Make hay while the sun shines.
Last week we had good weather, so a chance to catch up with painting in situ at Broadway. The whole roof needs another coat of undercoat, after primering all the rivet heads (... and there are more to come).
Painting steel doesn't lend itself to interesting photographs, so from our painting day on Thursday we have only the three below.
But Neal has been working behind the scenes, and at the top of the footbridge steps we found the kit of parts for the ridge purlin extension.
Nearly there then. This one's for the south end, then they are all done, and Neal is starting to take an interest in fitting wood to support the roof sheets.
During the day we saw BETTON GRANGE drift into Broadway, and on the next train it was a Growler. The driver sure gave it some (lovely) beans on departure, as there was a loud growl, and the train shot off (to a stately 10 mph).
We spent the whole day on site painting dark stone undercoat. The whole of the steelwork needs a second coat, and also one that covers all the primered bits of lifting damage we found, as well as the newly primered rivet heads.
Our achievement:
One fascia board (out of 4)
Two purlins (out of 12)
Three purlin extensions (out of 6)
Two canopy end half brackets primered (out of 10)
We think: Not a bad day's work, which we rewarded with a cup of tea from the two nice ladies in the cafe.
This was the three o'clock train, also hauled by BETTON GRANGE. There were quite a few people on the platform, which was good.
Monday at Broadway.
A bridge inspection, and riveting the trackside fascia board.
Monday morning we found a large tower scaffold being erected on the trackbed. Were these NR employees come to help us rivet the fascia board ?
Alas not, it was contractors doing bridge inspections, and on Monday it was the turn of the Broadway footbridge.
But the Broadway canopy gang too was busy, aided by our steam department. They put rivets into the south end of the fascia board, into the southern ridge purlin extension, and into a corner brace.
Unfortunately no photographs available this time. You'll have to take our word for it.
As it was good weather still, Yours Truly set about giving the steelwork a second coat of undercoat.
The result, after several hours, was the first 'box' completed. That means the area between the two northern most trusses.
Hope you can see the effect here.... a bit hard to see, as we are painting undercoat on top of an earlier undercoat. But we want to properly protect the steelwork, to take the pressure off future maintenance.
An easier example is the ridge purlin extension here, at the south end.
Neal completed the fabrication of it, on Monday it was riveted on, and we gave it a first coat of primer.
All the purlin extensions are now on.
Tuesday at Broadway.
A complete canopy gang of three, on a warm, windy day, ideal for painting. We did the second of the four trusses, and part of a fascia board. Steady progress then, while the good weather lasts (but see below....)
Neal arrived later in the day (our compressor failed, and needed sorting out), and we see him here cutting pieces out of the top corbelling course for a set of brackets for the rear.
John was there too, and can be seen here building up the brickwork over the first two arches.
This was quite slow work, as many bricks needed cutting to special sizes.
Shortly after we finished painting the heavens opened, quite unexpectedly.
It was just after 4pm and the cafe staff wanted to go home, but couldn't without getting wet. You can just see them on the platform, waiting for Cleeve Hill and Breedon Hill to become clear again.
New lightweight wheelchair ramp
We've heard complaints that our metal wheelchair ramps are very heavy. So how about this one, which weighs so little, you can lift it with one finger? It's made of glass fibre, and is so much lighter, it's amazing.
https://www.dunslopeliteramps.co.uk/c/products/dun205-205m-dunslope-glassfibre-width-folding-ramp
It's not cheap, and the company has no spare cash, so how about clubbing together?
Wednesday with the Usketeers.
Without Jules this time, and alas also without the promised bacon rolls this morning, as since last winter Paul's electric frying pan has gone AWOL. We'll have to make do with Leek & Potato soup, our usual winter warmer.
On arrival, we parked outside the station, and just outside the old stationmaster's house.
We didn't have a record picture of it, so here goes.
It seems different from the others at Broadway, Toddington and Winchcombe. Strange. Could it be?
Below is the Winchcombe stationmaster's house.
Gotherington is a different design! We wonder why. Maybe because Gotherington was only a small station?
Shame that it's not well maintained, and there's a pile of old army vehicles in the driveway outside.
After the usual coffee and lemon drizzle cake, we set about today's task, the placing of the second supporting sleeper at, the rear.
It wouldn't go under. Drat ! The problem was the bottoms of the tongue and groove boards. They were all rotten at the bottom, having sat in the ground for many years.
Paul had a go with his electric saw to try and get a level line, a bit higher up.
Eventually, with a bit of traditional brute force, we got the sleeper underneath, so that allowed us to proceed with the next stage, the reinforcement of the corner post, also rotten at the bottom.
Here Paul is fitting the first reinforcement timber.
The supporting post, part of the old B&S shed since demolished, needed a bit of adjustment on Paul's sawhorse.
To give you an idea of what the bottom of one of the corner posts looks like, here is one that Jules sawed off last week.
Not much there, is there?
Sawing the new post to size got a bit more serious when Paul decided to throw his weight into the ring.
Finally for the day, a shot of the northern end of the little cabin.
Today we completed the stabilisation and lifting of it. You can see here how it now sits on higher corner columns (an extra three courses of bricks) and on top of these we have placed a second hand sleeper, one along the front, and today, one along the back.
The cabin is now almost vertical again, the best that we can do with such and old wooden structure.
Back filling will be the next job.
Trackside news.
Pictures by Paul of the new weedkilling train, and work on Wednesday.
To try and save money on contractors weed killing along our line, we had the idea of building our own sprayer vehicle.
This was based on an old box van.
It took quite a long time - we don't build very many of these - but eventually the van was finished, being fully converted.
Here it is on a test train along our 14 mile line, on September 21st.
Here you can see it actually at work, followed by a small cloud of spray.
Paul managed to photograph it at a number of locations, including these two here at Gotherington Skew Bridge.
Here it is about to enter Greet tunnel
... and finally at rest in the platform at Winchcombe.
On Saturday the gang was out at Gotherington loop, where a dip in the line was lifted and packed. It was a glorious day, and there is nothing like sitting on a rail with your mates, watching the trains go by.
The last picture on the PWay was taken today, and that at Didbrook.
The gang wasn't visible today, so you'll have to imagine them.
A look over the fence - Rother Valley Railway (RVR) Part 3.
The last part of the week with the RVR track laying gang.
By Friday we had indeed laid an average of 4 track panels a day, leaving 4 to go to reach the target of 20. Only when we were within walking distance of joining up, we realised that it was nearer 22 panels required. Or another 6 to go, not four ! Both digger driver and the project manager said there was no chance. But - by now we were on the wider part of the formation, and it was possible to use the second 360 on site.
As you can see from the picture it meant that one could lay out sleepers unhindered by rail moving, while the other could lift in the rails from the side. We also had a good gang of 8, and began to have a good feeling about the day.
We managed three panels in the morning, and suddenly the target seemed possible.
The sleeper laying 360 lowly reversed towards the end of the loop.
The clipping up gang did its best to follow, while the second 360 brought up a pair of rails, as a gap had opened out in the pairs laid to one side a year ago.
Even the RVR blog photographer joined in, cleaning up the dirty sleepers before the pads were laid down.
Mid afternoon the sleeper laying 360 dropped in the last sleeper, and made contact with the loop section.
Even so, there was time for a lunch 'Al Fresco', sitting on the chairs that one volunteer religiously moved forward each time a panel was laid down.
Then the last full sized rail was laid in. It had to be cut a little shorter, so that the final length was longer than the minimum 10ft required.
This left two shorter infill lengths to cut, from one long one.
The clipping up gang was on the last full length rail.
This picture shows what we achieved over the second half of the week - sweeping round the end of the S curve, and then down the wider straight.
This is the picture that we have all been waiting for: the final length of rail goes in. We did it, target achieved, and surpassed. 21 1/2 panels laid, and a length of continuous track achieved from (turntable) bridge 24 all the way to Salehurst. Within the following fortnight the fishplates will be on, and the gaps welded, to make 120ft panels.
There is now a continuous run of a mile, and the % of track laid has risen from 27% to 39% as a result of our working week.
Well done all !
With a couple of hours to spare, we had a quick look at the Robertsbridge and Salehurst sites on the Saturday morning, during a bit of a dull spell.
Quite recently, the first of three level crossings was installed at Robertsbridge, Northbridge street.
It's not finished yet, but the rails now cross the road, and the road surface is reinstated.
This picture, looking north, shows the L/C on the left, and a very old RSJ bridge just right of centre.
Another shot of the old bridge. It has not been touched for at least 60 years. The line will then cross the field over to the trees, where a second L/C will be installed, over the A21.
The track laid down the hill from the main line station in the distance has now been joined up with the L/C, and a few feet beyond. The above ground structure of the L/C is still to come.
This shows the track projecting just over the L/C site, and pointing at the old RSJ Col Stephens era bridge, which has a tree growing out of it.
Detail of the Col Stephens RSJ built bridge, with original waybeams, no handrails, and what appear to be timber supports standing in the water.
Then a quick look at Salehurst, half a mile down the line. Salehurst is a pretty village, and has everything a man could need - a pub and a church. It used to have a basic halt close by, but it is not planned to reinstate that.
The WW2 pillbox is damaged along the corner of its roof line facing the track. It looks like someone with a digger has tried to demolish it in the past. The damage looks old. That's a shame, as these buildings are typical of the area, and should be classed as monuments to a certain time.
The KESR halt used to be along the RH side here, and it was just a very short walk to the pub from here.
Our last shot is aimed through the fence in the other direction. Track here has been laid, and it now stretches all the way to bridge 24 and the future run round loop.
What a week that was !
