The start of steelwork.

Friday on the steels.

Our first day of actual work on the steels for Broadway P2! We've got a lot of the angle iron lengths off the MACAW, and on Friday we sorted them into two piles, one for cutting and rewelding, the other to be cleaned and painted.

The shed was fairly busy on Friday, despite the absence of regular trains (a shunter did appear from Winchcombe, so 'no trains' doesn't mean 'no trains at all....')

Here are up to date pictures of our 3 GWR 2-8-0s, noted during a stroll through the main steam shed:

Our venerable friend 2807, with the boiler fitted.

3850, with new smokebox and cylinders.

2874, with new smokebox barrel.

The delicate manoeuvre of getting 6m lengths of angle through a 4m gap.

 

Before starting work on actual manufacture of canopy parts we had to take about 30 lengths of angle to the 'greenhouse' by the former garden centre site, which we have selected as a useful dry area for working in.

Sadly there is no room in the steam shed for us to have a working area.

When Neal had finished we repositioned the pallet of road salt, which had been left in the car park some months ago and which was rather unsightly there.

It is now at the end of the platform ramp, where it is closer to the place where it might be needed next winter.

Neal and John the started the actual manufacturing process. The first job was cutting and welding.

As we can't take the saw with us, we have to bring our lengths of angle to the saw.

At the same time back in the 'greenhouse' yours truly was charged with cleaning up the 30 or so angles, and then putting them in green primer.

Working most of the afternoon saw two lengths finished in green.

28 lengths to go.....

In the PWay yard Paul and Walt had a go at sorting out our jumbled pile of rubber crossing pads.

It was an opportunity to gain further experience with the RRV STEVIE. 

Sad to report but 15 months after purchase it is still unable to do anything on the track, the purpose for which we spent  money on its acquisition.

STEVIE remains confined to the yard. 

Saturday out with the gang.

Eight of us today, with some absences due to the half term holiday. But at least that was good for passenger numbers.

At 09.42 we had a surprise flypast by two Boeing Stearmans from Aerosuperbatics. We know one of the pilots well, so had a 4 minute warning of their arrival.

How to wave to them? We had the idea of using one of the new lookout flags.

And here they are! Our very own flypast. We were even saluted with a little puff of white smoke, and we waved back with great enthusiasm.

Fuel for machines, and fuel for volunteers.

Then it was time to pack up the tools and go. The destination today was Pry Lane bridge, where some unevenness was reported.

 

 

The Ranger, a Transit and the Telehandler with a bucket of fresh ballast reported for duty at Pry Lane.

We traced the unevenness to the area of the northern CWR breather, where there was a slight change in height on both sides. It appeared as if the tamper stopped by the breather, leaving a kind of step. 

Unfortunately we were not permitted to work for more than 20 minutes at a time (a train being in section outside that) and that was not enough to solve the problem.

While waiting for one of these 20 minute slots we did have the opportunity of photographing the 2MT from close by, and for once with the sun behind the camera.

So this is 78019, just after crossing Pry Lane.

To our surprise the train slowed, then squealed to a stop, and out of the cab came our own Bert Ferrule!

He must have friends in high places...

We then moved on to a location where we could work, which has half a mile further south, where recent tamping had left some shortages of ballast on the shoulders.

Thanks to Dave a bucket full of ballast was offered up to Bert, and it was relatively easy to shovel this sideways and along the shoulder that was short.

Others in the four foot cleared excess ballast off the sleepers.

We treated three locations with low shoulders, and before leaving for the Coffeepot we saw 78109 once again under a blue sky, this time passing us non stop as it rumbled over the occupation bridge at Peasebrook Farm.

Monday, out with a Transit.

Three of us took a Transit out to the Gretton straight, to pick up some of the 40 or so old sleepers left along the lineside.

 

 

Here we are at the start of the straight, picking up the sleepers from out of the brambles.

Nearby was this milepost.

It must be one of the least GWR type that we have. It looks as if it was fitted with a new number plate early on, using the original bridge rail post.

 

Our drainage gang have done an excellent job at replacing these yellow numbers with wooden GWR replicas. Look out for them, there are lots about already, but doing the whole of the 14m line at 1/4 mile intervals will take a certain time.

 

When we got back to the yard at Winchcombe we had a similar job unloading them. We just had to sort them into 'no hope', 'possible sale' and 'maybe re-use in a siding ' piles.

On the way back we called in at Broadway. News had reached us that a second B&Q type shed had indeed been placed in our carefully built 1904 era station.

Our mission is 'to build and maintain a railway museum for the benefit of the public' and it is very sad to see yet another shed erected along our line, after those already existing at Toddington, CRC, and very nearly at Winchcombe.

Worse still, the pub type picnic tables that used to fill this space have been pushed out, and relocated along the platform to sit in between our GWR heritage lamp posts.  A sponsor paid us £2000 pounds to have a pattern made, so that we could cast accurate replica GWR lamp posts for Broadway. What is the point of such attention to detail and dedication to our heritage if the effect is spoilt with modern additions placed all around them?

This is the cross platform view from 1904. 

Hexagonal lamp, wooden staircase, 'BROADWAY' running in board.

 

The 2023 view taken from the same angle:

Modern sheds and picnic tables now all along the platform.

The opportunity we strived for, to take a 1904 photograph just as it was, is now lost.

Wednesday with the Usketeers.

Just three of us today - Dave was on a holiday, and Jules had personal stuff to do. Yours Truly, Paul and John were on site. After a cold start, it became hot as the day progressed, and layers of clothing had to be shed as we went along.

 

 

The main job of interest today was to fit the union and stop ends that we ordered - a second time, the first proving to be of a different type of 'Ogee'.

Now we have two stop ends and a union left over, brand new. What to do with them?

In the picture is the second order, ready for fitting.

 

Here is Paul giving one end a good poking. The stop end fitted OK, albeit still not perfectly. Mysterious. But we were able to use it, with a  bit more sealant.

 

 

The guys from Construction & Maintenance came and very kindly helped us out with a bit of shovelling.

They filled the gravel run on the side nearest the camera, and backed up the temporary retaining boards with soil from the stuff that Dave delivered for us last week. A lot more is needed around here, but you can see what it is meant to look like. There is talk of a delivery of topsoil for our friends at C&M, but no one knows when. But we do need to get the grass seed in asap, otherwise the weeds will get there first.

 

 

 

Outside Churchward house our FD was just parking the company car....

 

 

So we fitted one of two stop ends. The second proved to be particularly difficult, as we could not drill the hole in the end of the gutter to hold it. Even a new, sharp drill failed to penetrate. Strange, that.

After several tries we gave up on the stop end, and started on the union. 

Here we decided to take down the gutter, put it on the ground and push down with our body weight. That worked.

 

With the holes properly drilled, Paul was able to get the union in, although the fit is still not ideal due to the slightly different Ogee shapes.

Next week Paul will have another go.

 

Lots of people keep wandering over for a little look. Engine crews, other departments, and today, the signalman - in between trains, obv.

He said that he had been watching the Usk hut grow, and how nice it looked from over there. So we asked if we could see for ourselves.

The first thing we noticed though was how well signalmen look after themselves....

That is a genuine GWR Hotels, Paddington cup btw. The cake is probably more recent though.

So this is the view of our little hut from the box. Better than the Bradstone houses behind, in any case.

Paul working on the gutter round the other side said at one point, go and get me the sealant gun, it's some where round the side, you'll find it OK.

We looked and looked and looked.

Can you see where it was?

Yes, this is the signalman's view, without all those bells and whistles in front.

It does have a certain charm about it, under that tree.

Now it's time to go home and have a shower. Ready for the big day tomorrow: Mrs. Blogger's birthday, a milestone. We are taking her out for a posh meal (since she says she doesn't want any presents. But they don't mean that, do they?)