A Friday special.

Friday special, with the PWay.

Four, specially selected volunteers on that Friday. The job was to clear two sites of old sleepers, and that meant the Telehandler, and two trucks. 

The sign-on site said no trains today, so here is a 'no train':

 

It was rather nice looking though, with a big plume of steam in the cold morning air. The headboard said it was a special for shareholders, and they certainly deserved that, putting magnificent 3850 back into service. We like a Heavy Freight.

 

 

The first job for Friday was to clear this site. There are some rotten sleepers, and a pallet of throughbolters that ought to go to the 2807 team.

The site is destined for some storage containers, the first time the PWay team has had any. Those containers will be at ground level of course, and that way we won't have to clamber into wagons any more to get our kit out. Better security too.

 

  

A stack of better sleepers was taken away by Dave in the Telehandler. 

 Where might he go with that?

The answer was: on the Warflat, stabled here next to the C&W shed. What's happening is that C&W have agreed to re-deck the Warflat, but the quote for new wood was horrendous, so we're going to use second hand sleepers. In the picture about half of the Warflat has already been re-decked, and the stack we put on there will serve to finish the rest. Then we will be in a position to move concrete sleepers again.

 

 

 

 

 

The first load of rotten sleepers was loaded on to a Transit van.

 

 

 

 

 

After loading the second van, we drove them both, plus David in the Telehandler, down to our Working Lane storage site.

 Here, they were unloaded and stored in the bushbush.

 

 

Next, we went back to Winchcombe and loaded up a whole pallet of throughbolter GWR chairs.

These will be gratefully received by the 2807 team.

We also have a pallet of 4 hole chairs from around 1900, from different railway origins. These may also be of interest to the loco group. 

 

 

Lunch was held in the Toddington mess room.

After that we moved on to the former garden centre site.

 

 

 

Here we have stacked sleepers from jobs that we have done - Stanway viaduct, and siding two relays - as well as materials from a donation of modern, high quality track from MOD Bicester.

We've been asked to move it. Understandable, it's ugly for our arriving visitors, and it was never meant to be there very long.

So we are getting on with that job. 

 

Earlier we already removed 12 lengths of nearly new FB rails (more to go...) and on Friday we removed two van loads of rotten sleepers. These were also taken to our Working Lane depot site. 

At the end of the day the four of us felt pretty pleased with what we had achieved. There's more to come of course, but we are successfully chipping away at it.

At this point, can we highlight to our readers our Autumn Showcase event? It's this weekend, don't miss it. It's our last Hurrah for the season, after that things go quiet until Santa arrives.

 

 

 

Saturday, out with the gang.

Seven of us again, and more fun was had. But our plan to rib Jim endlessly for diving into a cafe in Bishops Cleeve on Wednesday, instead of resleepering, had to be put on hold, as Jim had a sick note, we heard. It was a visit to the dentist to have a tooth pulled!  There was some unplanned sympathy for him therefore.

 

There was a gift for us on Saturday, two new 'Obstruction Free' Robel jacks. We have bought these (at some expense!) to see if the hydraulic pan jacks that we have been using can be replaced by more reliable mechanical jacks. The pan jacks keep failing due to dust getting into the cylinders (Dust? On the railway?) and then have to be sent away for an expensive overhaul. The idea is, although more expensive at the start, the Robel jacks should be more reliable and therefore cheaper in the long run.

 

 

The first of a whole series of minor jobs today was at Gotherington.

As it was down by the signal box, we asked Bryan, the owner of the station, if me might drive across his lawn, and that was OK. How very nice of him. It saved us a long walk, carrying heavy stuff.

That Toad looks to be leaning rather a lot... 

 

 

 

Our final destination was Gotherington West, right at the end of Bryan's lawn.

What a lovely rural country halt. The owners of the station are doing a lovely job of keeping it well maintained.

It's a shame that the little siding cannot be connected to the GWSR line. The modern, Bradstone signal box was built exactly where the turnout would have been.

 

This, then, was our opportunity to try out the new mechanical jacks for the first time.

Our opinion: 

- They are easier to place, as they have a flatter profile and need less digging out.

- They are very easy to release - a kick on the spur at the end, and it's down.

- They need two men to rotate the T bar to get them up. This was certainly the case with heavy, concrete sleepered track and used singly, less so with wooden sleepered track and used severally. 

- They are slightly lighter than pan jacks. (15Kg v 16.5Kg) 

But the main reason for the purchase was that they should be problem free, and save us £000s in regular overhaul costs. We suffered a stream of expensive leaks on the hydraulic pan jacks, with days where there were only 2 available, out of the 5 or 6 that we have.

 

And the heavy, temperamental petrol powered impact wrenches have stayed at home, since we got the electric impact gun and pogo stick. Phew!

 

Thank you again, all those that donated to the GWRT  PWay tool fund, that made these improvements possible. 

We then let the train from Cheltenham pass by. The awkward positioning of the new build signal box, vis-a-vis the Gotherington siding, is very clear in this shot.

While we were working, we watched a U2 spy plane circle over us. Shortly afterwards, there was a muffled buzz, and a whoosh... 

дрон !

 Was it armed? Could it drop something on us? A malevolent eye looked us up and down...

A new toy was tried out (not by 'Network Rail', needless to say)

Dave gives it the 'ole RAT-A-TAT-TAT'

After that the whole team decamped to the long Dixton cutting, where a cracked fishplate was attended to, by the bigger of the electric impact wrenches that we have.

 

 

 

 

Then the crib sheet said to start digging out sleepers, same as last week.

This idea did not fill every volunteer with joy.

Although we do intend to replace these older wooden sleepers at Gretton with concrete ones (we have several 100 in stock), other more pressing jobs have come up. One is the refurbishment of a turnout at CRC, which is likely to happen this winter.

Then, time for another train to pass us by. We can hear this one whistle some distance away, as it enters the tunnel near Winchcombe.

 

 

 

When it's gone south, we get a window, during which we can start digging. Fortyfive minutes later it will return to this spot, shortly followed by the crossing train.

After doing quite a few sundry, rather minor jobs, we dug out and replaced three more wooden sleepers. 

 

Footplate crew and members of the PWay gang exchange greetings as 2807 steams by.

 

Then, at last, it's time to throw the tools back on the vans, dispose of the old sleepers, and head back to Winchcombe for the end of day tea.

If we're on time, we can put away the tools first and return the vans to the yard. If we work to the wire, it's race back to the station and screech to a halt directly in front of the Coffeepot. The tools will be put away afterwards, but we mustn't miss curtains down at the cafe. 

 

 

 

The end of day cuppa also sees us dispose of any remaining cakes etc.

This, our eighth volunteer, was happy to share a current muffin.

They are not shy, these robins. 

A quick track inspection allowed us to take this shot of the class 26 heading out.

Will it be a white Christmas? They seem to know something...

 

 

Tuesday at Toddington

A day painting woodwork for the Broadway P2 canopy. 

There is a fairly substantial pile of dagger boards that needs knotting, primering, undercoating and topcoating. At the moment we are at the undercoat stage. We have to do this on a dry day, as it is wet under the greenhouse glass. There is a missing pane of glass, gutters drip and the ever present wind blows in rain from every side. We plough on, using bits of second hand tarpaulin and sheets of insulation to try and keep the stuff dry.

 

Dagger boards being primered. A vast amount of space is needed for this.

 

Neil has started primering the wooden framework for the canopy ends. Knotting was applied to mouldings for the fascia boards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Meanwhile, out in the car park 2807 was being loaded for a seasonal visit to another railway.

 

 

 

At the same time, another black GWR 2-8-0 chugged by with a service train. The tender wasn't loaded - are they using one from the destination line, to save on transport costs?

 

 

 

 

Wednesday with the Usketeers.

All three of us today, and looking increasingly at the next project: the platelayer's hut.

On the weighbridge, only some pointing remains. Tarmaccing of the rectangle outside of the door is due early November, by the same people who will resurface the P1 platform at Winchcombe. 

 

 

 

The Usketeers set off for their new project in the low morning sun... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The aim for the day was to prepare the sizeable stump that was left, after the site was cleared, for the attention of a chainsaw later on.

For this to happen, we needed to clear some concrete blocks behind the stump. 

 

We were almost immediately passed by a train filled with two coachloads of schoolchildren. Little brats ! They wouldn't wave to us, too busy in a train that they had only just boarded.

2807 being now absent, we were treated to the sight and sound of 3850, chugging up the incline to the tunnel.

This is a good photo spot, as we saw when we were joined by an official photographer further up. He was interested in P&O, soon to be out of ticket. 

 

 

Our instructions were, once up the track, to wave furiously at every train that passed. This we did.

The concrete blocks behind the stump proved to be particularly difficult to remove. They lowered our spirits somewhat, for a while.

While digging around the back, we did strike some interesting artifacts.

The handle from a kettle, and two fittings from what looked like gas lamps. Does anyone recognise them?

Then, at last, P&O steamed past, to the delight of our companion photographer. He left soon after.

An hour later it was heavy freight 3850 again. The light was perfect for this.

We waved, dutifully.

Then, back to the stump. We managed to cut off a major root to one side, and after removing the blocks at the back, were able to wobble the stump a little with the bar.

But it became clear that what was holding it up were two tap roots that went straight down into a slot between the concrete floor and the blocks at the back.

After loosening it a bit, we felt a lot better!

Our last line side shot is of P&O again, giving it all it had, up the slippery rails to the tunnel mouth, and the summit of the line just beyond.

Here we are at the end of the day, somewhat rather worn out, it must be admitted. There has been a lot of chopping, and digging. But we got there, and morale was restored !

 

 

Wednesday on the PWay.

More sleeper changing for the gang. 

 

Here is Walt, trying out the new Robel obstruction free mechanical jack. When used on their own quite a bit of force is needed on the T bar.

What the little handle (on the ballast next to the jack) is for we were unable to fathom last time. Maybe Walt knows ! 

This is the sort of sleeper they were changing.

Looks alright-ish from the top, but the bottom has clearly gone. 

 

 

Robin Elliott  1941 - 2025. 

We just learned from his son that Robin Elliott passed away peacefully on Sunday in the nursing home, where he had lived for the last 2 years.

Robin was a regular Saturday volunteer at Broadway in the early years. His speciality was cleaning bricks, and it was Robin who introduced us to the opportunity of sourcing a large quantity of blues from Wisley sewage works. 

Robin Elliott in his element.

In his working life Robin was secretary to a charity, and actually lived in Sussex. He was one of the founding members of the Bluebell, and in the 1990s he was one of the principal drivers behind the reinstatement of a platform canopy at Horsted Keynes. The overalls he used at Broadway still had traces of green on them. It always amazed us that he punctually turned up at Broadway every Saturday morning, having travelled 130 miles for over three hours each time.

Round about the start of the Broadway rebuild Robin would visit his younger son at Worcester on weekends, and began to drop in at the GWSR. First as a booking clerk at CRC, then, with the Wisley recovery project, he turned his head to cleaning the many bricks at Broadway. We think that we used over 50.000 bricks in the two platforms at there, all second hand, and Robin played a very large part in finding and cleaning them all.

Bill Britton highlighted a number of special volunteers on his Broadway blog, and one of these was Robin Elliott: 

 https://broadwaygwsr.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-volunteers-story-robin-elliott.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good old Robin, with an absolute mountain of blues that he cleaned, ready for use by the brick layers on the long platforms that had to be rebuilt from scratch. We don't give that a second thought today.

He was 71 at the time this picture was taken, but still extremely productive, as you can see. 

 

 

 

Robin had a dry wit and a fine mind. We would chip away with him, and had some excellent conversations - he was a good fellow volunteer to be with.