Cross posting between here and UER drainers board for those that won't see it over there. 
During the recent Birmingham weekender my plan was to explore the three uber drains that Drainrat & Oggy had discovered, and hopefully check out a few other potential new bits and pieces. As things went I only got to see the one new spot, a 1.5 mile(of easily explorable) culvert along the same Brook as Moonwalker, Baptizer and Mistaken Identity.
At its upstream end in NW Birmingham the Hockley Brook runs above ground in a brick channel, hidden from view, sandwiched between decaying industrial relics in an area of the City frequented only by those whos employment brings them there. I was feeling a little out of sorts being the only guy wearing waders, a rucksack and toting a tripod. The unease quickly left me as I stepped off the street and out of sight, into the oasis that is the brooks above ground channel.
Heading upstream the drain starts off with a short stretch of 300 metres or so, running beneath an old cotton mill. At about mid way along this short section daylight spills in where the remains of a wooden and metal construction teeter on steel I-beams that jut out of the wall. Logic would lead me to believe that it must have been drainage related, but who can tell from what was left of it.
Mid way in the initial short section
Once out of this short section there is a 50 metre stretch above ground, and then it's back underground for the next mile and a half. The outfall of this second section is a twin brick arch of around seven foot and seems highly likely to have been a road bridge that the tail end of the culvert was built up to. Following the twin arches the floor in this first section is identical to the above ground channel while the walls and ceiling are pre-cast concrete sections.
A corner of the first stage of construction encountered
The above pic is looking downstream at a point where an older brick arched tunnel joins on the left, it enters the main tunnel via a drop of four steps. Travelling up the five foot side pipe it soon splits into two much smaller brick arched tunnels, one flowing into the side pipe, the other silted to high heaven, I headed back into the main tunnel.
The same spot back in the main tunnel, photographed looking upstream.
Continuing upstream, immediately around the corner the tunnel became very silted and blocked with big debris of a size that must have taken some force to transplant it there. This lasted for 20 metres or so and was followed by a section of deep water built up behind the blockages. The box shaped tunnel went on for sometime with the occasional overflow drop shaft (too tall to scale), topped with a slide joining from above, water was flowing in here as well as daylight, as if these overflows were along the route of an aboveground watercourse? I've been unable to figure out yet the exact route of the drain.
The box section terminates as you round a bend to be greeted by an oddly shaped brick tunnel, at least initially I thought it was entirely brick. Its floor is brick to a point about two foot up the wall, the tunnel is then stepped outwards with a concrete ledge and the rest of the tunnel is of a poured concrete construction, or a shored up concrete render? odd whatever the case.
A big old RCP protrudes into the main pipe, looking downstream, the end of the box section can be seen.
Black and white pic because the colours were messed up. So now I was really enjoying myself, it was turning out to be a cool little drain! The concrete rcp lead to a small modern junction of ever decreasing rcps, I've no idea why such a big gage pipe was bodged into the tunnel when a short distance it split into a couple of pipes a third its size? I carried on upstream, passing the occasional access niche where small side pipes joined.
One of the niches
It was around about this point that I noticed the first of the names sake formations! There were only a few, but they made me grin so much I felt it right to name the drain after them, stalagmites of varying sizes all standing proud and upright and looking unmistakably penile (yes I just used the word penile in a drain thread).
Case in point, Phallic formation, stage left
By now I was both highly amused and enjoying the drain, if st00p had been there present I can imagine the hilarity that would have ensued that first phallic formation. There were also lots of nice straw like stalactites along this particular section as well, as can be seen in the above pic, especially in the background beyond my seated position.
Yet further upstream I start to get closer to a crashing water sound that has been getting gradually louder for sometime. Sounding like it was directly ahead of me I shone the big beam torch up the tunnel to see the bottom three steps of a set of eleven a little way off down the tunnel. When I reached the foot of the steps they were't the most amazing of drain stairs, but they were unexpected and I was well pleased.
At the bottom of the steps
At the top of the steps the drain switched to a four foot concrete box, I travelled some way up this, to a point where its size reduced again. By now I'd been underground a good while, I was happy with my explore and so decided to end it here and head off back on the downstream journey.
Looking upstream into the 4 foot box section
It was a very fun drain
Sundays draining was rather more of a disaster than the previous day. LOL! I got very wet and fell over quite a lot and failed miserably to take any half decent pics, to the point where I put all my camera gear away. LOL! Odd how that goes sometimes, one day all is well, the next you can't take a picture for toffee?!
JD
During the recent Birmingham weekender my plan was to explore the three uber drains that Drainrat & Oggy had discovered, and hopefully check out a few other potential new bits and pieces. As things went I only got to see the one new spot, a 1.5 mile(of easily explorable) culvert along the same Brook as Moonwalker, Baptizer and Mistaken Identity.
At its upstream end in NW Birmingham the Hockley Brook runs above ground in a brick channel, hidden from view, sandwiched between decaying industrial relics in an area of the City frequented only by those whos employment brings them there. I was feeling a little out of sorts being the only guy wearing waders, a rucksack and toting a tripod. The unease quickly left me as I stepped off the street and out of sight, into the oasis that is the brooks above ground channel.
Heading upstream the drain starts off with a short stretch of 300 metres or so, running beneath an old cotton mill. At about mid way along this short section daylight spills in where the remains of a wooden and metal construction teeter on steel I-beams that jut out of the wall. Logic would lead me to believe that it must have been drainage related, but who can tell from what was left of it.
Mid way in the initial short section
Once out of this short section there is a 50 metre stretch above ground, and then it's back underground for the next mile and a half. The outfall of this second section is a twin brick arch of around seven foot and seems highly likely to have been a road bridge that the tail end of the culvert was built up to. Following the twin arches the floor in this first section is identical to the above ground channel while the walls and ceiling are pre-cast concrete sections.
A corner of the first stage of construction encountered
The above pic is looking downstream at a point where an older brick arched tunnel joins on the left, it enters the main tunnel via a drop of four steps. Travelling up the five foot side pipe it soon splits into two much smaller brick arched tunnels, one flowing into the side pipe, the other silted to high heaven, I headed back into the main tunnel.
The same spot back in the main tunnel, photographed looking upstream.
Continuing upstream, immediately around the corner the tunnel became very silted and blocked with big debris of a size that must have taken some force to transplant it there. This lasted for 20 metres or so and was followed by a section of deep water built up behind the blockages. The box shaped tunnel went on for sometime with the occasional overflow drop shaft (too tall to scale), topped with a slide joining from above, water was flowing in here as well as daylight, as if these overflows were along the route of an aboveground watercourse? I've been unable to figure out yet the exact route of the drain.
The box section terminates as you round a bend to be greeted by an oddly shaped brick tunnel, at least initially I thought it was entirely brick. Its floor is brick to a point about two foot up the wall, the tunnel is then stepped outwards with a concrete ledge and the rest of the tunnel is of a poured concrete construction, or a shored up concrete render? odd whatever the case.
A big old RCP protrudes into the main pipe, looking downstream, the end of the box section can be seen.
Black and white pic because the colours were messed up.
So now I was really enjoying myself, it was turning out to be a cool little drain! The concrete rcp lead to a small modern junction of ever decreasing rcps, I've no idea why such a big gage pipe was bodged into the tunnel when a short distance it split into a couple of pipes a third its size? I carried on upstream, passing the occasional access niche where small side pipes joined.
One of the niches
It was around about this point that I noticed the first of the names sake formations!
There were only a few, but they made me grin so much I felt it right to name the drain after them, stalagmites of varying sizes all standing proud and upright and looking unmistakably penile (yes I just used the word penile in a drain thread).
Case in point, Phallic formation, stage left
By now I was both highly amused and enjoying the drain, if st00p had been there present I can imagine the hilarity that would have ensued that first phallic formation. There were also lots of nice straw like stalactites along this particular section as well, as can be seen in the above pic, especially in the background beyond my seated position.
Yet further upstream I start to get closer to a crashing water sound that has been getting gradually louder for sometime. Sounding like it was directly ahead of me I shone the big beam torch up the tunnel to see the bottom three steps of a set of eleven a little way off down the tunnel. When I reached the foot of the steps they were't the most amazing of drain stairs, but they were unexpected and I was well pleased.
At the bottom of the steps
At the top of the steps the drain switched to a four foot concrete box, I travelled some way up this, to a point where its size reduced again. By now I'd been underground a good while, I was happy with my explore and so decided to end it here and head off back on the downstream journey.
Looking upstream into the 4 foot box section
It was a very fun drain
Sundays draining was rather more of a disaster than the previous day.
LOL! I got very wet and fell over quite a lot and failed miserably to take any half decent pics, to the point where I put all my camera gear away. LOL! Odd how that goes sometimes, one day all is well, the next you can't take a picture for toffee?!JD
