The Cotswold Canals Trust Dredger ‘Augustus Gloop’ is now in action on the Thames & Severn Canal between Ham Mill Lock and Hope Mill. The vintage German built machine has been part of the CCT maintenance fleet since it was purchased back in the 1970s.
It has undergone a number of refits and upgrades over the years. Most recently it has been fitted with new flotation tanks, a diesel fired cabin heater, renewed hydraulic pipes & pump and hydraulic legs.
The machine has certainly been living up to its onomatopoeic name. Its task is to remove some 15,000 cubic metres of very gloopy material from the canal channel.
But first it has had to dig its way down through generations of weeds and reeds filling the entire width of the channel.
Robin adds that he is nevertheless reassured by the depth of water to be found beneath the raft of vegetation.
Where will the silt go to? The answer is provided by the generosity, understanding and support offered by the landowner of the ground on the offside, or southern, bank of the canal. That is where the nutrient rich material will be deposited, drained and levelled. The restricted reach of the dredger arm means that this cannot be achieved in one swing of the bucket.
Robin explains…”We shall be dredging the pound in sections. The method will involve a number of ‘passes’ along the length of each section. We are currently travelling from west to east on the towpath, northern, side of the channel. We lift the material and deposit it back into the channel to the right of that run as it were. We intend to do the ‘return pass’ from east to west when we shall lift what we have just deposited and move it again onto, or at least, towards the offside bank."
The photos show Robin training CCT volunteer plant operator Austin Smith. The pair made some good progress on Sunday bearing in mind that an early dusk brings an early end to their activities. Robin aims for the dredging team to operate for at least three days a week.
Taking the positive approach the winter solstice will soon be upon us so those days will be getting longer after 22nd December.