When it comes it comes to supporting railway embankments to prevent collapse, there is an innovative system on the market that does just that – combining simplicity with strength and support.
The revolutionary Stepoc system from Ibstock is being used to great effect by Neary Rail, which has just completed the installation of a GRP Access Staircase on a site adjacent to farmland in Hapton, Burnley.
The Stepoc system is supporting the Access Staircase which was specified to enable rail maintenance workers to safely cross the railway lines. This Design & Build Project was delivered with the assistance of SEP Rail Design, with topographical Surveys carried out by SEP Rail Services.
Chris Thorley, Neary Rail Site Manager takes up the story, commenting: “SEP Rail Services designed how the staircase and Stepoc walling system would work together. For logistical reasons, this was a difficult site to develop due to the combination of very limited access and virtually no storage area available for the 15m staircase.
“A concrete landing was installed with Stepoc to create a two-sided retaining structure at the toe of the cutting to prevent the bank collapsing on the staircase.
The onsite workers were hampered during this process because the weather was atrocious, and the bank wanted to come in all the time. There was a great deal of digging out by hand!
“Once the concrete base was established, the Stepoc system was pretty easy to use and took a couple of days to build before pouring the concrete in.”
Neil Cross, Ibstock National Sales Manager commented: “The Stepoc system makes it possible to build almost anywhere and therefore it was an ideal solution for Neary Rail.
“Stepoc is a dry laid system and is therefore very quick to install just requiring the blocks to be placed on top of each other and then concrete poured in to create a reinforced wall. It enables the fast construction of single skin retaining walls of up to four metres high, subject to a design carried out by a structural engineer.
“One of the major benefits it offers is labour savings of between 20 and 30 per cent that can be made. No specialist skills are required in the installation process – so general site labourers can do the work.
“The only preparation work needed is to build a base to put the Stepoc on.”
Stepoc is available in three widths of 200, 256 and 325mm and weighs less than 20kg per unit. The popularity of the product has grown immensely in recent years being used on a wide variety of projects from basement walls and swimming pools to flood defences and blast panels; through to lift shafts and platform edges.
To find out more about Stepoc visit: https://www.ibstock.co.uk/products/retaining-walls/stepoc
