All change - wet weather

Monday 8 April 

As the forecast was poor for today and there was a diversionary job scheduled we had decided on Saturday that the gang would stay at Winchcombe to do some other jobs and forgo the pleasures of Stanton in the rain. 

There was an early start at the south side of Hunting Butts tunnel as the last bit of the drain security was installed. 

Early deliveries, the kit and materials arrive together 

Who left this here, it should be at the tunnel! 

Some of the drainage jobs are just too big for volunteers, fitting a 1 tonne concrete ring plus cover is one of them. Hence, we have called in the professionals, Railway Drainage Ltd are locally based specialists who work on the main line, so who better to tackle this sort of job. 

The cavalry are already here 

While on site the team from RDL complete the final part of the CCTV survey of the tunnel drain using a remote control camera. 

Tractor mounted drain camera 

Working from the ground above the tunnel, the tractor is sent along the drain from north to south. 

It's all done by wires 

Mystery photo competition 

A surprise find, an inspection chamber was discovered 43.5m in to the tunnel, it's not the missing Stanton chamber but one that has laid buried and forgotten. It looks like there may be some more digging required, the bridge rail covering the chamber can just be made out in the picture. 

While some people have been swanning around in a wet field in Cheltenham, the Winchcombe team have been up to Greet tunnel and come back with a concrete ring and lids left there a while ago. While they had the track possession they picked up some waste concrete on the way. 

The haul from Greet Tunnel (Photo: Roger) 

Next job was tidying our store and sorting all the electrical equipment for PAT testing tomorrow. It's a good chance to update the inventory to remove the scrapped items. Then the concrete lid production line started up again. 

Andrew on the mixer 

Roger filling the moulds 

The next batch of materials for Stanton was loaded and dropped up there ready for Thursday. The lids for the first chamber, when it's finished, and some gabion stone for the down side cess pooling issue. 

Material loading 

We are planning to clear the gully drain pipe found under  Bridge 11 at Stanton so our micro-jetter has been brought out of store after a 2 year rest. It took a little bit of maintenance to get it started, but it seems to be ready for work now. 

Pump/Jetter engine unit 

Jetter head testing 

Then it was back to Hunting Butts just in time for another heavy shower and to see the progress with the drain ring. 

Backfilling around the installed ring 

Ring and cover installed 

South end of the centre drain secured 

Just a few clear up jobs left inside the tunnel and the scrap to bring back to Winchcombe then this phase is complete. The next phase is to determine what needs to be done after we see the CCTV reports on the tunnel drain and the south end cess drains.