Heritage castings

Saturday along the line.

First things first, we've got a little briefing at Winchcombe, before setting out to do some measuring of a twist at Peasebrook.

We've got the levels, a long line, spray paint, tape measure. We need to get some data on what exactly it looks like.

 

Then, on site at Peasebrook, we decide who does what.

Where are we? Why, mile post 5 III of course. It's very rural out here.

Then it's back to Winchcombe to get some tools, as after lunch we're going to do two, more mechanical, jobs. Bert Ferrule and Tim went off to change a cracked fishplate, and after this brief job joined the other 4 by the Broadway southern CWR breather near the viaduct, for some sociable torquing of fishplate bolts. We have been asked to do the whole line again.

In the picture above, we've just started. Every bolt to be re-tightened by hand!

 

We don't get much time to do our jobs, as when there is a train in section we are no longer allowed to work on it. So we spend quite some time waiting.

 

But you do get the chance for some action photographs (of the trains, not us).

There was a two train service today, here headed by 35006 P & O.

 Coming out of station limits, the mighty pacific starts to accelerate towards Stanway viaduct.

Thar she goes, just about to pass the two NYMR corridor coaches, which have been parked in the carriage siding before being transferred to Winchcombe.

 

Tuesday, on the road to the foundry.

A big day for us, we took the Transit up to Nottingham to our new foundry to collect 4 replica GWR gate post castings. They are part of an order for 11, of which 7 are sold to outside parties.

Our previous foundry at Banbury sadly closed down last summer, so we have found a new partner in Sutton Castings Ltd of Nottingham.

We were interested to see that the foundry was also doing other work for heritage railways. This smokebox saddle was particularly interesting. They specialise in small volume, specialised castings, which sounds about right for the heritage sector.

Here are our four gate post castings, which are destined for P1 at Broadway. They were sponsored by members of the Broadway gang. Two will form the ends of the spearhead fence on P2, and two will form the posts for a gate to allow access for maintenance near the running in board.

These babies are heavy. They weigh 150 Kg each, so FoBS member Ian kindly dropped in to help us unload. 

One of the two recently restored platform barrows was ideal to move the posts nearer to the place where they will be used.

Here they are unloaded, and ready to roll.

We parked the trolley at the end of the platform. From here on, the FoBS gang can take over and move them to their final planting place.

While at the foundry, we also picked up a casting (left) for a replica 'BEWARE of TRAINS notice, copied from an original - in red - on the right. The same original was used earlier to cast the 4 notices at each corner of Broadway station. If you want one of these, they are for sale, with any profits going to the railway. Contact breva2011 (at) hotmail.co.uk. 

Don't fall for the MIDLAND ones on sale on Ebay ! These are proper GWR replicas.

While at Broadway, we lingered to watch the train, hauled by 35006 P&O arrive, and then leave again. It's always an occasion.

Our big pacific chugged out of Broadway, past the 4 gate posts now waiting at the end of the platform.

Tuesday

We spent the day firstly at Toddington, taking out the completed columns into the car park, so that they can be collected by the galvanising company.

Here we are, wheeling our pride and joy out along the recently relaid unloading road. Handy, that new concrete!

That's it for the moment at Toddington, although we have further plans in readiness for the Broadway canopy completion.

We had a good chinwag with Bob from P&O, then went on to Broadway.

The columns will be picked up on Wednesday, and come back, newly coated against corrosion, in a week.

At Broadway yours truly and John had a sorting out session, while Neal made a start on actually putting up the many pieces of sculpted woodwork we made last year.

We went to see a carpenter about the handrails for example, and learned that they would cost around £1200 for the material (hardwood) and labour to get the right shape.

This is the shape, from an original drawing.

Luckily we have the brackets still, carefully collected from Henley in Arden, but the wooden handrails themselves look like cheap later replacements and we will need to replace them with better quality.

Wednesday at Broadway

A day of filming at Broadway, and further progress with the footsteps.

Earlier in the week Neal got all the lengths of timber cut and painted last year out of hibernation, and laid them out in order on the P1 side steps. On Tuesday he completed the final assembly of the bottom panel, today he worked on the second and third of the five.

Here is Neal assembling the panel for the intermediate platform. He almost had to stop work, as he ran out of sealant. No work, for want of £3.46! Yet lots had been ordered. After an exhaustive hunt around the site we found four more unopened tubes hidden in an office drawer in the mess room. Of course.

 

 

 

Today we had a small film crew at Broadway. They were filming stations that had been closed, and re-opened.

Yours truly was interviewed and sang the station's praises, they then boarded the 12.09 service for CRC, which was filmed drawing in.

Our press officer Ian was also interviewed at length.

There was a quick trip to our local carpenter to pick up some wooden strips he had made for us out of surplus treads from HIA, and then we joined an appreciative audience that came to support Neal working his way up the side of the steps.

The rest of the afternoon was rained off, even hailed off. We gave up at 4pm, as we need a minimum of dry weather to apply the sealant successfully.

Once this framework has been installed on both sides of the steps, it will be fitted with T&G boarding along the inside, and handrails.

Derek on tour in 1965

Derek writes:

In March 1965 I joined another tour with the Oxford University Railway Society. This time a visit to the West Country. I bought a West Country Rail Rover Ticket and the nearest place to Oxford that it was valid was Bath. Taking advantage of the rover ticket I took a longer route to Exeter were I was going to join the rest of the party. The following pictures were all taken on 15^th March 1965.

 

I had some time in Bath and here is the train that I arrived on seen leaving Bath for Bristol. In the foreground is part of the work on the new road bridge over the river. [A09.01]

 

Taking advantage of my rover ticket I took a detour, and from Bath I went to Salisbury via Trowbridge, and 34064 Fighter Command is seen here leaving Salisbury. This locomotive was the reserve locomotive for Winston Churchill's funeral train. [A09.05]

Fighter Command was the 1000th locomotive built at Brighton Works. Another unusual aspect was that it was fitted with a Giesl ejector in 1962, which appears to have worked successfully. It should therefore be visible in this 1965 photograph.

34064 Fighter Command was withdrawn in May 1966 and scrapped 6 months later.

This is what I wrote at the time. “At Salisbury I caught the Brighton to Plymouth train and joined some of the other members of the party. Some more joined at Exeter but the remainder who were on the Liverpool to Penzance train pulled into Exeter just as we were pulling out and so had to meet us at Plymouth after going round the coast. We went on the ex-SR line and here is the train crossing Meldon Viaduct which will not last much longer in its present form because a damn is going to be built in the vicinity but it will have to be replaced because it is in need of heavy repair. In the background is Meldon Quarry where a lot of BR ballast comes from”. [A09.06]

 

This is a view from the train near Lydford, still on the same line. On the right is the single track Plymouth to Launceston line, which runs alongside for a few miles. [A09.07]

 

Then still on the Exeter to Plymouth line, and it was still raining. This is just before Bere Alston where the Callington branch leaves the main line. The viaduct where this branch crosses the River Tamar can be seen in the background. [A09.08]

 

Next we were approaching the viaduct over the River Tavy where it widens out just before it reaches to River Tamar between Bere Ferres and Tamerton Foliat. [A09.09]

More of this West Country Rover tour next week.

Hot off the press: Our PWay mess coach has been outshopped! Thanks to Dave P for the snapshot, taken this afternoon.

The 03 was cleaned specially for the event (we like to believe) and don't they make a nice pair! Our valiant C&W department did a great job.

We can't use it for messing yet, as where it was stabled before no longer has any water. We are working on a solution for that.

Finally...

Did no one notice Neal's little post April Fools joke last week, using a carpenter's plane on a  length of box section steel???

And Post Scriptum:

We are selling this sign, to raise some funds for Broadway:

If interested, it's just gone on Ebay here:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133751944866?ul_noapp=true