The Lily Pond Bids Farewell
The Lily Pond Bids Farewell
by: Buffs
The last piece of the jigsaw that is the remodelling of Western Depot is being prepared for laying down. The new shape of the yard has been defined by the inclusion of the carpark on the Spring Hill side into the body of the yard and the relocation of the welfare unit to the north side of the yard where it now clusters with the office, meeting room and the heads. 3 new bins for loose aggregate now back onto the Spring Hill boundary fence. Each bin can accommodate the contents of one of Cullimore’s larger tippers and still have room for more. Whilst the log yard may appear untouched by the changes the loggery team have rebuilt the ‘seasoning bins’ to provide better protection from the elements and a dryer working space for the splitting team to work in. It also provides a pleasant space for Lunch and the occasional cream tea.
The wood work shop has been expanded to at least 3 times it original area and the extra insulation keeps the temperature at a more amenable level. The metal working shops have also been remodelled and expanded. The machine shop now boasts a more complete suite of machines set in the space in which to use them. The containers on the West side of the yard remain in their original place but have been reallocated and refurbished. Two now contain the small engine workshops. To the North the barn has been completely rebuilt with a much higher roof line to allow access for the fork lift truck to bring in heavy kit for repair in the extended and expanded fabrication shop.
All that remains is the space in the middle of the yard. Readers of the blog will have seen reports of the work done to excavate this space in order to create a hard standing capable of supporting the heavy vehicles making deliveries and collections to and from the yard to support the activities of the restoration and development of the canal Westward towards Saul Junction. Colloquially referred to as the ‘lily pond’ it has, during the recent heavy rainfall, held water for longer than expected. It has proved difficult to reach a consistent base strata. The types of material removed have been varied and demonstrate the range of activities the yard has seen in the 200 + years of the canal.
This week saw the preparations for the final big event of the re-modelling accelerate towards the finishing line. The establishment of a wide free use space at the heart of Western Depot provide us with the flexibility to accept some tasks which have been either turned away or transferred to other sites with more space but without ready access to our capable volunteers and facilities.
The rough edge at the top of the slope was redefined by cutting a straight(ish) line through the macadam surface with the brick saw mounted on a trolley designed and manufactured by welder Mike from a photograph and a user guide for a commercially available unit. The cutting disc generates a lot of dust which is suppressed by a waters spray onto the blade fed from a pressurised reservoir. This system was obviously becoming inefficient due to a small part failing. Resourceful as ever Steve P started to ‘walk the dog’ as he took up the hose and sprayed the cutting disc and anyone close to keep the disc cool and the dust down. A large JCB was brought in by Farmer Chris to do the final digging and levelling of the ‘lily pond’ to accept steels used to provide the boundaries of the five strips where the concrete will be laid in the coming week. The first pour is expected as the clocks move on and the days becomes longer and hopefully warmer although the forecast is for a cold snap after the shirtsleeve weather of late.
