Week 16

We are into week 16, but although almost everything around us is open now, there is sadly still no resumption of work on either the footbridge steps, or the Usk weighbridge building and platform.

Measuring work and essential maintenance is permitted on the PWay, so we've been doing that. The team began the day at Toddington north.

Currently we have been measuring the gaps between the rails, as well as the temperature of the rails adjoining.

Here Tim is measuring the gap in mm with an electronic gauge. Well, that's more specific than the trusted 'gnat's c**k' of old.







Steve's job was to follow with an electronic thermometer.

Yours truly noted the results on a big spread sheet, the contents of which are then uploaded on to an on-line database.










The database not only demanded to know the number of each rail (thanks to a previous recording team) but also its year of manufacture.

''Can you see what it is yet'', Steve? Well, sometimes, the bullhead doesn't always give it.









Of course there won't be much measuring going on when you keep updating your Facebook account as you go along.

Tsk. These young people with their social media accounts....



A smaller team of two followed on behind and measured up the turnouts at Toddington, and later at Winchcombe too.

We measured rail gaps through Toddington station and down to the new main line turnout to the yard that we installed, what, now 2 years ago?

In passing we took this new 'stop frame' picture of the goods shed extension. It now has the window frames in on the track side, with the glass still waiting to be fitted to the two middle ones. Various vents have been added to the roof. The good news here is that the building is now weather (and human) proof, as the doors and windows are all in. We understand that the contractors have resumed work on the building, in order to get the job finished and get the contractors off site and on to the next job.

Lunch was had at Winchcombe where we sat in the mess room, one volunteer per table. Luckily that came out just right.

Outside the 03 was busy shunting carriages, and it was good to see the rusty rails become shiny again.

The shunting plan saw the rakes rearranged into two shorter ones of 6 carriages each, all of them corridor stock.

The NYMR carriages that we rented, both SKs, are being returned to the owner, and were on the unloading road at Toddington waiting to be collected.

We shall miss the Carmine and Cream livery, it made a nice exception to the diet of chocolate, cream and maroon.

After lunch, we did a further stretch of rail gap measuring at Winchcombe, starting from the southern platform end and working up to the tunnel.

The relaying of this stretch 3 years ago now is included in the latest upload of about 100 more of John Lees' photographs, which start here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/73536293@N02/50069138473/in/dateposted-public/

showing the repositioning of a turnout in Toddington yard, and then, via work on the Broadway Extension, also relate the moving of the Winchcombe turnout to just behind the camera in the picture above.

We got to the tunnel in no time, since part of the rebuilding of this stretch included the welding of the old bullhead rail into longer 120ft lengths.

The weather gods smiled (or at least stopped scowling) for the day and we stayed dry.

We walked back along the track, which you can see here slowly veering from the up side to the down side, where the heel of the turnout is.

Where the O3 is running round the track is about in the middle of the trackbed, which is just as well as this is the spot where the gardens of the new houses came down upon us.

The big concrete 'Lego' blocks on the trackbed have held the mound of moving clay at bay, but no doubt there will be a more permanent solution in due course.











Bratton Fleming

The hot news is that, after being pipped at the post by yet another buyer, the second buyer has now also backed out. Agreement has at last been reached with the vendor, verbally, to conclude the sale with Friends of Bratton Fleming (part of Exmoor Associates Ltd). This is brilliant news, although don't pop the champagne corks yet as nothing is signed and things can still go wrong. Notably the FoBF do not yet have enough funds donated in the war chest. We refer you to their Facebook page for further details:

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsBrattonFleming/?ref=py_c

You can still buy £500 'slots' (we did) and there is also a 'Just Giving' action, which, last time we looked, had raised a respectable £13.000! Just goes to show how popular the reinstatement of this little jewel of a line is. They have had offers of bridging loans to see them home, but actual donations would be better, so see what you can do.





In other business

Work at Broadway today was cancelled due to the forecast rain making mowing and strimming impossible.

However, Monday was a great day and it tempted us out to visit a hostelry, our first beer in a pub in 4 months!






The beer was delicious, just like the old days, outdoors, overlooking a river and in lovely sunshine. Cheers!

We set off for a healthy walk afterwards, and, passing what appeared to be the back of the kitchens, we came across this slightly disconcerting plaque.

We're still feeling alright - at the moment.

A little further along this -

Lemmy, gone caravaning?








Then, parked outside a very typical 1930s filling station and garage (itself a piece of roadside heritage now) was this mighty Diamond T wrecker truck.

We'd love to see that run, maybe it could be invited to one of our vintage vehicle days?

Finally, this lovely BR era PWay poster - isn't it great! The lion waiting to pounce on the odd man out. So graphic, but true, and well told. Stay together, guys.