ACTION PLANNED TO AVERT LEAVES ON THE LINE IN BRIGG

Boosted by wet June weather, vegetation has received a growth spurt and is now encroaching on the railway line through Brigg - as demonstrated by this picture Brian Hall took from the top of the footbridge at the town's railway station.
These overhanging trees have been reported to Network Rail, which operates and manages tracks and adjoining land.
Having been sent what it regards as an excellent picture, NR has now alerted maintenance staff.
It has teams of workers who remove vegetation for various reasons.
These include branches masking signals that approaching train drivers need to see from a distance and also removing dead, dying or diseased trees which could pose a hazard to the line or neighbouring properties.
Network Rail works through its list of troublesome vegetation in ranking order so it could take some time before this excess vegetation in removed in Brigg.
Some freight trains use the Brigg line on various days but passenger services only operate on Saturdays - three in each direction between Sheffield and Cleethorpes via Barnetby.
Deciduous trees growing near railway lines are more usually a problem in the autumn when leaves that have been shed get onto the steel rails, are turned to mulch by rain and cause train wheels to slip.
This can affect the stopping distance of trains that encounter them.
We think the loco pictured above is a Class 37 diesel - a survivor from the 1960s when they were known as English Electric Type 3s. They used to be a common sight on the Brigg line but not many come to town these days.