More Activities at Churchward House, Work on The Raft and the Woodstore at Toddington

Churchward House Yard Clean-Up Continues

This Wednesday the C&M Team have been doing extensive work in the yard at Churchward House. From comments on last week's blog I will aim to include some external shots of the site so that you can see the extent of the clearance work that has been needed. 

The first picture shows where the team have taken down the external lean-to and begun to clear out all the muck that had accumulated below it. Pete D led a team of John W, Jim M, Austen S, Colin M and Terry A. This shot shows the last of the brambles and greenery being burnt on the upper level. 

The upper level is about 2m higher than the yard, and following the ongoing saga of seepage on the rear yard retaining wall, we found out last week that this raised area carries a high-level culvert that feeds the ditch which runs down the western boundary of the station site.

Our colleagues in Lineside Drainage had cleared the sides of the ditch near the outfall to do investigatory work for us. This picture taken by Austen shows the outfall and the rear corrugated fencing to the upper area.

In the second view you can get a better perspective of the levels involved and can just see the top of the workshop to the right behind the fence.

Back down at yard level Terry A is seen here clearing the muck between the retaining wall and the back of the workshop. Just out of shot were John W and Colin H who by this stage had formed a human chain of diggers and shifted an enormous pile of mud soaked gravel which was dropped into the middle of the yard. 

The water you can see behind Terry has all seeped into this low area through holes in the retaining wall.  We are still trying to see whether the cause of this water is leakage from the culvert or natural groundwater coming off the higher ground outside our boundary. Either way we are going to have to route it into the railway's drainage system

Back on the upper level Colin H, John W, Jim M and Austen S were stoking the bonfire and clearing years of muck off the concrete base.

In the next photo you can see the rear of the main building and the attached green workshop area. The containers left behind by Cook's that can just be seen, are going to be removed and taken for scrap.

Whilst all this activity was going on Dave B, Alan M and Jim H were having meetings with various parties trying to firm up where all the required facilities were going to be provided in the main building.

In this picture a team from S&T were discussing the facilities available on site and what others would need to be acquired for their use. The giant heap of muck in the middle of this picture has all been hand dug from the back of the workshop and left to dry out before we move it with the telehandler.

Toddington Woodshed Fencing

For the last couple of weeks a team from C&M have been working hard on installing new fencing posts to go around the wood store area at Toddington Station. Rod W, Terry A, Keith S and Bob W have all been doing a grand job setting the posts into Postcrete ready for the new fencing wire to be applied. The two photos taken by Terry show the posts in the last remnants of golden sunshine taken last week.

The fencing wire and gate have deliberately been left off  ready for the concrete base to be poured and levelled.

It certainly has tidied up this part of the site.

Weighbridge Hut Base Update

The Heritage lads have been hard at work on the steel reinforcement again this week. Two hundred specially formed plastic spacers have been fitted underneath  the lower layer of bars and a good number of the crossing bars fixed with tying wire. - That's a painful job that really tests the muscles in your forearm and wrists.

The team are now working on the stirrup spacing bars which will support the upper layer of the cage.

Well done to that team, you're certainly making good progress. It will be good to get the concrete in and cured before the first frosts of winter arrive.

That's all for this week. The team will be back in action again on Saturday !