Digging out for the Griffin Lock
lower landing stage
by: David M.
The landing stages team has been working in parallel in two groups this
last week or so. The stage will be close
to a high bank, needing steel plates to retain the bank and towpath. One sub-team has been at Brimscombe doing the
hard work of manhandling the plates for buzzing off rust, bitumastic painting,
and drilling for lifting points. They
were brought to site along the track from Ham Mill by trailer, to join the OBB
piles already in place nearby.
The steel bank support plates will be used two-high at the higher end
of the bank and screwed to the rear of the bank-side piles, then back-filled
and tamped solid with soil. Steps up from the stage at the lock end will be
formed within a sturdy piled steel box, inserted into the canal bed.
The other sub-team has made good progress with
the HIAB crane and clamshell grab, digging out an especially wide and deep
stretch of ground. Thursday started with
some ice breaking to avoid making barge-hauling even more energetic.
The width of the canal means that the barge has to be pushed diagonally
across with each load, for the crane to reach high on the opposite bank where
spoil is deposited.
Then hauled back again to let the crane get a good grabfull on a short
reach. It’s often too hard to hold by
hand, and needs anchoring to the bank.
The first pass was nearly completed, to just below water level, leaving
about 1m width in place. This will be
removed in a second pass to about 10cm above water, with piles and backplates
being installed as we go, to ensure the bank stays intact.
The
grab gets a wash, the crane driver a well-earned break. A handy piece of kit, in the right hands.
