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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. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    Another week, another day at the restoration site. After putting the perimeter fence panels back after the strong winds had temporarily re-located them, we set about de-watering the lock chamber. Our friendly local angling society were there to remove the fish as the water levels dropped to allow safe removal to the canal proper. A decent size pike and and a couple of large bream were amongst the many fish removed.

    These are the dogs doodahs for getting rid of the water

    IMG_0523.JPG

    The water being sent on its way.

    IMG_0521.JPG

    The "emptied" lock chamber. I say emptied, but its still got a load of sludge and masonry debris to be removed. That can't come out until its been tested to determine whether it's safe for land replenishment or its toxicity requires special disposal.

    IMG_0524.JPG

    Now the not-so-good news. The lower dam is leaking water back into the chamber. However , all is not lost and we think it will be a fairly simple case of pushing the clay lining, on the outer face, further into the dam wall. Our excavator driver is on the case and will attempt to seal the dam tomorrow.
     
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2017
  2. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    The BBC visited our site today to film a piece on our restoration project. We were bolstered by a number of office staff from the Canal & River Trust who were having an office day out cleaning bricks!

    We busied ourselves for the TV shots by sorting and cleaning bricks recovered from the lock walls so that they can be re-used in the restoration of the lock walls. By using original bricks, we not only meet part of the criteria set by the Heritage Lottery Fund when they awarded their generous grant, but it helps keep costs down.

    Bricks, bricks and more bricks. This is just one of the heaps of the damn things around the site.

    IMG_0527.JPG

    Two of the Friday gang. The bricks on the pallets have been cleaned and are awaiting removal to a storage site for safekeeping until we start rebuilding the lock walls.

    IMG_0529.JPG
     
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2017
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  3. Martin Perry

    Martin Perry Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator Friend

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    Always amazes how many people turn out (anywhere) when the TV cameras are on site :)
     
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  4. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    I had thought of using the term "out of the woodwork" but that wouldn't be fair on my colleagues in the foreground (they turn up in all weathers) - but it does apply to a couple of folks in the group behind them.
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2015
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  5. Wenlock

    Wenlock Well-Known Member Friend

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    I have noticed elsewhere on t'web, that when used bricks are stacked on pallets they are normally laid flat like that. Whereas new bricks are delivered stacked on edge. Is there a reason for the difference?
     
  6. Ploughman

    Ploughman Part of the furniture

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    Probably due to the method of loading and manufacture.
    They will be taken out of the kiln by machine and transferred straight to pallet.
    Whereas these will be handlaid on the pallet and it is natural to lay them broadest way on rather than on edge.
     
  7. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    The original bricks were hand-made at Woolsthorpe brickworks which was built to supply bricks to the canal builders. From what we have recovered so far, no two bricks seem to match in size, shape, colour , content etc. Bricks produced much later, e.g engineering bricks used for repairs, are more uniform in their shape and size

    Laying them flat is probably the best way to stack them as some of them will fall over if laid on their edge. If I can remember, the next time I'm on-site I'll take some photos of the variations in the bricks.
     
  8. oddsocks

    oddsocks Well-Known Member

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    6960 Raveningham Hall likes this.
  9. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    oddsocks,

    Many thanks for that link. I hadn't seen that one before.
     
  10. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    Here are photos of some of the bricks we are cleaning. I did say that they were different shapes & sizes.

    IMG_1563.jpg


    IMG_1564.jpg

    It was a bit chilly on-site and some brass monkeys were heard screaming. It didn't help that the diesel in our excavator and dump truck had waxed in the cold and blocked the filters - I'm surprised that happened as the temperature hadn't been anywhere near frostbite levels.

    The leak in the lower dam is down to an irritating trickle, but until it finally stops we can't do too much in the lock chamber.
     
    Last edited: Nov 13, 2017
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  11. Martin Perry

    Martin Perry Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator Friend

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    keep a gallon of kerosene handy to add to the tanks; used to work for my old Transit Van years ago.
     
  12. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    Been there, done that down the Falklands, only we added Avtur to the heating oil and road diesel. Unfortunately we don't have an airfield to hand. In order to work, the stuff has to be added before it gets cold enough to wax. I suspect the fuel we have is summer grade diesel rather than winter grade which has the anti-waxing stuff added to it. I've noticed there's quite a bit on the farming forums on this problem - it seems the suppliers were late in putting the additives into the diesel as, from some of the comments, the farmers were expecting it to be in from the start of October and this year it was added from the beginning of November. Technical stuff this fuel business!

    Back to the canal - had an e-mail last night informing everybody that a brick-cleaning machine has arrived and is being put to use from today. That should speed up the process - once the mandatory training and H&S stuff has been done.
     
  13. Martin Perry

    Martin Perry Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator Friend

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    Ideally the kero needs to be premixed but it can get you going if added afterwards if you are lucky.
     
  14. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    After a bit of wind, some wood needing clearing from the waterway.

    IMG_0678.jpg

    At the lock restoration, the leak still has not stopped so some additional measures are being considered. We have had to clear some more space to take excavated earth from around the remainder of the lock walls, so today was spent having bonfires. Came away from the site smelling like a well-smoked kipper.
     
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2017
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  15. Chris B

    Chris B New Member

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    Is this the section near the "Dirty Duck"? I camped at the side of the canal at a motorbike rally there back in the 80's
     
  16. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    Hi, All that timber was in the section between Harlaxton and Denton Wharf. It may sadden you to know that the Dirty Duck closed for business after Easter this year but apparently the Duchess of Rutland has plans for it to re-open. The camp site is still available for bookings and some hardy souls have been using it recently . The pub is currently being gutted in preparation for some internal work. Don't know any more than that.

    The lock we are restoring is further along the straight section toward Muston and Stenwith.
     
  17. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    Another week begins and it looks like we have taken a step backwards. Over the previous few days, the lock has re-filled with water partly due to the continuing very small leak in the lower dam but also thanks to the torrential rain of the last few days. Our man thinks a lot of ground water has found its way into the chamber and is coming through the remaining walls. He also suspects the water table is quite high and there's not a lot we can do about that - the part of the lock chamber that remains, is below the original land level. Makes you wonder if the canal builders had the same problem and just cracked on with the job, never thinking that 200 years+ down the line, some idiots keen volunteers would want to rebuild their work. Our man is confident that the leak can be stopped so we remain of the "glass half full" point of view.

    The lock first thing yesterday morning. I stood there drinking a mug of tea thinking "Aw, b********s!"

    IMG_0564.jpg

    On the plus side , we have completed the extension to our site and all that remains is for it to be filled with excavated muck from behind the lock walls.
     
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2017
  18. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    The final week before Christmas started on an buoyant note. This is what greeted us yesterday morning. Compare it to the picture in the previous post.

    IMG_0577.jpg

    Our colleagues on last week's other work parties had put in some piling sheets and re-arranged the clay lining of the lower dam.

    IMG_0578.jpg

    During the re-arranging of the clay, the digger dislodged some dressed edging stones from the towpath side bank and it would appear that there is some form of wharf hidden under all the vegetation (to the right of the pilings). It's assumed that boats may have moored at this wharf awaiting their turn to enter the lock. It is suspected that the leak found its way through the dam via the degraded brickwork of this wharf. Anyway, this extra bit of mud-moving would appear to have worked - we're keeping our fingers crossed.

    Meanwhile, the never-ending task of brick-cleaning has continued. We now have an electrically-powered brick cleaning machine which we use in conjunction with hand tools. Here's one of our volunteers using the machine. Behind him are some pallets of cleaned bricks which have been shrink-wrapped to protect them when we move them to an off-site storage area. They will be brought back when we start re-building the lock walls.

    IMG_0574.jpg

    There's still about what seems to be 45 million bricks to clean.

    That's it for this year.

    A Merry Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful New Year to you all.
     
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2017
  19. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    Whilst some parts of the country have been under the cosh as far as the weather is concerned, around the Vale of Belvoir we have been blessed with unseasonably mild weather. Today was no exception and some of the volunteers took our workboat out in order to work off some of the calories gained by overdoing the Christmas festivities. It was very warm, no wind with barely a ripple on the surface of the water. The object of today's activities was to remove fallen/dumped timber and other detritus from the waterway and made a welcome change from getting muddy and cleaning bricks at Lock 15.

    We were joined by the trip boat crew who had decoded to have a day out.

    IMG_0255.jpg

    Our workboat with its cargo of branches, logs, old tyres, drinks cans, bottles and bikes which we recovered from the waterway.

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    Some of the intrepid crew of NB Centauri.

    IMG_0591.jpg
     
    Last edited: Nov 13, 2017
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  20. GWR4707

    GWR4707 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Being a nosy sort, are you getting any help and guidance from the Heritage Team at CRT?

    Only asking as interested who it is (to provide some context - in a past life I was a Regional Heritage Advisor up north in the BW days and worked a lot with the Lancaster Canal Trust).
     

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