I know this is a two-year project.
But every now and again I just crave a tantalising glimpse of what will be in my universe.
Work is going on on the course of the Boltorr Brook from the reservoir barrier, under the rail bridge and onwards into the Tamar valley.
The major construction is that of the Boltorr dam. Once that is set into the landscape the rest of the path of the river will be set.
Simultaneous work is also happening for the abutments of the rail bridge. Actually, the space between the bridge and the dam doesn’t look so great now so I need to see how it can all be fitted in without looking unfeasibly crowded.
Class 153 First Great Western service heads for Boltorr Road Halt
The dam looms up behind it. I’m in the process of fitting engineering brick vaults up under the overflow arches, so the T-pins are doing their job.
I’ve been experimenting with facing the foam board of the structure with air-curing clay. I’m glad I’ve done a couple of test with this, because it seems essential to keep the thickness of the clay at no more than 1mm otherwise it’s tending to distort the foam board. This particular board seems to be faced with cardboard, which is okay, but make it prone to warping in the presence of moisture.
However, my last test, braced board, lacquered to resist moisture, 1mm DAS clay and a base coat of “granite” looking matt acrylic is looking pretty good, so once the glue has cured, any excesses and drips cleaned and trimmed off I think I’ll be moving on to the next step.
Class 153 trundles over the Boltorr Brook with the reservoir in the background