Cotswold Canals - Thames & Severn, Stroudwater - merged topics

[whole diary]

[infoman]

rail bridge construction work on the Stroudwater canal with some film footage

[DR7835]

Regular updates here https://cotswoldcanals.org/category/latest/  (and on Facebook for those that do that sort of thing).
At the current rate of progress it looks as though they'll finish with a respectable amount of time in hand.

[Bmblbzzz]

I remember when it was all fields round there...

I also remember walking along the old railway when there were piles of old sleepers and a bridge with what looked to my small eyes like huge gaps that we jumped over. It scared me, but none of us ever fell through!

[PrestburyRoad]

It's good to see a project that's going well - fingers crossed for successful completion on time.

The posting Ocean Railway Bridge Update #9 https://cotswoldcanals.org/ocean-railway-bridge-update-9/ includes a photograph showing a big crane with a lattice-work jib, and also mentions successfully avoiding wind risk: "Whilst windy, the winds were under the operating threshold of the crane."  I was interested to hear an expansion on this point from a member of the Cotswold Canals Trust at yesterday's meeting of the Gloucestershire Society for Industrial Archaeology.  He explained that the lattice-work crane was especially chosen to try to avoid delay from strong winds.  Most big cranes have a solid (tubular) jib but this has a lower wind tolerance.  It would have been bad if the line closure had to overrun due to a bit of winter wind, so a scarcer lattice crane was chosen to reduce risk of delay.

[johnneyw]

Having been a member of the Cotswolds Canals Trust for most of the current millennium and having an interest in it's restoration since the 1970s,, I'm delighted (to put it mildly) at the work being done there.
Back in November I had one of my occasional visits to have a look at general restoration progress between Stonehouse and Brimscombe and the vegetation clearance was already well progressed at Ocean Bridge.
I feel another visit coming on soon.

BTW^▸ ('by the way')...I can only imagine that calling the bridgeside canal pound "The Ocean" was done with tongue firmly in cheek.

[Mark A]

The Cotswold Canal Trust are running a very infrequent series of trips from Wallbridge Lock, Stroud, at 10:30am, heading east for a couple of locks before a short trot to Stroud Brewery (opportunity for eats) and return ~3.30pm, £25pp excluding the hit from Stroud Brewery.

The ~three trips later in the year seem to have sold out, tomorrow's (I think the first time they've run this one, so, a shakedown trip) as far as I can see, has spaces.

Mark

https://portal.cotswoldcanals.org/product/perseverance-boat-trip-stroud-brewery/

[Mark A]

Update: bridge 88 from the water.

Mark

[Image from here is not available to guests]

[grahame]

Update: bridge 88 from the water.

Mark

Looks like a lovely day and had I not been otherwise engaged, I would have come along.  Yesterday was one of those days with not just a two way but a five way (at least) clash, and I only managed two of the five things ... the outright winner for my attention was the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Community and Stakeholder conference in Swindon; the timing was such that I was also able to attend the Melksham Environment Group in the evening.

[Chris from Nailsea]

While doing some of my housekeeping / tidying up, here on the Coffee Shop forum, I found there were various topics, on different boards, all relating specifically to these Cotswold Canals.

I have therefore moved and merged the posts here, in the interests of continuity, clarity - and hopefully increasing reader awareness of the excellent work being done towards their restoration / reopening.

CfN^▸ (Chris from Nailsea, an administrator on this forum). 

[Mark A]

*snip*

BTW^▸ ('by the way')...I can only imagine that calling the bridgeside canal pound "The Ocean" was done with tongue firmly in cheek.

It's one of a number of places that gain names that intentionally run counter to their natures. "Marble Arch' allegedly for the then rather visible and stately three arch overbridge south of Woodford Halse Station on the GCR^» (Gloucester station, or Great Central Railway - link to heritage line), it would usually have been seen in silhouette against the southern sky. In the depths of Dudley Tunnel, the point at which a subterranean arm leaves to the left and a wider brick arch is thrown overhead - 'The Cathedral' and very useful it must have been, when taken a boat through by hand or leg power, to make it a landmark in the several hour long process.

There will be others, names that are all about creating a memorable local landscape and it might be that this is largely a practice of children and teenagers and many of these names are inexplicable to the rest of us. "Door One" comes to mind - the childhood nickname of a local area used for play by children local to it in Eastwood Lane, Kimberley.

Mark