Large Scale Central

Another BFR project

Last summer when working on the new grade and landscaping at Coal Dump Curve there was one big rock I kept tripping over. I thought of moving it, but expected it to be like the Titanic iceberg, 80% below the surface. We had some great weather early this spring so I decided to tackle digging it out. Well, ‘surprise - suprise’, it was flat on the bottom and not buried at all :o Since that was so easy, I decided to install some Belgium Block as a border a few feet out from the wall to try and contain the ballast that continually spills off the curve. Since no good deed goes unpunished, as I was digging for the block I found three more huge rocks buried just under the surface and many more smaller ones in the way. These are the rocks I removed during the project…

With the rock finally removed I set the Belgium Block just a few inches above grade…

Notice the spaces at the bottom of the rock wall where there is no visible means of support? I did too. Since I’m not good at replacing missing rocks in walls I decided a concrete sill would make sense. 800 pounds of concrete and one weekend later I had this…

I’ll add some more 3/4" gravel between the sill and the border which will provide a nice footing while accessing the track on the wall and hopefully will catch the ballast that washes down keeping it out of the grass (if any ever grows back).

Good move with the concrete sil.
You’d of had a mess if that wall had come crashing down after a hard rain :wink:
Ralph

Sure would be a mess Ralph. It has been that way for 21 years since we moved in. I never removed any rock of mortar since we’ve been here. It was hidden by shrubs for years. But just because it lasted 21 years doesn’t mean that it wasn’t about to fall any day. I excavated a lot more than you see in the before photo before pouring, then blasted out even more soil with a high pressure hose. Concrete goes back in almost as far as the sill protrudes out front and three or four inches below the grade you see in the after shot.

Another fine concrete job on the CVsR. Well done Jon

I’ll take dose big rocks offen yer hands, just bring dem on down to my place. :slight_smile:

Very nice concrete work Jon. I agree that had to be fixed. Coal Dump curve would have been a bigger dump had you not fixed it.

David Kapp said:
I'll take dose big rocks offen yer hands, just bring dem on down to my place. :)
Be happy to. Rocks are free. Delivery is $5/mile.