Monday 20th & Tuesday 21st October
Two alternative working days for John and Martin as they were attending a dumper driving course. Both passed the test - so we now have three qualified dumper drivers in the team. Hopefully before the end of the year we will start some projects that will utilise these skills.
Thursday 23rd October
At the beginning of the week, the weather forecast from the Met Office (and others) suggested that today was going to be very wet and very windy, all down to storm Benjamin. Hence we made plans for alternative work – and even considered a complete cancellation. In the event, Benjamin tracked much further south. The overnight rain had stopped by the time the first team member arrived at Winchcombe, and the first afternoon shower arrived as we were just about to leave. So we did not get wet, but it was very noticeably cooler. Particularity when stopping for a coffee break and at lunchtime. Needless to say, deck chairs were not on today’s equipment list!
Three
groups today. Jonathan assisted by Phil and Dee attended to some
electrical work on the new (white) Ford Ranger. This included the
fitting of a new battery. Once that was completed they headed to
Bishops Cleeve to access the line back towards Gotherington. The
objective was to check on cross drain 37F, near the foot crossing. We
had received reports that this has collapsed. Fortunately this turned
out to be inaccurate. They rodded the bore with the round drain rod
head successfully. A
visual check from both ends showed daylight. What they did find was a
few small cracks in the embankment caused by the hot dry summer
weather causing the underlying clay to shrink. We shall monitor these
to ensure they do not get bigger.Looking through 37F, day light visible at the far end. The 'restriction' is where an extension joins the original bore. [Photo by Jonathan] Clay shrinkage crack. [Photo by Jonathan]
Dave, Roger and Stuart formed the culvert/cross drain clearing group. Their targets were cross drains 25C, 27C and 28A, between Gretton and Stanley Pontlarge. They also cleared around the mileposts on this section, and a space to enable safe parking of two vehicles on the vacant trackbed the required safe distance (10feet) from the nearest running rail.
| Looking towards the Malvern Hills with cleared milepost in the foreground. |
| Stuart and Dave clearing silt from the outlet of 27C. Usually there is standing water several inches deep here. |
| Roger inside the inlet chamber of 28A, whilst Stuart monitors the gas levels with our gas monitor. (As proscribed by our Confined Spaces working procedure). |
The
remaining three of the team, Peter, Polly and Andrew, undertook the
culvert and cross drain visual inspections of the structures cleared
last week and this week. So a lot of paperwork to complete – for 24A,
24B, 24C, 25A, 25B, 25C, 27C, and 28A. Observant or knowledgeable
readers will spot that we have omitted 27A and 27B. We will return to
these in a few weeks time, after our colleagues in the Lineside
Clearance team have attended to the down (Cotswold) side embankment
alongside Townsend farm.Rain in the past week has meant 25B is not longer dry - but it is only a shallow puddle below the level of the bore.
| One stream still dry is that which enters 27C. |
| 27C outlet on the up (Malvern) side - in very good condition. This shows the value of a strong rebuilt with chunky wing walls to resist the outward pressure from the embankment. |
The three inspectors caught up with the clearing group at Stanley Pontlarge. Hence the final task was shared by all six, removing several barrow loads of sandy silt from the exit chamber of cross drain 28A. An annual task that requires the use of our long handled grab.
Wildlife report: The progress of autumn was clearly evident. Bright red berries spotted on a yew tree; the sloes are now mostly ripe (so soft), but still very bitter to taste. Lots of yellowing pears on still on a down side pear tree, but the fruit is inedible, rock hard. They are obviously perry pears. As usual, one of the resident red kites swooped very low over the work site to see if we had disturbed any small mammals. They only mammal we spotted was not really wildlife - a dark tortoiseshell cat in the adjoining small holding. She too was probably seeing if we had disturbed any mice or voles. Also in the air, a flock of crows were mobbing a passing buzzard.