The Rolle Canal

Welcome to our Diary…

Wednesday 23^rd

Two 30feet long RSJ’s are delivered to the site.  They are to be used as a base for a temporary bridge to span the lick chamber in order to make access to either side much quicker.  Norman Richards ordered the steel, through a contact of his, and helped with the delivery and off-loading, assisted by Barry and Trevor.  Adrian, in the meantime, takes care of the most important job – making the tea!

Michael operated the 22RB to lift the steel from a long trailer and placed them alongside the lock chamber where struts and decking can be added before the finished bridge is lifted into place.

Whilst the unloading was being undertaken, the weather decided to complicate the task.  Heavy rain began to fall onto the ground that was already covered in a thick coating of ice.  Fortunately the job was soon completed and everyone made a break for shelter and warmth.

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Wednesday 16^th

Trevor prepared the surface of the newly extended bolts and gave them a coat of red oxide paint. 

Adrian, in the meantime, started up the 22RB and warmed up the clutches to free any sticking surfaces following the prolonged period of rainfall.  He then practiced manoeuvring a load on the hook block and raising and lowering the boom. The crane is performing well.

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Friday 4^th

Sadly one of the adult swans, probably the cob, was found dead this morning.  Yesterday it was in much the same position as where the family had rested on Wednesday but on its own. It appeared alert and healthy although the rest of the family were now on the other side of the river.   Perhaps it was just having a break from parenthood or maybe it was ailing!

The corpse had some predatory damage to its breast but whether this had occurred pre or post-mortem is a matter of speculation.  The corpse disappeared following the next high tide, presumably floating away.

Hopefully the remaining adult will find itself another mate in time to breed again next season.

Thursday 3^rd

The swan family have returned to the lock for a ‘sleep-over’.  Whilst they are seen now and again they have been travelling considerable distances up and down the River Torridge.  The juveniles are fully grown now but still retain some of their immature plumage. .

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Wednesday 2^nd

Norman telephones to say his friend, an engineer, has finished extending the gate bolts so Hilary Trevor, Adrian and he take time out to collect them.

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Thursday 27^th

Trevor and Adrian resign themselves to applying ‘handraulics’ to the augur using Barry’s tommy bar.  Much to their surprise and delight it works beautifully.   As anticipated it does require a considerable measure of grunt to bore a 50mm diameter hole through 30cm of solid oak but by taking matters slowly and steadily the augur cuts its way through nice and cleanly  The only thing hampering progress now is the very unsettled weather and the frequent downpours of heavy rain but by the end of the day most of the holes have been cut.

Friday 28^th

Adrian completes boring the final holes. The next step is to offer up the extended bolts once they have been manufactured.

Wednesday 26^th

Back to the tool hire company and the drawing board!

Barry, in the meantime has come up with a ‘Heath Robinson’ means of attaching the augur to a tommy bar handle, constructed out of a combination of tube steel, two lengths of centimetre square steel rod and a length of vacuum-cleaner pipe. But, of course!

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The largest sections of timber to be added to the gates have to be repositioned for marking up.  Using the 22RB is the obvious means of manoeuvring such heavy weights so Adrian starts it up while Trevor and Barry continue boring holes.

The crane starts up easily and Adrian works the boom hoist and lift clutches to warm them up.  Unfortunately he cannot get the propulsion clutch to engage consequently is unable to drive the crane to the position in which it needs to be; another mechanical set-back! Trevor, Barry and Adrian resort to the ‘Egyptian way’,  using rollers and the pulling power of the dumper to shift the timbers.

The sections of wood to be removed to form the scarf-joints necessary to make up the large lengths of timber they need Is marked out and  Adrian cuts them out using his chain saw.

 In the meantime Trevor and Barry continue boring holes until unfortunately the tip of the bit breaks off and a replacement has to be found.  Despite wrecking the bit and the crane misbehaving it has been a very productive day.