Ditch reprofiling and environmental improvements to numerous pools and watercourses have been completed at the historic National Trust park in Worcestershire.  Surveys were conducted to ensure minimal impact to landscape and ecology, with the successful outcome of improved drainage and visual appeal.

Excessive reed growth and silt build up adjacent to flood control equipment had to be removed as part of the Environment Agency’s maintenance procedures.  Working for Staffordshire County Council, the 15.5m reach machine was used as part of the lake maintenance operations.  Safety and environmental issues were successfully managed through close liaison with the Client.

During a 9 day blockade the CAT 330, 345 and 375 long reach machines were used to re-profile and cut a new rock face on a deep rail cutting on the South Wales branch line.  By using rock cutting wheels attached to the long dipper arms a good face finish, safer and more effective than hydraulic breakers.  Working round the clock over7,000m3 of material was moved and a rock fence constructed using a rock drill attachment.

Working on a Network Rail project in north London, the rail embankment is being stabilised using soil nails.  Access was the main constraint on this project, with WM Plant working closely with the Client to modify the machine to suit the access arrangements.  Matting was placed on the slope after nailing and topsoil graded to the new profile using the long reach.

WM Plant Hire are currently involved in several slope engineering projects, one of which is a highway project in Cardiff.  The 60 tonne CAT 345 has proved the ideal machine to use with a 1.5 tonne soil nailing rig; driving nails over 12m deep.  With a reach of 24 metres, many nails can be installed from one location resulting in high levels of productivity.

By the sea – The view from the beach of Margate is somewhat different this summer, where underwater excavation for the new water treatment facility’s sea outfall is constructed.  WM Plant Hire’s Caterpillar 330 is working off the deck of the marine vessel ‘Doreen’ digging through the chalk bedrock to complete the outfall.  With strong tidal currents and a high tidal range, this marine work poses its own challenges.

Click to see the photo article in Slope Engineering magazine

WM Plant Hire has been brought in to carry out emergency works to clear material from a railway embankment slip.  Using their Cat 375 and Cat 330 long reach excavators, the slope is being reconstructed and a series of gabion support structures installed.  Vertical embankment drains will complete the works to improve drainage.   Work has to be carried out to minimise disruption, with trains continuing to operate on the line.
                    
The proximity of overhead power lines requires the use of height restrictors, interfacing directly with the hydraulic system and preventing the long reach excavator entering the exclusion zone.  A breaker attachment is being used to enable underground obstructions to be removed.

Work on the final phase of the Coalbrookdale Watercourse Project is using long reach excavators for a different application – backfill around recent archaeological excavations.
The heritage site at Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire is famous for its purpose made watercourses to generate power to drive bellows and work iron some 300 years ago.

WM Plant Hire has worked on several stages of the project since 2002, where lottery funding has enabled the restoration of the historic furnace pools and the return of this site to a local amenity area through the extensive landscaping and planting.

With dredging and desilting works complete, the current job is to protect the exposed furnace building by backfilling the excavation, without disturbing the archaeology.  A delicate operation, the fill is placed by a low ground pressure excavator with 18m reach.

WM Plant Hire has taken delivery of a brand new Caterpillar 345C long reach excavator from Cat dealer Finning.  Some serious modifications will soon be complete to enable this machine to reach out to 24m.  By working closely with Caterpillar, this machine is the only one of its kind and weighing in around 60 tonnes boosts the capability of WM Plant’s specialist fleet.