One Hundred and Seventy Three

Packing Heat, Sewer Chamber, Manchester

mobiledraintog

With sewers, trawling through old city engineers photographs are a given, one of few techniques used to find sewers. Generally, few clues are easily found, which is why I have respect for anyone who can successfully find and explore them. A particularly good example of this are the London Drain Explorers. With London though, it's different, Bazalgette's sewers are something else, and finding equally drainworthy places in other cities is no doubt harder, not impossible though.

photo: city engineers

photo: LittleMike, p6

When LittleMike sent me the old engineers photos of Packing Heat, we knew something good was knocking about. Consequently, many attempts to find access were thwarted for many reasons. I remember one night, four of us attempted to lift a manhole immensley compressed by the constant pressure of vehicles. Eventually, LittleMike and Userscott had found it. The tales of brick chambers and huge penstock gates were true.

photo: city engineers

photo: toothdoctor. Myself, userscott & zero standing above p7

The chamber itself houses two penstock gates, none like I had seen, these covered pipes 20 foot in diameter. These are ofcourse half full of heavily flowing brown water, and are most certainly not somewhere to venture down. The two trunk sewers that flow through Packing Heat carry the vast amounts of sewage to the treatment plants in the Davyhulme/Barton area of Greater Manchester. I couldn't help but think Trunk sewers make Interceptors look like streams.

Penstock control

Shouts to the many people involved in this, LittleMike for his drain finding, Userscott for his GRID (yes siologen) lifting skills, shouts to Slippy Snake Snappella and Ds for one of many failed attempts. Also, out to Toothdoctor for busting mad photos, and lastly to Zero from SilentUK for making an appearance (took your time).

Peace, end