Special visitors.

 

Special visitors.

Those visitors, Thursday a week ago. They were from the Birmingham University Centre for Railway Research and Education (BU CRRE), accompanied by people from Network Rail. 

 

 

 

While BETTON GRANGE ran round its train, the group enjoyed a light lunch in the Broadway cafe. This followed a presentation by the University at Toddington, prior to boarding the special train.

 

 

 

 

 

The group then went down to Station Road bridge, which has seen numerous road vehicle hits since it was refurbished about 10 years ago, as part of the 'Bridges to Broadway' share issue.

 

 

 

 

The object of their interest was a new product being developed by the BU CRRE called Bridge Aware. This is a camera and sensor based system which aids in prevention, detection and assessment of bridge strikes. It consists of a mix of camera and LIDAR sensors to detect out of gauge vehicles, with the possibility of triggering warning messages to offenders. A series of accelerometers on the bridge structure itself records collision events, and issues notifications via 5G. Thirdly, there is the possibility of actual damage assessment remotely, as well as monitoring gradual structure deterioration over time.

The people at the BU CRRE needed a friendly railway with a bridge over a main road, and so they came to us for a period of testing. 

 

 

PWay member Alan was the GWSR coordinator. You can see him here on the phone to the university, while trying out one of the accelerometers - with a rock. It was what he had to hand...

 

 

 

 

 

A strike, or indeed any event giving rise to vibrations is recorded, and can be called up on a Notebook. One of the reasons for the special train was in fact the lack of normal passenger trains early in the season, so they wanted one of their own. Which would also convey the group to a light lunch. 

 

In this picture you can see the camera that records overheight vehicles. 

 

 

Here the group is inspecting the set up, which involves the camera, a series of sensors, a box of tricks and a feed from a pair of solar panels. During the testing phase with us it became clear that due to the poor weather the two solar panels were inadequate to recharge the batteries, and a supply cable was laid to the signal box locking room as a supplement.

 

 

 

Here the group is demonstrating their new system, as members of Network Rail look on.

 

The BU CRRE came to us to test and demonstrate their system, and when you read this, it will have been dismantled again - it does not belong to us. It's being taken down to Kearsney in Kent for a trial on a NR owned bridge there. The event was one of mutual benefit - the BU CRRE get a friendly line on which to try out their ideas, and we are gaining a useful contact in the rail industry.

 

 

With the Friday gang.

 

A cold, bright day, and no trains - the opportunity to swap out those rails that we have prepared. Four of us set out, with the RRV and the Telehandler.

 

 

We made a quick detour via Toddington, where we picked up some cutting fluid, and caught sight of 35006 up in the air, its overhaul now well and truly under way.

 

 

The RRV and Telehandler met us at Three Arch bridge, our first job. Here we had changed one rail earlier, and cut the second. Due to a lack of a suitable lifter plate, we were unable to actually fit it.

Now, thanks to the very kind assistance of our fellow PWay group on the SVR, we were able to borrow a set of plates, and we lifted the rail in.

 

In the picture Paul can be seen barring out the old rail. 

That was the Three Arch bridge job signed off.

 

Then on to the Cleeve football field, the second long outstanding job on our list. It was the perfect time for it, with fine weather and a small dedicated team. 

 

It was the place with the impressive group of 4 G clamps, that held on dumb plates around an area identified by an ultrasonic test a while back.

 

David had the honour of finally removing those clamps. 

 

STEVIE then brought up the replacement rail from a few yards away. We unclipped and levered off the old rail, cut the replacement to size and drilled new holes, fitted it and clipped it back up.

That was the second job signed off.

Sounds easy, but with what of getting all the kit together, emptying the trolley from the previous job, moving some dumpy bags for FoWS, finding a signalman and passing by Toddington first, we were mid afternoon by this point.

 

 

With the right kit out, we felt it would be useful if we collected some of the debris from recent improvements. Here is STEVIE, picking up an off cut to put on the trolley. Unfortunately we need a proper train with a bogie flat to pick full sized rails up.

 

What we could do with the longer rails though was move them closer together, for an easier pickup later.

STEVIE trundled off into the distance, with a 60 footer in tow.

 

Is that your football?

 

On the way back to the Cleeve station site we came across two newer footballs, and a father & young son peering over the fence. They don't often see a Road-Railer; this is how interest in railways is born at an early age. Father was a shareholder (that's nice...) and they intended to take our train the very next day. We threw the footballs back up, but into the wrong garden. Oh well.

 

While the RRV and the Telehandler driver trundled onwards along the railway, the other two took the Transit back through Cleeve. An earlier team had reported a nice cafe there, and paused in it at the end of their day.

We decided to pass by, and collect some takeaways. Just by way of a professional test, you understand.

 

Coffees, yes of course, but which piece of cake? The choice was generous. We took away 5 pieces of cake - 4 for the team, and one for Mrs. Blogger. Unfortunately, it turned out, she was on a diet, so...

 

At Gotherington, on the way back, we met again, and shared out the goodies. We then collected about a dozen extra heavy base plates and manhandled them on to the trolley. On the other side we picked up three redundant concrete sleepers, and that was it for the day. The shadows were already getting longer.




 

 

Monday at Broadway.

 

Excellent brick laying weather, and a lot got done.

 

 

 

We have now done as much as we can along the front, without costly scaffolding. However, a friendly diesel rail car group on the railway has lent us their tower scaffold, which was put to use for the first time on Monday. We'd like to finish the store room, so that we can use it, so this is where John is working now.

 

A roofer came on Monday to look at the store room roof. It's all do-able, so he will come back to us with a price. If all goes well, he could be doing the job at the end of April.

 

 

 

As John was working on the store room end, we took an overall picture from the footbridge, and update from there which we haven't done for a while. It shows very well the brick infill in between the windows, all the way along the front.

 

The winter weather hasn't been kind to the frames, which have been in for quite a while now. It had been our intention to get the steelwork and roof on last winter, but for a number of reasons that didn't happen.

However, there were discussions on Monday about doing it sooner than the initial September plan this year. Watch this space ! 

 

 

 

Without so many specials to cut to size in between the windows, John made excellent progress on Monday, as you can see here. It was just headers and stretchers, and with such uncomplicated laying, the whole, darker, stretch above went on. John was even able to get the line of corbelling bricks in, and Neal cut a tricky corner brick for him too.

 

That's as far as we can go on the front, so at the end of the day the tower was moved to the next facade, by the end door.

 

After a bit more infilling, the lintel and arches will be required here, perhaps on Friday. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, with the Usketeers.

 

We nearly switched this day to the next one, in view of the cold, wet and windy forecast, but not everyone could re-arrange, so we decided to plough on regardless. 

 

The forecast said high winds, temperature will feel like +1 degree.  It was like that, all the way up to the signal post, then it suddenly got quieter, and warmer. We have picked a nice spot for our hut.

 

 

We started work on the LH and RH walls again today, and were soon joined by a trolley, pushed by Peter up to the tunnel.

 

Peter is an engineer... is this roof line correct? We hope it passed scrutiny.

 

 

The day was one of hauling sleepers, then lifting them up vertically to sit on the layer of damp proofing on the pavers. Once in place, Dave and Julian drilled the holes for the long bolts that will hold everything together.

Paul also drove in a nail for each newly placed sleeper, to hold it in place until it was bolted in.

 

Once we had 6 sleepers placed down each side, it was time to brace them with a joist across both ends. Here is Paul, sawing one of the joists to size. This is a fun team to work on, everyone is very happy, as you can see.

 

 

 

Then Jules tried the joist, sawn to size, between the walls. Too long. Or are the sides too close together?

In fact the sides needed an inch of adjustement - that is what the joist was for.

 

While we were placing sleepers along the sides, Dave corrected a couple of missing bricks from last week (top left) and, with some spare mortar, added another course of bricks on the chimney, which now rises above the two brick 'wings'.

 

 

Then it went dark, and we found ourselves in a hailstorm ! We ran to the tunnel mouth for shelter.

 

 

The PWay gang had been working in the tunnel, changing sleepers. Although it's mostly dry in there (except for the ends) the sleepers still rot all the same. 

 

As the afternoon was here, we thought we'd show you how far the sides were progressing. One side has numbered sleepers, the other side has letters. That's how we know what goes where, after cutting.

 

Only 4 more sleepers to go down each side. Then there is the end to do, with a gap for the door. 

 

Before you ask, yes, we will give the whole thing a coat of black bituminous paint at the end. You won't see the letters any more. 

 

 

 

As the PWay crew emerged form the darkness of their tunnel work site, they were glad to stop by and have a chat. We're old mates, after all.

 

 

We need two more reasonable S/H sleepers for inside the hut, to make up two benches to sit on. The gang was happy to drop a couple off for us as they passed.

 

 

 

 

Wednesday changing sleepers in Greet tunnel

As we said above, the job today was spot resleepering in the tunnel.

 

 

 Chris from the gang was on the tamper for the day, which was working in the southern half of the line.

 

 

 

 

 

 Before starting work, the gang enjoyed their doughnuts first thing, this time with a new flavour.

 

 

 

Paul (thanks for the pictures) also paused at the hut, and sent us this one of us at work. Your blogger is at the back, hammering plugs into the numerous chairbolt holes in the sleepers waiting to be used.

 

 

This is their view of the delivery of two s/h sleepers from the tunnel job, to be turned into benches in the hut.

 

 

 

 Last of all, here's a link to a video of a race train hacking past the hut site, a week ago: 

 

 Video from March 11th, of a race train departing Winchcombe for Greet tunnel:

 

 https://youtu.be/jOZnbDGm-d0

 

 

 NB, Did you notice the page view figure at the top? It was under 20.000 a month ago - very nice level of interest - and the last couple of weeks it has jumped to 73.000!

 

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