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Grantham Canal - bits of rusty metal and other interesting stuff.

Discussion in 'Everything Else Heritage' started by baldbof, Oct 5, 2015.

  1. ilvaporista

    ilvaporista Part of the furniture

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    On the 45th!
    Well done and do keep us updated on progress. I think you can see from the comments on here how much we have enjoyed the journey so far.
     
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  2. ghost

    ghost Part of the furniture

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    @baldbof that looks spectacular-massive congratulations to you and the team for a job very well done.

    I think I can safely say that we have all really enjoyed reading your updates and would encourage you to keep posting with your next project, or even showing the maintenance of what you've already achieved.
     
  3. GWR4707

    GWR4707 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Fixed using lead, I assume BW/CRT policy has changed, when I worked there us heritage types wanted to use lead but we were told we couldn't and I had so specify a resin?
     
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  4. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    Specified on the drawings, a requirement by the C&RT heritage adviser and a condition of the HLF grant to use original materials. Specialist contractors were brought in to do the job, we volunteers weren't allowed to do the job due to 'elfinsafetee.
     
  5. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    I've come out of suspended animation to post this video courtesy of one of our members who flew his drone over Lock 14 today in order to view the finished product from above. The towpath is now open for walkers to get a closer look at our efforts.

     
    Last edited: May 18, 2021
  6. gwilialan

    gwilialan Well-Known Member

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    The water level looks very high - above the top of the gates at the upstream end?
     
  7. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    Mainly due to a stop plank being placed across the entry to the by-wash which can be seen on the towpath side a few yards upstream of the gates. I haven't been on site for a few weeks - hurty back and stuff - and don't know for definite but the off-side bank has been raised, so it may be a test to see if the bank was raised high enough. I shall ask.
     
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  8. gwilialan

    gwilialan Well-Known Member

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    Ah, I see the stop plank now you mention it thanks. Yes, would be interesting to know why.
     
  9. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    @gwilialan.

    As I suspected it's to test the off-side bank for leaks where it has been raised. The plank is also there to prevent large pieces of floating debris going down the by-wash pipe - the grill at the entrance to the by-wash pipe needs to be modified with smaller gaps between its struts.
     
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  10. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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  11. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    A quick update on activity since Lock 14 was officially opened.

    We've been waiting for C&RT approval to carry out some additional works whilst waiting for funding approval to cover the restoration of Locks 12 and 13. The additional works are the reinstatement of the original slipway at our Woolsthorpe depot so we can take the boats out of the water for maintenance - ultimately saving the considerable cost of hiring-in a crane every time we wanted to lift a boat - and the building of a mooring compound on the summit pound side of Lock 18 so we can moor our workboats in a more secure environment. Unfortunately, as encountered by virtually every group in the Heritage movement, we suffer from the attentions of the ne'er-do-wells that infest and blight our countryside.

    C&RT approval to proceed has been received and a small team of blokes who know what they're doing have made a start on the slipway. Initial work had been the demolition and brick recovery of the depot's boundary wall, installation of pilings to make a coffer dam and then driving in more pilings which form the shape of the slipway.

    Mud, silt and other gloop is being removed so that a blinding layer can be put down on which the concrete base of the slipway can be poured. We have some welders amongst our volunteers who are fabricating the slipway track to accommodate trollies on which the boats will be winched out of the water. We also have the original slipway winch to restore.

    Work started last week and good progress has been made, although the rain yesterday caused an early finish.

    Some photos taken by Rod, Chris, Bob and others:

    An aerial view of the general area.

    slipway 3.png

    Another view of the depot - the red line is the intended track of the slipway and the blue line is the new mooring wharf. The boats in the water are our trip boat 'Three Shires', 'Otter' the weed-removal boat and 'Mudlark' the dredger. Top of the photo is 'Corvus' which is in long-term storage pending a decision on its future.

    slipway 4.png

    The outer pilings are coffer dam and the inner pilings form the slipway itself. Yours truly "checking-out" the arrangements for pumping out any leakage through the coffer dam. Note, I am not part of the initial team which is made up of blokes who know what they're doing....just sayin'.

    slipway work 1.jpg

    T'other end of the slipway. Top right is the the by-wash for Lock 16.

    slipway work 2.jpg

    Looking along what will be the new mooring wharf for the slipway. What appears to be the original slipway wharf is centre bottom in this photo.

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    Another view of what appears to be the original slipway wall.

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    Mud, silt and other stuff being removed from the slipway. The slipway toe will be at the pilings to the right of the big pipe which houses the pump.

    IMG_2774.JPG

    A general view from the top of the slipway. The carefully demolished boundary wall on the left will be re-instated once the slipway has been poured. The bricks have been cleaned (we've had plenty of practice doing that) and stored elsewhere.

    IMG_2776.JPG

    A closer view of the end of the new wharf and the coffer dam. The pilings for the end of the slipway still have to be driven further into the canal bed before thoughts turn to pouring concrete.

    IMG_2779.JPG

    Now the bird-nesting season is coming to an end, our activities will also resume on clearing overhanging trees and other vegetation along various stretches of the canal. We are increasing our activities at the western end of the canal at Cotgrave, Kinoulton, Owthorpe, Cropwell Bishop and West Bridgford as our membership numbers increase....busy times.
     
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  12. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    What a difference a week makes!

    The bottom end of the slipway cleared of muck ready for the blinding layer to be put down.

    IMG_2783.JPG

    Matting laid in readiness for a layer of crushed stone..
    IMG_2788.JPG

    ..and first section of the blinding course put down - slabs of steel re-inforced concrete, 200mm deep, will be poured on top of this - 5m3 at a time.

    IMG_2796.JPG

    General view of the slipway as we progress.

    IMG_2805.JPG

    Fabricating sections of the rails to be laid on the slipway - our man is a practitioner of the dark art of blacksmithing.

    IMG_2787.JPG

    The rail sections are upside down - the square section is the actual rail, the bolts will be on the underside and sunk into the concrete.

    IMG_2799.JPG

    Those "small" sections are a four-man lift - they're bloody heavy!!

    IMG_2798.JPG

    As per the thread title - "bits of rusty metal and other interesting stuff". A section of the original slipway rollers which appeared during excavations.

    IMG_2791.JPG

    One of the original slipway rollers after initial cleaning - needs a bit more work to remove the crud. It's also very heavy, weighing over 15 kgs.

    IMG_2793.JPG
     
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  13. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    Just a few shots of the progress with the re-instatement of the slipway - one concrete pour is much the same as another. Photos provided by Bob T and Richard C.

    A 5-metre section being made ready for the second pour. A third 5-metre section was poured today.

    Screenshot 2021-10-07 at 00.43.09.png

    The path of the slipway is taking shape. The final, level section will come right up to the kerb .

    Screenshot 2021-10-07 at 00.39.07.png

    General view from the towpath side after today's pour.

    Screenshot 2021-10-07 at 00.43.42.png
     
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  14. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    Another quick up-date on the slipway works.

    Good progress has been made with successive pours despite the area being flooded after "someone" put in extra stop boards at Lock 15 causing water levels to rise by over 12". Not only did the raised water level flood our work area but it caused the canal to top the bank at a low spot further along that stretch and cause some further erosion. C&RT, who were already assessing the work to be done to raise that part of the bank and are investigating.

    The rails of the final section are now in place for a pour in the next couple of days. If anyone is interested, the gauge is 5' 3".

    IMG_2858.JPG

    The gradient of the slipway can be seen in this shot. That's one of our volunteers praying to some deity that he's got his calculations right.

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    Positioning the carved nose stone on the end of the new wharf. The stone was shaped by one of our volunteers.

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    A minor adjustment being made to make sure the nose stone is level.

    IMG_2857.JPG

    Flooding caused by irresponsible behaviour further along the canal.

    20211101_081433.jpg
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2021
  15. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    A photo of the original slipway has appeared in our society's newsletter. Reproduced here courtesy of Brian R.

    We still have the winch which is undergoing restoration and will incorporated into the re-build.

    Screenshot 2021-11-11 at 16.35.58.png
     
  16. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    After more work by our dedicated volunteers, the slipway is just about finished apart from some minor work and a bit of wall rebuilding.

    A test was carried out yesterday to check that the bogeys the boats will rest on when they are removed from the water, actually work. Much to everyone's delight, they do!!

    The test boat for the first lift was our dumb flat 'Earwig', specially selected for the test as it doesn't have important stuff like propellors or rudders hanging off it that could have been damaged if the test went 'TU'.

    The first photo (courtesy Colin B)shows 'Earwig' after being hauled out of the water. The bogeys which "Earwig" is sitting on and the profile of the slipway ramp, were designed by Jim G our volunteer in the orange hi-vis.


    slipway 1.png

    The second photo (courtesy John S) was taken by another of our volunteers who was flying a light aircraft at the time. This photo shows how much work has been accomplished compared with those in my earlier posts. We still need to complete rebuilding the section of our compound's wall (centre right) and installing the adjacent landing platform which will allow us to do short boat trips along the half-mile to Lock 15 - currently passengers have to make a half-mile walk to beyond Lock 18 for these short trips. This new addition will mean that passengers can enjoy our depot's hospitality of a cup of tea and a piece of cake before and after their trip.

    At the very bottom of the second photo is our weed removal boat 'Otter' which was on training/familiarisation duties.

    slipway 2.png

    Now the test has been satisfactorily completed, next week our trip boat will be coming out of the water for a hull scrape and re-paint in readiness for the new season. Each movement of a boat out of/into the water will save us in the region of £1000 against the cost of hiring a crane to do the lift and it gives us the flexibility to carry out short notice movements.

    There's still loads more to be done along the length of the canal and thanks to obtaining a decent size van, we are now venturing to the western end of the canal and raising awareness of our activities and intentions - with positive responses to our visible presence and an influx of new volunteers.

    Hopefully, work will start on the restoration of Locks 12 and 13 sometime during 2023 as long as we can get the necessary funding in place and then its only 19 miles and a lot of flat bridges to the next lock.

    That's it for the time being. Hopefully I'll be able to bring you news of further developments in due course.
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2022
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  17. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    Our slipway was officially taken into use today with not one, but two boats hauled up on the bogies.

    The first boat was our weed boat 'Otter' which was hauled to the top of the slipway and jacked onto wooden blocks so the bogies could be used to haul our trip boat, `Three Shires', out of the water for a hull scrape and re-paint.

    It all went well with no dramas. A start was made on cleaning 'Three Shires' hull but heavy rain stopped play. We will be erecting a donated marquee over the slipway in order to provide some weather protection whilst the boat is painted. 'Otter' needs some mechanical/hydraulics rectification and being on the slipway means we have a steady base to work on it and it avoids having to fish around in the canal for any dropped tools.



    IMG_2898.JPG
     
  18. DismalChips

    DismalChips Member

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    Indulge my curiosity here - I know nothing about this, but how does the bogie system work? I assume they're submerged, the boat is steered over them until it's in a position where it or the bogies won't slip, then winched up, with gravity doing the work of holding the boat on the bogies?
     
  19. ilvaporista

    ilvaporista Part of the furniture

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    Interesting that the gauge is 5'3". Is this due to the Irish navvy connections?
     
  20. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    Spot on sir, you assume correctly. There is a 6' yellow marker pole attached to each bogie to assist the boat driver to steer the boat over the bogies whilst they are submerged. The bogies are connected to each other by chains so that the distance between them can be adjusted according to the length of the boat they are supporting.

    Purely co-incidental. Our volunteer who designed the bogies, rails and the ramp profile, calculated that was the optimal gauge for the job. He is, by profession, a design engineer specialising in hydraulics and has had no connection with railways.
     
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