Deliveree - deliveroo.

Monday at Broadway

The scaffolders came to clear the scaffolding around the P2 steps.

While they were working - it took all morning - we couldn't do very much, except perhaps sit and watch.....

Work - we love watching it.

Meanwhile, the scaffolding came down on P2, and the lorry started to fill up.

To fill the time, we had a good root round the site to see what building materials were still available for a possible P2 building. There's quite a bit, as it was over-ordered for P1.

In the foreground are the bricks for several door and window arches.

After lunch the scaffolders had gone, and we did a bit of painting in the time that was left. Neal is painting the temporary canopy supports at the bottom, while John is doing the upper half of the stringers. It's much easier now that we have room in which to work.

Neal spent a while painting the remaining lower steelwork in dark stone, while yours truly hastened to Cheltenham to get another gallon of light stone undercoat. We are getting through a lot of this GWR paint. It's made specially for us.





Our beautiful footbridge is emerging from its chrysalis.

This is what it looked like near the end of the day, with all the scaffolding finally gone, both sides.

Next our thoughts will turn towards the treads, and the woodwork for the sides.

But we really must try the Broadway cafe:

Do drop in if you like this sort of thing!



Wednesday at Winchcombe.

A more modest gang, but this is August and people are on holiday.

Helloooo - are you listening?

As Andy valiantly tried to pass on the knowledge gained on Saturday as we measured up the track, something seemed to draw the attention of the others away. Was it the tea? Was it the doughnuts? Was it the big pile of railway magazines?

Ah - so that was it!

Free cake! Who could resist. Possibly a birthday, but in the scrabble all eyes were on the cake.

Thank you John. (for it was he)





Six people were available to walk the track from Gotherington loop southwards, to record what track we have there. We need to do the whole line. About 2/3 of a mile was done today, slightly more than Saturday. So that's two track survey days done, bit more of a mile so far.

Rob, Doug and Alan in great spirits. It's probably the sugar rush after the tea and cake.

Four others went off in opposite directions to inspect the track for defects, a regular job.

Got your spanners, chaps? Then off you go.

The little Usk team was out again today, manufacturing shuttering and getting ready for a delivery of 8 tons of type 1 ballast for the bottom of the foundation pit.

After quite a wait, this eventually arrived mid morning.

It was dropped off a few yards away, and then brought to the pit for distribution.

While Jules and Paul did the physical work, Jonathan signalled the Telehandler this way and that.

If you didn't blink, you might even see him with a shovel.

Luckily the camera has a very fast shutter speed, or we could miss this moment.

Once the bottom of the pit was pretty much covered we borrowed Willie the Wacker and ran him up and down over the type 1.

Willie put on a great show, but the type 1 did not compress at all and we ended up with it 3 -4 ins too high.
Luckily Stevie with the JCB is passing next week, and we will ask him to scrape it out a bit. We tried shovelling, but that wasn't realistic we soon realised.

There were 3 trains about today. The King having failed yesterday with a broken spring, we had the Growler today, and two steamers: 2807 and 7903.

Great stirrings were happening by the entrance to the yard, where two supplier lorries arrived at once. A bit like London buses.
The first was Easy Mix, with some concrete mixed on the spot for the base of the return around the stop block.
Right behind was the 8 tonner from Elliots with our type 1. (OK, the sharp eyed among you will have noticed that we were already using the type 1 a few pictures earlier, but this order helps to tell the story)

The Easy Mix lorry was coaxed backwards over the barrow crossing to the stop block, where it ground into life and spat out enough concrete to fill the hole for the back of the wall.

Rob hovered at the business end to make sure the mix got into all the corners.

Not long after the foundation hole was full, and Rob was able to vibrate the mix down with an electric vibrator.

Meanwhile, six dumpy bags of recycled bricks arrived in 3 loads, and were dropped off with the Telehandler. The bricks, we heard, were found in undergrowth near to a demolished bridge close to our southern boundary.

And the trains kept coming - here 2807 runs into Winchcombe, where 7903 is waiting for its token.

And then the third delivery lorry arrived. This was a general delivery firm - anyone for earthenware garden pots, or French render for walls?

In between was a pallet marked ' Gloucester' and this contained an order for lifter fishplates, bolts and the plastic insulation that wraps round insulated fishplates (which is fragile).

The Telehandler continued to be busy, as next it appeared with a heavy pallet of blues, which it loaded on to the blue truck.

It then took a second pallet of blues, and drove it round to the goods platform wall. The blue truck hovered in the distance, under the tree, with the first pallet.

As we could do no more for the Usk foundation pit, we had an early forray to the Coffeepot, where 2807 soon rolled in. PWay member Doug was spotted on the footplate, getting a free ride and keen to make sure we knew this.

Tea, and the trains crossing as you drink, make for a very enjoyable experience here, at the end of our day.

The last thing we saw was a mysterious single diesel that appeared - the class 24 from Toddington. Where were its carriages? Did they know?

George the signalman knew though, he was expecting it and stood, ready to receive the token.

Shorts and short sleeves show what a balmy day it was, although there is a nip in the air in the mornings now when we set off.