Brunel Swivel Bridge Project Photos July 2014
Same weekend as Harbour festival. Not affected except for many more swings of the Plimsoll Bridge![]() Getting the other wheel sumps clean so they can drain again like this one does that we cleaned last month. Where it goes who knows! |
![]() Lots of room for Maggie and Geoff to clean out the wheel pit |
Page contents
Work PHASE A Preparation and Basic Conservation by Volunteers
- Cleaning and painting rusty areas (in progress)
- Unbolt and release the centre pintle casting (in progress)
- Jack up Bridge a few inches (in progress)
- Free up north tail wheel (done)
- Release two rotation cables (done)
- Lower bridge onto its pintle and track
- Free the pintle thread, rotate bridge a small amount and return to present position
- Locate and obtain copies of drawings and past reports. Write a conservation plan
- Seek letters of support
Contact Maggie Shapland (Maggie.shapland@gmail.com) if you wish to help.
Details of progress in 2014 and working days.
Saturday 19 July 2014
The A team- Geoff, Maggie and Mike![]() Erecting the hoist again to lift the third turntable wheel (south west) |
![]() We also erected a shelter as thunder and lightening was threatened |
![]() Wheel pit full of water ready to clean out, clearly demonstrating the problem |
![]() So easy with a hoist |
![]() Demonstrates how much mud stuck in wheel holes |
![]() Bailed out the water, now for the mud. It was hard near the end and had to be chiselled out. When was it done last time? |
![]() Geoff got his endoscope out once we found the drain hole (it went down 400 mm) |
![]() Nice clean pit |
![]() The remains of a large, decayed (? softwood) bearer can be seen in the photos. (The white stalk visible is a root, with a wood-louse on the end). |
![]() Then the skies opened but our tent kept us dry |
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![]() Inside hub and bearing |
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![]() Outside hub and bearing in worse state |
Sunday 20 July 2014
Lots of help so lots done on a lovely sunny day. Arms and legs strewn around all over the place![]() Last wheel being lifted out of the water. |
![]() Lots of woodlice and spiders this time. Bearings in good order |
![]() Why the wheel pit needs draining |
![]() Mike helped Maggie bail out, followed by Bob. Each pit seems to generate about 3 buckets of water and hard mud |
![]() Bob enjoying the work |
![]() Maggie doing the last wheel |
![]() Usual hard mud that needs chiselling out. When we found the hole. It was only 6 1/2" with a solid bottom and was full of a strong smelling steam grease or oil |
![]() Outside hub and bearing good condition |
![]() Geoff having checked the hole with the endoscope put liberal amounts of grease on and we put the caps back on |
![]() Bob then did some measuring |
![]() Mike Bone and Martyn Hart cleaned the pintle base and cleaned and checked the nuts |
![]() One can either sit down or lie down. |
![]() Clean pintle base |
![]() Mike's clean hydraulic pit |
![]() If one gets a sneaky look at the suspension bridge, one notices an electricity point |
![]() And an unusual view of the boats going home from the Harbour Festival. This wheel definitely provided good view points of everything on a lovely sunny day |
![]() So we had something to drink and shared a joke with Mike who was in one of the hydraulic pits cleaning it out |
![]() Harbour master could not fit any more boats in the lock |
![]() Marilyn and Mary turned up and we all had a meeting and talked about the future |
![]() We were also treated to a display by the Pyronaut. Wonder if the ferry passengers hot wet. A good end to a very productive and varied day |