13 October (Part 3) - Crossrail opening. The scene that no one wanted (or is supposed?) to see
If
you were an early morning commuter at Abbey Wood you will have had
a good view of a water main gushing its contents skywards.
It was punctured yesterday evening and it is difficult to understand why.
Network Rail spent the best part of a year diverting all the utilities (that used
to run beneath the long gone level crossing) along Gayton Road and via a new route
under the railway at the end of Florence Road.
Presumably Thames Water let the side down, certainly someone was sufficiently
embarrassed to surround the gusher with screens.
Not only that, Thames Water’s foreman told me he was not at all happy with me for photographing the
scene. I had only taken the one photo shown below, “Why are you taking pictures?”
“Because I just do, I have taken pictures here pretty much every day since
August 2013”. (It’s a case of I started so I will finish, there is no real
explanation, but it would be a shame to stop now.)
“Why
are you taking pictures of my men?” I didn’t specifically, the picture was intended as a scene
setter for my Crossrail photo diary. However tens of megapixels does allow for some big blow ups when provoked; so here it is.
It’s exactly the same picture as the one above, just cropped differently.
The conversation only came to an end when I told the Thames Water man to call a
policeman if he had any problems with street photography.
There’s never been any problem with Network Rail people or their contractors
from Balfour Beatty downwards. Often some good information, usually a friendly
word, sometime a special pose.
There will be more pictures in
the usual place later today.