The pipes at Stanton

Friday 21 June 

We don't usually work on Friday, but this week there was an offer too good to miss. The Wild Garden Trust at Shipton under Wychwood had some surplus 300 mm twinwall pipes, rather than dispose of it in any other way they very generously offered them to us. Luckily Richard Stone, one of the Trustees, is a volunteer in Carriage and Wagon who knew of our exploits and realised that it would find a good home on the Railway. 

Stuart straps the loaded pipes down
(Photo: Richard Stone) 

A different side of the Cotswolds 

Pipes offloaded at Stanton 

Saturday 22 June 

Back to sunny Stanton again, it's getting to be a bit of a 'Groundhog Day' theme. The sun shone and the culvert work progressed on the up side. On the down side (in more ways than one) more bricks "fell" off, thus extending the project a bit further. All in all though, it was a good day with some visible signs of progress. 

As usual, Alastair started on the mixer, while Roger, Michael and Dave cleaned some bricks and Stuart did some gardening. Then the real work began... 

Alastair doing the first mortar mix 

The gang keeping their heads down 

Roger and Michael cleaning bricks
(Photo: Alastair) 

Once the mortar arrived under the bridge, the freshly cleaned bricks were replaced in the south wall. 

Michael stars on the headers
(Photo: Alastair) 

The 600 mm plastic pipe extending the inlet from the field has been in the way of the down side cess flow. The water has been running along the wing wall and on top of the north wall of the channel. Needless to say, this has had a lasting effect on the north wall. The top courses of brick had already been lifted off, and now the next course came away. Some joins were just silt where the mortar had washed out. 

Roger lifts a brick out 

The progress on the up side south wall was exceptional, Michael and Roger working from each end and managing to meet in the middle.  

Roger fills the gap between the brick arch and the south wall
(Photo: Alastair) 

Lunchtime progress 

Suspense... Will they meet in the middle 

Yes they did, never any doubt  👍
(Photo: Alastair) 

A bit of tidying on the pointing
(Photo: Alastair) 

Back on the grass cutting front, Stuart cut out round the inlet over in the field, this is to allow us to put some sandbags in when we thread a thinner pipe through to divert the flow. 

Hay time in the Cotswolds 
(Photo: Alastair) 

The access road we use seems to be getting overgrown with the mix of rain and sunshine. Time for a trim, before we lose it altogether.   

The track down to gallery crossing 

Stuart has a run along with the flail mower
(Photo: Alastair) 

Dave got a break from the brick cleaning to have some training on the flail mower. 

Dave doing his training 

The track almost visible 

Dave goes solo, into the distance 

The third strand of work was centred on the down side of the culvert. Removing the bricks and drilling some drain holes in the north side wall, then removing the end of the 600 mm pipe. 

Bricks removed to reveal flaking mortar, silt
and water draining out 

Deep in thought, or it may be the naughty step 😊

Dave making a clean sweep of the job, while something suspicious
is going on in the background
(Photo: Alastair)

After Dave had been let loose with the saw the pipe came apart
(Photo: Alastair) 

The new inlet configuration 

Roger hiding the pipe 

End of the day, the north wall of the channel and the inlet pipe have shrunk 

Last job each day is loading the kit back onto the truck, then we can head off back to Winchcombe to ponder over great philosophical questions; like why do bricks just fall off  when you don't need them to, but take forever to remove when you do need them to.  

The rush for the exit