increasing list of shyte in and around Manc.

Today I went in search of brown eggs and also to try and find the source of something I first ventured into last year.

Originally, whilst out following up on another lead, I spotted something that had somehow eluded me over the years.

My interests turned to raking about in the ghetto once again over the winter months in search of manholes with Nick kicking and screaming, (he loves it really) :D

Well I did find eggs, just not the Easter variety...

> Start

The upstream limit was a point where 3 sewers and a watercourse connect at the bottom of a 30m dropshaft

"One Ogay going down"

I'd already sent Nick on a recce some months ago, he reported back with a number of lids that needed attention, sadly the first one was out of bounds due to Mrs nosey fucking curtain twitcher on our case.

The second lid was a goer though, just a 30m stroll down some skinny stainless ladders and some dubious vapours.

Sadly the bottom of the chamber was inaccessible due to being caked in turds, it's not like me NOT to embrace the :turd but the build up here was nothing short of ridiculous.

We quickly located a d/s lid and I shot down for another attempt..

iphone tastic from the first landing of another 30m dropshaft

The rungs on the lower section were barely recognisable as they hung above the 2 sewers below.

Whilst down, some off duty plodder came along and was confussed as to what we were upto, Nick told him we were geo-caching and he soon fucked off.

The next lid was rather obvious, just a twat to budge with Nicks toy keys, and we managed to disturb a rather un-forgiving ants nest.

Little nippers were all over us and the 4gas started chelping, no Easter eggs here so we fucked it off.

Below another run-off joins the trunk as it heads downstream

(pic credits to Nickindroy for the above selection) ^

One bright day in the middle of the night we popped a lid d/s of the main trunk.

Some shonky step irons down a side entry to a small landing.

Further down on the opposite side a small recess, home to a small penstock winder.

Here, a retro fitted concrete overflow weir, which serves the smaller sewer, complete with brick overflow/penstock.

Behind which, any discharge from the incoming sewer is diverted to the lower level interceptor further below..

I found my Easter egg, and turned my attention to the smaller sewer, except bent double in turds wasn't the usual fun and there was no redeeming features so I turned back.

Looking downstream, the egg inverts via a tumbling bay and heads off into the unknown (watch this space).

Somehow I took a gob full of sewer as Nick passed me the tripod for that last pic ^

From the upstream sewer, a ladder continues down a brick shaft draped with all manner of toilet peripherals... yummy!

Down below, another of Manchester's intercepting sewers

Time to GTFO, go home and enjoy a few cold ones..

PEACE.

North Western Storm Relief, London

Ojay/GAJ...

I've done a fair amount of storm drains up and down the country over the years mostly without incident, however there is something about London storm drains that scares the shit out of me.

Even when it hasn't been raining it's been known for these places to overflow.

Last year, I dropped into the North Eastern Storm Relief when it hadn't been raining, it was going mental and certainly not somewhere to step foot in (see video clip below)..

http://youtu.be/STVqc8Ord4M

(I've also had a few close encounters in the Westbourne & Ranelagh)

The other thing to bear in mind is the absence of manholes.

Most of these have tide flaps, which can only be opened from above and that's if you're lucky enough to find one that doesn't require some serious hardware to shift.

I've heard all sorts of tales over the years and it's enough to put the casual tourist off I'm sure, but I figured we weren't going to see this stuff first hand unless we got off our arses.

In the end a few trips were made; mainly looking for lids and also having to abort due to adverse weather.

Myself and GAJ went in search of lids last year and soon worked out some convenient locations to drop into the system.

We later returned with Adders in an attempt to traverse this massive storm relief.

Sadly on the night in question it pissed it down, the Mid Level Sewer was at capacity and the North Kensington Relief Sewer we dropped into was in full flow It's normally dry.

It was to be almost a year before myself and GAJ returned, this time during a dry spell to minimize risk of flooding and drowning in a torrent of shyte.

I'd also made a visit to the end chamber with GE, which is a huge 4m storage tunnel and interacts with the Hammersmith Storm Relief and eventually outfalls into the Thames.

The downstream section was fairly grim, and no way out if anything was to go wrong!

We dropped in at Notting Hill

Ahead, a short set of stairs 8 steps lead down to the Middle Level Sewer No.1 - Constructed circa 1861.

From the brick chamber we dropped in above, a ladder drops us into a a side entry tunnel and a set of steps lead down into the North Kensington Relief Sewer.

The last time I stood at the entry point on the right, you couldn't see the invert and the tumbling bay was going crazy.

A 5′ RBP heads West and eventually interacts with the NWSR.

The tumbling bay on the right carry's discharge from the Middle Level Sewer No.1 (as seen above).

MLS 1

Contained by a low dam board weir at the top of the tumbling bay

Further downstream, the NWSR intersects the NKRS

(The continuation on the right eventually leads to the Wood Lane Sewer)

We carried on upstream of this significant junction, through a 7' 6" brick barrel which was added in 1924.

And later we headed downstream from here towards the outfall.

For anyone who hasn't already seen it, here's a proper explanation of the junction >

sub-urban.com - anatomy-of-a-junction-two

Looking upstream from the junction, 

we headed North past Notting Hill towards Paddington

We walked upstream of the NWSR for a good 15 mins, it was pretty featureless until we came across another overflow from the Mid Level Interceptor.

(Here it is looking down the tumbling bay, from the MLS2 overflow).

Again the NWSR is conveyed further upstream, the next significant junction being a concrete/brick split.

The newer concrete pipe on the left of the split, continues upstream to Kilburn, where it meets it's source, the Ranelagh Sewer.

The 1924 brick continuation on the right hand side of the storm relief, leads to another CSO which serves the Ranelagh sewer.

Here a tumbling bay leads up-to the overflow chamber,

 the left side pipe also serves a drop piece from the same overflow

The Ranelagh sewer runs behind this single sided weir, 

discharging at capacity to the storm relief below

"Shelf Life"

Some strange looking fungus growing from the brickwork ahead of the drop-shaft to the NWSR below

Beyond the overflow weir, the Ranelagh sewer runs left to right

We made our way back to the junction at Notting Hill and headed downstream..

Here,

 the NWSR drops down a further tumbling bay and continues South towards Hammersmith

A 9' 6" RCP heads South below West Kensington, this ramp features under Hollands Park Rd

Traversing the sizeable RCP towards Hammersmith proved difficult after this pic, as it was backed up with detritus from a previous flooding.

It was getting late so we headed back upstream and out.

I'd also covered the downstream section with GE, including the end chamber at Hammersmith.

The first lid we chose was useless as the tidal flap below had seized, try as we might it wouldn't budge!

Another lid dropped us in and was far from ideal as we stooped under a partially closed Penstock and bent double for 30m in a 4ft connecting pipe.

The 4 gas was twitching, as pockets of H2S and CH4 were bubbling up from beneath my feet, I made it back into the NWSR and GE followed.

We were soon stood in the final stretch of the NWSR, it was pretty grim and not somewhere you would wish to be stuck at high tide or during adverse weather.

We continued down towards the Thames, it did get a bit cleaner as we progressed 

Thanks to Siologen for explaining the end chamber, which he describes as a 'reverse overflow'.

This 4m waterfall backs-up with :turd when at capacity and outfalls into the Thames, likewise at high tide the Thames spills into the storage tunnel via the waterfall.