Fabrication for Broadway resumes!

Saturday at Peasebrook

Easter Saturday, so most volunteers stayed at home. The jobs on the list for the three that managed to come were to move some sleepers back after welding on the Broadway extension, and to continue with the Interflon greasing.

 

 

Here, on the bridge at Little Buckland, you can see the new welds on both sides, and the sleeper that was moved to make them possible.

After a bit of digging out, we pushed the sleeper back alright, and here you can see Chris using a beater to tamp the sleeper we moved, and an adjacent one.

Beating by hand is surprisingly exhausting, especially when you've sat at home for the best part of a year. But we are gradually getting back into shape.

There was a second sleeper to move at the Broadway end of the CWR, seen here looking north by the sewage works. Also moved quite easily, tamped and re-ballasted.

On the way back we noticed another one that we hadn't been told about, but we could see it had been re-welded, so we moved that one too.

We knew there was another weld due at the foot crossing at the Laverton end of the Buckland curve, so while on site we decided to just check that one.

Chris is giving it his expert opinion: not yet done, so leave well alone. The welders will be coming back at some point.

Then lunch back at Winchcombe, very pleasantly on one of the benches outside the C&W 'barn'. Inside we heard the sound of sanders being used on our mess coach BG - brilliant!

After doing the sleepers and having lunch, we reckoned we still had a couple of hours to carry on with the greasing, which we would very much like to see finished off before we start running again. We are so close.

No, Mp 18 I isn't where we got to, it's where we started. We got on to the track at the RDA crossing, but had to manhandle the trolley over the fence as our padlock keys didn't work on the crossing padlock. That happens sometimes.

So we had to push the trolley right round the curve, back to the straight leading out of Bishop's Cleeve. That's half a mile of curve, a long one, as our line was built for fast running with a 70mph line speed.

We were pleasantly surprised to see a bit of wildlife on that straight - can you see it too?

We started at the 17 III Mp. With just the three of us, we had to do the job of 6 or 7 in the ideal case, so it was quite intense for Chris and Steve, who dealt with undoing the nuts, doing them up again and torque wrenching them too.

Chris and Steve changed places for every length to share the load.

After a couple of hours we got here, a foot crossing on the approach to Southam lane bridge. It's a bit short of Mp 18, so we did 17 lengths (34 sets of fishplates) or a bit short of a quarter of a mile.

We reckon we've got a mile and a quarter to go to get to the far end of CRC station, then another few hundred yards to do the run round loop. To do that last section we have Wednesday and next Saturday. 

One last push, chaps!

 

 

 

Tuesday at Toddington

Things are finally getting back to normal, as fabrication for completing Broadway's canopy resumes. It was a great day! 

You will remember that in an effort to get the cash flow from the Broadway extension up and running as soon as possible, the station opened before the canopy had been finished. We also had to have a slight re-design, as the steps and building had not been erected in the correct positions relative to each other.

This picture is of sister station Hall Green, on the North Warwickshire line. To accommodate the slightly altered positions, the two columns supporting the final truss are going to be located as in red above, rather than as a pair in the middle. The truss however, purlins, fascia board and arched ridge purlin will be the same, so creating a large covered space at the foot of the stairs, which will be lit by a big six sided replica gas lantern. The lantern was sponsored by a supporter of Broadway and is being made by a specialist antique lighting company.

Here is where we left off, many months ago. The two columns have been cut to size and drilled for the 'winglets' above that support the truss.

We were making up the two boxes in the picture, which (while the new columns are of steel) will replicate the embellishments that were to be seen at the foot of the original cast iron columns. We found those at Broadway, but the bulldozer demolishing the station had snapped them off at ground level.

To mate the wider boxes with the narrower columns we are making little angled strips, one of which is being cut to shape here.

In this picture Neal is trying one of the strips for size, prior to tack welding it in place. On the right is 'one we made earlier'.

The strip wasn't quite right, so Neal gave it a seeing to with the angle grinder.

 

 

When all four strips were satisfactory, John converted the tack welding into proper welds, which were ground smooth afterwards.

Neil isn't watching, don't worry, we know about the strong light. But the camera can take it.

The grinding smooth process - a full frontal shot of the blogger. Happy now?

And here is the final result, almost ready. Just a few small holes to fill with weld, and then to be ground smooth again. 

This little job took us most of the day, although in the afternoon Neal was busy on the next stage, which was the manufacture of the plates that go on top of the column, underneath the truss.

Meanwhile.....

Out in the yard, the large pile of dirt extracted from the unloading road had been removed, and this morning found a big lorry hoovering the car park, which we thought an excellent initiative, as it had gotten very full of dirty ballast.

During the day we had icy winds, lovely sunshine...

... and then, suddenly, heavy snow showers, one of which was captured by Mike B while at Winchcombe.

That's April for you.

Wednesday, approaching Cheltenham

A largeish gang today, with six on fishplate greasing, while others looked into the issue of numbering rails, walked the track, and moved sleepers after the welders had been on the Broadway extension for a final time.

We're pleased to say that the greasing is now on the home stretch, within sight of CRC station.

We started off short of Mp 18, which is by the foot crossing north of Southam Lane bridge.

Here is the 'undoing' group, with Martin on the impact wrench, Paul on the keying hammer (to loosen the plates) and lending a boot on a revolving bolt, with yours truly on Interflon and behind the camera..

 

 

In the background is track walker Rob heading north, and we passed like ships in the night.

A mid morning break was held under the bridge, scene of the famous accident where a car swerved off Southam lane and ended up upside down on the track, right in front of one of our trains! Amazing stuff. Luckily our loco driver was able to stop short.

Here we are heading towards our entry point at the RDA crossing, where we also decided to break for lunch, as there was somewhere people could sit (other than on an ice cold rail).

Having come out of the curve at Southam, we were on the home stretch. CRC station could be seen in the distance, it even had its lights on.

Nearing the station after lunch, our backs were beginning to say 'no more' and we decided to stop here, at Mp18 II. It means we did something over half a mile, and only the half mile or so stretch to the road bridge beyond the station remains, with a partial return along the loop, say 3/4 of a mile for the Saturday team.

There are still no trains of course, and the rails are all rusty. We parked the Landie on the crossing and heaved the trolleys on it.

Meanwhile, back at the farm (or rather, the C&W barn) the mess coach is now in primer, with just a bit to cut out and replace in the foreground.

People were a bit cautious about the colour ('we'll have to see what is in stock') but it may well come out in maroon. Watch this space therefore.

Spring clean at Hayles Abbey Halt

The halt got a little tlc as a small group went to mow the long grass, and deal with the inevitable weeds that push up, despite the Terram applied under the gravel. We know you can't get out from the first trains, but you can still look. Our little halt needs to look presentable.

The slope got a good strimming... (we think that's Paul in there)

John R tidied up the ramp. 

That trespass notice is looking a bit tired and rusty. It's one we inherited, freshly painted, but clearly it wasn't rustproofed beforehand. The other one is still perfect, as it was shotblasted and zinc coated before being painted. It's worth going to a bit of extra trouble.

John M sent us the pictures, and here is one of himself dealing with the weeds that have grown on the platform.

The running in board (background) is currently with the Broadway gang for refurbishment. The paint peeled off after a single season!

Dave and Paul's pilaster repair

While the main PWay gang was out along the line on various tasks, Paul and Dave returned to the straight between Gotherington and Bishops Cleeve, where local residents had vandalised two of the pilasters on a bridge.

As the vandals had smashed several of the capping stones, Paul and Dave couldn't finish the job last week. Luckily we have quite a supply of such special bricks, acquired in a flash of amazing foresight last year from Tyseley, so we were able to replace the top row OK, albeit with a very slightly different pattern. Yes, there are lots of different ones! It's quite possible that these were once round the Tyseley turntable, so they have history.

And here is the finished job, even with black mortar.

Didn't they do well... (round of applause for Paul and Dave)

We hope to do a similar quality job of the Usk hut rebuild.

Derek's steam on the Isle of Man in 1964

Continuing with our Oxford University Railway Society tour of the Isle of Man, it's now Sunday 5^th July 1964 and an open air church service is held at Kirk Bradden and a couple of trains in connection with this were run from Douglas.

 First, No. 12 has arrived. [A07.08]

No. 12 was called Hutchinson, after one of the company directors. It was built in 1908 by Beyer Peacock and is currently withdrawn, being one of the locos for which the SVR is building 5 new boilers.

There is no run round loop at Kirk Bradden so the train run on to the next station, Union Mills, and ran round there. [A07.09]

The second train run in connection with the church service was provided with this diesel unit. [A07.10]

This pair of diesel rail cars, numbered 19 and 20, was built in 1949 / 1950 and entered service with the County Donegal railways in Ireland. In the early 1960s they became surplus to requirements and the IOM railways bought two of them, so Derek photographed these shortly after arrival there.

In the late 1990s they were due to be rebuilt but the project was abandoned after work started due to budget excesses. They are currently in store at Douglas, unfinished.

 

Monday 6^th July was a special day on the Isle of Man. It was Tynwald Day when the island's parliament meet to pass their laws. The site where this takes place is in the open and attracts quite a crowd of onlookers. This site is handy for St.Johns station and the Isle of Man Railway played it's part transporting visitors from Douglas. It was a busy day for the railway and there is plenty of activity outside the loco shed at Douglas with Nos. 1, 5, 8, 11, and 12 ready for work. [A07.14]

Loco No. 1 is Sutherland, now no longer in service as it has been put on display in the Douglas museum, being one of the original 1873 locos than ran the first services. 

Loco No. 5 is Mona and was named after the Latin name for the IOM. It has been out of service since 1970 and is in storage.

Loco No. 8 is Fenella (see below)

Loco No. 11 is Maitland, named after company director Dalrymple Maitland. It has always been one of the stalwarts of the fleet and was rarely out of service. The loco is currently being overhauled with one of the new SVR boilers and should return to service this year.

Loco No. 12 is Hutchinson (see above)

In addition to the normal service trains a special also ran. Here is No.1 banking the special as it is leaving Douglas. It banked it all the way to St.Johns. [A07.15]

This extra demand on the loco department meant that they ran out of locos to run the next service train. However there was still plenty going on when we did arrive at Tynwald. This is a scene at the meeting of the parliament.[A07.16]

Finally, waiting at St.Johns with the special for its return journey to Douglas with No.8 leading and with assistance at the rear on this long train. [A07.17]

No. 8 was called Fenella and was built in1894 by Beyer Peacock. It was named after a character in a novel by Sir Walter Scott, popular at the time. The loco is still there, but is currently out of ticket.

Remember that you can buy large scans (5Mb) of any of Derek's pictures through Breva2011 (at) hotmail.co.uk.