The focus is still on greenery (and fruit)

Fortnight ending 12 September 

It's holiday season for Volunteers so work has been a bit sporadic over the last couple of weeks. 

Tuesday 1st Sept 

Working close to base today, Dave and Nigel cleared the drain on the down side crest in Winchcombe Cutting. This will help when we come to trace the 24" pipe to make sure it runs where we think it does. After that, they leapfrogged the station and carried on clearing the ditch in Winchcombe Yard, that's the downstream end of the same drain. 

Photos from Dave 

Winchcombe cutting down side crest drain 

The new gully on top of the 24" crest drain 

Some Chapter 8 barriers left by the contractor recovered to 
Winchcombe Yard 

Normally by this time of year, there's some water in the down side ditch, it seems that there's a late dry spell as the ditch is bone dry. It does make clearing it a lot easier though. 

Winchcombe Yard down side ditch 

Down side ditch cleared 

Thursday 3 Sept 

For a change of scenery, Andrew and Martin headed out to Stanton and Culverts 11A and 11B. There's still a lot of work needed up here to get Culvert 11B up to standard and to join the outlet from 11B to the spur installed into 11A last year. Some of the materials are on site and some are at Toddington and Winchcombe, the problem now is that the funding and effort to complete the work are adrift. It hasn't been forgotten, that's the main thing. 

Photos from Andrew. 

The first job was to clear the roadway so that the gate could be opened, it's still a bit askew since the incident last month. 

Stanton Yard entry gate 

Culvert 11B down side low mileage inlet 

Culvert 11B down side high mileage inlet

Culvert 11B exit before clearing 

Culvert 11B up side exit pipe
under the boundary fence 

Culvert 11B up side outfall 

Headwall on the down side crest at 8m 20ch 

Chamber lid recovery required 

The base camp turning area near Bridge 11 was cleared and some hazard tape put up around the chamber and up side cess headwall, just in case anyone tries to drive over the lids 

Up side cess drain 

Up side cess headwall next to the base camp site 

A sure way to predict the winter weather is by the abundance of fruit in the hedgerows and trees, it's a sure sign of a bad a winter, and it sure looks like there's a going to be a severe one this year. 

Pears

Sloes

Still some blackberries about 

Even more pears 

Most of the pear trees along the line are leftover from orchards that dotted the area, they are usually the small hard pears used for juicing to make Perry  

Monday 7 Sept

Back on the culvert clearance as a note arrived at Drain Gang HQ to say that the consulting engineers have been engaged to carry out the visual inspections on the Culverts. That is those structures which are larger than 18" (450mm in new money). Anything smaller is technically a Cross Drain. 

The Monday gang started at the Broadway end working south, first stop Childswickham Road then onward down to Stanway Viaduct.  

Photos from Dave 

Culvert 2A Childswickham Road up side 

Culvert 2A up side headwall 

The sleeper bridge on the up side 

Culvert 2A down side 

Culvert 2A inside 

Next stop Little Buckland bridge for Culvert 4A...

Down side toe drain (Not Culvert 4A) 😕

Nigel at Culvert 4A up side headwall 

The cracked end of Culvert 4A up side 

Another leapfrog down to Culvert 11C just north of Stanway Viaduct.  

Culvert 11C Down side, no headwall 

Culvert 11C down side inlet 

Culvert 11C is on the 'To Do' list, the embankment has slipped at some time and engulfed the headwall, there's a length of 24" galvanised pipe extending the inlet end. Erosion has moved the inlet stream south of the culvert end, so the inlet stream is at an acute angle, It needs some work to rebuild the headwall and construct a channel similar to that at 11A. 

The up side end outlet stream has been constricted by a tree and this has caused a significant silt build up in the culvert, It needs redesigning to ensure that bore is self cleansing otherwise it may block up. 

  

Culvert 11C up side headwall 

Culvert 11C up side outlet ditch 

Friday 11 Sep 

The Friday gang were at Winchcombe armed with a plan today, the plan went a bit off course as the job took longer than expected. A pallet loaded with bags of 40N concrete mix was delivered before Christmas 2019, it was in readiness for new chamber lid manufacture - this would have been done before now if Lockdown hadn't got in the way. Some of the timber for the 1.8m lid moulds was cut last year ready for assembly as well, today was the day to assemble the moulds.  

Roger measuring up on the mobile work bench 

Drilling holes for the threaded bar  

Oops, threaded bar is a bit too long 

1st assembly almost complete 

First 1.8m long lid mould finished 

Who knew that concrete mix had a Use By date, well it does! and there's only 6 days left to use the whole pallet before it self destructs. There was a concern that the wet may have penetrated the bags as the pallet has been stuck outside for over 9 months, only 1 bag has been found spoiled so far. 

40N Mix Use By 12 Months from 17 Sept 2019 😨

The cement mixer was having a run out for the first time in ages 

What every well dressed man about town is wearing this year
(Photo: Roger)  

Filling the moulds 

Vibrating poker used to get the air bubbles out 
(Photo: Roger) 

9 Bags of 40N later, the first 3 lids done 

The belated spring cleaning bug has struck, possibly brought on by the fact that someone was looking for an essential bit of kit. Hence, the tool chest on the Transit got a clean and sort out, possibly for the first time since we got it. 

There might be something alive in here 😉
(Photo: Roger) 

Only 12 shovels, is that enough for 2 people 
(some are differing sizes and shapes) 

Woe betide anyone who makes a mess in there now. Perhaps the cab will be next for the valet treatment, although that may be a step too far 😟