Fosseway - Concrete and Clay

Volunteers working at Fosseway on the Lichfield Canal, filmed on three mornings in September / October 2020.

[@TheByard]

That was a goods days work laying that base slab and the wall infill, with such a senior crew. I'm a retired Senior Inspector of Works specialized on tunnels and High Speed Rail projects around the world. I would like to suggest you try fitting high handles on the screed/tamp board, to save a bit of back bending. You have worked out a system that works for you and it's good to see you guys getting out in the fresh air and doing a bit, even testing the new bench. I'm now in my 76th year and live in Vietnam, haven't been back to the UK in about 5 years though did have a ticket booked for 2020, cancelled because of C19. When I do manage a trip I will stay with my sister in Stroud Glos. So will pop along to the canal works there, maybe take some cakes for the volunteers tea break. Stay safe all of you and make sure shoe laces are done up, no trips wanted.

[@garyhaines6335]

I wish I lived over there !!!!! You would find me down in the hole helping as much as I could, I have built many forms and have poured lots of concrete I even poured a few monolithic pours.

[@TrevsTravelsByNarrowboat]

Really nice to see the progress, I have been following every episode.

[@LHCRT]

Wonderful! So pleased you're enjoying them.

[@christophernorton33]

No surprise there the young would rather waste their time staring at a screen than doing something constructive to improve the environment for everyone,s benefit. Great job guys your a credit to your generation. perseverance & dedication Gets the job done 👍

[@steveroperfilms]

Good to see the progress and 'behind the scenes' and what a lot of boaters, myself included, take for granted. Cheers.

[@bobevens4310]

It always seemed like your project was going to be really difficult to achieve, but chipping away at it one length at a time is the way to go. You seem to be making great progress, one step at a time, and I wish you every success.

[@dennisporter753]

Very nice!.. this is a great project! Cheers from Missouri USA!

[@LHCRT]

Thanks!

[@zapfanzapfan]

Meter by meter, slow and steady wins the day.

[@derekearles9844]

Nice to see canals being restored for use again after so much neglect was i fitter and healthier i would love to be there helping you as working with my hands has always been my best forte

[@LHCRT]

Hi Derek. If you'd like to support us, you could become a member of the Trust, our membership subscription is very low but it really does help us: lhcrt.org.uk/mobile/m.membersapply.html

[@nbflyingfox4672]

Excellent vlog nice to see the progress of this restoration. Like you have said you might only be volunteer's, but the work is still high quality and it will get done. Hats off to all you gentlemen and fellow volunteer's. Thank you..

[@steveroperfilms]

What an opportunity for a youngster to help out and gain a quick entry in to the Earthworks and Concreting game. Cheers.

[@25mileswest86]

Great video guys - love seeing all the work that goes into the update photos you post; keep 'em coming as much as you can for us armchair supporters... Also, love the 'Oss at the end logo. Nice..!

[@LHCRT]

Glad you're enjoying them.

[@michaelhibbert4393]

You guys are doing a fantastic job....well done

[@LHCRT]

Thank you.

[@eddo167]

tamping off concrete is hard work, get Two 1 meter lengths of 25 x50 timber attach to each side of the beam and add a short handle to both bars, do this to each end of the beam and then you can stand up and tamp using your upper body only

[@MrBook123456]

keep the good work up

[@carlcockrem2410]

Hardest job in the building trade concreting, well done everyone

[@lewisdean22]

Well done men ❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@evanpenny348]

Hey, too much fun you guys. LOL Love your enthusiasm. Thought you might like to look up a couple of vids of American and Canadian contractors using the kick screeding technique, rather than the traditional murder board. Anyway, best wishes and good luck from NZ.

[@5tanne5on5ea]

Brilliant!!!

[@stuartreadman118]

Hope you achieve your canal,fantastic effort, well done everyone

[@majorsteventoddretired5619]

Love the self-leveling concrete.... used by most builders around the world.

[@peterp7063]

A tamping bar without upturned handles at the ends means the two operatives have to bend down all the time - back-breaking! Make some upturned handles in timber and fix them to the ends - simples!

[@davidbagley1783]

Aloha...excellent

[@Orxenhorf]

That is some seriously soupy concrete.

[@MsVanorak]

This is the canal that they [ut the aqueduct over the M6Toll in readiness for?

[@LHCRT]

Yes, that's correct.

[@g2macs]

Jeeze! I would have done a slump test on that water with some cement thrown in.

[@mysterion4301]

I love all the work you folks are doing to restore your canals and the heritage that goes along with it. Is the concrete deliberately being poured with such high slump for some engineering purpose or is that just the way it came out to the site?

[@LHCRT]

Thanks! We don't have much control over the concrete, that's how it comes.

[@Idle-Days]

It would be a good idea to include a link to your funding pot here

[@LHCRT]

The links are in the about us section on our channel but we're happy to add it here too. (I can't edit the video description at the moment, so I'll do that later). www.totalgiving.co.uk/charity/lichfield-and-hatherton-canals-restoration-trust-limited

[@paulsheward3325]

As this is only the base fore a canal not the M6, I should think the concrete is good enough. The wetter the easier to work!

[@gotham61]

I was searching for covers of the 1965 hit song Concrete and Clay originally performed by the group Unit 4+2, and I got this LOL. I was expecting to see some hip band called called Fosseway.

[@LHCRT]

We could try to sing it for you 😀

[@gotham61]

@@LHCRT LMAO!!!

[@declanjoyce8640]

Yep..small steps..gets the job done...

[@mallyuk1]

nice one even driver lend a hand good one

[@foreversingle1975]

What a great shame I live so far away I would love to get involved.

[@LHCRT]

We'd love it you became a member of the trust, it's one way to get involved from afar: lhcrt.org.uk/mobile/m.membersapply.html

[@georgesteam]

If I lived closer I’d be there every day helping you. Love to see projects like this happening! Can I just ask why there’s no ties in the middle of the block wall to stop it peeling away from the concrete core?

[@LHCRT]

Hi George. Thank you! I'm not sure about the ties. We do use them and I can see them in the video. Which bit were you looking at?

[@georgesteam]

@@LHCRT Please don’t take it as a criticism, maybe I couldn’t see them as I was viewing on a phone! It’s just that where I’ve seen block walls used with concrete infill before, the two block walls are tied together at regular intervals to stop them peeling away from the concrete core. I wish you well with your project though, and one day I will come and visit. Is it near a railway station?

[@austin12ascot]

Why are you putting compressed clay on the outside of the metre wide wall?

[@LHCRT]

It's an extra waterproofing agent.

[@robwilkie1]

Just started watching your vlogs - makes interesting viewing - too far away to come and help unfortunately. What depth are you planning for the canal - looks pretty deep from this vlog?

[@LHCRT]

In the main they'll be 1.5m deep. This section will have extra lining on the base before it's watered, but I'm not sure what the final depth will be.

[@LHCRT]

Hi again Rob. If you'd like to support us, you could become a member of the Trust, our membership subscription is very low but it really does help us: lhcrt.org.uk/mobile/m.membersapply.html

[@austin12ascot]

Why is canal base concrete instead of clay?

[@LHCRT]

Sorry we missed your question until now, not sure how we missed it! The main reason is that concrete is easier, we can do it in sections and it's easier to work with. Clay is difficult to work with (unless you have some sheep to puddle it for you) and you need to get the canal in water straight away after you've laid the clay, to prevent it drying out and cracking.

[@JohnWatkinsUK]

I'm not familiar with the length of your project, but it seems bonkers that you're not putting in communications ducting under the towpath as an asset you can lease out for future revenue.

[@peterp7063]

This section of canal seems unduly deep. Is it, and if so why is it?

[@LHCRT]

There will be another layer to the base, but this section will go through a deep cutting to get under the next road along.

[@zyxwvutsrqponmlkh]

Are they using dirt as aggregate in the concrete? What's the slump on that, with it being that liquid I sure hope it had a lot of plasticizers and was not just full of water.

[@LHCRT]

Could you give me a timestamp for the bit you're referring to? When we need aggregate we don't use dirt and the cement comes ready mixed (at the moment).

[@zyxwvutsrqponmlkh]

@@LHCRT It's the stuff in the hopper, you can see it on the top. Usually one half is sand and the other half is gravel. It looks like they used rocky dirt, perhaps road base. Also the concrete they pored early on seemed excessively watery, the more water you add the less strong the product is there are plasticizers that can make it seem more watery than it really is but from the water that what was floating on the top it doesn't seem to be the case. The stuff they pored at the end seemed more like what you want for water content. If your requirements are low this may be acceptable. These trucks in proper order have a computer that prints out a receipt that can tell you proportions of sand, gravel, water and cement. Usually for professional stuff you'll make 1-3 test cylinders one is sent to a lab that cruses it and measures the strength, this test is quite cheap (like $50) and they only take a couple minutes to conduct. It lets you know if your concrete meets your requirements. I really recommend you do it. For stuff that can impact human life another cylinder is usually filed away and can be re-examined in the event of a failure or cracking is noticed years later. Maybe the sand they used just looks like dirt. IDK. But if it was dirt your concrete may fail.

[@crus1n]

Anyone can wheel and shovel all day long but ten minutes of that compacting is killing.

[@richards8718]

Is the canal width enough to boats to pass??

[@LHCRT]

I can't remember the width of this section but I think so. They will need to wait to get round the turn.

[@richards8718]

@@LHCRT Ok just looks a bit narrow to me?

[@choncord]

@@richards8718 Should've been built wider.

[@chrisstaylor8377]

Why isn’t this work put out as a contract , ?

[@LHCRT]

We have limited income, so we only use contractors for work our volunteers can't do themselves.

[@Bugster42]

lookslike theconcretedriverwasaddingwater

[@davidnull5590]

David Null 2 minutes ago (edited) The concrete mix driver did you absolutely no favors, it makes me angry. A good mixer driver can easily distribute the concrete by skillfully using his controls to move the chute around the area, a good driver will save you a lot of time and, more importantly, hard physical labor; this driver either didn't care or was angry at someone. The wet concrete mix isn't really helpful when pouring slabs either, it creates more work for the finishers. Are all of the mixed drivers this inconsiderate? Have you tried other companies? If a concrete company did this to my guys that company would never be on site again.

[@davidbagley1783]

Aloha... I want to help

[@LHCRT]

Ooh lovely! Can you fill in our volunteering form please? lhcrt.org.uk/mobile/m.volunteering.html

[@adrian5401]

Why are you using bricks to support the mesk in the concrete??? Using anything other than proper non porous mest support blocks will allow moisture to migrate to the steel mest and it will rust to the point of failure within a couple of years which makes it a complete waste of both time and money putting it into the slab in the first place.

[@LHCRT]

I'm no expert, so I've fed this back to the team.

[@choncord]

@@LHCRT Have you any feedback from the team yet?

[@LHCRT]

@@choncord sorry, I did ask. I'll chase them for an answer.

[@LHCRT]

Hi @@choncord I've just heard back and been told that we use Class B engineering brick off cuts as spacers, which are not sufficiently porous to create a path for moisture to migrate, degrade or allow rusting of the mesh. I can't tell from the video if that is what they used in that particular concrete pour, but we'll make sure they do from now on. Many thanks.

[@davidnull5590]

The concrete mix driver did you absolutely no favors, it makes me angry. A good mixer driver can easily distribute the concrete by skillfully using his controls to move the chute around the area, a good driver will save you a lot of time and, more importantly, hard physical labor; this driver either didn't care or was angry at someone. The wet concrete mix isn't really helpful when pouring slabs either, it creates more work for the finishers. Are all of the mixed drivers this inconsiderate? Have you tried other companies? If a concrete company did this to my guys that company would never be on site again.

[@LHCRT]

Oh! I'll feed that back to the team.