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.