A celebration.

Friday, an extra day on the fence

After the complete washout on Wednesday and cancellation of Usketeering (and PWay too, we heard) we still wanted to make progress, as the materials for the upper drive post and rail fence are coming on 5th June. 

Friday was a dry day, so two of us met to continue with the fence at Toddington.

Beforehand, we had a quick visit to the Usk building and the PWay yard.

The Usk building was open for the gala, and it was pleasing to see that the additional grass had finally taken off. It's looking very green now, and it would be a nice place to linger for passengers.

 

 On to Toddington, where there was an unpleasant surprise:

One of the glass roofing panels in the 'greenhouse' had crashed down into our canopy assembly area. The cause could not be determined, but vandalism seems unlikely. We swept up the broken glass, but now our working area is even less dry than it was before (it was never dry, due to the wind that always accompanies any rain)

A broken pane of glass - possibly heat related?

Neal was also busy at Toddington, and we helped him get the material together for the third fascia board.

Neal also reported that as feared, after the failure to get the concrete in last Monday there had been heavy rain, and now the P2 floor insulation is swimming in a pool of water. This needs to be removed, somehow, before a new attempt at delivering concrete is made.

Neal assembled the long sheet and two angles, which he spot welded on. He then started to drill the many holes.

There are 51 to each side, 102 per fascia board. All that drilling makes for a lot of swarf.

The Usketeering team was only 2 strong, due to the short notice available, so Paul and Yours Truly dug the holes and planted the last two posts.

Here is Paul, mixing up the Postcrete, which we like to do in a barrow beforehand. The end post goes in first, then the middle one to ensure a straight line.

 

Digging the post holes has different challenges every time. These last two both had the same issue: after about 18 inches down there were large rocks, which we had to break up with a very heavy duty SDS drill. No more tarmac though, phew!

 

While Yours Truly painted more featherboards with Creosote ( we think that there are 300 of them, and they each have a large surface area), Paul attached the rails to the posts set 10 days ago.

The street facing side is now ready for featherboards, and on the right you can see a trial run being made. This part of the job shouldn't take too long, which is why we decided to let the materials for the heritage style fence on the upper station approach come now.

During the day there were lots of preparations for the gala, which was to take place the following day.

We had a quick look at the end of P1, to record Bretton Grange coming back from a test run.

Back in the greenhouse area for more creosoting, and two of the visitor traction engines were also having a trial run.

The larger one is half size, while the smaller one is one third size, we ascertained.

Saturday, Winchcombe and Toddington during the gala.

The PWay gang was convened as normal, but due to the gala services we were asked not to work on the line. So it was an easy day.

We had a grandstand view of the passing gala trains from the mess coach steps. Unfortunately only 9351 faced north - see picture below -

- while all the others faced south, and at Winchcombe that meant a shot into the sun.

A shot into the sun, with Betton Grange.

A shot into the sun gives poor colours, and an image more akin to a black & white effect.

But the passing shot was OK, especially as it showed off the 6880 number, and the name plate of BETTON GRANGE.

First impressions were that trains were well filled, and the Toddington (normal) car park was crowded with people and traction engines to see.

 

A bacon burger always goes down well, but what a shame that the griddle has to be advertised by a wobbly plastic sign on a rubber foot that advertises the obvious - an extra A board menu is just off camera too.

The plastic signage is placed up against the GWR lamp post we placed there last year, with the intention of making the platform more authentic.

The railway has experienced a multiplication of modern signage recently, as well as frequent vinyl banners with one way plastic cable ties - 16 we counted on one.

Lunch on Saturday was in the company of the steam crew on the mess room balcony. It's a great place to watch those locomotives going by that you helped to prepare in the middle of the night.

And the loco yard apron is empty! A diesel locomotive poked its nose out to see if it was safe.

Tuesday at Toddington.

A rainy morning, so work started at lunch time when the weather brightened. The news on the gala is great! Everyone is very happy, even the finance director. The after effects of the Grange continue, as there is continuing interest and it is booked to stray with us until June 19th. Come and see it, if you haven't yet.

We spent the afternon creosoting (no pictures, same as last time), while Neal drilled 51 holes along the second angle on the third fascia board. At the end of the afternoon he got to the end, just after this picture.

Neal completes the third fascia board for Broadway.

 The fourth one now needs to be assembled - the sheet is on the floor on the left.

These two jobs took several hours during the afternoon.

Also busy was a photographers' charter train, with Betton Grange on a GWR themed freight consist.

They all streamed off to the front, only to turn around and get on at the back! Must be something to do with the sunlight...

The destination was Broadway, and the train was away for several hours. How nice for a railway to be able to offer this, and how lucky we are to possess such a large, spacious vehicle as the Queen Mary brake.

 

In the end, some settled down at the front, and some at the back.

Maybe something in the ticket price....?

The Grange waited impatiently for the stragglers to arrive...

... and finally set off for our newest station.

No pictures here from this little jolly, you'll have to trawl social media to see what they got up to. We carried on creosoting, and did 30 boards, enough for one fence panel.

 

 

A rumbling and a clanking sound near to the greenhouse drew our attention - it was the steam dept. Telehandler, pulling a traction engine and three wagons up the driver.

Well, that's a new one for us.

 

We waited for the strange combination to pass:

https://youtu.be/1DtQ9sKUGDw

At 5 o'clock the Grange returned.

We were expecting it to return to whence it came - P1. But it was P2, so we ended up standing in the wrong spot. Well, we didn't pay to see it either, so that is justice...

The sky was heavily overcast , but even so you can get a reasonable picture.

Here you have our newest visitor at rest by P2, on its return from the venture to Broadway.

Wednesday with the Usketeers.

A full house today - Dave back from hols, and Jules paid us a visit, to celebrate the completion of the Usk hut with a good meal at the Pheasant nearby. 

But to start with - and we are talking 8 am - we had to have a good sit down and a chinwag.

Chinwag completed, we split into three - Yours Truly on Creosote, Dave started putting up featherboards, and Paul fixed the gravel boards and remaining rails to the posts we planted on Friday.

 

 

 

To begin with Dave worked alone, but soon he was joined by John (who comes from rather further away in Whitney) and then the featherboarding accelerated.

Paul came to check how things were going.

We made ourselves a little guide gadget, the T shaped bit on the ground, and this helped to fix the boards without having to measure every time.

However, every third board is checked for level, otherwise a small error soon multiplies.

 

 

John held the boards in place with the gadget, while Dave hammered in the nails.

Progress was fairly rapid from then on - coffee breaks excepted - and here you see them on the second fence panel. Each panels holds 30 feather boards, which is about what we can Creosote in a day. Our creosoted buffer stock quickly dwindled, we must work harder!

The Usketeers were not the only ones to enjoy a coffee break. Here are the lads from the C&M team, also enjoying a chinwag and a coffee after repairing the existing fence where a post had started to rot by the sliding gate.

Then it was back with the Usketeers - what, another coffee break already? Well, it was 11 o'clock. They do look rather beatific and happy. They had dragged their chairs into the shade, newly made by our own fence, as it was getting rather hot.

Jules dropped in to join us for a little celebration in the Pheasant, to mark the delivery of the Usk project.

Afterwards we asked a passer-by to record the 5 Usketeers, so here we are. What new challenges could we accept? Hayles Abbey halt, the Usk platform and building....

This then is the latest challenge, just a quickie really while funding for the slightly larger one up the drive is arranged. That is now in place, and the material is coming next Wednesday. We would like to have this fence finished at the end of that day, but it may take one more day after that, possibly split into two smaller teams, one on each fence.

Here is Paul, finishing off the gravel boards and rails.

Just visible centre left is Dave, just clearing up.

This was it then, at the end of the day. All the framework is up, so now it's just the feather boards to do. Dave and John did three panels, Yours Truly creosoted just the one, so that's not fast enough ...

As the Usketeers went home, we had a quick look at 9351 (our visitor from the WSR), which was being serviced over the ash pit.

This is a great area from which to photograph the loco being coaled up.

9351 is a lovely little engine, so don't forget to come and see it while we still have it as a visitor.

Re the P2 building at Broadway, the concrete for the floor is now re-scheduled for Monday 3rd June. Let's hope that is definite.

Betton and the Legend are here.

Saturday out with the gang.

Just 6 of us on Saturday, against 20 on Wednesday. Where are they all? We had doughnuts left over, though not the chocolate filled ones...

 

First, a check up on the construction of the S&T building.

The slate roof is on.

Then, pick up a Transit and head for the mess coach for doughnuts and tea.

 

 

The new timetable means that the first train passes through Winchcombe later than before. We had heard that Betton Grange had arrived, so there was a a small hope that it might be out on Saturday.

But it was ... 2807 ! Back from gone away to have its firebox tweaked.

We had an easy going day, the six of us. A list of small faults to adress. A loose bolt here, a bit of robelling there.

Here they are on their way (in reverse gear from Bishops Cleeve) to Kayte Lane crossing. We stopped to let a train pass.

This was 2807 again, on its way back with the first load of passengers coming up from CRC. We photographed it from the bottom of the embankment, a shot made possible by recent clearance.

The first job on the list was to redress the ballast washed out by the foot crossing. Unless you were very familiar with this area, you'd wonder where this gushing water came from. The answer is a syphon under the line here. But there was a terrible smell.

 

 

We climbed up on the syphon entrance. The water in the stream was putrid, there was an old tank with a pipe attached to it, and the sound of a motorised pump. Also some earth moving machinery.

Mysterious !

Back to the job in hand, we threw some shovels of ballast back to where it had come from, then moved on to the next job.

 

 

That was a seized, but loose fishplate bolt.

David got it off with the impact wrench, and David (2) fitted a new bolt in its place.

 

The last thing to do was to use the torque spanner to apply the correct tightness. Too much, and the threads strip (resulting in a seized bolt); too little, and it comes undone again. The torque spanner makes you you get it just so.

Milepost 18, and clearly near the end of the line.

This time it was P&O, heading south and drifting around the bend to the RDA crossing.

We drove forwards again to Bishops Cleeve, then right round the houses and back in at CRC, after driving through the race course to the very northern end, just a few yards from where we just started. This is because near Southam Lane bridge the track changes side, and there is no crossing for vehicles. Maybe one day.

At the RDA crossing we climbed over the fence. The dual locked RDA gate had been left single locked, and our padlock just hung from a chain link, not attached to the RDA one as it should have been. Luckily we were able to point this out to one of the girls with horses.

Next, we moved on to the road that occupies the down line on the approach to CRC. Another tricky reverse for the Transit. One sneeze, and you rip down the fence. But we got there.

Does anyone know why this road exists? Do we own it? At least it gave us the opportunity of a fine shot of 2807.

A bit of pumping was reported here, so we Robelled the joint in question.

We only had a few moments to work here, in the interval provided by 2807 running round. Then we stood and watched the train depart.

Here you have the whole of the team on Saturday (except the cameraman), and a very enthusiastic young supporter. It's Bert, Tim, David, David (2), Jim and Nick.

Interesting Saturday gang statistic: Three have a full time outside job still, and three are retired. 100% of the Davids wore shorts...

Back home at Winchcombe we put away the tools, then rescued a further 29 rail ends from the scrap bin. These come from the two-into-one welding on Stanway viaduct. The initiative to sell these to the public is going surprisingly well, so the recovery of some strategic stock is time well spent. A rough calculation gives the value of these here on the truck of £725, income that we didn't have before.

Monday at Toddington.

We came down to do some anticipatory creosoting for the featherboard fence (Wednesday looks wet on the forecast) and to support Neal with planting a steel post, as well as working in the 'greenhouse'.

Of course there is also the opportunity of a quick look round the loco yard, or even in the shed, where LADY OF LEGEND was reposing gracefully.

A charming idea we thought was the addition of this works plate to the new build loco.

Outside was Betton Grange. This isn't yet the line up for the weekend, there was lots of shunting for coaling up, taking water etc.

Hey, there's a clock on the shed gable end! That's new, isn't it? We like railway clocks, they add to the atmosphere, and are interesting mechanically. The RAT trust has a big triangular Kays clock in store. It has a wooden casing though, so would need to be inside. Where could they put it?

 

 

 

Kays made station clocks for the GWR, including the famous one at Paddington. This is the RATS one.

The only suitable place that we can think of would be the lobby in the proposed GWR Trust museum building at Toddington (no firm plans exist yet though).

Although 2807 is partly obscured by infrastructure, the latter creates a fabulous atmosphere in which to recreate a shed scene.

This is the same scene from a few steps further back. GWR Yard lamps, with new ladders and platforms, thanks to the railway's Heritage Group.

Here's a close-up.

We love the cabs with no side windows on those older GWR models.

Out front, Neal had collected some 'garden quality' hardwood sleepers, formerly on Stanway viaduct, to complete a last bay on our coal bunker.

Behind him the weed killing buggy trundled past. It headed north at 10 am, and came back at noon. That is the reason that the concrete delivery at Broadway was suddenly cancelled for Monday. Could we not have worked something out together?

Now on to Neal again. Here he is at one end of the second fascia board, drilling holes for rivets.

Now we skip a few hours. 

At the end of the afternoon he had (finally) reached the other end. Speed of progress: about 6 feet per hour....

So that completes the second of the four fascia boards. Boards 3 and four can be seen on the far right, as a kit.

We creosoted 30 or so featherboards. That sure is a slow and repetitive job. There are 30 boards per section, and 10 sections. But at least we have enough creosoted timber now ready for another day's assembly work.

After washing up we had a last look at the apron outside the shed.

It's 6880 Betton Grange, with a small fire in it. The word was that there was a bit more fettling going on (not surprising after completing a new build from scratch) and the possibility of a trial run.

We got all the ladders, bins etc out of the way, except for the small workbench there. Unfortunately Foremarke Hall was being shunted in and we had to snatch a quickie before the Grange was obscured again.

Buy a ticket this weekend, and everything will be arranged perfectly for you!

Wednesday...

The weather forecast was dire, with a 90% chance of rain every hour until midnight, and a rain 'weather warning' issued.

The Usketeers decided to cancel, the rain was just going to be relentless, and we don't really have any cover on the site where we are at the moment.

We're going to have a go on Friday though.

 

Absent Friends - Elegant Excursions.

'Elegant Excursions' was the GWSR's dining train, which ran for 18 years between 1996 and 2014. It was first trialled as a members' only special in June 1996 to raise funds for the loco shed appeal, and with the out-shopping of a converted bullion van in 1997 regular evening and Sunday lunch trains began to run between Winchcombe and initially Gotherington, later Cheltenham Race Course. The train was privately owned and operated by a supporter of the railway.

Copyright: Sam Brandist

The train consisted of 3 Mk1 FO carriages, a kitchen car and a generator van. One of the carriages was named MARGUERITE as you can see in Sam Brandist's picture, taken from a post in his blog:

http://sambrandist.blogspot.com/2013/10/another-elegant-excursion.html

In this he describes one of two journeys he took in the Elegant Excursions train, which much pleasure evident from his report.

 

The Marguerite in question was a stalwart of the Broadway construction gang, and ran the fund raising shop that we later called 'Auntie Wainwright's'.

Here she is enjoying a trip in her very own carriage. The Elegant Excursions menu is visible in the window.

The train did two return trips during a three hour dining session. The consist was stabled at Winchcombe in the siding adjacent to the up line, and although the dining train sadly no longer runs, the place where the carriages were kept is today still known as the 'EE siding' - a blast from the past. Absent friends indeed.

There's not much recorded about our 18 year dining train, and few photographs that we have found. The exact reason why it stopped in 2014 is not known to your blogger, but at a guess the most likely reason was costs. The EE service used hired in staff, and it is possible that after 18 years the set needed refurbishment. A ticket cost £45 at the end, whereas the K&ESR with a volunteer run two dining car set charged £85. Admittedly, one carriage was a Pullman (Barbara).... we would love to see a Pullman on the GWSR.

Below are some more photographs of one evening service, getting ready to leave from Winchcombe P2 in 2013.

Our Turkish 8F - another absent friend - prepares to attach to the train.

And finally, the best shot is from our well known photographer and PWay member John Lees:

John captured it with, no less, CITY OF TRURO, coming out of Greet tunnel and rounding the curve to the Gretton straight.

What a lovely picture of an absent friend.