Maxie plays up

Due to the Easter holidays, and in one case a dental appointment, we were a reduced team of 11 today. Quite small for a Wednesday. The preparations for the wartime weekend also involve several of the Wednesday regulars, so they were filling sandbags or rolling oil drums about in readiness for the weekend.

After an extensive doughnut feast we eventually trotted down to the goods platform site.

Paul decided to build another tower, this one at the southern end of the platform wall.

Counting our blocks remaining, we seem to be several 100 short, so decided to order some more. John trundled out those that still remained on site.

Paul on the end was joined by Paul in the middle, who was working with Peter. Together they lifted in the blocks along the third course here. We think there will be 6 or 7 courses in all. We'll see when we get to the top!

Here's Paul just completing a run of blocks on the third course. Note the 'tong' that we are using, it really helps when laying blocks. It is adjustable and was used when re-palletting the bull nosed edging bricks at Tyseley on Tuesday.

Out for a bit of fresh air was this unrestored (as yet) Mk1 CK, a corridor composite numbered 16221 ex ScotRail. It's getting some serious attention, and just goes to show the sort of work of which are capable. It was built at Derby in 1961 and was one of 1268 of the type (SK) that were built. It was later pushed back into the 'barn' were all the heavy duty metal work is done.

Later we were joined by Dave, who also started laying blocks. Better make some more mortar then.

Easier said than done. Maxie the mixer was playing up. It's springtime you know...

Maxie's belt was slowly getting looser, until, like a worn out fanbelt, it began to slip and Maxie would no longer cough up any mix.

Bad Maxie!

However, it was no use hitting her with a shovel, we needed to effect some serious surgery here.

Luckily Dr. Jim was able to make a house call, with his bag of implements. He got a bit distracted though when the steamers chugged past.

In the background two other volunteers were dealing with a sale of 'garden quality' sleepers to someone. They were heavy and so were brought round with the Telehandler, for dropping into a tiny trailer. Interesting...

By the time the train going in the opposite direction had passed, Dr. Jim had reinvigorated Maxie. We tightened her belt by moving the engine further away from the transmission.

Well, you wouldn't do that with a Ford Mustang, but that's how it's done here. We tightened everything up, and Maxie ran again, except that her rattle was even louder than before. She just had to have the last word.

The morning was pleasantly sunny, but the forecast was for increasing rain in the afternoon. We should be able to hold out until 4 o'clock though.

At lunch time the class 73 rumbled in and took out the third rake from the carriage siding.

Having dropped the 8 coaches into the platform the loco ran round and is paused here at the bracket signal, which wasn't admitting it back into the station.

Time for the driver to have a stern chat with the signalman!

Coupling up mission accomplished, the class 73 pulled out of Winchcombe again and set off to park the set at Toddington. The sky is now getting darker, oh-oh.

We thought this was a good time to have our lunch break, and that was just as well, it started to really tip down.

The water was absolutely pouring down the window, everything outside was blurred.




After lunch we came out to play again, but soon after the rain resumed. Undeterred, as we did want to continue block laying, we sheltered in the lamp hut for a brief period - we thought..

Are you going to stay out there?

Thinking about warm doughnuts...

We spent a considerable amount of time in that hut. Every time we set a leg outside, the rain started again. It was as if it was teasing us.

The forecast, when an update was consulted on Paul's phone, remained pretty dire for the rest of the afternoon, so reluctantly we decided to call it a day and wash up.

During the washing up time this class 47 appeared from Toddington, while there was a down train waiting in P1 at Winchcombe. Strange. The class 47 passed it via P2 and headed on south, leaving the regular service train waiting behind.

We learned later that the other train (hauled by 2807) had failed at Cheltenham, and the class 47 was the Thunderbird loco. Well, there's always a bit of excitement on our railway.

Prior to knocking off we had a last look at our work. You can see Paul's tower on the end here, not quite completed. The black notch on the red & white pole marks the level of the platform surface, so there is some way to go yet.

You can also see how much water has come down, the site was partially under water. You really can't lay blocks in that.

With some of the afternoon still at our disposal we decided to treat ourselves to tea in the Coffepot. Or rather outside the Coffeepot, as it was full of customers. Good news, sort of. It was a bit chilly outside, suddenly.

Paul was mother, and came out with a tray full of the hot, brown stuff. What a nice way to end the day.