Riveting at Broadway.

Monday at Broadway.

It was a riveting day. Yes, really. Neal, and Ian, supported by a press ganged Kevin from the Broadway Maintenance gang, spent the day replacing temporary nuts & bolts with proper rivets.

 

 

 

On arrival first thing we found it difficult to park our cars. The whole car park had been taken over by the next door neighbour, and to top it all, an enormous cement mixer lorry beep-beep-beeped his way in, to a large concrete pump already in place.

That poor old stationmaster's house.... 

 

 

 

Riveting has been done in two sessions over the last couple of weeks (while we were away in Italy and in Kent) and today the third session would see the team on the third section of the roof.

 

The noise fom the rivet gun was less than we feared. The team doing the job had ear protectors on, but within 10 - 15 yards it was beareable without already. We were painting at the other end of the roof.

 

 

 

Kevin heated up the rivets with an oxy-propane flame.

It's quite a skill. When they start to glisten they are ripe, but don't wait a second longer ! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neal and Ian did the actual riveting. There were short burst of rat-a-tat-a-tat, and that was it for 5 minutes. Some of the holes had to be reamed out first.

 

 

 

 

 Kevin had a little 'grill' going on a makeshift furnace - a couple of bricks.

 

 

 

Discarded below we found this rivet. It's an example of what happens if you overcook them; they start to melt.

No good. Next ! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is an example of what they did, but also what Yours Truly did - treating the finished rivets to some Kurust, as well as the surrounding metalwork, if new.

The next day these anti rust areas will be given a coat of primer. With an additional undercoat they will then at least be weatherproof. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also found on return from being away that Neal had made and attached the extension piece for the ridge purlin, at the staircase end. He's now done 4 of these, out of the six required.

The weather was excellent for these kind of jobs, phew! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch we had a meeting at Winchcombe. On our way to the car we found these chunky GWR gate posts nearby. They used to stand at Earlswood lakes, further up our line to Birmingham.

The owner's wish is to have these installed at Broadway, say part way up the drive. The 'who' and the 'how' have not yet been determined. It would be great to have the Broadway posts back. 10 years ago we ripped out the originals, and sent them to CRC, where they remain, out of sight at the signal box end.

We also stopped off at Toddington to look at a GWR wooden bench that we have been offered. Unfortunately it's not in very good condition, and would need a professional carpenter to look at it. We don't have any money for that at the moment. 

We were surprised to see that the class 47 cab was no longer there. 

While at Winchcombe - on a non running day - we were delighted to see our self build weedkiller van being tested, all they way up and down the line. If successful, this could save us £1.000s every year.

 

 

Tuesday at Broadway.

Last think on Monday Neal, Ian and Kevin finished the main part of the riveting, as far as it was accessible. There's more to go, particularly along the platform side. This should happen on Monday, with a track possession in place.

Tuesday saw three of us - the canopy gang - drilling, laying bricks, and painting. Roger, a visitor from steam dept, also came to help paint for half a day.

 

It was a normal steam running day, with two locomotives. The first was the Black 5, which announced itself with that lovely hooter.

 

 

 

Neal set up an arch former for John, and in this way he was able to instal the second arch today.

You can also see him working on the regular bricks, which he managed to lay up to the second arch.

Good progress there. 

 

 

 

The second steam locomotive was Betton Grange.

Passenger numbers seemed reasonable, given that we are now in the shoulder season.  The cafe was fairly happy, although on more than one occasion recently it was unable to open due to lack of volunteers to man it.

If working behind the counter of a station cafe appeals to you, please don't hesitate to get involved. The website of the Trust tells you how. We need more help there. 

 

 

 

Neal did some additional drilling, and also fitted the fifth of the 6 canopy extension brackets. Only the centre one at the signal box end still needs to be fitted (and indeed made)

At the end of the day Neal started laying out the supporting woodwork for the roof sheets. 

 

 

 

 

Yours Truly drove to Cheltenham (diesel is now £2 a Litre!) and back to get 15L of paint for the roof. Dark stone undercoat , and topcoat. That's £154 please ! Our Trust charity is paying, but still...

 

 

At the back Neal trial fitted this board. It will support the gutters at the rear.

Inside the truss structure we have a big pile of cut and mostly already painted wood. This was Neal thinking far ahead, but did he get his figures right?

That's what he is now working out. 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday with the Usketeers.

Back to full strength, with all four of us at Bryan's at Gotherington. 

 

A deviation to buy lemon drizzle cake (Paul's favourite) caused a late arrival at Gotherington, and the other three were already hard at work taking down a wire fence.

This, and some of the fence posts, were in the way of repairing the back of the ground frame hut. 

And note the crazy angle of the hut, now leaning back. 

 

 

 

 

 

Jules then started digging a trench along the back. After lifting and reinforcing the front of the hut, the lean is now the opposite way towards the back, where the foundations are still low. 

 

 

 

 

 

An LMS hooter warned us that the Black 5 was about to pass by. This perfectly posed passing shot saw an enthusiastic volunteer gallop into it at the last minute, waving keenly at the astonished passengers.

Never mind, plenty more opportunities here under this tree. 

 

 

 

 

 

With the foundation blocks exposed on the rear two corners, we got two trip jacks in and cranked that old hut right up. 

It took just about 6 inches to become level again. 

 

 

 

A second attempt at the Black 5 passing shot proved to be successful. You just need patience.

Jules cranked that corner right up, under the careful vigilance of our builder Paul.

The other end got the same treatment, while going to and fro to get the building level. It's not the final level, but nearly so, subject to fine tuning with pieces of slate.

An inspection party then formed, to check the appearance of the hut from a distance. We liked what we saw.

 

 

 

Jules then cut a corner out of the floor, so that a brace could be fitted to the corner in due course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is one of the corner posts. You can see just how rotten it was, and this was on the back, where it wasn't leaning.

We were surprised to find a plastic handled Stanley screwdriver embedded in the corner as well. (the pink trace)

 

 

 

 

 Another go at a shot under the tree found BETTON GRANGE drifting by.

 

 

 

 

This time the team waved from a seated position.

Passengers seem very excited to see us, so we reply in kind. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After jacking up both back ends, Jules built some wooden supports, which will bear the weight of the building until we have built new, and higher, corner pillars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the supports were in place Dave was able to make up a mix and start building two more corner pillars in engineering blues. 

The corner pillars will be three courses high, and in this way the bottom of the hut should be clear of the ground, and the woodwork clear of the damp.

 

We'll let this go off, and next time will fit a sleeper underneath, as we did along the front. 

 

 

A look over the fence - Rother Valley Railway (RVR), Part 2.

The tale of a working week laying the track back on the KESR's Bodiam - Robertsbridge final extension. 

 

 

 

The sleepers were laid one by one, and not with the rig of four used previously, or indeed with the GWSR.

This allowed accurate aligning, up against the guide rail.

 

 

 

 

Good progress started to be made when more help came, in the form of a team of NR employess on a two day community engagement sortie.

 

 

 

 

This allowed us to have two stronger teams, one to lay the track, and then the NR gang clipping it up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here we are into the second day, and the track has passed the length of the first field, and is part way along the second, about 8 lengths. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking the other way, along the first field on the left. We have just passed the site of the UWC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The view from the bottom of a ditch....the welfare unit was some distance away...

 

The UWC, before track, but after quite a bit of work from the digger. Note the diameter of the pipe. Clearly a lot of water is expected at some point. In fact, on the Bodiam extension we suffered flooding just after the relay, and the cross drain pipes proved insufficient, causing the water to build up on one side, and then cascade over the top and wipe out the embankment. 

 

 

Although the UWC only led to a marshy strip of land next to the river, it must have been used at some point many years ago, as we found this horseshoe from what looked like a carthorse.

The chair was brought down by a volunteer.

The cast iron chairs that we know so well were conspicuous by the absence. 

 

 

 

On Wednesday we were visited by the station gang from the Robertsbridge end. They came to remove from the sleepers the remains of the third rail attachments, which would be a trip hazard to track walkers.

 

Behind them our target was getting nearer. The white dumpy bags pretty much mark the end of the curve on which we were working. The straight is then used by the loop.

 

Behind the gang lay the rest of the S curve that headed out to Salehurst. It's a beautiful part of the country.

Ballasting will be done after the track is down. It is hoped to get ballast on wagons directly through the main line at Robertsbridge, thus avoiding many lorry journeys over the roads.

 

 

 

Thursday started very wet. We had rain not only from clouds, but also water dripping down your necks from the trees on the left. On top of that there were only 4 of us, including Yours Truly.

 

 

 

We retreated for a tea and biscuits break in the welfare unit - it was a long walk, but worth it. There was even an electric heater to help us dry out.

 

 

Back on the job then,  and we were now coming out of the curve and on to the straight. You can just about make out the other rail head in the distance.

 

Three comfy chairs have appeared on site... 

 

 

 

 

This is looking the other way, from the loop rail head to the one on which we were working. The gap is closing !

 

Time and time again the need to cut the rails slowed down the job. The Husqvarna rail saw proved very difficult to start as well, which didn't help.

 

Initially the noise caused the sheep in the adjacent field to wander off to the other end. 

 

 

But at the end of the day they got used to us, and came to see what we were doing. All while grazing peacefully.

 

 

We also spotted this thing wriggling across the dirt.. It turned out to be the caterpillar of a tussock moth. It was not harmful to the environment, but would be to you if you touched it - those tufts really irritate your skin.

In response to a question in the comments about the history of the sea arm, here is a map (and lots of other interesting Romney marsh stuff) that shows how the sea arm went all the way to Robertsbridge.

https://saxonhistory.co.uk/landscape/romney-marsh-history 

Now the situation is inverted, everything is silted up, and the land is expanding eastwards, with a growing shingle spit at Dungeness. 

In mediaeval times French raiding parties would sail up this sea arm, disembark and pillage. Tired of this happening repeatedly, the locals built Bodiam castle to defend the area. Sadly, the sea then immediately retreated, leaving Bodiam castle high and dry. It was of no use to anyone, not even to Cromwell, who left it alone. Now we are lucky to have an intact, moated castle with a drawbridge. And a pub next door.

 

Part three to follow next time.

Back to work

Usketeers on Wednesday 16th September.

Down to two men last Wednesday. Yours truly away on a working week, and Jules with a minor medical issue. Paul and Dave ran with the baton!

 

 

 

As the internal frame of the little cabin at Gotherington is rotten at ground level, we have rooted around the railway for some replacement timber that doesn't break the bank. In fact the bank account is empty...

Thanks to our supportive friends at C&M we were allowed to take one or two of the timbers that used to make up the original Building & Services shed, from which C&M used to operate. It was taken down a while back, and the best bits of timber put to one side.

Here is Paul, cutting one to length. This is so that it would fit in Dave's car ! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arrived on site, the first job was to cut the timbers to the length that was actually needed.

This will be one of the new corner posts. 

 

 

 

 

 

The old corner posts will remain in situ, but as the bottoms have gone, new extensions bolted to the inside will support the weight of the cabin.

 

This is how it was done.

The new (old, now well seasoned....) piece is attached to the inside, and bolted through the good part of the old corner post to secure it. 

 

 

 

PWay on Wednesday 16th September.

A small gang was out at Hayles - just south of the road bridge - jacking and packing some dipped joints. 

The lifted joints were then packed with our Robel hand tampers.

Two of our Robels are currently inoperative. Luckily we have four in total, so work could progress nonetheless.

We are now approaching the winter closed (well, not completely) season, and our winter work project is looming.

We haven't circulated any firm plans yet, but it looks like a refurbishment of Cleeve Station Road bridge is on the cards. 

 

 

 

We're always interested in wildlife along our line. In fact it's a bit of a green corridor. No housing estates, roads, or many humans. Anmals quickly get used to the passing of an occasional train.

 

So what caught our eye last Wednesday? It's visible in the LH photograph, but if you can't see it, we've ringed it in green on the right.

 

It was a little toad.

 

One interesting wild animal event that occurred right in front of Yours Truly a few years back was a rabbit hopping by along the trackbed, right in front of us as we munched on a sandwich. It was hotly pursued by a stoat. 

The rabbit suddenly did a U turn, came back in our direction, was startled by a track ganger sitting on a concrete bin, and dived into the undergrowth.

The stoat left empty handed (or empty pawed). 

 

We forgot who took this picture of the Black 5, but it's a magnificent animal.

Thanks, whoever. 

 

 

 

 

A look over the fence - Rother Valley Railway.(RVR)

An old stomping ground of your blogger is the K&ESR. Our volunteering began there in around 1974, and although living abroad for most of this time, we joined in the relaying of all the sections to Bodiam, over the many years. We were invited to join the RVR relaying gang for another working week.

The RVR is the final push, from Bodiam to Robertsbridge Junction, on the London-Hastings line. In the early days the Minister of Transport denied them this last section, as it crossed the A21 and cars must not be hindered. That view has now changed, and a level crossing is now permitted.

 

This is the project. If you'd like to help with a donation (we did) then the details are on the poster.

 

 

The current site access is off Junction Road, a bit beyond the current terminus of Bodiam. We're in the valley of the river Rother, 500 years ago still a sea arm from the channel, and today still susceptible to regular flooding.

Several WW2 pill boxes can still be seen, such as this unusual circular one. 

 

 

 

Track had actually been laid a few years back beyond Bodiam, right down to the former level crossing over Junction Road.

 

 

 

Until a few months ago there was a stop block here.

Then the river Rother, just a few yards to the left, gnawed at the embankment, and now the rails have been lifted again to permit access to machinery for piling. 

 

 

Behind the camera, on the other side of the road, the line continues, and for the moment, gives access to what will be a run round loop. This is a convenient point between the only other run round opportunities at this end, Northiam and Robertsbridge.

After a few 100yds the line crosses Austens bridge. It was the most modern on the line, but was found by the RVR to be part demolished. It's now refurbished, and provides a handy barrier to unwanted site access.

 

 

 

Just beyond that is another bridge, number 24. It's an odd one, as the bed under it is dry. It's needed here for flood alleviation, pressure relief in case the valley floods - again.

 

 

 

Col Stephens built the bridge with parallel RSJs on concrete abutments. As they were beyond further use, a new bridge on similar design principles had to be used (to avoid a new planning application). With its central pillar, that now looks just like a turntable, in the middle of nowhere. The river Rother is just behind it, by the dark trees.

Looking back towards Bodiam, the 'turntable' bridge 24 is currently isolated. The trackbed beyond it leads back to Junction road and can't be relaid for the moment, as it is used for access. Austen's bridge can just be glimpsed.

In the foreground, however, is the start of the relay that we came to work on. At this point several 100yds have already been laid, to form the through line of a run round loop. 

 

 

 

This is the through road as we found it on Monday 14th September, the start of the working week. We're looking towards Robertsbridge here.

Earlier relaying started at the other end of a long S curve, at Salehurst. It had reached into the distant trees to the right of the 360.

 

 

 

The start was so far away that two volunteers offered a taxi service, in their increasingly muddy cars. While the area is muddy, the trackbed has been given a dry base layer, which was compacted. That worked well, as when laid, the sleepers were basically all on the same level, so avoiding the problem we had with alignment on the Broadway extension, where we started with an 8inch new ballast layer. (which was a bit irregular)

 

 

 

 

Here is a distant shot of the previous rail head.

Some ballast was put down in the foreground, as this is a user worked crossing. 

Unlike as on the Broadway extension, where sleepers and rail were bought out on an as needed basis, on the RVR all the sleepers and rails were laid out to one side a year ago. 

 

The preparation work needed to make this trackbed useable again after 50 years should not be underestimated. It was huge really, they've been at it for months. 

 

An example is this drainage ditch, which had an enormous tree stump in it. All the drainage needed reviewing; none of the (substantially sized) cross drains were usuable any more. All had to be dug out, and replaced with new abutments or head walls. By the run round loop there were big piles of earth from the clearing operations, and these were being dumpered out across the site, where they just disappeared in the ground.

The trees on the right mark the shore of the former sea arm; the flat field was the bottom of it. The K&ESR spends much of its way running alongside this old shore.

A similar area exists on the left, before another old shoreline appears. 

 

 

 

The start of the working week was here, half round the S curve emanating from Salehurst.

The first job on Monday morning, as others were still arriving, was to clip up the last panel laid.

To give readers an idea of the scale of the job, there are 112 Pandrol clips on each panel. 

 

 

 

The target of the working week was 20 panels, and to meet up with the already laid through road of the run round loop.

Are you doing any mental arithmetic yet? 

For 20 panels, that's three volunteers pulling and hammering in 2240 Pandrol clips, after adjusting each sleeper for height and exact position. 

 

 

 

 

The modus operandum was similar to how it was done on the Broadway extension, except that the K&ESR was single track of course.

A single 360 was used (we had Stevie Warren in his JCB) and the rails were half laid in, then the rest of the sleepers, then the rails fully laid in.

 

 

Something that slowed down the process - we were hoping to do four panels each day over the 5 day week - was the need to cut the rails.

 

 

 

The rails were second hand, and many had also been cut into 30 ft lengths to make removal easier. This meant that every rail had to have both ends trimmed. This trimming was also required as we were working on a curve.

 

 

The RVR gang had made themselves special blocks for supporting the rails when they were first half laid in. The two cut outs underneath allowed the blocks to fit over the Pandrol hoops on the sleeper, while the top had a steel strip, which allowed people with bars to slide the rail more easily.

 

 

 

At the end of the first day we had indeed laid 4 panels, so that was a relief. The weather was kind to us.

The picture shows the extent of the first stretch laid, about half way along a field. 

 

 

 

 

 

A trolley with materials followed us, but the majority of the heavy stuff was already in place along the trackbed, in dumpy bags.

Every other joint would be welded, but that still left a lot of fishplate hole drilling, which fell behind rather. 

A thicker, angle iron spacer was used for gaps to be welded, while a thinner, Dexion spacer was used for future fishplates.

Pandrol clips came in big bags. They were all mixed up, so a mixture of standard and smaller e-clips was used. These fitted in reverse order, which needed getting used to.

 

Setting the sleepers in a straight line was achieved by using a length of rail along one side.

This was pulled along to way points marked out by a surveyor earlier.

 

 

 

 

 

Correct sleeper spacing was achieved by the use of three specially made sleeper spacers. Three were used, so that the bump from placing the next sleeper didn't move the other ones.

The sleeper spacers, made of lightweight aluminium, were lifted out of the cribs by another home made gadget, the hook in the foreground. That saved your back - someone had clearly thought about this.

 

How did we do then? Check out part two in the next blog.