# Big Butts, Rochdale, 07/08



## bungle666 (Jul 15, 2008)

I took a look at this one sometime ago, but sadly the water levells have been WAY to high for further exploration, so last night mendo texted me to ask if i wanted to come out to play, so i said yes, lets go to Rochdale and look at that culvert!!







it looks a big wide thing, but the water also looks DEEP, but as we were to find out, this is not the case 

anyhow, never having seen a report from this location, we had to think of a name, as it was my lead i came up with the name "Big Butts" simple name really as the culvert runs under the area known as "the butts" in rochdale, and the culvert is BIG!! 

anyhow, after an easy access we wondered into the beast...........





most of the culvert is spraycreted to protect the MASSIVE support work underneath the streets

but its not without its features, this lovellly stone inverted egg sidepipe for example





and these 2 stoopy but walkable pipes





the left hand one is an RCP that runs DEAD straight for a million miles under rochdale, and judging by the smell leads to a sewage oveflow chamber somewhere, and the brick one twists and turns and gets narrower and narrower we couldnt really be arsed going further, but someone will one day!!

the right hand brick pipe





perhaps the most striking feature from under rochdale is this stone bridge, 3 arches wide and a REAL suprise!!





the stonework was really something, and i spent ages taking pics of it!!





a little further upstream, and under ANOTHER buried bridge, this one built of iron





we came accross this large brick inverted egg!!





well it would be rude not to, so up we went!! and found a rather nice sewage overflow chamber complete with processor!! woo hoo!! 










anyhow, we spent a good while underground and made our way out, with a last few pics!!










this turned out to be a BRILLIANT explore, and im chuffed i have finally got to name my own culvert!!!

B..


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## fezzyben (Jul 15, 2008)

looks like a great culvert and i love the bridges especially the iron one with all the rivets


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## Beermonster (Jul 15, 2008)

Brilliant report. I've lost count of the number of times I've walked or driven over the top of all this.


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## LittleMike (Jul 15, 2008)

Class name! It's not uncommon to see buried bridges inside culverts, but that one is so incredibly prominent with the contrasting concrete, really special!


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## smileysal (Jul 15, 2008)

ooooooooooh I love this. Love all the brickwork, and the concrete pillars, and the iron workings in there. I really need to see this. 

Excellent pics,

 Sal

ps, Mendo, when can I go here?


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## CHEWY (Jul 16, 2008)

Rochdale is not far from me...

i've been looking for some "local" underground things.
think i'll have a go at this sometime


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## Jondoe_264 (Jul 16, 2008)

Echo everyone else really, this looks great, and quite a size! Bridges incorporated into culverts are so cool, it's awesome to see such tangible evidence of town growth/development, special.

What goes on at the outfall? Just wondering as I didn't spot an outfall pic and it looks like you came back out the way you went in? Also how long would you estimate it to be? Also, well done! It's very cool. 

JD


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## King Al (Jul 16, 2008)

Excellent pics bungle! Like the pipe in pic 9, strange shape


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## ThenewMendoza (Jul 16, 2008)

'Tis a cool place this. Didn't have high expectations 'cos it's a culvert under Rochdale bus station, but it's surprising what you find in the most unexpected places.

Few of my pics...

The infall





























The outfall just behind Rochdale Police headquarters.




Mendo


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## Jondoe_264 (Jul 16, 2008)

ThenewMendoza said:


>



Excellent, was wondering what that looked like


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## bungle666 (Jul 16, 2008)

Jondoe_264 said:


> Echo everyone else really, this looks great, and quite a size! Bridges incorporated into culverts are so cool, it's awesome to see such tangible evidence of town growth/development, special.
> 
> What goes on at the outfall? Just wondering as I didn't spot an outfall pic and it looks like you came back out the way you went in? Also how long would you estimate it to be? Also, well done! It's very cool.
> 
> JD



the outfall is behind the cop shop, we walked to the outfall then took pics on the way back!! its prob about 900 yards long, maybe a little more, but it twists a bit too!!


its a VERY cool culvert this one!!

B..


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## Jondoe_264 (Jul 16, 2008)

bungle666 said:


> the outfall is behind the cop shop, we walked to the outfall then took pics on the way back!! its prob about 900 yards long, maybe a little more, but it twists a bit too!!
> 
> 
> its a VERY cool culvert this one!!
> ...



Ah, standard drain procedure. Explore first, photograph second.  

Yup, it does look like a cool spot, somewhere to spend a fun few hours with lights and a camera 

JD


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## smileysal (Jul 16, 2008)

ooooooooooooh, seeing Mendo's pics too, makes me really, really want to go here now. Those pillars are ace, I love them. I really need to go here, and soon. 

 Sal


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## BigLoada (Jul 16, 2008)

Nice lads. The inverted egg is very cool. I can't get enough of drain pictures. From the title though I was expecting 1980s porn.


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## Sabtr (Jul 16, 2008)

There are some cracking pics in this report. I love the use of the subtle colours. Nice one.  It's interesting to see old meets new under there. Parts of Newcastle upon Tyne have bridges which were similarly built over: New Bridge (street), Barras Bridge are a few that come to mind for all you Geordies.
We have a similar one lined up in the North East but not as wide as this.


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## BigLoada (Jul 16, 2008)

Sausage said:


> There are some cracking pics in this report. I love the use of the subtle colours. Nice one.  It's interesting to see old meets new under there. Parts of Newcastle upon Tyne have bridges which were similarly built over: New Bridge (street), Barras Bridge are a few that come to mind for all you Geordies.
> We have a similar one lined up in the North East but not as wide as this.



Do we???

Man I am really having short term memory problems!!

By the way I do like the processor shot. Is this a device to mash up "solids" before treatment?


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## LittleMike (Jul 16, 2008)

More like mash up solids before dumping them in the river!


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## ThenewMendoza (Jul 17, 2008)

BigLoada said:


> By the way I do like the processor shot. Is this a device to mash up "solids" before treatment?



Lol, LittleMike has it about right. Processors are designed to skim the solid stuff off the water and dump it back into the sewer when the water level reaches a certain height and trips a floating switch, reality is though that a huge amount of 'stuff' still escapes, out of site, out of mind (remember that when your kids are paddling in the local stream lol).

Mendo


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## BigLoada (Jul 17, 2008)

ThenewMendoza said:


> Lol, LittleMike has it about right. Processors are designed to skim the solid stuff off the water and dump it back into the sewer when the water level reaches a certain height and trips a floating switch, reality is though that a huge amount of 'stuff' still escapes, out of site, out of mind (remember that when your kids are paddling in the local stream lol).
> 
> Mendo



Thanks that makes sense! I have only been in culverts not real drains so as yet I haven't had the pleasure of solids


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## Jondoe_264 (Jul 17, 2008)

BigLoada said:


> Thanks that makes sense! I have only been in culverts not real drains so as yet I haven't had the pleasure of solids



You must have been fortunate. Culverts are often local authorities favourite spots to locate CSOs where feasible, nicely underground and out of sight, stealthily polluting watercourses. I'm not complaining though, more stuff to explore.

JD


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## sqwasher (Jul 17, 2008)

Great pics as always guys-well done for being nosey & getting in there!  Some interesting features hidden away from view.


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## BigLoada (Jul 17, 2008)

Jondoe_264 said:


> You must have been fortunate. Culverts are often local authorities favourite spots to locate CSOs where feasible, nicely underground and out of sight, stealthily polluting watercourses. I'm not complaining though, more stuff to explore.
> 
> JD



Well mate we have a few more urban ones to do soon so we may come across some sewage, you never know. The culverts we have done so far have mainly been out of the urban zone where the rivers are a bit cleaner.


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## Elvis killer (Jul 17, 2008)

Nice one, those bridges are classic, I wonder how old they are?


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## ThenewMendoza (Jul 17, 2008)

Elvis killer said:


> Nice one, those bridges are classic, I wonder how old they are?



That's just reminded me, we found a plaque in one of the older sections that showed the river level during a flood, it was dated 1866, forgot to get a picture of it though.

Mendo


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## wolfism (Jul 18, 2008)

Beautifully lit photos once more ... liking the Guncrete/ Gunnite sprayed concrete columns a lot, and the grid of beams above them.


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## Dystopia (Jul 18, 2008)

Pretty!  I've only ever seen one culvert for real and really should get my arse underground more.


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## 3domfighter (Jul 30, 2008)

I believe that Rochdale has the widest bridge in britain it covers most of the town centre, A few years ago they dug up parts of the bridge surface to do repairs.

I found this info on the construction


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## NobodyGirl (Jul 30, 2008)

They are some sexy pikkys! Great place!!!!!


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## ThenewMendoza (Jul 30, 2008)

3domfighter said:


> I believe that Rochdale has the widest bridge in britain it covers most of the town centre, A few years ago they dug up parts of the bridge surface to do repairs.
> 
> I found this info on the construction



Ahahaha!!! Fantastic, I knew I'd read that somewhere, thanks for the link!! 

Mendo


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## 3domfighter (Jul 30, 2008)

ThenewMendoza said:


> Ahahaha!!! Fantastic, I knew I'd read that somewhere, thanks for the link!!
> 
> Mendo



No problem


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