Wednesday 6th November 2013 - Cheltenham Racecourse Platform 2

It's the first Wednesday in the month and a contingent from the Broadway Area Group go to Cheltenham to keep the show on the road on Platform 2. It was a pretty grotty day but six volunteers made good progress - here is Jo's report:-

 

Hi Bill,

What a wet and squally day we had ! 6 of us on CRC2, two on brick laying, one on muck, and three moving bricks. The day started drizzly, and slowly got worse, so that when we broke for lunch it was heavy drizzle and getting quite blustery. After a brief post lunch session – a bit more pointing, and another 300 bricks, we called it a day.

Nonetheless, we moved the project along another bit:

4 ½ pallets moved down from the embankment, and the bricks stacked along the back of the platform foundations. We tried a new counting method – John O worked out exactly how many bricks would be needed in a 10m section, and then set out a few such sections, so that we could see where we were going to. We then picked a section, and filled it with the exact number of bricks  870 blues, and 1250 reds. I hope this really works out too, we don’t want to shift too many twice.

Bob W and Tony B achieved their aim for the day – a row of blues, and backed up, on section 4, followed by the blockwork behind, about 90 blocks. This consumed vast quantities of mortar, supplied valiantly by Paul C, aka ‘Lord Muck’. On the photograph we see him plodding down along the foundations with yet another barrow load. We had to make the mortar drier than usual today, because with all the drizzle it arrived quite wet at the end of the run. Luckily the work face is edging closer, but it’s still a good 200 yds with a very heavy wheelbarrow.









 

001: Paul at the 80m mark, the little ‘mile post’ made by John O.



002: ‘Lord Muck’ on an arm stretching mortar run to the far end of the site, with the team of brick movers behind on blues. Notice the steps in the foundations, which make it difficult to get a level line of bricks.



003: After laying a course of blues on the front, both Bob and Tony laid the 90 concrete blocks necessary for the next 10 meter stretch, which is No. 4 in this picture. No 3 is ready, except for the third course of corbelling. The tarpaulins keep the worst of the rain off the recently laid blues.

004: Before we can stack the bricks brought down form the top of the embankment, we have to have a level patch of ground. This means digging in wet, clingy clay.

005: A view from the top of the embankment, where the pallets are stacked. 38 remain to be distributed, after the 4 we did today. We are now over the half way mark here. The broken bricks are from within the stacks of reds (the blues are not so fragile) but we do manage to salvage about 25% of them for backing behind the corbelling, where ¾ length bricks are required.

006: The long and weary trudge home. Bob and Tony on the 220 yard haul back to the cabin, tired, wet, with all the tools still to wash and put away.