Spring(?) Cleaning

For meteorologists spring starts on the 1^st of March; astronomers prefer the date of the vernal equinox (20^th March this year). Whenever it starts, Spring is the customary time for annual cleaning. Paradoxically the return of wintery weather in early March enabled our cleaning activities.

Thursday 2^nd March

With the full complement of 8 team members working we split into groups of 2 and 6.

The group of 6 started the excavation of the up side diversion of the outlet of 11B at Stanton. Using the mini-excavator access from our neighbour's field, the first job was to excavate a hole to locate the previously installed stub pipe under the farm access track at bridge 11. Once located the depth and position of this was noted and the master drawing adjusted. This excavation will form the 5th new chamber on the diversion. The digger then moved to the current 11B exit and the hole for the first new chamber excavated. The line of the diversion pipe and the approximate locations of the other 3 new chambers were marked. All in all a good start to this long delayed construction. As the ground here is the notorious Stanton clay; it was soon evident that the mini-excavator was vital.

Locating the existing stub pipe, Jonathan digs carefully watched by Martin, Nigel and Dave. Polly in the background checks the flow in culvert 11A.

End of pipe located, so out comes the old dumpy bag which was stopping soil from entering.

Whilst at bridge 11/culvert 11A/cross drain 11B the group attended to some other odd tasks. Repointing of the arch of the inlet bore of culvert 11A was completed and then the surplus mortar used on an extra curricular task, repointing part of the up side wing walls of bridge 11. Various items of concrete/brick/slag rubble which had been left near the down side inlet of 11B were collected and used as scour protection on the outlet of 11A at our boundary. (One activity completing two tasks on our task list!)

Polly uses up surplus mortar by repointing the up side high mileage wing wall of bridge 11.

 

Scour protection added to the outlet of 11A; the exit pipe is that which will become the outflow of 11B.

From the up side of bridge 11 showing the excavated hole for the final new chamber; the pipe under the farm access track was laid back in 2019 (remember that pre-COVID era?) [Photo by Jonathan]

(For the record; the stub pipe was installed on 8th July 2019 - take a look at this previous blog entry).

It was good to be interrupted by the passage of a train once again. The green EE Type 3 (class 37 for younger readers) ran an ECS move/test run of the main set Winchcombe-Broadway-Toddington.

When the sun shines, Stanton is a photogenic spot; enhanced with a train!

Plastic mesh fence erected at the end of the day around the hole for the chamber at the current 11B exit.

 

The team of two first went to Travis Perkins at Cheltenham to collect materials ordered for the repair/alterations to the up side outlet of Stanton Aqueduct (bridge 9). This included some reinforcing bar; which was taken to the Steam Loco folk at Toddington to be cut and bent into shape. In the afternoon they went to the aqueduct to start construction of the shuttering as specified in the repair drawing. However they discovered that the new retaining collar which has been manufactured and fitted by outside contractors did not exactly match the drawing. Decided that on-site discussions with the bridge engineers would be best way to proceed. They also found time to repair the electric pump which had stopped working last week whilst at Prescott Road Bridge. The problem was the impeller was jammed with bits of bone and remains of a plastic bag.

Thursday 9^th March

Unsurprisingly the return of the cold wet sleet/snow winter weather affected our planned activities for today. However, all 8 of the team attended, so credit to all for getting in.

We cancelled all work on the cross drain 11B to culvert 11A discharge (up side) diversion at Stanton. Taking a trailer with the minidigger on it across our neighbour’s field would have made a mess; plus it was too wet and cold to mix concrete for the new chamber bases. Two team members did check on the sit, the existing outlet was running and there was some discharge into the stub pipe at 11A from the new chamber pit. (And the anti scouring material added last week to 11A outflow was being tested).

Spot the difference from last week - a lot more water flowing in 11A. Even some discharge from the 'new' 11B outlet.

Five of the team spent most of the morning at Stanton Aqueduct (bridge 9). The main activity was to remove a small amount of concrete from the up side foundation block; thus ensuring the trough ribs were not fouling the block. Also checked the fitting of the lengths of rebar which had been cut and bent to shape by the Steam Loco department. They met the Bridge Inspector to discuss and agree the way forward with the repairs/modifications to accommodate the recently fitted new collar. This will involve use of self levelling grout. They also tried, without much success, to jack the trough across to make the gaps at either side of the foundation block equal. The inlet channel was checked, no leaks from the new 300m id pipes, only water in the inlet channel was from the rain/snow. On the up outlet side the grill on the outlet was cleared, the outlet pipe is only just over the 300mm internal diameter. Also checked the slip marker posts on the down side cutting again, pleased that there is no sign of movement.

Drilling out the aqueduct foundation block around the trough rib.

Completed slot.

The concrete/brick inlet channel is almost dry; all the flow from the stream enters the aqueduct in the new lengths of pipe.

Two of the team stayed in the relative warm of the old C&M workshop at Winchcombe resuming milepost work. Heads for 10 & quarter and 14 & half were completed, plus the rebuilding of two old damaged heads into one serviceable one. Other refurbished heads were given a second coat of gloss white paint.

Our final team member worked on the replacement of the trailer electrics of the Isuzu truck. Although in the dry of the new Churchward House workshop, this did involve lying on the cold concrete floor. A second wiring defect was also attended to, so all lights on the trailer board now work correctly.

After lunch it was a spot of spring(!) cleaning. The main item was removing everything from the cab of our prime LWB Transit; vacuuming it out and tidily replacing the essential items. The result is that five people can now use the cab comfortably! Some odd items of drainage equipment were moved from the old workshop and gas compound to the EMD shipping container. This had the added bonus of finding some of the acrow props which will be used for the aqueduct shuttering.

Vehicle cleaning. At least the cab of the Transit truck was in the dry.

We are now wishing for proper spring weather to progress the works at Stanton – or at the very least some dry weather.