Last one this year

Friday clearing snow

A desperate appeal came from the Santa organisers - heeeeeelp! The Winchcombe platform is under 4ins of snow and ice, and the next day trains would be bringing happy children to see Santa. Please come and help clear snow - bring your own shovels.

18 people heeded the call. A pretty good result.

 

We know it's all going to melt on Sunday, but Santa services resume on Saturday, and it's forecast to freeze again overnight.

The 18 set to with snow shovels, garden spades and brooms.

Ice on the left, snow on the right.

Yours truly had a snow shovel left over from the big snow at the end of 2010. It worked fine, but it soon became apparent that under the snow was a layer of thin ice formed by trampled footprints that had solidified. So pushing the snow off was only half the job.

Here the platform edge has been swept, but you wouldn't know it. 

What to do?

We managed to find some rock salt in Evesham, so took the blue Transit down there to get 10 bags.

Lots of rock salt, ready to go.

The rock salt finally did the trick, melting the compressed ice, ready for the big arrival. We've still got a few bags in reserve in case something happens again overnight.

An icicle grows from a Mk1 coach.

After clearing the snow we were promised a mince pie and coffee as a reward.

Our just reward for clearing snow.

You had to be quick, it seems that the mince pies became available while we were at Evesham loading bags of rock salt. We just managed one of the last ones, and the dregs of the coffee. Phew!

In other news, a kind blog reader saw the difficulty we had with splitting the throughbolted sleepers to get the chairs off, and has offered us a brand new maul to help.

We hadn't come across this item before (we have had a restful, office based life....) so had to Google 'Maul' and came up with this result:

What is a maul tool?

 

A splitting maul also known as a block buster, block splitter, chop and maul, sledge axe, go-devil or hamaxe is a heavy, long-handled axe used for splitting a piece of wood along its grain. One side of its head is like a sledgehammer, and the other side is like an axe.

And this is what the kind blog reader bought us:

 

As you can see, it's a robust sort of axe, but thicker, so that when you drive it into the grain, it splits the wood. You then hammer it further in. It's got a pretty decent handle too.

We're very grateful for this kind donation. We're looking forward to having a good go with it, but that will be later next year, as we have the relay at Didbrook next on our list. We don't think it will split concrete sleepers....

Tuesday, and new rail.

The whole day (after the storm) was spent on unloading new rail from a lorry which had come from London with 24 brand new rails - 8 bullhead, and 16 FBs. They are destined in part to replace lesser quality rail in the main line (releasing that rail for sidings) and in part to go into stock, as we currently have no reserves of rail at all. Everything we had to spare went into the extension to Broadway.

Unloading the lorry from London.

The rail was picked up using our new beam. It's safer, but also quite slow if operated by Telehandler. Another thing that slowed us up was that the order the rails were stacked was wrong for us - we wanted the BH on top, which is where it also was on the lorry. So the BH had to be taken off and stored temporarily on the ground, and later double handled and also put on the Elk wagon, now on top of the FB rail. It took pretty much all day, luckily in mild weather.

Although Tuesday is mid-week, there were Santa trains terminating at Winchcombe.

At Lunch time one of the locos comes up to take water and effect a crew change. The low sun gave a very wintery effect here, although all of the snow had by then gone.

At the end of the day all 24 tons were stored neatly on  the Elk, ready for use. Now it has to go back to Winchcombe.

We had a few hours at Broadway too.

 

 

 

We found Ben, a new volunteer in our C&W department, at work on the Synchronome clock in the booking office. It's not yet running correctly, and on hearing that a new volunteer at Winchcombe was a clockmaker we had a chat, and Ben was willing to share his expertise with us.

The clock runs OK, but the slaves were having their own ideas.... a fix for this conundrum was hoped for on Wednesday, as we close.

 

Sad news about our new Broadway canopy, the loud speakers have indeed been installed. They are in full view, and bright white, much larger than the  CCTV cameras that we painted light stone so carefully.

Hello? Can you hear me?

There's also a grey plastic junction box fitted, to add to the modernism.

At the other end the loudspeaker has been screwed to within a few feet of the 'E FINCH' worksplate that we had copied specially to get the right 1904 effect.

There is currently no mechanism to prevent anyone at all from altering our historic substance at will. Holes have been drilled through walls, plastic electrical cable fitted in plain view, door knobs changed for modern handles, internet transponders fitted to facades, shelving fitted to original rooms and an internal wall broken out are some recent examples that spring to mind. 

To cap it all, the loudspeaker in the top picture was fitted to that part of the new canopy that has just been submitted to the HRA for a heritage award. Let's hope they don't come and look.

Wednesday with the Usketeers.

Still no scaffolding, but we have some good news here. The GWR Trust, our supporting charity, have kindly agreed for us to have a budget of up to £5000 for scaffolding hire, and other jobs to make the hut ready for viewing by our visitors. This means that we can finally place an order with the scaffolding company, and with a bit of luck we might be able to kick off in the new year. The tarpaulin has been reasonably waterproof so far, but we don't want to chance it for too long. Also, we are very keen to get going with the slates that we have sorted out.

Having said that the tarpaulin was reasonably waterproof, it was sorely tested last night when heavy rain came down, for a lengthy period. There are only 4 or 5 little leaks, but those drips over a whole night make for a very wet floor in the morning.

The Usk hut first thing, during the rain.

12m squared? What's that in proper feet?

We wiped down what we could. It rained heavily all morning, and from inside it sounded very bad indeed, under that canvas. Once outside, it seemed more moderate.

It was just as well that we couldn't work outside, as on receipt of that budget from the Trust we needed some time together to work out an order with our local building supplies company. At the same time we had coffee and macaroons, so the time under the rain was not wasted.

Today was a normal operating Santa day. It's all week now, so close to Christmas. Here's a train just coming in from CRC with expectant children. Some of the older ones, we heard, felt that a visit to Santa was beneath them, but on leaving they opened their present and were heard to exclaim 'Oh, cool!'. So he's not such a silly old chap after all.

Our big tank engine 427 was out today (together with Foremarke Hall) and at the end of the year she's out of ticket, and we won't be seeing her for quite a while. The immediate plans for the loco are not known.

So enjoy these last few shots of the 2-8-0 at work. Here it is, about to set off for Toddington for a crew change and some water.

Despite the rain, we had quite a few jobs to do inside the hut.

One was to make the door fit properly, and also drill a hole for the bolt to go in. We're also looking for some pink coloured slabs for the floor, and despite the rain we thought a visit (by car) to the local reclamation yard might produce something. That proved to be on Christmas holiday already, but once in the car, we went on to Toddington to visit the garden of a supporter, who said he had some Ogee guttering that we could have.

Ogee guttering found.

 

That visit proved fruitful. We obtained several lengths, enough for our needs (about 10 linear metres) as well as some corners and some of the bits where the downpipes start. What we didn't have were any downpipes themselves - anybody got some for us? We could also do with some end stops.

The stuff isn't new of course. We will strip it and repaint it next year, perhaps a job for John. Yours truly took home a bunch of brackets to clean and paint, something to do over the holiday absence (we're back on Jan 4th)

The guttering is of the smaller section, not the larger. The Usk hut probably didn't have any originally, but we think it would be better not to let the water spatter back up against the walls.

 

After lunch the sun came out, and we couldn't resist having a try out with our new stuff. How would it work, where does it attach?

Dave trying on a bracket on the end of a truss.

Dave with a section of guttering - what would it look like?

The same supporter - his garden pretty much resembles a professional reclamation yard - also had a variety of door knobs, locks and window latches for us to look at, and perhaps gratefully accept.

Which one should we chose?

We have 1 1/2 original latches - the receiving plate on one of them is missing. The shinier example is a brand new brass one, but it is too small for us to use. The big black box is a fairly substantial rim lock for the door, and we decided that it was ideal. Unfortunately that too is missing its receiving plate (as well as any keys, but we don't mind that as we have a bolt). There's a pair of door knobs that will do just fine, although they will need a longer square spindle to fit both chunky rim lock and our chunky door. The big fat door knob is off a goods shed in Abergavenny we were told, but despite its authenticity we felt it was one door knob too many.

Here is a picture of one of the sash locks screwed back into place. Note the GWR inscription on one of the sides.

On our way back to the car to get some primer we saw Foremarke Hall grind to a halt with another load of happy children.

We hadn't seen that frame and reporting number before. Very nice it is.

We left mid-afternoon in glorious sunshine, at last. For the first time we closed and secured the door, and all the windows of course are also water tight. We have our budget from the GWRT now, a shopping list drawn up, and should be able to make a start on the roof mid January, if we can get the scaffolder to find a slot for us.

Here is one last picture of the Usk hut, to close our very successful year 2022 with. Soon it will be dark again, but 2023 will be bright!

Picture puzzle time:

We had an interesting chat with the son of a former member of staff at Honeybourne last week, and he very kindly allowed us to scan in some of the photographs that he had. Unfortunately for many there was little additional information to give. So we'd like to put two to our readers, perhaps you can say more?

The above picture, of staff at Honeybourne Junction, we think was taken in 1943. It is semi-official, as it was glued to a smart piece of cardboard, it's not just a snapshot. 

Can anybody put a name to some of the faces?

The other one of interest is this one. The GWR signal box is entirely made of wood and looks a lot like Broadway box, which was also made of wood as it stood on made up ground.

However, if you zoom into the name plate it reads something like ***E*** North Signal Box. There's a letter 'E' in the first word.

The box is likely to be within 20 miles of Honeybourne.

Any ideas, anybody? Where is it?

Fimally, this looks like the last blog of the year, what with the Christmas festivities this weekend. So we say thank you for our loyal readers and supporters, and wish you all a merry Christmas, and a prosperous 2023. It will be an exciting year, that is sure. The PWay have a big relay project going at Didbrook, a bridge will be waterproofed, and the Usk hut will be completed. Maybe more - we will reveal next time.

On that merry note, we sign off for today, and indeed this year !

Thanks for all your interest and support.

Frosty wind made moan.

Saturday in the yard.

Rather than brave the minus 4.5 degrees outside in the country (Walt reported minus 7 degrees in the area of the M&SWJR) we decided to remain in easy reach of the mess coach, and so a modicum of warmth.

We decided to tidy up the yard a bit.

An ongoing activity is sorting out old rails, and this neat pile here has been growing on and off the last few days. Behind it is a jumble, from where the rails are taken. That's our bullhead pile, we also have a smaller flat bottomed one.

Before we could restart the job, the sleeper wagon needed moving.

 

After all the spot resleepering we did over the last few Saturdays, we have a pile of GWR throughbolters that we don't want. They either go for scrap, or if still intact, they go to the 2807 team for conversion into profitable boot scrapers. So a useful job on Saturday was to get the Citroen truck out, and move the accumulated throughbolters to Toddington.

We guessed that a chair would weigh about 25Kg, so for a truck that can take 1.2 tons, we reckoned that we could safely take 40 chairs at once.

Here they are, arrived at Toddington, about to be unloaded. In fact we went back with another 20 of them, so the 2807 team will have a big surprise when they next come to work. A pleasant one we hope. Well, each chair has quite a bit of work needed on it, until it becomes a saleable boot scraper. And now they 60 more!

Back at Winchcombe the sleeper wagon was being moved by the yard shunter. At the same time Walt in the Telehandler moved some equipment around, so that we are ready for the January resleepering excercise at Didbrook. Preparation is everything in this game.

 

While making the generator van ready, this Victorian safe was unearthed. It's the original safe from Broadway station, saved from a skip at the stationmaster's house a few years back. It raised a lot of interest, especially as it could be opened, and the keys were inside.

We took it over to the Usk hut, where it will form part of its interior as a coal office.

 

 

Lunch time soon came, and as soon as the decision to eat was announced, tools dropped with a clatter and people wandered back to the welcoming warmth of the mess coach.

Food!

After lunch the serious business of moving the rails started. This coincided with Foremarke Hall running round. It had a lovely golden plume in the low winter sun.

 

 

Serious business!

Bert Ferrule stacking rails.

 

Foremarke Hall has arrived with a train of happy children and is running round its train.

 

 

 

Walt photographed 7903 running round its train, with lovely colours.

You'd think we had snow that day, the ground is all white.

While it was pleasant to stand in the sun, the cold soon got to your feet wherever the sun hadn't been. 

 

Towards the end of the day we caught 7903 back at the head of its train, and by this time the sun had gone again. It was starting to get dark.

The first Mk1 seemed to have  a steam heating leak, in the same place as last week. It emitted great clouds of steam, provided by the loco only half a carriage length away.

Looking back, those leaks (or are they release valves letting out water?) made for a lovely steamy atmosphere.

In the last minutes before the sun dropped below the horizon, we saw the Usk hut bathed in orange light.

The oak tree behind still had its leaves, but they were orange too. Slowly the black shadow started to creep up the wall....

Tuesday - it's too cold.

No work on Tuesday, it was too cold and it was also the day of the PWay Christmas dinner. We're now entering the rather irregular Christmas period. There will be some work going on, but the usual 'when' may be disrupted.

Wednesday with some Usketeers.

It was minus 6 degrees overnight, but rocketed to an eye-rolling minus 1 during the day. John and Jules found it difficult to travel, but three hardy characters decided to give it a go. Dunkirk spirit etc. Did it freeze at Dunkirk then? No.... well, you know what we mean.

 

We found the yard covered in snow, and planned manoeuvres to move the sleeper wagon to Didbrook failed to get off the ground because points were frozen. 

This was the PWay side of the yard, seen from under the oak tree. Despite showering the Usketeers with acorns and leaves for several weeks, it still had most of its leaves attached. Strange. 

The Usk hut was surrounded by snow, and had icicles hanging from the edge of the roof. A lot more snow than on Saturday. A fellow PWay worker asked if we were going to work on the 'ice house'. 

Oh, nicely put!

Outside the hut was the third window, the one we failed to glaze last week and gave to Paul to repair. It didn't take him long at home, and he glazed it there for us as well, so today it was ready to go.

Don't lick that lock, Dave, you'll regret it.

 

It certainly wasn't warm in the house of ice. We skipped any early coffees, and decided to get some tools out. The lock was frozen. After trying the key this way and that, Dave eventually got it going by blowing hot breath on to it.

 

Work is the best way to keep warm, so we set about mounting the last of our 3 windows. Paul held it up, while Dave fiddled with the screws, while trying to keep everything straight.

 

 

 

 

The window fitted OK, but needed fine adjustment, which we achieved with the traditional method of strips of cigarette packet, packed under the hinges.

As none of us smoke, we had to make do with strips of other cardboard packaging.

So we got the window on, it closes OK, so now we are wind tight, except for the door (and the roof of course, but that will be early next year).

 

What next then? How about the door?

The door was manoeuvered into the frame, a tricky thing to do as it will want to squash your fingers as you hold it. 

We got it in, but could see that it needed a few mm taking off the outer edge. Paul was prepared for this , and had his electric plane out. 

The door is the original one - it has lots of holes in it from various ancient locks and keys - but the frame was too far gone, so the carpenter that fettled our door (there was a bit of rot in one corner) made us a new frame, or rather two new sides. The top is original.

 

 

If the door fits the frame perfectly, you haven't allowed any room for the hinges, so Paul made a rebate for each of them. We could see that the original hinges had been replaced at some point, as there were 4 live holes under each hinge, and 4 plugs, representing a previous form of hinge.

Remember that this building is from 1853, so it's had a long and varied life.

Hinges have male and female halves, and it's the female half that goes on the frame. Two 'fs', see.

Get the door, Baldrick...

Hinges mounted, Paul then held the door in place, and Dave screwed the hinges to the frame, then off again for adjustment, ansd insertion of the obligatory strips of cardboard. 

Then the door was on! We added a big sliding bolt that we had from Usk, but that would have been the last of several locking arrangements the door would have had. A big fixed brass doorknob would work well here, so that we can pull the door open and closed with it.

We then had some visitors from just a few yards away - Derek and Geoff from the woodworking shop in the C&W shed. Always interested in what the other lot are up to. They gave us some friendly advice about protecting the windows from rain. Currently they are how they were, but they could be better.

They came just as we were pushing the door shut to test it - not a great welcome. It kind of closed in their faces, but they forgave us.

We also thought about the sash window locks that we have.

From L to Right we have  - a brand new lock, an original from Usk which is rather oxidised, a bent receiver plate, and the second lock, which is also bent and has no receiver plate.

This is a blow up of the good original lock. You can just about make out the letters 'GWR' at the top - the company stamped everything they could to mark their property.

We have a stationmaster's desk at home, and every lock in every drawer is stamped 'GWR'.

At the end of the day we took this to the Railway Archiving Trust (Aka the RATS) at Toddington. They have a little workshop there in which they can clean up this original item.

 

 

 

It really was very cold in that hut, although admittedly wind free. Paul had foreseen this, and brought a kettle and some Cupasoups.

 

 

You can imagine how well that soup went down. It warmed the body OK, but alas not the fingers or feet. But we felt like kings in there.

After lunch we fitted the runner underneath the sliding windows. It's new, we had the old one copied. That one had suffered in the rain, and was full of rust craters. Because of the craters, the little brass wheels under the sliding windows had locked up and developed flat spots, and then they wouldn't turn any more. Our friends in the machine shop at Toddington turned us new ones. Wasn't that kind of them? Several departments around the railway have helped us here and there with little acts of kindness like that. People seem to like the project. 

Now the windows slide up and down with gusto.

That said, the original issue with rain getting in and sitting on the runner remains. We might well put some sealant on the aperture at the bottom of the window, it's not as if this window will ever be very busy. It's for people to look through and see a coal office inside.

We had pencilled in a visit to a reclamation yard next door, to see if we can source some more stone slabs for the floor there. Many of the originals  are split into several pieces, and some, we think, are not even original, as they are a different colour - industrial grey, not pink. However, it dawned on us that the whole yard would probably be white, covered in snow. Not ideal for window shopping. Maybe next week then.

With the windows and door just about done, we felt that we could call it a day. There was still a bit of daylight left, useful if driving home in that frost and left over snow.

 

Yours truly went to visit the RATS to drop off the sash locks. With a bit of luck we might have them back for next week.

Toddington was also covered in snow, and some lovely mist, but undeterred work was going on to unload a complementary laod of bullhead sleepers for the Didbrook relay.

Here Walt is just lifting off the last ones, making a stack on the left.

 

 

A walk over the footbridge in the direction of the RATS gave this lovely sunset view of a frosty Toddington yard.

 

 

 

In the RATS yard we found the lovingly restored little booking office from Boxford.

On the closure of the Lambourne branch the little building was transported to the village, where it served as a waiting room by a bus stop.

After many years there, and looking somewhat worse for wear now, it was offered to the RATS, who as you can see restored it most beautifully.

What could they do with it?

Then, back home for a warming shower and...

A bottle of 11 percent proof Kasteel Tripel, and a bag of crisps.

Heaven !