Inside the Tank and a Wonderful View

 Now that the water ingress problem appears to have been well and truly sorted (thank you Carl Johnson Builders Ltd) I have been able to turn my attention to overdue 'other' jobs, one of which was re-painting the exposed inside of the tank, re-doing its sky-grey paint,

A photograph of a grey cast iron wall might have lacked interest but how about this one?  Besides the grey inside tank wall it shows the view northwards including Dalehead vets, a steam train, a glimpse of Pen y Ghent, the Ukraine flag, the tin man (one of Settle\s flowerpot men) and a fabulous summertime sky. Below the flagpole can be seen a prepared but yet to be painted tank panel.  Well worth enlarging.

 

Lift-off Continued - Dry Walls

 Just now the UK is experiencing a spell of wet weather, extreme at times.  Mainland Europe has an exceptional heatwave with temperatures dangerously high.  Here though it is comfortable,  During last weekend I was sitting under the shelter of the navvy hut's north side overhang, watching torrential rain whilst perfectly dry.  The odd nearby thunder clash too.  When the rain eventually stopped I was able to get a picture of the west face of the tower showing the pattern of wetting on the main external wall:

Encouragingly, the ornate stone walkway-cum-drip-cornice at the top of the wall was doing its job, evidenced by the dry wall immediately beneath it.  The corners rather less so.  When the rain was at its heaviest I could see (and hear) a virtual waterfall cascading from the edge of the cornice.  No water at all was evident on the tower's inside.  All very encouraging that the current sealing of the tank/stonework gap is working.  

Access at the north end, round the corner to the left, will be slightly trickier as the JCB cannot reach it.  We shall have to approach the job from the top using a ladder and secure body harness down to the walkway - a well trodden path in the sky!  Finally, the east side is easily accessed from the annex roof.  If the sun ever shines again that is.

UPDATE  The job is finished!  Yesterday,19th July, the Johnsons looked at the weather forecast and decided to go for it.  A very thorough and neat job it is too.  Only time will tell if it has been effective but I have a dehumidifier going flat out in the south end of the tower and we're on a roll.  Here are the heroes on the last lap.  The north end of the tower could not be reached by the JCB's platform so the good old Victorian but narrow ledge was bravely used - note the TWO harnesses - belt and braces!   Final picture was a good test of one of our new security cameras, automatically recording people on the annex roof.  not evident in the picture of their first arrival on  that roof, the surface was a real mess of accumulated leaves, twigs and other flying debris, hidden from view behind the parapets.  On their own initiative they cleared all that while they were there.

We Have Lift-Off

 Rainwater ingress between the tank and the stonework below has always been a problem, especially with wind-driven rain.  After much research and head-scratching, today sees the problem being tackled and hopefully solved.

Builder Carl Johnson was up for the job in a big way.  Access was no problem now that he had a serious high-lift access JCB.

This JCB 535-125 Hi Viz tele-handler is a monster - well capable to reaching right over the coal truck and up to the tank.

This has enabled safe and easy access to the horizontal row of sealants between the tank and the stonework below.  This was found to have failed almost totally along the south end of the tank.  In fact it could be pulled away in one strip, revealing wetness behind it.  Here it is laid out along a bench seat.  Not a pretty sight:

The JCB access is enabling the replacements sealants to be applied with accuracy and care.  The gap is cleaned out thoroughly, then high expansion foam is inserted.  `This is then hammered in tight and the resulting channel is filled with black sealant, pressed in thoroughly. By Carl Johnson's son Scott.

They did the entire southern end and the western side, whose north west corner could only be accessed from the station drive - nicely between trains.  The platform did not quite reach, the station drive at that point being considerably lower.  Even so Scott Johnson was game for a heroic stretch:

A tricky day's work done. to be resumed on the next dry day.

Cat on a Hot Tin Staircase

 

Plantpotasaurus

 For ten years now Settle has hosted it very own, perhaps unique, Settle Flowerpot Festival.  It was astonishing from the outset and has got bigger and bigger every year since during July and August.   One of the very first flowerpot creations was Plantpotasaurus (PPA)which has been an annual favourite wherever it has appeared.

Because of its size there aren't too many possible locations for it.  This year though, it's at the water tower!  This should be a good location for PPA as it will be among the first creations to be seen in town by visitors by train.  The water crane provides a very solid stand for it and being in a fenced private garden is is less vulnerable to attack.  When in more accessible locations drunks have been tempted to sit on PPA, resulting in visits to plantpotospital from time to time.

The plant pot dinosaur is already attracting a good deal of (favourable) attention.  After some thought we have decided that from now, henceforth and until the end of August he (or she) will be known as Trainosaurus Rex.

Ten Coach Steam Trains Stops at Settle

 Yesterday, Saturday 1st of July a ten coach steam train actually stopped at Settle station to pick up and set down passengers.  That is almost unheard of nowadays as steam trains both ways usually flash through Settle, most spectacularly at speed.

I got a privileged view of the stationary northbound engine from the top of the water tower.

This train was special - locally organised by the Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company and carrying FoSCL On-Train Guides as a bonus.  Settle and Appleby stops were seen as vital to success and how right that was.  Loads of interest online.  Below is a remarkable sound and video collaboration between the sound recordist on board the train and the cameraman line-side at Ais Gill Summit - the highest point on the line.  We therefore capture the full glory of steam in sight and sound:

https://youtu.be/EmXjMdZlye0   TURN ON SOUND!

Southbound same engine in action later in the day at Ais Gill https://youtu.be/EmXjMdZlye0