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!

 

What is this? Bots? 

Special trains.

Thursday, a special train arrives at Broadway.

On Thursday last week a special train arrived from Toddington, with 20 or so experts from the Birmingham University Centre for Railway Research and Education, and representatives from Network Rail on board.

The train was hauled by brand new BETTON GRANGE, with a happy Steve greeting us from the footplate. This was one of the Race Trains, and with a 4+ hours layover at Toddington and an engine in steam, there was time for a quick trip to Broadway and back with railway guests.

These seats were occupied just 3 hours ago by race goers - how do we know?

The drinks menu, still open on the table, revealed quite reasonable prices - almost all (alcoholic) drinks were £6. There was even Champagne. (not £6....)

A quick search on the net revealed that the Race Course charges around £7.50 for drinks, and Champagne £85, or more. So our prices are attractive.

 

 

 

The guests in our one off special heard a presentation at Toddington, then came to Broadway for nibbles in our cafe.

As almost all of our RCS staff was on the race trains (rather more important for sales) the cafe was open only as a function room, with outside caterers providing nibbles. 

More detail about the exact purpose of the visit will be revealed in the next blog. It's nothing dramatic, but an interesting opportunity.

Saturday, out with the gang.

A cold, bright day. Difficult to dress for it, as it was icy cold first thing, then quite hot by mid day. We had our winter coat on, and wished we hadn't. 

 It was an early season combination of trains on Saturday - 3850 with a rake of  carriages first.

 

 

We had been tasked with eliminating a whole series of dropped joints beyond Bishops Cleeve, in the cutting and by the sports field.

It's our least popular area, because of all the human detritus. Footballs on the track, beer bottles, dog bags with faeces dropped from two hedges bridge. Even a mobile phone on the track, and today - a tattered rainbow flag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our neighbours have advanced their gardens to hard up against the cutting side.

First with timid stock fences ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... then with increasingly durable property demarcations, such as this new fence, right on the edge, with concrete panels.

Whatever happened to our strip of land with the crest drain? There is still one on the other side. 

 

 

 

 

One neighbour spoke to us, and immediately lodged a complaint. When were we going to deal with a tree on the opposite side of the cutting, as he could no longer see Cleeve Hill. A bit rich, coming from our own strip of land.

 

We had all 4 Robels out, divided into two gangs that leapfrogged each other. Robels, jacks, handles, shovels, rakes, site boards et al were manhandled, bit by bit, down a half mile stretch during the day. 

 

 

For those on the shovels it was a tough day. This area was one of several where a cheaper grade of ballast had been tried out years ago. In exchange for larger lumps of stone we received a discount on the price. Very attractive when you are on a tight budget. 

Look at the size of the lumps though, when compared to normal ballast (as we buy today). They are impossible to shovel, you can't get the shovel in between.

 

 

When you make a famous mistake on the PWay, your name goes on that mistake. Hence we have - Dave's rail, Andy's crossing, Nick's corner, Graham's signal post, Lamming's slip, and - Geoff's boulders. There's even a blogger's ballast pile... 'nuff said about that one !

On Saturday we were also graced by the visit of the Bubble Car, reasonably well filled when it returned from CRC. It now seems to be in regular service, at last.

 

 

 

 

During the day, one of our Robel obstruction free jacks developed a fault. Dave gave it a long, hard, Paddington stare. It turned out not to be broken, but a grub screw had come adrift. Easily fixed, if you have a set of Allen keys with you. We didn't.

 

 

 

We also spotted a curious drainage issue. The drainage gang have devoted a lot of effort in this area, we know, and you can see this freshly dug drain from the crest to the catch pit below. But strangely there was water appearing out of a hole in the grass alongside. And the catch pit below was working overtime, we heard the sound of plenty of runnig water down there too.

 

 

 

Then we had a conflicting movement - a cat walking along a rail of the down line, but travelling in an up direction. It skipped by us, despite our pleas of Puss Puss Puss.

Shortly after that 3850 came past again, this time with more sun on it, to make this fine picture possible.

 

We had three vehicles out with us on Saturday - one for the tools, one for 5 of the crew, and one loaded with garden quality sleepers for CRC.

One of the pan jacks also gave us a bit of trouble. The handle wouldn't go all the way in. The diagnosis (another Paddington stare) was a small stone in the bottom of the hole for the handle.

It was eventually poked out with a pocket knife, after trying several other instruments.

The rail next to this joint is down for changing, hence the blind fishplate by a suspect squat. A job for a non-running day. 

 

At 3 o'clock we were tired, and retreated to the Coffeepot, our first retreat there this season.

It allowed us to see the Bubble Car cautiously entering Winchcombe. It's nice to have a bit of change on the railway.

Manston next ! 

 

 

Back at Winchcombe, we noticed that the FoWS had now fixed a lamp top to the post erected by the Usketeers a few months back.

That completes this little embellishment. Another step on the road to a better heritage railway.

The post was donated to us by a well wisher, one of a pair from a garden near Frome. 

Thank you sir, and as you can see, we do take good care of your posts. More posts of this design would be very welcome. 

 

Monday, another special train arrives.

 

Monday was a dull, cold and normal brick laying day. Minding our own business, making mortar, laying on bricks.

 

 

Suddenly we noticed a tightly packed group of passengers. You couldn't get a cigarette paper between them. What is this? Economy measures, passengers to stand in a group and use one carriage only?

 

They stared intensely at ... no, not your blogger, but...

 

 

 

 ... 3850, running round their economy train. Just like the 1820s, freight wagons to stand in.

 

 

 

 

 They stirred nervously, as their train arrived along the other platform.

 

 

 

 

This was the object of their desire - their own private freight train. Accomodation was a Toad and a Queen Mary brake behind.

They got some lovely photo opportunities, at Broadway station, over the road bridge, by the goods shed, out of Greet tunnel. All for £125 pp.

There were 30 attendees - we make that a gross income of £3.750, less the cost of chartering the loco from the owners.

 

A really good initiative, we thought. 

 

 

 

John carried on laying bricks, unperturbed. As a reward, we received some nice compliments from the photographers. They really meant it too.

So where are we now with brick laying?

We're working on the central bit of the facade, going as high as we can without incurring costs. The top five rows are the ones laid on Monday.

 

If you look closely, you can see that almost all of the bricks are either specials, or ordinary bricks cut to fit. That means that a large percentage of the bricks need to be cut, hence the more moderate pace at the moment. 

This is the alternative view from the inside. Soon we'll have to lays some blocks here, to keep up with the progress outside

Last thing on Monday was the arrival of a tower scaffold, with which we can now do the upper brick courses.

 

This scaffold was very kindly lent to us by the owners of the Bubble Car.

 

How we all help each other. 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday with the Usketeers.

 

The warmest day of the year so far - 19 degrees noted in the tunnel approach cutting.

 

 

We sat in the coolness of the weighbridge hut.

There was a cornucopia of cakes this morning. Everyone brought a bit, some two lots! 

The wife says: Men ! Why don't you coordinate the cake bringing? But that would be too simple, and there might be less... 

 

 

With every trip to the tunnel mouth we try to take some building material with us (except sleepers...). This time it was some scrap 3x4s that Dave found in a skip. Just what we needed! We managed to get 4 on a wheelbarrow, and still push it, sort of.

 

Today was a big day for us, as the first of the 34 sleepers was due to go up. The chimney isn't finished yet, it's currently paused at the height of the tallest sleepers, at the back.

We started with a corner one, as it has to overhang the paver underneath by 1 inch both sides. 

As these are softwood sleepers, they are not as heavy as you might think, although we did deputise our youngest volunteer to lift one all by himself. Go Julian ! 

A beep-beep in the distance alerted us to the passage of the RRV. Dave D at the wheel. Boom carefully lowered, to fit the tunnel. They were off to the Gotherington loop with the rest of the gang, to give it a final tamp before the main season is upon us.

After two on the end, we put three along the side, out of our kit of sleepers sawn to size by Martin last week. They were all numbered - ' Give me No. 9 now please'.

 

That leaves the first one still to fit, by the chimney.

 

With the first corner established, we went to the other side of the chimney. Due to the size of the pad on which this hut will stand, we are having three sleepers on one side of the chimney, and two on the other. On the drawing it was 3 + 3.

 

 

 

The two sleepers on the left fitted perfectly, so now we went for the missing first sleeper on the right. It was a bit tight at the top. We chopped out the top two bricks, gave it a tap, and it went in.

 

 

 

Up to that point we were working with temporary fixings, but that 3x4 top right here is permanent. It is holding the sleeper ends together with chunky 200 x 10mm bolts. A similar one will run along the bottom, as our sleepers cannot be buried in the ground. 

 

 

 

 

The final action of the day was to place a couple of sleepers along the left, so that we ended up with a sort of U shaped surround around the chimney. The tally for the day therefore was 11 sleepers placed, about a third of the total.

 

Note the post on the right - this holds the 3x4 in place, at the correct roof angle.  Remember when we did a dry run of this a couple of weeks ago?

 

 

 

This is the end of the day shot, with the new camera. It takes pictures OK, but is not brilliant with contrast, as you can see.

 

 

 

This, more colourful picture, was taken with the slightly foggy phone camera. It shows the timbers up well.

 

Next week - more timbers, and some joists, to keep it all together.

 

And finally, a historic picture: 

 

 

Recognise the Winchcombe weighbridge hut?

 

It's actually the same one, but at Weston Sub Edge station, as was. The weighing table is gone, and so are any ironworks. Just the brick building remains. It has an intact lintel though (the Winchcombe one is broken, due to the subsidence).

 

Speaking to someone on site, we got a feeling that the site was under a bit of a cloud. CRH (who used to rent Broadway its big dumpers) got taken over, and no longer rents out dumpers, we heard. 

 

If anyone is more up to speed than we are, we'd like to hear. Possibly there is some rescuing to do here? There are also two original GWR cast iron gate posts here.