A more authentic lamp post.

Monday at Winchcombe.

After the successful replacement of the enormous yard lamp by the steps by an 8ft GWR example, we moved over to P1 on Monday at Winchcombe to address one of the early, non railway type lamp posts that were planted around about 1987 when Winchcombe station first reopened.

1987 non GWR lamp post near the toilet block.

 

No one today knows where these diminutive little lamp posts with their small lamp tops came from originally. They are not from the GWR, or any other railway that we have been able to find.

Possibly from a garden centre? The little ladder bars make no sense, as they are only 6ft tall, and that is plenty to insert an oil lamp through the side door, without using a ladder or steps.

 

 

With our successful replacement of the yard lamp (which will be erected at Toddington - we still need help in funding the cost of a new hexagonal top for it, send us a contact note via the top right of this blog post if you can help there) we have gained more confidence from the Friends of Winchcombe Station, and they have allowed us to tackle one of the non-railway types along P1. The one nearest to the toilet was designated as a test case.

 

 

 

It needed quite a bit of planning and some personal expense to get all our ducks in line, so that we could do the swap within the one non-running day that we have.

The replacement GWR post is the one formerly on the level crossing at Bentley Heath, which we recovered from a garden in Yardley Wood.

Here we'd like to thank the generous donor once again, and we can now show that we look after what he gave to us, and make good, heritage use of it.

 

 

 

 

After we cut the square around the post base Neal went to work with a chisel fitted SDS drill, which made short work of the old, crumbly concrete base. It was only a foot deep - the new post will be buried to a depth of nearly two feet.

What have we uncovered here then?

 

 

 

Fables exist of how the renewed platform was back filled in the 1980s.

Bicycles, fridges, old bits of scrap metal, you name it, everything was thrown in there, as they didn't have much fill in those days.

Identifying the maker of our bicycle frame.

 

Did anyone say bicycle?

Yes, we found one! It was the headstock that protruded into our lamp post hole, so we cut it out.

Here are Neil and Neal studying the maker's plate that was on the headstock. It was yellow, marked 'CONDOR - Par Excellence'.

That's a 1949 firm based in London that made high end bikes. Princess Margaret was a customer.

As we did this, we were surprised by a little muttering sound.

It was a small rail vehicle, which chugged up and down between the platforms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We understand that it was a third party testing some of its NDT rail equipment on our line, on this non-running day.

Picture by Neil, of FoWS

We disconnected the old post, and gently let it down on the platform, top and all. The top was a good quality Sugg, but far too small for us. (12 inch)

Here is the old post on a trolley ready for removal to storage.

Picture by Neil, of FoWS.

Then we went to get the GWR post, one of two that we have.

This is the one is from Bentley Heath, where it lit a level crossing. The other is ex Evesham GWR.

With the removal of the bit of bicycle we were able to complete the deepening of the hole to 21 inches, and we were ready to insert the new post.

We also decided to give the electrical supply a better cable conduit, as this one had the cables simply laid into an open cable duct, which quickly filled with water and mud.

When the post was at the right depth (read: after a bit of trial and error) we stood it more or less level, and started looking at the new top that it would receive.

The tops of the 1987 posts on P1 are all from a reputable manufacturer, i.e. Suggs, but they are far too small. The whole post/top arrangement was too diminutive, and looked out of balance. The little Suggs tops proved to be the 12 inch size, whereas 16 inches is the correct width for a platform post.

Luckily we had one of these in stock (from a donation of a pair of posts from the Wells area) and after a little bit of repair, the replacement of a missing pane and some extra nuts and bolts, we were in the position to fit the correct sized top.

 

 

The old 'garden centre' post was put to one side.

Here it is, together with two more GWR posts that were recently donated. The white one will also go on P1 at Winchcombe, the brown one has a proposed destination, but not all parties have agreed yet.

Do you have an original GWR post in your garden that you'd like to donate? We'd be most grateful, and will come and collect it. We will use it to make our stations more authentic. Get in touch via the new contact form on the top right of this post.

How does this instant tarmac stuff work then?

 

We were the beneficiaries of a 90 minute burst of rain after lunch, so had to huddle under the canopy and sit it out.

Time passed quickly, and we were then able to check out that the new post, with its donated top now fitted, was level as seen from all directions.

Of course the post still needs painting. 1950s chocolate and cream for Winchcombe, that is.

 

 

Here's the post with its 16 inch top on in its final position:

Now it just needs painting.

What next?

Well, we have the other spare 6ft post in stock, so that could go here. Neal looks at the cable route to see how it is laid out.

This 'garden centre' type post looks a little awkward here. It is slightly crooked, sitting in a dip, and right under a holly tree. It was probably just a bush when the post was planted in the 1980s.

We're thinking we could move this one 8ft to the right, to get it away from the tree.

An extra point to note is that two posts had to be removed to allow the large visitor centre to be built. That now has its own external lighting, so another reason this old post could be moved a little further away.

Last thing on Monday, as we tidied up, was the familiar 'chop-chop-chop' sound of a Chinook helicopter.

Where is it? Sometimes they surprise you, and fly right overhead. There it is! It's flying up the valley to Sudeley castle, a corner from which we have seen many a C130 Hercules appear.

Wednesday with the Usketeers.

Four of us today, with our chief backer-upper Jules sadly still away. Come back soon Jules, we had cake left over today!

The day started with interesting light, so here is a King Size picture of Dinmore Manor chugging into Winchcombe with the down ECS working to CRC.

Dinmore Manor enters Winchcombe station.

And here is our starting point for the day. We're still on the gable end by the tree, and divided between Paul on the facing blocks outside and Dave on the inside backing up at the same time. You can just make out his white hard hat.

Last time we laid out most of these blocks, with a bit missing at the far end, which was not yet resolved. As the pile of remaining blocks diminishes it gets harder to find that ideal block that just fits.

 

Dave had already made a start inside, and you can see here how he is really not very far from the top of the trusses.

Or so it looks, standing on the floor, looking up.

 

 

 

Still no mention of us in the Cornishman, so we thought we'd do a little group photograph of the Usketeers, for the record.

We seem to have lined up in size order, but that was a pure fluke. Or maybe the shout was - largest stomach to the right please! Yes, it was probably that.

From L to R John, Paul, Dave and Yours Truly. There, now you know us. The same gang, with several others, also built Hayles Abbey halt.

Jules couldn't make it today, but if he'd like, we will do a studio portrait of him in his smoking jacket next time...

Back to work, that gang! During the day Paul bedded down that row, after we sorted out the far end for him. We managed to find that stone that fit just right. But it's getting harder....

So we are now six rows above the door. There are only about 18 inches left to go on this gable end, but this is as high as we can go with our current means. 

We then removed the trestles, which we took to the other end, and there is now a clearer view of what we did at the oak tree end.

With the trestles gone, you can see the full extent of this gable end. As the next course will only be about half as long as those a few layers further down, we might be able to polish off the rest in two sessions. But not yet. First the other end to the same height.

We will borrow a tower scaffold to do the last bits, and that should save on payment for permanent scaffolding, at least for that part.

A little cameo of Dave, still backing up at the tree end.

The picture above was made possible with the new position of the trestle. Next time - which will be a Thursday again, exceptionally - we will be working from this new position.

At the end of the afternoon we welcomed a visitor from the PWay gang, Doug (left). Paul was very proud to show him round, as you can see.

At the end of the day Dave had used up all his mortar, and this is how far he had got. Just that little triangle to go on the inside too.

We also need to put back the one truss that we took out (to make more room to lay the stonework), so that should be fun. It goes in right over the top, but luckily it's not that heavy, just awkward.

Finally, a little update on that GWR lamp post on P1 that we planted on Monday. The last job due on it was to tarmac round the base, on top of the Postcrete that we used.

We've casually observed instant tarmac used at the railway, but never gave it much thought. Then suddenly, you have a bag of it in the back of the car, and are waiting for a bit of sunshine to dry out the site.

We did pretty well, don't you agree? Now it just needs painting into 1950s BR (WR) colours, which the Friends of Winchcombe Station will do. A partnership, see?

 

 

 

 

See you next Thursday!