The Shed Project

IMG 0945 abl

November 2015 and the building is now weathertight

Discussions with Peak Rail began in the autumn of 2011 and reached outline agreement in spring 2012, for a "Briddon Shed" to be erected at the Darley Dale yard, largely disused since PR's operational "base" moved to Rowsley. A secondhand steel framed building was acquired in April 2012 and the Planning Application went in during July.

That was when the troubles began! The Environmental Health department of the Derbyshire Dales District Council were initially opposed to the idea, having a "thick file of complaints" arising from the restoration of locomotives and such in the open air at Darley Dale. Eventually, after amendments to the building design to minimise noise radiation, planning permission was granted in April 2013.

This page will, for the present, chart construction progress of the "Geoffrey Briddon Building".

Site TP img 1738 edit

After completing site clearance in November, the formalities were concluded and a contract for foundations and drainage works placed before Christmas, with work commencing on the 13th January 2014. It was a surprise to Peter to discover that, whereas he thought he was just "the client", for legal purposes he was "principal contractor" and had the obligation to provide 'welfare facilities' for all sub-contractors! A portakabin and loo therefore arrived on site in early January.

In order to be able to be self-sufficient once set up at Darley, we needed to be able to lift anything up to and including locomotives, and a set of Matterson jacks (which had once been in use lifting Sentinels at Stanton) was acquired and set up temporarily at Rowsley. The Structural Engineers were called on to produce a floor construction scheme capable of accepting the weight, with the rails laid out in "troughs" to minimise the height lost under the planned overhead crane. With considerable insulation built in primarily against noise emanation (the planning approval imposed strict noise limits so as not to affect nearly residences, though in practice we doubt that we would come anywhere near them), the building should retain warmth and be a first-class maintenance/repair facility.

Date	Event
3 June 2013	Formal agreement signed with Peak Rail
6 June 2013	Wagon dropped off at Darley for site clearance
25 June 2013	Site clearance began
26 June 2013	Test hole dug for Structural Engineer
July-October 2013	Site clearance continues in between other activities. Rearmost siding dismantling commenced.
Nov-December 2013	Site clearance largely completed. Tenders issued for groundworks (foundations and drainage). Some steelwork lifted off wagon at Rowsley and assembled on ground to check dimensions.
14 January 2014	Foundation and drainage works commenced.
17th January 2014	First concrete for foundations poured.
10th February 2014	Steework erection commenced
Late March 2014	Cladding and wallstone samples submitted to local Planning Department for approval Contractors commenced preparing the floor by excavating and roling 240tonnes of mixed sugar and MoT Type 1 stones
Late May 2014	Planning Department approved wallstone and cladding colour samples
13th June 2014	First concrete cast on floor - both "track slabs" (which are recessed in the final floor level) are cast and sockets for rail fixing inserted in the concrete.
4th July 2014	Concrete poured onto prepared area for some 65% of the "final" floor
18th July 2014	Final concrete poured on floor area.
August 2014 September 2014 November 2014	Work commences on wallstone (Planning stipulation being that it comes up and the cladding stops 300mm above ground). Roller shutter doors put on order. Roller shutter doors installed, Matlock end door and wall panels follow. First track connected to shed
February 2015	Second track connected to shed. Container re-located. S&T work progresses.
Summer 2015	First crane beams installed. Eave beams removed and new ones installed, uppermost purlkins and cleading rails installed.
October 2015	Cladding commenced
November 2015	Cladding complete