Getting steels ready.

Friday - an extra day on the PWay.

We had the opportunity to work during a non-running day last Friday, so went for it, despite low numbers of volunteers. We thought we were four, but on the day were only two...

But heck, let's go for it!

No Transits were available, so we loaded up the tools in the only other vehicle, the Ranger.

We have a fault list, so the idea on Friday was to try and reduce this a bit with this sort of 'Flying Squad'.

The first place to strike was by the Royal Oak, where a loose fishbolt was reported.

A large spanner was the recommended tool, and that certainly worked. Problem solved.

A white coloured fishplate, clear evidence of pumping.

 

 

 

Next was the area at Southam Lane, which is suffereing from wed beds and pumping over quite a stretch. Even the newly refurbished area was showing traces of pumping again already. Evidence that it is really consistently wet down there. We can't work out why though.

 

We jacked and robelled 3 joints in this area. Not bad for a 2 man team.

Lunch was 'al fresco' but it wasn't very fresh. Temperatures are really rising now, and we need to cover well against the effects of the sun on the head and neck areas. We also need to take water from now on.

A fourth joint was addressed at the RDA crossing on the approach to Cheltenham. There was a visible dip on a joint, right by the crossing pads. Our guess is that a tamper came to the crossing and stopped lifting, to resume further along. But it left a visible step in the rail level.

We dealt with this one as well, although we needed both of us on the jacks to lift the track here - it was particularly heavy, with the weight of the pads on it.

RDA - Riding for the disabled - is not just a name, and on Friday we saw some movements of horses. The nice young lady was even happy to repeat the crossing with her horse just for Paul's camera!

Saturday, out with the gang.

Lookout training, and quite a large gang.

We spent the first 90 minutes on tea and that training. Then we had to evacuate the mess coach, as once again it was going to be on the move.

The 03 shunter came down our siding and made moves to hook up. But we needed to be on the other side!

Quick - quick, get that Transit over the tracks and into the PWay yard.

We are loading up two redundant concrete sleepers for some ballast retaining work at Gretton.

The gang wondered how we were going to get those big heavy (265Kg each) sleepers into place on site at Gretton.

Fear not, Dave D is here. He will follow us to Gretton in the Telehandler.

That vehicle certainly sees a lot of use on our railway. We have very many heavy things here.

We entered the line at Working Lane, then paused to let Pendennis Castle past with the early morning train from Cheltenham. These happy passengers got on there to spend a nice day at Broadway.

Ah yes, that's a train (after lookout training....)

We split into two teams. One to place two ballast retaining sleepers (Transit) and the other group of four to do Interflon fishplate greasing, with 2 lookouts. (on foot...)

The foot based Interflon sprayers eventually caught up with the Transit based ballast retaining sleeper fitters at Gretton Skew bridge.

By now it was lunch time, and as fortune (or good planning) would have it, there was shade at Gretton, as it was a hot day.

The Transit team placed their concrete sleeper (with Dave D in the Telehandler), shovelled ballast behind it, and moved on to the second spot that they had to do.

Before moving on we had to let another up train past. The light wasn't brilliant here, so we stayed on board the Transit while the others snapped away merrily.

 

 

The Interflon greasing team then resumed, now with some role switching, so that yours truly could act as lookout and take a snapshot.

A peculiar whine announced the arrival of an interesting aeroplane, but what was it?

It flew straight over the Ranger 4x4, but it was too late to launch the camera.  The destination of the plane - now revealed as a Spitfire - was the Prescott Hill Climb.

We managed a distant snap of it as it returned for a second pass.

 

 

The second Interflon greasing team made amazing progress, so that we (two teams) did from the tunnel mouth all the way along the Gretton straight, round the curve and up to the Prescott Road bridge at Mp14.II. That was 1 3/4 miles. What a gang!

Transit and Ranger returned mid afternoon to Winchcombe, to find that the 03 was still shunting. We thought they'd finish while we were away.

The 03 reversed right into the station with a rake of Mk1s, then out again and over the points to a new location on the C&W side of the yard.

Paul was seen discussiong something with a man from the Coffeepot, perhaps the size of our tea and ice cream bill?

Ice creams are of course paid for privately. Sadly. We do need them.

 

 

 

 

Finally, a look at why the mess coach was on the move again. It was to pull this goods wagon out: (it was right at the back of the PWay siding)

 

'TAR' eh? It will get a refresh, with a different logo on it. You'll have to wait and see what it is.

Tuesday on steels at Toddington.

The plan was to finally make a start on some of the steelwork for Broadway. The good news is that a request for a planning amendment has now gone in, so the clock is now ticking on that. Our original planning approval was for a box section steel type waiting room with a slate roof, as the main station building was once intended to be. The canopy gang have redesigned the building to be more authentic, with the proper canopy arches of rivetted steel like over P1. We'll show you the drawing, once approved.

In the interim we thought we'd make a start on the canopy, for which 7 tons of steel were bought back at the end of last year. There's lots of cutting, welding and rivetting to do, so we'll do that while the planning amendement application is being considered, and the foundation slab goes in.

We've had a busy weekend, with excellent weather and lots of people about. Tuesday was also busy from the passenger point of view, although the canopy gang started the day less than busy, as all the materials were on a heritage GWR MACAW wagon, which had been stabled in the north headshunt after the gala. How to get at it out there?

 

It seemed that between trains a shunting operation might be possible, if we consulted the duty officer, the signalman, found a driver and a second man.

We walked round the shed, trying to tick all our boxes to get the operation off the ground.

3850 was looking good, by the way. Shiny paint and lots of new material at the front end. It looked great.

By hook or by crook we got all our boxes ticked, and the 04 shunter trundled up the line while the service train was at Broadway. It felt rather good to see the service train disappear round the bend for the viaduct, while the shunter was waiting on siding 1 (by the main line) ready for the shunt signal to give the go ahead to follow it for a short while.

Our wagon of course was right in the middle of the goods train, so we had to take half of it down to the shed area, drop off the MACAW, and then shunt the goods wagons back up north into the siding. Good practice for the trainee signalman that we had today.

 

 

Here is our short goods train safely in the Parlour Road, while the service train, having returned from Broadway, is just off to Winchcombe.

Now we have to leave the MACAW in there, and return the rest of the wagons to where they came from.

When the 04 shunter was back we used it to draw the MACAW to the coaling area, from where we could get at it with the little Telehandler.

On the wagon you can see plates for the fascia boards, angles for the 4 trusses to be and the purlins, and RSJs for the uprights in the frame to be built into the wall.

Although the steel has been under a tarp is has nonetheless already rusted somewhat these last 6 months. While we do have to remove that and apply rust binder, it does mean that most of the tough millscale has gone, which is a relief.

On Tuesday we decided to remove most of the angles, and take them into the steam shed for cutting and welding to the right length (longer than the 6m they come in).

Here you see some of the angles parked outside, in front of the new package that is the 76077 boiler.

At the end of the day everything we need in the near term was inside, while the remainder was sheeted over on the wagon, which was pushed up the Parlour Road to be out of the way.

It was a good start to the project!

The end of the day is always interesting in terms of unusual maoeuvres. The class 37 emerged from the No.1 siding to join the rear of the last train to Broadway, while a little while later Pendennis Castle came off the same train, which was now on its way to CRC, headed by the 37. 

The castle came up right close, to stand by the very spot where we had been unloading. We scooted off just in time, so that it could now take on coal again. It's a veritable ballet here!

 

 

Last but not least, we got a snapshot from Paul of yours truly trying to get a low level film of the green class 37 leaving Toddington.

We were hoping for a 'bellow' but it wouldn't. Going to pick up the token a few yards behind the author is probably the cause, so we're not posting the video. It's too mild :-(

Wednesday with the Usketeers.

Cold and wet today, what a change! But a full complement of Usketeers again, so we got busy.

 

 

 

 

The exciting news of the day was the delivery of our complementary order for downpipes, i.e. the cast iron swan necks.

Here they are - don't Jules and Dave look excited! 

 

 

 

 

After much unwrapping and saving of the copious bubble wrap the team got out one of last week's downpipes and a ladder, to start the installation on the corner.

Here are Dave and Paul fitting the upper bracket, which will hold both the top of the downpipe as well as the lower end of the swan neck.

That cast iron is so nice and new and shiny. It's a pleasure to work with.

Yours truly had plastic guttering around his (newish) house, and when it was hot the plastic expanded, and when it was cold it contracted, and soon there were persistent leaks. We spent several £1000 on aluminium gutter replacements, and have had no trouble since.

 

Then there was another delivery, this time of stone chippings for laying in a trench around the bottom of the 4 walls. This will protect the building from splashback.

Will I hit the branches of the tree? No, there's lots of room up there, carry on.

Dave and Paul unrwrap the second cast iron downpipe, generating more yards of bubble wrap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was time to fit the downpipe and swan neck on the other side.

 

That takes 3 people to do well...

While this was going on the lads from Construction & Maintenance were on the finishing stretch of their platform length run of concrete slabs.

A double row of slabs now, up to the end of the platform.

 

 

 

 

The 3 Usketeers, not phazed by the laying of slabs, put their everything into fitting the second downpipe.

 

You can't imagine how much effort it takes to saw off a little wooden dowel.

 

They're very tough you know, those little wooden dowels.

 

Jules holds the ladder for Paul...

This shot, taken mid-day, shows the activity around the little hut. The building is pretty much finished as you can see, but there is a lot going on around it.

And what do you do at mid-day? Have lunch of course!

 

 

This week is Paul's birthday (we won't say how many candles were on the cake, as we don't want to start a fire) so he came up with the idea of treating us to a round of scones.

 

Here is Paul getting them all ready.

 

He is clearly a  'Jam First' man.

 

 

 

 

 

We can report first hand that the scones were delicious, and just how well they went with coffee, when delicately balanced on a blogger's knee.

 

Mysteriously some jam did make its way into the fabric of the trousers, so that had to be removed carefully with a finger and then licked clean...

Another birthday child this week was John. We were really spoilt, this time with slices of chocolate cake.

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch and with the downpipes now fitted we went our separate ways.

Dave dug a hole with Jules, while Paul sanded down the gable end barge boards, which we found far too rough.

 

Yours truly experimented with the diamond pattern pavers, and how they might fit and how high they would have to be.

 

 

 

Jules tries out the new chippings delivered this morning.

 

 

We also fitted some ballast retaining boards around the building, keeping them in place with bricks and spacing them from the building with a paver each, which was about the desired width.

Once the topsoil is in place around the building, bricks, pavers and boards can be removed again.

 

 

 

The lads from C&M were on the home stretch in the afternoon, with just a few more slabs to go.

 

 

Here they are compacting the sand under the slabs.

The end of the slab run still remains to be determined, but will possibly feature some sort of step down on to the road that will come through here.

The chippings around the bottom of the building were doing well, so we decided that some sort of back fill against the boards would be a good idea.

Dave got the Telehandler going, and brought up some buckets of earth from a dump site in the yard not far away.

This material proved to be very similar to topsoil, which was lucky, as we need quite a bit of it.

Here is a big pile now, the result of three bucket loads brought in by Dave. We filtered out the rocks and concrete lumps it contained, and then with the help of Terry from C&M we backed it up against the boards along the platform side, then generally in that area, with a view to having a level ground of soil here that could be seeded with grass, perhaps as early as next week.

Our last shot of the day, everyone having gone home, is of the site as it is now.

The run of slabs is complete, but for the steps contemplated at the end. About half of the space between the hut and the slabs along the platform has been filled with soil.

More next week !
 

New cast iron goods.

Saturday in the blazing sun.

Ten of us today, with 9 along the line and Steve by the Usk platform working on a new electrical distribution point for the stock that will be parked along there (when all is completed).

Boredom....

So 9 volunteers met in the mess coach and debated what to do without tea or doughnuts.

Eventually these did arrive, including custard and chocolate/orange flavoured ones. They were worth the wait.

We loaded up the tools from vans located in different areas of the yard, left there following the making up of the freight trains for the gala.

Then we went to the RDA crossing to wait for P&O to pass, so that we could inspect the track. This area had numerous issues of wet beds, dropped joints and tight joints. Which one to address first?

 

 

The area around Southem Lane bridge is wet, and has been for a long time. This causes the track to pump up and down, and spew out a white slush from ground up ballast.

It can't be a coincidence that Southam Lane bridge is the only one on the whole railway where water is pouring out of the abutment and wing wall. Rain or shine, there is a steady leakage of water across a broad front. Our drainage department has tried to cure the problem with a ditch filled with fresh ballast, but the leakage continues and it must be getting into the trackbed, as it is pumping all round here.

 

We also noticed how our new neighbours, who took over a corner of a field and pushed spoil over one of the bridge wing walls, have increased the size of their activity. A large caravan, machinery, lorries and a container have appeared along our boundary line.

 

Under the bridge there is evidence of trespass and nitrous oxide abuse.

 

Part of the team then further examined the track northwards, until it was felt that we were nearer to Bishops Cleeve than the RDA, so the other half of the team was asked to move the Transit and the Ranger north to the next entrance by the Bishops Cleeve foot crossing.

Again we had to wait for a gap between the trains to ask for a line blockage.

 

 

 

The train eventually appeared, being Pendennis Castle running tender first.

Bert Ferrule and Dave amused us by hiding in an old cattle creep. It's no longer required because the field on one side is now a sports ground.

 

Pendennis Castle soon returned from CRC again.

It was a challenge to get a decent photograph of our visitor, as there was a full sun and when the loco is running chimney first you are photographing almost directly into the sun.

 

 

 

We dug out three dipped joints, lifted them and packed around 4 sleepers with the Robels. The observed result was better, though still not perfect.

We are still after two more Robels, and have had a sponsor offer of £500 for one (they cost about £3000 each)

 

The first candidate to test the joints we packed was Bulleid Pacific 35006:

Here it is, heading directly into the sun. It had a young crew on board, which was very encouraging to see.

Every now and then we had a strong animal smell waft over to us. We can't complain about farming - we are the Cotswolds line after all - but the muck spreader involved was huge. The biggest we had ever seen.

It looked like one of those giant articulated dumpers used in motorway construction. It bellowed up and down the field and flung dung in all directions.

It wasn't hard to bear, but generated a lot of jokes among us.

Mid afternoon it was time to drive back to Winchcombe and put the tools back into their different wagon locations (we are considering more efficient storage in the form of two large grounded containers) but a large number of parked cars made exit from Bishops Cleeve rather difficult.

Once back 'home' in the yard we noticed that the explanatory brass plate has now been attached to 'STEVIE'.

It's just to explain that the name comes in fond memory of our most loyal and enthusiastic JCB driver, who sadly left us last year. He's still much missed.

Monday at Hayles Abbey halt.

Three of us. The job was to load the economy sleepers left in the cess after the Didbrook relay. We needed a non-running day for that, so a Monday was perfect.

We went to get one of the Transits, which proved to have a little gem on board - a custard doughnut left over from Saturday!

Good until Sunday 21st May. Monday was the 22nd - would we die if we ate it?

Well, it was tad stale but the custard filling was still good. We took the risk.

 

The 03 C&W shunter brought our bogie flat to Hayles Abbey halt. 

Dave from the Usketeers did the honours in the Telehandler. 

Yours truly was on top of the wagon, Paul prepped the sleeper piles below.

The first load of 8 economy sleepers went on. How high could we stack them, given that there were over 200 sleepers to recover?

The advice was that we could go 6 high, given that these economy sleepers were lighter and also shorter.

Dave went into the undergrowth to find groups of 8 sleepers to offer up to the wagon.

These first ones here are for the next relay and are full size and weight, so we left them where they were.

We loaded the taller piles that were ready to go, but some long low piles remained.

Paul had to spend a fair amount of time re-arranging these, so that they could be stacked in groups of 8.

After loading 96 sleepers we called a break for lunch, which was very welcome.

It was getting hot. So much so that one of us had to humbly request some water from one of the neighbours.

 

 

Mid afternoon we were almost done, when the 03 came back, ready to return the bogie flat to Winchcombe.

We strapped down 192 sleepers, with still another 100 or so to be loaded another time.

Here is the bogie flat back at Winchcombe. The intention is to unload this at our Stanton yard, part of another mission to ballast a small part of the extension, all to be done the same day.

The economy sleepers will be used to relay the C&W yard, and any surplus ones will be offered for sale. The economy sleepers are fine for sidings, but not for main line use (as we have been doing since the 1980s).

Wednesday with the Usketeers.

Cast iron day! We have so far mounted Ogee shaped cast iron gutters and brackets, donated second hand by the RAT Trust. At some point we had to pay out money for those pieces that we did not have - essentially the downpipes, those from the RAT being damaged.

 

 

Today was the unboxing. We had three boxes - two containing a 6ft cast iron downpipe each, and a smaller box with accessories.

As you can see we couldn't wait to try them out. You can see from Paul and Dave's smiles how happy they were.

Not every day is Christmas,  but today sure felt like it.

Then we opened up the box with the accessories, and after counting everything we realised that the offset pipes from gutter to downpipe were missing. 

Once home, this turned out to be a transcription error from online shopping basket to company Purchase Order. We can only blame ourselves, but no money was lost, we simply placed a complementary order, so should have those offset pipes next week.

The next job on the list was to move and repaint the Pooley weighing machine that has been sitting, seemingly abandoned, next to the signal box for a large number of years.

We had the idea of killing two birds with one stone - clear that site, and place the weighing machine next to the Usk hut, a plausible asset for a coal merchant.

 

The weighing machine was very heavy, but we managed to get the Telehandler forks under it, and it was soon on its way across the barrow crossing.

Not long afterwards it arrived at the gable end of the hut, ready for a bit of rust treatment (streaks could be seen appearing from under the old dumpy bag that was draped over the top of it).

It shouldn't take too long...

 

Meanwhile, our friends from Construction & Maintenance continued with their project of laying one, then two rows of patio slabs along the platform edge.

This crew has slabbed (albeit in larger 3x2s) all of the platform outside Broadway station building, so they are well experienced.

In the background the PWay tool van was being shunted back to its usual position after the gala and its freight trains.

We then took off the faded and tattered dumpy bag, to see how much we'd have to restore.

The answer was, much more than we imagined !

It turned out that the weighing machine is not that old (we guess late 1940s) and unlike older machines has quite a bit of sheet metal incorporated in its upper part. It is this sheet metal that has rusted badly.

The worst piece is this ring (L). It is 'U' shaped, and sits over a rubber retaining ring that holds on the glass over the dial. The bottom third is completely eaten away, probably because that is where the dumpy bag (which is not waterproof) was tied against it. How do we get a new ring like that? It would have been a pressing originally.

The back is one large sheet, less rusty but still affected around the edges. Ideally that should be replaced too, because water has penetrated through the screw holes.

On the back is a plate marked BR (LM). Presumably that dates it fairly exactly?

The mechanism is also seized.

At this point we are somewhat non-plussed, and not sure what to do next.

Life goes on of course. The C&M gang got several more slabs down - maybe one more big push next week?

Behind them the little Standard 78019 ran into the station, sounding its unusual whistle.

 

Paul spent some time plugging the hole in the door where there were several keyholes in one. In the end a new piece of wood was better than lots of filler here, we felt.

 

John spent the day applying topcoat to the outside of the windows.

Then the Standard came round for the second time. A bit into the sun, but presumably photo opportunities must be seized before it goes home again.

The little engine is popular, so one day we will have 76077 as our own little Standard.

The other loco out today was Pendennis Castle. With its 4 cylinder exhaust it always sounds as if it's travelling much faster than it really is.

Mid afternoon a mystery pair of boots was detected over the door...

In unrelated work Paul was filling in screw and nail holes in the barge boards and window boards. Once that has gone off we can apply topcoat here too, to make the outside woodwork really weatherproof.

Quite a bit of slabbing progress is visible in the foreground.

The PWay gang today.

Well, several days actually.

Remember when it was wet?

This rather striking image was taken 2 weeks ago by Paul.

Just look at that dark cloud over Winchcombe!

 

And that poor gang that was out along the track during those same cloudbursts.

Where to shelter....? How about under this bridge?

 

 

 

 

During their work they came across this axlebox cover.

L N E - D

London North Eastern ... er?

And what to do with it? Our C&W people have no need for it, it seems.

Today, Wednesday was a bright and sunny day of course. For the gang it start off with a training session in the mess coach.

 

 

 Then they were off packing joints on top of an underbridge on the approaches to Bishop's Cleeve.

Here is Martin with the Telehandler bringing in a load of ballast to pep up the levels. 

We have track walkers, reports from enginemen, and at intervals our PWay manager takes a ride on the footplate to see for himself.

Here is the underbridge in question. It used to be for farm access, but it now links up with a new housing estate.

Elsewhere along the line Martin was bringing our lifting beam in to be annually inspected.