Monday 5 August
More excavation on the down side today ready for concreting the area where the cess outfalls into the culvert channel. Improving the situation here was one of the key drivers for the project, the inlet configuration with the 600 mm pipe blocking the cess outfall had been causing problems with the water getting in behind the wing wall.
The block and brick work for the south wall extension out to the redesigned inlet is taking shape, this is where we start getting under each others feet as the jobs are all in the same space.
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| Roger building the south wall while Nigel excavates the cess outfall (Photo: Alastair) |
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| Still a fair bit of spoil to remove (Photo: Alastair) |
Taking advantage of no trains running today, the Combine harvester trundled back over the track.
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| Off to harvest another field no doubt (Photo: Alastair) |
Dave was busy recycling the spoil from the downside into the landscaping on the up side.
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| Dave landscaping the up side (Photo: Alastair) |
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| Nigel nears the end of the dig (Photo: Alastair) |
Some of the concrete backfill for the south wall extension was dropped in.
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| Roger backfilling the south wall extension (Photo: Alastair) |
There's still a lot of wall to build on the down side around the base of the gabion baskets and along the fence-line side of the cess outfall.
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| Dave bringing more bricks down ready for the next build (Photo: Alastair) |
Last job on the up side will be the scour protection at the end of the channel, but there's a bit of tidying up required where the cess outfall and channel meet.
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| Dave and Nigel manufacturing shuttering on the up side (Photo: Alastair) |
The former was taken out of the brick arch, last job here will be to put a concrete skin over the top to match the rest of the culvert arch.
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| Brick arch standing unsupported (Photo: Alastair) |
Progress out towards the fence on the down side...
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| Down side channel out to the inlet pipe (Photo: Alastair) |
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| Down side cess outfall ready for concreting (Photo: Alastair) |
Lastly we have the treasure that Dave found in the clay, perhaps we should be keeping it under wraps until it has been assessed and valued. It looks to be a solid gold antique snuff box. Singleton & Cole were registered in Birmingham on on 7 May 1897 as manufacturers, importers and dealers in tobacco. They were taken over in 1966, but the Singleton brand still survives.
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| (Photo: Alastair) |
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| (Photo: Alastair) |
Extensive research shows that these boxes can make as much as £0.99 (plus £3.50 P&P) on a well known on-line auction site. Perhaps it's value would increase a bit if it could provide the provenance to link it back to the navvy who dropped it when the earthworks were done in 1903 😉
Well this could prove to be the turning point for finances for the line with this find. If this was in the clay by the wing wall then this was dropped by Patrick O'Duffy on the day before payday in 1901, Errin remembers this well as he was due to have some snuff when they they were going to have a break. He told his mate who recounted this to his friend who told his wife and she then told her children who told thier grandchildren on that rainy day in September 1923 just before the new Co-op opened in the High Street. surely you remember that tale guy's? (LOL)
ReplyDeleteBTW great report and pictures how come there is no mention of how important this work is not just to the line but to the farmers a s well!
Regards
Paul & Marion
That's the story we were looking for :-) As long as he can squeeze his tractor under the bridge, he'll be happy as a farmer ever is
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