Week 14 - 100 days

Another week with very limited activities of essential maintenance and measuring of track assets.

At least we can now say that we have recorded all the main line track assets from end to end, and can tick that item off our list of urgent requirements.

The last day of main line track measuring was south of Stanton, where about half a mile remained to be done. Thunderstorms interrupted the last session midway through the afternoon, as you may recall.

As it was quite a long walk, and the rails were rusty due to the absence of train movements, we decided to drive to our setting off point.

The car's SATNAV system must surely be mistaken, as it usually shows us going down the B4632 and yet in the picture we were travelling down a railway line...

Looking out of the window confirmed that the system was not mistaken, there was a Volkswagen Golf up ahead. We are very fortunate that we work on a former double track main line, so most areas can be reached by motor vehicle along the other former running line.

We did our measurements and recordings, and were pretty pleased to have ticked off this box. Unfortunately at the moment we are prohibited from doing any actual work, other than emergency (we have no emergency).

After the Stanton - viaduct work we moved on to Broadway, where the 3 turnouts laid 2 years ago needed recording.

First lunch though. Thankfully there are enough picnic tables there to allow one picnic table per man...

Having done the two turnouts at Broadway north, we headed off for the Toddington end to do the southern loop turnout.

The Broadway gang have only just started work themselves, and there is quite a bit of dust about, and these spiders' webs on the canopy lamps.

The weather was marvelous, and allowed this lovely picture of Mike knocking in a few Pandrol clips that we found loose.

We measured up this turnout as well, another recording job off the list. All part of the paperwork we are now required to have.

The Broadway embankment, a long time disposal point for ash and china wreckage from St James, continues to throw up interesting bits of pottery, and this time we found this shard of a GWR Hotels teapot, from the post 1935 era with the shirt button logo.

A complete teapot with the earlier crested logo went for over £400 at a recent auction. We tried to buy it for museum purposes, but it realised almost three times its estimate. Too much for us.



Anyone got a GWR teapot they don't want? After finding all the china pieces in the Broadway embankment, it occurred to us that a little exhibition of complete pieces would be an interesting thing for our visitors. The GWR restaurant car china was quite distinctive, with suppliers such as Spode, Minton and even Wedgwood. We have some cups, saucers and plates, but none complete.

At the end of the day a suggestion for a round of ice creams was made, and when yours truly offered to buy them, there was a rush for offers to help. Yeah, right.

Not sure about this one...

Moths? From where?

Your blogger's wallet was extracted from its dusty hiding place and carefully prised open.

Enough coins for three licky ices were found, and these were tested critically before consumption.

They passed the test.



On the subject of PWay, John Lees has generously made available the final box of his photographs of railway construction over many years since the early 1980s.
This box relates to the period 2015 to 2018. They have all been scanned now, and the first 125 have been put into a new folder about the Broadway extension (not all pictures are about this, but most. We had to stop working on the extension each winter to undertake various PWay projects that couldn't be done during running days)

Here it is:
Broadway extension through the eyes of John Lees

There will be just under 500 photographs in this section, with another 1700 in the Early GWSR section.

We hope you will enjoy the slow voyage through time, as seen from the rail head.






Broadway station

The Broadway team has been allowed to return to work for maintenance, essentially mowing the grass which is waist high in places.

Normally the slope behind P1 can be cut quite easily with a lawn mower, but over the last 100 days the grass and weeds have grown so high that Pat was obliged to use a strimmer and painfully slash his way through.

Pete and Tony then dealt with the arisings.

Brian and Dave race back to the station entrance.

The drive was also attacked, to start with on the village side.

In some areas a mower can be used, but when it encounters a pine cone there is a loud bang and you can see that the mower doesn't like them.

Monday and Wednesday saw a team pick up all the pine cones - two wheelbarrows full each day - but the trees responded cheekily by dropping more when their backs were turned. Ouch!

Nine more timbers have been cut and painted for the footbridge steps (all home work) and these have now been returned and stored up on the centre span.

The situation now is that all the timberwork for the P1 side is ready and could be erected in a short period of time. It just needs the boarding then.

P2 has some of the timberwork already done in anticipation.

As we write, we are not yet permitted to return to this job.








And now we come to: (Fanfare)

Last week's quiz answers:

1.     Which two locomotives were named King George VI?

6028 and 46244

2.     What was the name and number of the GWR’s only pacific locomotive?

The Great Bear no 111

3.     How many BR Standard locomotives were built and in how many classes?

999 locos in 12 classes

4.     Which was the only class of express steam engine that operated on BR without a red buffer beam?

A4

5.     Where was the northernmost depot employing GW designed locomotives?

Inverness

6.     What was the final GWR design of steam locomotive?

Hawkswoth 9400 class

7.     Which is the only preserved “Manor” not to have been rescued from Barry?

7808 Cookham Manor

8.     In what year was the Territorial Army formed?

1908, Britannia 70048 was named to commemorate the 50^th Anniversary

9.     Greet Tunnel at 693 yards is the second longest tunnel on a preserved railway.  Which railway has the longest tunnel, what is it called and how long is it?

The Bluebell Railway, West Hoathley/Sharpthorne Tunnel at 731 yards

10. How many sleepers are there in a mile of track?

2112

11. Which was the only ex LNER locomotive to survive from Barry scrap yard?

61264

12. What is the name of the most northerly junction on the BR network?

Georgemas Junction, where the Wick and Thurso lines diverge

13. What is the longest name ever carried by a “Castle” locomotive?

5017 The Gloucestershire Regiment 28^th 61st

14. Apart from locomotive 46220 Coronation, three other members of the same class carried crests above their nameplates.  Which locomotives were these?

46235 City of Birmingham, 46240 City of Coventry, & 46254 City of Stoke-on-Trent

15. Four locomotives were involved in the 1952 railway accident at Harrow & Wealdstone. What were the numbers and names of these engines?

42389, 45637 Windward Islands, 46202 Princess Anne & 46242 City of Glasgow

16. Between 1968 and 1990 how many locomotives left Barry scrapyard for preservation?

213

17. Which “Hall” class locomotive didn’t survive into BR ownership?

4911 Bowden Hall destroyed in an air raid in 1941

18. In 1952 4082 Windsor Castle swapped identity with which other class member?

7013 Bristol Castle

19. How many BR Standard 9Fs were fitted with mechanical stokers?

Three, 92165/6/7

20. Where and what is the steepest gradient in Britain today over which passenger trains are operated just by adhesion?

On the Mersey Railway between the bottom of the Mersey Tunnel and James Street station at 1 in 27

We've had a bit of correspondence about Q4, as reader Malcolm pointed out that the A4s were:

 

 'one of 4 classes that ran on BR without red buffer beams - the W1 (60700) and the 2 B17's streamlined in a similar fashion to the A4's, and the last LMS big Lizzies before they were defrocked (which was in BR days) did not have red buffer beams'.

This week's quiz:

What is the full name of the following railways?

1. LNWR                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

2. LB&SCR                          ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

3. GNR                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

4. WHR                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

5. GER                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

6. ELR                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

7. M&CR                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

8. LSWR                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

9. OW&WR                          ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

10. L&YR                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

11. GCR                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

12. NYMR                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

13. HR                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

14. LT&SR                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

15. SVR                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

16. RH&DR                          ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

17. NSR                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

18. MS&LR                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

19. GNoSR                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

20. TVR                                       ………….……….………………………………………………………………………………

Not so hard, this one, but it was just a quickie for amusement before the 2019 Christmas pud was served.

Answers next week.

Week 13 - daylight at last !

Slowly the railway is getting back into gear. This Wednesday there were 6 volunteers to do track recording, as against only 3 last week. But the weather was rather disturbed, and we can't do the recording when it's wet - the paint won't stick to the rail, and the recording sheet gets wet. It was a heavy, humid, damp day, with thunderclouds hanging above us.

Heigh - ho, it's (back) off to work we go.

The descent from Stanton yard on to the track.

The next thing we had to do was trudge up towards Broadway to the point reached by the previous asset registration gang. This was at mile post 7-II.

Here we are passing under the aqueduct, the metalwork of which was repaired last year, with more stringent handrails.

MP 7-II at last, and we prepare ourselves for the day. Who is going to do what? It should be a lot faster, with twice as many people as last week.  But half the people haven't done it before, so there is a bit of adjustment going on, before we get into our stride.

In this picture we are just north of Stanton Fields overbridge, a tiny lane that leads to a couple of houses, but which some vandal has found, to climb down on to the trackbed and spray paint one of the bridge abutments. It's a new one too.

Fashion wear tip of the day: shorts! A sure sign of summer here. Very painful on the knees though if you want to kneel down in the ballast to paint the numbers on to the rails, which is probably why that job was left to yours truly, with his long trousers on.

A knobbly knees contest candidate? We think so, yes.

Progress was pleasingly forward moving, if we didn't have to keep stopping for Peter to find his contact lens.

We are now required to identify each individual rail, even if welded up with others or as part of CWR.

So how do you affix an ID number? We have tried scrabble tiles, but are currently favouring a spray painted block, with a number drawn into it, starting from the last MP. So there should be at least 22 per quarter mile.

How do you draw that number? Well, we tried a stick, a piece of plastic insulation from a cable, but the best way seems to be the human finger. If in a glove, but the paint soon soaks through that, and we can reveal that this blog post is 50% typed with an orange finger tip, even after the obligatory scrubbing up shower.

Oh well.

Here we are between the B4632 road bridge (lots of rust streaks under it on the ballast, it is clearly not waterproof, or leaking water from something) and behind the camera is the lane leading to Stanton village.

In the picture we have just reached an insulated block joint, witnessed by the S&T cabinet on the left.

At lunch time we emerged from under the road bridge at the level of Stanton yard, which was amazing progress. But the clouds wre getting ever darker and we could hear rumbles now, from two directions at once.

We were in a bit of a quandary, as we were tired and hungry, but as yet it was dry so should we press on?

We decided to go on to MP  8-I (three quarters of a mile done then, the same as all day last Wednesday) providing we could find it.
Eventually it turned up in the grass, apparently a victim of the flail.
These early day metal ones are gradually being replaced by replica GWR wooden ones with steel letters, albeit not on the original lengths of bridge rail, which we still find from time to time.

Having reached this goal, we broke for lunch, at last.




Lunch was a quickie. Ideally we wanted to reach the southern breather on the Broadway extension, which is just north of the viaduct.

We did another quarter of a mile, as the clouds got more and more menacing. Raindrops started to appear.

 Mike volunteered to test for lightening strikes, but no luck. It's all part of the jolly banter in the team.

Robert noted all the measurements on a paper excel spread sheet.

Funnily enough, the rain that came didn't so much interrupt the paint spraying (which was on the web, still dry) but it made the spreadsheet wet - a fatal flaw. We also ran out of paint, what with spraying every weld, and there were many on this last quarter mile. The number of rails increased from 22 to 41! This section dates back to the pre-Broadway area, before we had the fund raising share issue for the extension, which allowed us to buy new rail.

So with a quarter of a mile still to go (we have already measured the main line where it is fishplated) we called it a day, and walked home among thunderclaps and heavy spots of rain. We had done a mile today, an excellent result.

En passant as it were we noticed this drain, beautifully reconstructed by the drainage gang. It was busy dealing with the results of yesterday evening's downpour and hailstorm.

Didn't the drainage gang make a beautiful job of this channel?





***** A number of photographs have been removed on request.



Hot news:

In an internal circular yesterday, released to our 900 or so volunteers, we were advised that we are going to re-open the railway to volunteers progressively over the next two months, providing the crisis continues to abate. Individual departments will effect a phased return to work. There are risk assessments to consider, anti infection measures for those likely to work indoors or close together, but we are coming back!

The best bit of news was slipped in at the end: Once the volunteers are back, with the competences in place and the rolling stock and locos vetted, we are considering re-opening to passengers from August 15th! It will be a steam hauled service, but initially with a limited timetable and with reserved seating. No doubt a more public announcement setting out how to reserve will follow in due course.

We will therefore have a very brief season in which we can try to generate a little cash flow, before we close down for the winter again. It's a toe in the water, but that's how you start to learn to swim.





This week's quiz:

This one has been prepared, for fun and exclusively for this blog, by Broadway and C&M stalwart Jim H.

Thanks, Jim! Let's see how far you can get with this one:

1.     Which two locomotives were named King George VI?

2.     What was the name and number of the GWR’s only pacific locomotive?

3.     How many BR Standard locomotives were built and in how many classes?

4.     Which was the only class of express steam engine that operated on BR without a red buffer beam?

5.     Where was the northernmost depot employing GW designed locomotives?

6.     What was the final GWR design of steam locomotive?

7.     Which is the only preserved “Manor” not to have been rescued from Barry?

8.     In what year was the Territorial Army formed?

9.     Greet Tunnel at 693 yards is the second longest tunnel on a preserved railway.  Which railway has the longest tunnel, what is it called and how long is it?

10. How many sleepers are there in a mile of track?

11. Which was the only ex LNER locomotive to survive from Barry scrap yard?

12. What is the name of the most northerly junction on the BR network?

13. What is the longest name ever carried by a “Castle” locomotive?

14. Apart from locomotive 46220 Coronation, three other members of the same class carried crests above their nameplates.  Which locomotives were these?

15. Four locomotives were involved in the 1952 railway accident at Harrow & Wealdstone. What were the numbers and names of these engines?

16. Between 1968 and 1990 how many locomotives left Barry scrapyard for preservation?

17. Which “Hall” class locomotive didn’t survive into BR ownership? 

18. In 1952 4082 Windsor Castle swapped identity with which other class member?

19. How many BR Standard 9Fs were fitted with mechanical stokers?

20. Where and what is the steepest gradient in Britain today over which passenger trains are operated just by adhesion?

Jim is a former railwayman, so this quiz is a bit meatier than the fun-time PWay Christmas dinner ones. No need to remove any of the riskier questions either....

Sharpen your pencils! Answers next week.

Week 12

There's a shaft of daylight in our lockdown from the railway, as, subject to strict conditions and risk assessments, some essential maintenance has been permitted on the PWay.

We have therefore resumed the measuring of our track assets, a job that is required as part of documenting what we have on the ground. It's an outdoor activity, which can be achieved by small groups, with currently a maximum of 6.

A first day was held on Saturday, covering Broadway station up to the northern breather near Pry Lane.

Just three of us went out today to continue this, but what a milestone. It felt good to be out again, free, in the fresh air, and physically active. Productive too.

Here is the kit we took with us to Little Buckland  - the Bance track gauge, spray paint for numbering, and a box of tricks.

Coincidentally there was also a lifting gear inspection, and we took delivery of a number of new speed restriction signs for our TSRs when we go out and maintain the track.

This is where we started today - the breather at the end of the CWR section from Stanway viaduct. What was new to us too was a number of new signals, erected for the day that Broadway box becomes operational. You can just about make them out in the distance.

Here we are at one of the newly reinstalled GWR style mile posts. The tall trees in the distance are adjacent to the Peasebrook farm stud.

What's the track like after 3 months on non-use?

It's rusty, with bird droppings on it.

The weedkilling contractor has also been, with clear beneficial effects as the track was weed free, and many of the probing brambles from nearby were truncated.

Our job here wasn't too difficult, as the track is obviously new, and in excellent condition. It is of course also walked regularly for inspection, as clips etc can fall out.

We measured the distances between the welds, took the gauge and cant, reported on the number, type of sleeper and fittings.

Everything was in pretty fine fettle really.

We marked the position of the welds, and numbered each rail in sequence, between 1/4 mile posts. Every 22 rails we started again.

Robert had a spread sheet, the contents of which are uploaded to our data base in due course.

While the rail showed zero wear after 2 years, it was slightly rusty and Robert had to have a good hard stare at it to identify its manufacturing details.

The weather was kind to us - cloudy, no burning sun, but no rain either. Brilliant. We took a picnic with us each.

We received a visitor that scooted along under the Cotswolds edge. Not sure what it was though, a largish military helicopter. It returned from the Broadway area a minute or two later, and hovered near us to see, presumably, what we were up to.

Peter on the right was the second man in the team today, with yours truly No.3 and later in the day we were joined by stalwart Jim, who had accompanied the lifting gear inspection earlier in the day. That went well, we were pleased to hear.

While pausing for an 11 o'clock cup of coffee, we noticed these chunky droppings, which we take to come from an owl. They were made of feather fur balls, with little bird bones in between. Nature doesn't stop just because we do. Indeed, a large deer crossed the line right in front of us. We also came across a very prominent badger run across the line - a little tunnel in the vegetation on each side, and a well worn and slightly discoloured track across the ballast and the rails in the middle.

Mid afternoon we reached the cars at Little Buckland, and decided to call it a day on the Toddington side of the bridge. After 3 months of not doing much at all, our bodies need to get back up to speed again, and wasting muscles built up again. We did 3/4 of a mile today, an acceptable performance for the 3 of us. No doubt there will be a further stretch on Saturday.

The PWay gang in 2016.

While scanning the next batch of John Lees' historical PWay pictures we came across this one, which happens to have been taken at the county boundary, just where we were measuring today. How time flies.
In the picture L to R are Jo, Chris and Neil, the latter clearly surprised that we have got this far.

Just another mile to go, Neil!




2874 news item

From a correspondent on the SDR we received this interesting pictures of the driving wheels of 2874:

Picture by John Brodribb, with thanks.

This axle is mounted in an interesting box of rollers, which allow the wheel to be rotated in situ.

Over the years the balance weights on these wheels have become loose. SDRE have removed the old rivets and replaced them with temporary bolts. New rivets have been made and are about to be fitted in the picture.





Gotherington slip

The works are complete. The contractors have left the site, replaced, as one correspondent termed it, by 'mini contractors' i.e. rabbits who are now taking an interest.

The sheet piling is in and finished off with railings. In the picture you can see the soil nailing that was used at the northern end of the slip. That's covered in chain link fencing, so they little so-and-sos won't be digging there.

At the Manor Lane entrance to the line quite a large area has been cleared, and it's now easier to park our cars here.

This is the view from the lane, showing the entrance gate, which has been re-hung.

There's a small tear in the eye of yours truly, as this used to be a tranquil scene with a grassy slope, where we have had many a mid day picnic between jobs in the shade of a cool tree on the left. Bliss!




Bratton Fleming

Breaking news here is that the agents for the station have once again put the 'under offer' banner on the listing. Surprise! This was discovered by one of the supporters.

Astonished at not being approached, the EA team called the agents, to be told that there was a 'proceedable offer' made and had been accepted already. It seems very odd that twice now, the agents have posted that an offer had been accepted, without reverting to another potential buyer to see what they proposed to do.

EA are philosophical, noting that this has happened twice before, and that the offers did not lead to a sale in either case. They propose to wait and see. Only an exchange of contracts will confirm that the sale is definite.

In an email seen by yours truly they propose to return donations to those that want them back, should the sale to the other buyer become definite.  However, for our part we do not want to see our donation returned, as EA will be making other purchases in the future, as they have already done successfully several times in the past, and such donations will make future purchases all the more possible.

We shall wait and see, it's all we can do.




An interesting video about social distancing

We came across this fascinating video, originating from a private Dutch pressure group that is concerned about the negative effects that social distancing has on our society:

 https://youtu.be/asjKXK44fN4

The principal driver of contagion they say is through micro droplets, aka aerosols. Large droplets fall to the ground within a minute, but the micro droplets remain suspended in the air for 20 minutes or more. This means that the risk of contagion is much greater in enclosed spaces that are not ventilated, and those social distancing of 2m (1.5m in The Netherlands) is not effective. On the other hand, the risk is very small in well ventilated areas, or anywhere outdoors.

The blanket rule of social distancing for 1.5m or 2m is therefore not an effective measure, and indeed has uncomfortably negative consequences for our society and the economy as a whole. So do we really need it?

Take a look at the video.  We have found it very helpful in learning how the virus spreads, and how to adapt our behaviour in response. Knowledge is power!