Another block in the wall, and a look over the fence

Saturday in heavy rain

The forecast for Saturday was dire, with heavy rain due throughout the day, and indeed the following day as well.

The rain didn't start just when we did, but prepared itself for our coming, so that we were greeted by this large lake.

The strange thing was: bad forecast - smaller gang turnout. Weird.

Wonder if there is any sort of connection?

We were excited to find a doughnut left over from Wednesday, but disappointed when we saw that it was jam, not custard.

We decided to leave it for the next crew...

 

 

 

We had two jobs on the to do list today. One was to adjust the gap on a pair of insulated joints, and test the insulation for a reported short, and the other was to change 4 sleepers in the Gretton area.

We have a small stock of new softwood sleepers (left over from the Toddington relay some while back now) so while we waited for an official line block we hauled 4 of them on to the white Landie, for transporting down to the spot marked 'X'.

With a line block received from the signalman after the first train had arrived at CRC, we took out the keys in both lengths on either side of the insulated joint (with a wide gap) and on the left, at the other end of the rails, we loosened the fishplates. Here the joints were tight.

The loose rail could then easily be adjusted this way and that, until the gaps were acceptable. The right hand picture shows the insulated joint, now with an acceptable gap. You can also make out the white plastic insulating behind the fishplate.

After adjusting the Malvern side insulated joint we gave the possession back to the signalman, and soon after the first train, headed by 2-8-0 tank 4270, trundled past from CRC. This time the driver had the rods obligingly down for the photographer - thanks !

After 4270's train was past, we obtained another short line block and did the Cotswolds side.

The rain was continuous, but luckily the temperature was warm-ish, at about 13 degrees, so we weren't too miserable.

 

 

 

Lunch was al Fresco again, or perhaps 'Al Landie', as it was still pouring and yours truly sat in the white one for 10 minutes.

Not that you could see very much, with all the damp.

With the two joints adjusted and everything nicely keyed up again, we dropped off at Gretton the 4 sleepers loaded earlier.

We were all pretty soaked through by now, as we have to buy our own kit and not everyone can afford the luxury of a Goretex waterproof jacket and trousers. Not unsurprisingly we decided to defer the sleeper changing to a drier day.

Just before we left the site we were graced by the brief presence of Foremarke Hall with the second train of the day. It looked quite well filled - perhaps because of the rain? What else to do when you can't do anything outside? Come for a trip on the GWSR and sit safely in your own compartment!

A look into next week:

We've got an interesting job on starting next week, when we will be relaying the unloading road at Toddington. This is the track that leads into the car park, after running between the goods and loco sheds. It is proposed to concrete this area, to give a better surface than the current water filled potholes, and to relieve the trip hazard of the rails sticking out of the ballast here.

On Saturday a contractor was preparing the site for us by digging out the track. The soaked roadway is clearly visible.

Tuesday at Toddington

Back on the Broadway canopy job with John and Neal.

The contractor has finished exposing the unloading road. The next job is to properly clean out all the chairs so that the rails can be lifted.

We made ourselves a little space in the shed, where available room is always at a premium. We have committed to completing the steelwork and will store it in the new workshop, and as part of that drive we hauled out the fascia boards which had been sitting under a set of driving wheels, and gave one side a second undercoat. Only the other side now remains to be done, and we can park this pair as well.

An interesting little diversion was some heat treatment being given to a pair of cams. These are from the vacuum brake on P&O and had shown accelerated wear. Diagnosis: The steel surface was too soft.

In the picture the two little cams are being heated to white hot....

..... before being dropped in a bath of cold water.

This (we understand) will harden them.

We're down to one train on Tuesday, and that was hauled by 4270. Around lunch time she came back to the shed to take on more water.

Again a nice GWR scene, with our shed foreman yanking the chain, and a member of the P&O gang (we all work together) putting the bag in.

A quirk of this loco is that the water tower can supply water faster than the tanks can deal with it. You fill the tank on one side, but the balance pipe to the other tank is much smaller so you have to wait before giving it another 'drink'. And again.

Our work today centred around the larger of the brackets that we need for the canopy columns at Broadway.

Neal explained that there will be one large bracket on the forecourt side post, and two smaller ones on the Malvern side one.

Neal kindly copied us this sketch, which shows the arrangement on the northern end of the canopy, adapted to allow for the fact that the station and footbridge were not positioned together correctly. Normally the RH stair support (on the LH half of the sketch) should be in line with the column in the centre, which itself is in line with the front of the building. The LH post, now on the end of the truss, should have been in line with the LH stair support.

The sketch shows where the brackets that we are currently making will go - two small ones (in pairs, back to back) and one large one.

The large bracket is made up out of several smaller pieces, one of which is curved. The day's work was cutting the pieces to size and shape, paying attention to the angles. A protractor helps us to do this.

In the picture some of the items have already been welded, while the strips on top are in the process.

More next week. We are going to work every Tuesday from now on.

Wednesday on the goods platform wall

A lovely, cold, crisp day, just right for putting down a few blocks.

Doughnuts and heated discussions took place in the car park at the appointed hour of 9am, but a muttering a whirring could be heard in the background. Strange.

It was caused by Maxie, already up and running (she's an early riser, is Maxie) and Dave and Paul had been there since 8.30. Who knew?

The first mix was emptied into the barrow just as yours truly rolled up, half eaten doughnut still in hand. And jam all down his wrist and sleeve...

Dave and Paul jumped down on to the trackbed and got their brickie's kit out, when there was an audible 'Plop' in the wheelbarrow. An acorn! That won't be popular when the brickies find it in their mix. The oak tree on the site seems to have an above average load of these this year.

Before we got properly started there was already an inspection team come to visit. Hope we passed! We get regular visitors, who come to see how we are doing. Very well, thank you.

The Drewry rail car was out today, and did two trips in the direction of Gretton, in between the trains, which were on the one train in steam timetable.

Here it is in P2, waiting for the line to clear. Sadly we are only single track.

The service train duly came, hauled today by 4270 again.

We remarked on how silently it ran, it seems to be in good fettle.

In the foreground is a large pile of blocks - by the end of the day they had all been laid, and more. It was a good day.

Here is the big tank engine just drawing into P1 to exchange tokens with the signalman.

An hour later 4270 came back again, this time facing forwards and a better subject for the amateur photographer.

In the meantime, Dave and Paul got well under way and in this picture have laid about 20 blocks, moving steadily up the platform. Last week we were overjoyed at passing the Heras fencing, but that was last week - we are 'steaming' along, and have easily passed the half way point.

In this picture you can see how we are approaching the stop block end, while John top right is chipping away like a woodpecker at the mortar on the blocks as they came from Swanbourne.

At the end of the afternoon we took this picture of his work. At the start, the site of the Usk hut was completely covered in blocks, two deep. Look how well John has done - he's in his 80s - only the ones in the foreground remain to be done.

The Drewry has now come back, and gone back into its stabling point.

End of the day view

At the end of today we were this far - you would think we are almost at the end, but there is still another one, possibly two days work left to do on the straight. Then it's a more complicated arrangement around the stop block itself. We had a discussion about how to do this today, how we would cut the blocks to give a neat finish to all the corners.

The total for the day was 50 blocks laid, and perhaps 150 in total so far (we didn't count them all again, sorry).

Meanwhile....

Remember the shot of the unloading road further up? Well, it's not there any more...

The gang today not only cleaned all the encrusted dirt off the chairs, but managed to extract 6 pairs of rails from their chairs. One was discovered to be a manganese steel one, which is difficult to cut and drill, so this will be replaced.

The unloading road was laid about 20 years ago. It was believed that it would see little traffic, so it was laid to a lower, siding standard, which we will improve on when it goes back in. With the planned concrete deck on top, we won't be able to improve it in the future, so it had better be right now.

The photograph is by Bob Lock, for which our thanks.

A look over the fence - Corris Railway.

During a three day break - no main holiday this year - we had a look around 3 railways in North Wales. You already read about the Talyllyn in an earlier blog, and here is our look at the Corris railway.

The little narrow gauge railway with the unusual gauge of 2'3'' was closed in 1948 and its two remaining engines taken over by the Talyllyn. Few thought in 1948 that this little line would ever run again.

A preservation society wasn't formed until 1966, and the first reopened stretch of track didn't come into service until 2002. So this is still very much a project still, but all the more interesting for it.

A mill on the Dulas river

The line ran down the steeply sided and wooded Dulas valley from above Corris to Machynlleth at the bottom. Most of the time it ran alongside or just below the A487. It served a large number of quarries along its way.

The mill building in the picture above is seen in this picture from the other side. The young lady in the photograph is standing on the original trackbed.

The A487, which was widened by using pieces of the old trackbed in several places can be seen on the left.

 

In the upper reaches of the valley early signs of reinstatement can be made out, such as here, where the embankment wall has been refurbished, and a new fence put on top.

At the moment the reinstated line runs from the current terminus Corris downhill to the original engine shed at Maespoeth. This cannot be reached by road however, although you can visit it by train.

Ignorant of this layout (the railway is not currently running due to COVID) your blogger was very lucky to run into their senior photographer, who offered to give us a quick tour.

The valley in the distance is used by the fighter aircraft doing the Mach Loop (see youTube) and we did indeed jump out of our skin with the sudden roar of two such aircraft that shot down the narrow valley. Great flying skills will be required to achieve this, it's a hell of an ask.

Maespoeth engine shed, an original building with two lovely arched doors, is just a short walk from the current end of the line.

On the left is a lovely little signal box, named Maespoeth Junction.

A brand new carriage shed, in original slate and shiplap style, has been built on a siding leading away on the right in the previous picture.

Next to the signal box a new storage building was being erected.

This will be used to store some of the restored wagon fleet, to keep them out of the wet weather which can affect the area.

It was interesting to note that each of the uprights was kept off the ground with concrete extensions, a very good idea.

Next to the original engine shed the line, relaid here, squeezes past and heads up to Corris village. That was the end of passenger services, but freight continued in two directions to different mineral lines. Corris even once had an overall roof, and there are firm plans to reinstate this.

This is the inside of the carriage shed. The inside construction is modern, but you'd never know it. The outside is perfect, we were most impressed. No 'looks right from a distance, it'll blend in' here.

There's a hole in my tank....

In the yard at Maespooeth we found this very old water tank. It's off one of the original engines, and was donated by the Talyllyn as a base from which to make a new one for a replica engine that they are constructing.

It's good to see these little lines help each other out. The Talyllyn is of course just over the hill, in the next valley.

Then it was time to move on. They were a friendly lot, the Corris. Do visit, once they are running again.

We were allowed to return whence we came, back down the short stub of trackbed, to the point where serious reconstruction works are going on. The start of these is marked by the red and white striped poles in the distance.

 

 

They mark the site of a haul road from the A487 down to near the river, where a completely new embankment is being built, to replace the one squashed long ago by the wider road.

Then it was back to the car, parked up a side valley. Note this approach is not suitable for other visitors - there is nowhere to park, and the walk along the road is a bit hairy, you need to keep a jolly good lookout. The proper way to see Maespoeth shed is by train from Corris village.

On the left is the future extension to the next stopping place at Esgairgeiliog. That's just a halt by the roadside, the village is on the other side of the river. But little by little they are getting there.

Thumbs Up !