Get the door, will you?

Saturday

No PWay work again, but we are due for a special day on Monday at Southam.

Should be interesting.

In the meantime a glimpse into the heritage workshop, where a GWR Trespass notice, or 40 shillings sign, is being repainted. This one is ex Hayles Abbey Halt. It was donated, ready painted and lettered, but within a couple of years the rust had gotten through from behind, so we had it properly shotblasted and primered. All those tiny letters are very tedious, but at the time of writing we were about 2/3 of the way there.

 

 

Then on to the loco shed at Toddington, where John was well advanced with the undercoating of the two new columns for the last part of the Broadway canopy.

Somebody came along and thought they were lamp posts. Oh horror!

Then on to Broadway. A slight commotion on the Evesham Road made us look down the slope, to find this open topped double decker just deciding not to go under station road bridge.

A wise move, although the driver was being encouraged by his passengers, all upstairs, to go on and give it a try!

Then on to the footbridge steps, where the team took the opportunity of a few spare hours to place more of the T&G panels.

The cafe was open and hoping for visitors.

Next to the ice creams we crave so much, they now also serve toasted tea cakes, with thick jam spread on top. Highly recommended.

Here being tested by a happy member of staff, just to make sure they were alright. They were, we gathered.

Come and try some yourself!

The end of the day saw the boarding past the intermediate landing, and on its way down the final stretch. Neal is very productive, but there are a hell of a lot of them to cut. Each one is different, and afterwards they all have to come out again for treatment with fungicide, and of course painting on the cut ends.

Monday at Broadway

A lovely sunny day, lots of passengers (being Bank Holiday Monday) and good progress on the footbridge steps.

Locos out today were 35006 and 4270, each with a rake of 7. Informally we heard that at least one of these was a sell out.

After arrival the big Pacific had plenty of steam to spare.

Three of us on the steps had a job each. Neal was trial fitting the T&G boarding, and this was the opening shot of the day.

Quite a lot of time was spent drilling these apertures, which allow the boarding to fit over the rivet heads that stick out.

Along the bottom of the boards, once they are permanently in place, will be another old fashioned feature - a skirting board.

'To get to Moor Street we'd have to change at Honeybourne...'

Quite a few visitors wandered up to the station to have a look around. Our original GWR system map got some admiration today.

Yours truly switched over the the other flight of steps on P2, and started the long job of drilling holes and bolting down the treads. On this side they are laid only loose at the moment (another reason why you won't be able to use this half).

The combination of drilling through bone hard wood and then 1/4 inch of steel broke two 10mm bits today. And we've only just started! This could get expensive.

John was the third member of the team today, and his job was fitting the extension strips to the treads on the P2 flight. So we are actually starting to take an interest in the other side, even if we haven't finished the first. It's a case of divvying up the work according to what you can do. Neal is doing the actual joinery.

So that'll be 4 teas then, no sugar?

Between trains a lovely quiet fell upon Broadway station, and it's very relaxing sitting under the dappled light of the canopy and chatting, or enjoying a cup of something from the cafe.

We couldn't help noticing that the stock of Magnums in the freezer, quite plentiful a week ago, had suddenly taken a serious beating. And that wasn't solely due to the canopy team,

Near the end of the day Neal had arrived at the lowest of the panels down one side, still trial fitting. The inside of the flight looks quite different now, with one side on.

As you can see we still have to fit the risers, amongst many other jobs.

Each panel has to be cut to size and shape, to fit the treads. We have numbered them, so that after we take them off again for painting we can put them back in the right order.

We were pleased to get the visit of Phil from the original Broadway gang, and had a good chat and a reminisce. Phil brought us a bag of Eccles cakes, which were gratefully devoured and for which he will be forever remembered. As one of the younger members of the team he still has to work to pay the rent, so cannot volunteer at the moment.

Tuesday at Broadway

 Neal got to the bottom of the stairs with the boarding. In the picture he's just fettling the last one.

 

We took a step back to the other side and took this picture of the effect:

Hope you like it. Unfortunately, as our builder used to say, 'it's all got to come out again'.

John and yours truly continued with the P2 treads. John attached the extension pieces on the upper flight, while yours truly drilled and bolted down 7 of the 11 treads in the lower flight.

A couple of hours later, and they did all come out again - Neal has removed every one of the 55 (yes 55 panels cut to measure!) panels, and has started work on completing missing parts of the timbers installed a few weeks back.

This is the sort of thing he made - isn't it beautiful! It's a transition piece between two timbers, with a lovely curve carved into it. These are not the handrails either, they are separate, this is just for the look.

We had two trains again, the same as the day before, and business looked quite good. It is a bit hard to tell due to the spacing required to combat COVID. Also, some carriages appear empty, as they are reserved for particular stations in a block, again a COVID arrangement. 

The cafe had a steady trickle of customers, and quite a few people appeared on foot just to have a look around. Broadway station continues to fascinate.

This passing shot has some of the atmosphere, as the big tank loco rumbled into the station.

With the train gone again at the end of the day, the whole building is bathed in the light of the setting sun. The dappled light through the glazing in the rivetted canopy is wonderful.

Now that the last two quad royal poster boards have been placed, the look of the main building is now pretty much finished. All our work now is concentrated on the steps and the final portion of the canopy over them.

Wednesday on the Usk hut

A hot day today, and for once we were grateful for the shadow of that oak tree, next to which we are rebuilding the Usk hut.

Having laid a row of 8 inch blocks almost all the way around, we decided to lay in the cill that we took over from Broadway. It fits perfectly.

The obvious next step was the door frame, which we have had restored earlier and which has been in storage during the ban on non essential work.

Getting it out of the wagon reminded us of Lord Blackadder's memorable words to Baldrick - 'Get the door, will you?'

And Baldrick did! Just as we did.

Are you a train? You're occupying my section...

The PWay gang was out early today, to replace the insulation on a fishplate which was causing difficulties for the signalmen. They were in the cutting just before Greet tunnel, and it was hot there.

Back in the shade of the oak tree, and here is the door cill in its place, together with the associated brickwork under the DPC. At last the door has found its place, and Dave and Paul look pretty pleased with the result.

The next thing to do then was to put a quoin up against the door frame, one which had to be exactly as long as the walls were wide.

After a hunt around in our stocks we found one, and then lifted in in.

We then filled the gap between the newly placed quoin and the corner with two rows of blocks, which together made up the height of the one placed by the door frame.

It was quite challenging to find stones that were not only the right height, but also the right length, so that 3 of them measured exactly 28 inches as per the gap.

We got there.

With some mortar left, we decided to build up the inside face of the piece of wall that we had just built. Inside the building also has dressed walls, but not as well dressed as the outside faces. A bit more rough and ready, then whitewashed.

The forecast suddenly worsened by mid-afternoon, so rather than open a new bag of cement, we pointed up the work. We now have two rows of blocks along the doorway end, the cill in, and the door frame up.

You can see the darkening skies... yours truly was on his motorbike, so concern grew about getting home in the dry.

It's half term, so our two train service was reasonably busy, and they crossed at Winchcombe in the latter half of the day. It's interesting, earlier in the day, to watch the northgoing train slow, but not stop, to pick up the token, and then accelerate away again.

The last thing we did was use up the remaining mortar to fill some of the gaps at the back. The rear row of blocks is really just a load of old stones, with the face nearest to being flat turned inwards.

Dereks 1965 pictures in colour

Derek reports:

Whilst on holiday in Pembrokeshire I couldn't resist taking the odd photograph with a railway subject. Here on 7^th August 1965 are the remains of the line at Puncheston. [A10.30]

The remains are those of the North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard railway. This was a line which meandered more or less parallel to the GWR line to Fishguard harbour, although the latter line, a cut off, wasn't opened until 1906. The NP&FR opened in 1876 after several attempts, but it can't have done very well as it was dismantled in 1917 to provide rails for WW1 in northern France. The line was relaid in 1923 but it continued to languish and was finally closed to passengers as early as 1937. Dr. Beeching didn't get a look-in here.

Ruined bridge at Puncheston.

Then on 10^th August 1965 the scene at Goodwick including the Fishguard to London car carrier. [A11.03]

Goodwick, or rather Fishguard and Goodwick, was the original terminus of the North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard railway but it opened under GWR ownership when the latter bought the NP&FR company. The station was located just short of Fishguard harbour station, and in 1965 became the terminus for the Motorrail services. A train with flat cars can be seen in the bay siding in the upper centre of the picture. 

Back in Oxford on 4^th December 1965 and Merchant Navy 35003 is passing Becket Street having just left Oxford Station on the southbound Pines Express. [A11.36]

Merchant Navy pacific 35003 was called ROYAL MAIL. At the time of the picture the loco was shedded at Bournemouth on the southern end of the S&DR. In 1966 the loco moved to Weymouth and in 1967 to Nine Elms, from which it was withdrawn, after 1.131.793 miles, and scrapped by Cashmore's of Newport. 1.13 million miles can be judged as a satisfactory career, they got their money's worth of of that locomotive.

On the same day just north of Oxford Station, 44780 is passing Walton Well Road on a southbound York to Bournemouth train. [A11.37]

This Stanier Black Five was built for the LMS in 1947 and in its 21 year life was allocated to at least 16 different sheds, so wandered around quite a bit.

At the time of Derek's rather dark picture the loco had just migrated to Tyseley shed two months earlier, but it soon headed north again, and was eventually withdrawn from Newton Heath in 1967 and scrapped by Cohens in Middlesborough.

On 5^th December 1965, Prairie Tank 6106 and train is seen between Horspath and Morris Cowley as part of an Oxford University Railway Society engine driving day. [A12.02]

This GWR tank engine also did quite well, with a 34 year career, and it's not over yet, as the loco was purchased privately on withdrawal and is currently located at Didcot. 6106 ran for several years but is currently out of ticket and hence on static display.

 

On 11^th December 1965, Standard Class 4 No. 75078 is seen light engine just south of Oxford Station. [A12.03]

This standard 4 locomotive had a brief 10 year career with BR until withdrawn in 1966. It was sent to Barry scrapyard, but was saved for preservation, being the 21st loco to leave. It was restored in 1977 and is today located on the K&WVR where it has an active life, being last overhauled in 2015.

In the 1960s I made the occasional visit to Lincoln. Out and about and with Scampton nearby, I took this photo of a Vulcan coming in to land. The photo is dated 2nd April 1965. [A10.03]

The family home where I grew up was in Yarnell's Hill, North Hinksey, just across the border from Oxford into what was then Berkshire by about 1/4 mile as the crow flies. Yarnell's Hill was an unadopted road until it was no longer a dead end and became joined up with a road through Elms Rise Estate and on to Cumnor Hill. At this time Berkshire County Council adopted the road and resurfaced it.

The photograph is taken of the two steam rollers that took part in the day's work, quietly cooling down in the adjacent Sweetman's Road on 29th July 1965 [A10.21]

Both rollers are Fowlers, but with different logos on the front. There are large oval brass plates on the sides, but unfortunately we can't read the detail. A small plaque on the front gives a weight of 8 tons.

Googling the Reg plate NW 6092 we came across a showman's engine described as a conversion, with the same plate. This was a 1924 built model T3 of 8 tons. Possibly it is the same roller, but it would need a complete change of wheels amongst other things.

As usual, original full sized 5Mb scans can be obtained from breva2011 (at) hotmail.co.uk.

And finally:

We've been given some old train registers out of various signal boxes, from the 1960s through to the 1980s. These are original documents recording train movements, from another age. Is anyone interested in one or more of these?

The boxes concerned are:

Chippenham Jnc  1979

Wissendine            1986

Sileby                    1986

Castleford            1963

Manningtree        1984

Park Drain            1966

Park Drain            1975

Brough West        1973

Priestfield            1964

East Suffolk Jnc    1967

Brymbo East        1972

If interested, we're looking for a modest contribution to funds, for the benefit of the railway. Contact breva2011 (at) hotmail.co.uk