Site preparation completed.

Digging on Thursday.

A day with Neal in the 3T digger at Broadway, making the site ready for excavating the foundations.

Neal and John were busy the day before too, and this picture shows one of the things they did last Wednesday.

Using the hired in digger, a rough trench was dug between the sleepers from one platform to the other. John then further deepened it out by hand. It's got to end up below the deepest level reached by a tamper's tines.

The purpose of the trench is to lay conduits for electricity, water telephones and possibly gas (spare to start with). Although plastic conduits were installed through the P2 wall, they did no more than appear trackside - nothing actually went across, and nothing re-emerged under P1 and enter the electrical cabinet in the store room.

It seems strange that no one completed the cross platform conduits, before the unsuspecting PWay laid their ballast and tracks.

Then we took the opening photograph for Thursday. The ring around the perimeter of the new building is complete, but there is still a big hole in the middle (the green area), and Neal also wanted to enlarge the scope of the level ring.

 

To fill the hole in the middle it was decided to fire up the little 1T dumper, and shuttle the material across the site.

Once the middle looked full enough, Neal ran the digger up and down over it to tamp everything down. The sticky clay was happy to do that.

Next came the hole for a concrete block foundation that is due for the corner on the left. Although we will follow the original two column support at the bottom of the steps, we will have an additional third column on the outside coner of the building, following advice. The hole we were digging is for that. The replica columns have already been fabricated, and are currently awaiting the visit of the galvanising company.

Here you can see how the hole in the corner was made larger. During the whole digging process we watched carefully for any interesting finds, and found quite a few. We also took out any decent looking bricks, which were numerous at the southern end of the site. They came from both the old building and the demolition of the platforms.

Amazingly, we found crockery amongst the ruins. We found plenty in the ash tip by the goods shed, but here in the ruins of the waiting room? That was a surprise. We found the remains of several cups, one marked 'Mintons 1931'. One that we had never seen before was marked BR-R, as you can see in the picture. It is thought to stand for BRITISH RAILWAYS - RESTAURANTS.

This was also a good find, an original fire bucket bracket from the old waiting room. It's not the classic GWR casting that we used over on P1, but it must be genuine, as it was in the ruins. We will have it shotblasted, and use it again.

Another find was this mystery object.

A coupling between two vehicles?

This set of cast iron Ogee gutters was also of interest. They were used to get around an obstruction, but right now we can't think what it was.

The diameter of the Ogee is much larger than the modest size used on the new P1 building.

After lunch you get another two hours of daylight, and then it's too dark to work. And we were pretty tired too.

From this overview you can see that the site of the new building has been cleared, with the exception of the pile at one end. This will need to go into one of the wagons.

A more detailed look at the cleared site. The previously hollow centre has been back filled and compacted to the correct height, using the laser level.

At the end of Thursday Neal just checked the dimensions of the new building. The corner of the gents annexe will be here, where the brick is on the ground.

For the avoidance of all doubt the BROADWAY running in board has been moved under the P1 canopy...

7820 Dinmore Manor on the South Devon railway.

Photograph by Robin Dadson, with thanks to John Brodribb.

Headlight, bell, cow catcher, no name plate, but we recognise you, Dinmore Manor!

Hammering on Monday.

Two holes need to be pierced through the platform walls at Broadway, one on each side. An initial start made by Neal was not so promising, so he took the Kango home and fettled it.

It worked better on Monday morning, and we did quite well then.

 

We decided to make a simultaneous start on the P1 side.

For some reason there are 4 red bricks here, but definitely no prepared conduits, we have looked. We need to get into the store room behind, under the platform. We did a little test dig here a while back, so know where we have to go to get a connection.

No, the little red suitcase isn't from a hopeful traveller, there are no trains to Broadway now for quite some time, due to the extra work on the viaduct parapets. Extra money needed too....

Neal thought he'd kick off the hole under P1 with a core drill, but that wasn't a big success. It's too small.

Yours truly spent an hour on it with the SDS drill and got about 6 inches deep, before having to return a la casa to meet an insurance assessor for a suspected water leak. Yes, we have normal lives too...

 

Neal then took over with the Kango under P1, and while we were there made the hole a lot bigger.

We think this wall is in fact fatter than the P2 one. It was the first section to be built, way back in 2010 or so. For some reason it was not appreciated that Broadway station forms part of a long curve, and the first section of platform was built straight. The track when eventually laid had to follow, and you can still see that straight bit in the curve today.

A last look on Monday ( we will skip Tuesday as the forecast is dire) and you can see that Neal has in fact managed to break right through the P2 wall. Excellent !

Wednesday with the Usketeers.

A good dry day, so plenty got done. The place was abuzz with people, as the PWay gang were in session on home territory, sorting out the yard after new stabling arrangements for the PWay train.

This week also there are Santa trains mid week, so at last we were able to catch a few lineside shots of trains going by.

The lack of light these dark morning is actually an advantage at times - there are more interesting, back lit shots possible.

 

Here is a series taken of the arrival of 2807 with the ECS for CRC, the first train of the day.

And, shortly afterwards, the loco for the second train came, a block section behind.

It was 7903 Foremarke Hall, reversing from Toddington to run to the other end of the rake stabled by P2. The up and down trains then cross at Gotherington.

But to work. What would the Usketeers do today?

The previous week we had fixed a concrete grandfather post in the ground, as we had done the week before. We let that go off, and the next week we attach the actual upright.

Today it was the turn of the one by the fence at the edge of the cutting.

After testing it for fit, Dave and Paul drilled the three holes so that the wooden post could be bolted on.

Also done a week in advance - creocoating the woodwork, so that it is dry when finally used. Here are some that we did earlier...

 

 

Unusually, the PWay gang was not out along the line today (no doubt caused by the after effects of an extensive PWay Christmas dinner at a local hostelry yesterday) but busy in the yard. The PWay train has had its consist changed, and a new position has been found for it, so that it does not keep moving a few feet every now and then. It now has a new home in the siding leading up to the Usk platform.

As the rail saw was in use today, we asked very nicely if we could have an 8ft bullhead rail post for a 40,- trespass notice that we are going to put up by the Usk hut gate. Peter was so kind as to cut a length off for us.

 

The PWay gang could see that a handful of 70 and 80 years olds weren't going to carry this heavy 8ft rail anywhere very soon, and offered to carry the offcut to more or less where it is going to be used. 

Thanks, guys!

Further along the side of the cutting John was continuing with his determined attack on the brambles, ivy and nettles along the slope.

Here it's the turn of a tree stump.

In the spring we will be sowing grass along here.

 

With the PWay gang playing at home today, we saw our chance to grab one of the trucks and the Telehandler.

The dumpy bags by the pile of spoil need to move, so that we can dig away the pile and make the area ready for the compost bins to be moved from the other side of the fence.

Dave moved the bags, and loaded the biggest - half filled with surplus stone chippings - on to the truck, which we then took to Hayles Abbey halt.

At Hayles there was no mechanised unloading possible, so we shovelled the contents of the bag into wheelbarrows, and rolled them down to the platform.

 

This kills two birds with one stone. Hayles needs more stone chippings, to make up for some subsidence, while we have half a bag left over that we need to use somewhere.

Hayles will need 2 or three whole bags to counteract the settling that has gone on, but we gave the project a good start. The rest will be done in the spring.

 

Here's a shot to show what half a bag does round here.

At the top of the slope we planted a pine seedling a few weeks back. This is an original seedling from a Scots pine at Winchcombe, so a real railway tree. FoWS found it and gave it to us, so we have planted it here. So far the seedling has survived.

 

Then back to Winchcombe and the Usk hut works.

This is the new stabling point for the PWay train, which has also had a 'new' GUV to replace two older vans.

A lot of effort has been spent to make the site ready, by disposing of non-PWay items stored in the yard, organising, levelling, and making ready for water and electric. Steps were also brought in.

 

One piece of rail that was sticking out of a pile was cut shorter to make it safe for those walking round the site.

The 7ft offcut was then lifted back onto the pile, using two camlocks. 

They should hold it!

In the background you can see the site for the fence dividing Winchcombe station from the PWay yard.

Dave and Paul were digging the last hole for a grandfather post.

That will have a week to go off, and from next time we will be fixing rails only.

 

 

Here they are making a mix out of the leftover sand and ballast still in the dumpy bags.

There was just enough - we don't waste a penny on this project.

 

Lunch time saw the long awaited tasting of the Christmas cake that the FoWS had given us a week earlier.

We also treated ourselves, as it was Christmas, to an extra well filled bacon bap, with extra sausages, an omelette and a slice of processed cheese on top.

That was the modest extent of the Usketeers' Christmas party.... but we had as much fun as those with more formal arrangements at The Pheasant.

In the afternoon RRV 'STEVIE' came into the yard to pick up some constituents of turnouts that were lying in a sort of hastily made pile from last year.

Others were helping to sort out the jumble that you get after running a yard like this for several years.

Simon was sorting out the rubber pads used with FB rail and SHC clips.

Behind him, fishplates are being sorted into stillages.

Martin was in the mini digger. He was about to dig an exploratory trench to find a water main that runs through the yard, so that we can make a connection with the mess coach in its new place.

We offered to do some divining, and much to the amazement of a small group of onlookers the rods moved mysteriously over a certain spot, also when checked in the opposite direction. 

'Dig here', we said with some confidence.

Sadly the expected water main was not in the place indicated, and we threw away the divining rods. Stupid things.

 

On the other side of the mess coach Chris and Walt in the RRV were making a neat pile of the turnout components.

 

Finally, news of a small find during the diggings today.

At Broadway, while preparing the P2 site, we had already found two small square section bottles, but without any form of inscription.

Here at Winchcombe an identical bottle was found today, but with the necessary inscription. It was a bottle for Camp coffee essence.

The letters cast into the glass explain the contents, but seem strangely out of order. We will clean it up, and it could become one of the first items for our little waiting room museum in the future P2 building at Broadway.

Dinmore again...

This time photographed by John Leonard, with thanks for his permission to blog them.

In this view No 7820 Dinmore Manor has just restarted the train back to Buckfastleigh.

Now well under way and almost at the crossing, with the Manor in fine form.

John Leonard went to the North Pole on Sunday, although he may not have seen Santa. The North Pole is at Waterworks No 2 crossing, aka Woodville on the South Devon Railway, and is where Santa officially boards the Polar Express. Trains to the North Pole are headed by Class 33 No 33 002

NB The Heritage Herald will take short Christmas holiday now, and come back on line on January 3rd. 

Have a Merry Christmas everyone, and a prosperous new year. Have our viaduct appeal in your thoughts, as the extra cost for the parapet repairs is going to be painful. 

See you again in 2024!