Some more demolition

Wednesday saw a start made on building the platform extension, with a gang of 6 on the job.

Outside the station building materials have arrived, in particular concrete blocks for the lower rows, as at CRC,


Inside, along the platform, bricks have been stacked ready to lay.

These are being brought down from a surplus at Broadway, 1000 at a time. Another 2000 remain to be collected.

The day started dry but it soon became a day of steady light rain up until mid afternoon, when you photographer dropped by after a day at Broadway.

At the start of the day the shuttering pegs etc were removed and any voids filled to make a safe working area.

Several measurements were then taken to establish how much more spoil, if any, would need to be removed. This fortunately revealed that very little extra will have to go, and it will probably be a pick and shovel job.

 

Next on the agenda was to remove the slabs on the slope, so once we had all the right kit in place we commenced with lifting and rolling them uphill to store them at the back of the platform ready for re use when the wall is rebuilt.

This was all done by hand and foot and rollers in about an hour and a half (this brought back memories of when we laid them many years ago). They will be replaced however using a small 360 digger with straps.

 

In the picture above you can see that the platform slabs have been removed, and a start is being made on removing the small concrete sleeper ends that were used for corbelling when the platform was first rebuilt. Pat is giving them a very hard stare.

 

 

The slabs were on with surprisingly hard mortar, but they have to go, as the slope is being moved along by 20m to the new end of the platform.

 

One gang member is using an SDS drill with chisel bit to penetrate the mortar, while Pete is on the crowbar to remove a sleeper end that has been loosened.

 

 

 

 

Your photographer then got itchy hands and also had a go. 

Not as easy as it looks. What did they use for mortar 20 years ago? It's tough. After 10mins of rattling away, one obliged by coming away, leaving yours truly all a-tremble.

 

These sleeper ends are the 'pots' from lightweight army concrete sleepers, not suitable for main line use, so they found a new use here. They all have to come out before you start brick laying on the extension, and carefully so, as they will be reused.

As we were packing up in the failing light, a 'train' came along. The PWay gang in the Landie - beep-beep !

 

All in all a good days work despite the weather.