On the home straight

A busy scene at Hayles today, with lots of volunteers doing lots of different things. It was sunny and windy, ideal weather for painting, so that's what some of us did.

Right at the beginning, it was time to move the sign for one of our principal sponsors over to the fence, so that we can envisage moving the container. It should be taken away very soon, so that we can tidy up the site.

Talking of tidying the site, the road end is still a bit of a jungle, although we have exposed the GWR bridge rail fence post at the end.

Rick here is having a go at the rest of the vegetation, so that we can clear our fence line and put in a replacement post and rail fence, with a gate in the middle.

A bit further along, a group was shovelling chippings into barrows to beef up the path on the slope, and the rear of the platform, where it was a bit low.

This also gives us the space to build the post and rail fence through here.

Today we went to fetch the running in board posts prepared by B&S. As Julian was there, with Paul's lead working kit, we asked him (nicely) if he would put some of those lovely caps on the ends. Which he did, as you can see.

B&S also found two 'grandpa' posts for us to use. We noticed on the old photographs that the RIB posts were on such supports, concrete posts in the ground that hold up the wooden ones, which stops the actual posts from rotting in the ground.

Good idea, we'll do that too!

Got to dig deep post holes in stony ground though, a bit of a struggle but we got there.

At the end of the morning, the RIB posts were actually up - here is proof. The grandpa posts hold them up from behind. The Loco Dept. provided the 200mm bolts, another fine example of departmental cooperation. When the concrete has gone off, the actual running in board can be bolted to the posts. Shouldn't take too long, but we are ready for it.
You're going to say, hey, that RH post is taller than the other one. You weren't going to say that? Well, it is. It's nearly 2ft taller, and the reason for that is that it will hold a hurricane lamp from a metal hook at the top. That was the basic lighting this halt had. Those lamps were brought out from Toddington each day.

Julian was very busy about the site today. Here we see him touching up the white paint on the handrail posts.

He was then seen sweeping the platform. Eh?

That seems a tad OCD cleaners, or is it?

Ahhhhh, it's to have a nice clean, dust free surface to paint the white line along the platform. Well. Julian did have the white paint out.

It's quite a slow job, so today he got about half way, the rest will no doubt follow next week.

Chop-chop-chop - CHINOOK  ! We heard this one before we could see it, it came from the east out of sight, emerged over the Cotswolds edge, and then swooped down into the vale over Toddington.

It just about missed Hayles, and turned steeply twoards Dumbleton Hill. Jim G reckons we are in a designated low flying area here, and we do see these transport aircraft at treetop height quite a lot. Great fun, our boys up there.

This is now our plane observation rail. Did you see it , lads?

Nah, we were just drinking tea.

Lunch time was brilliant. Here we are on the 'terrace' with our mugs of tea after eating our sandwiches. Mrs. Dave baked some cakes, which Dave very kindly shared with us all. A railway magazine was passed round. The newly arrived swifts circled in gangs overhead, it was a lovely spring day.

Great was our joy when Paul came back to see us, after an uncomfortable stay in hospital, now somewhat better.

Paul is almost back to normal, and hopes for a cooked lunch next time are rising. We certainly missed those beefburgers in tiger rolls with ketchup.

Paul was in fine spirits and full of fighting talk, that's how we know him !

After lunch, the greater part of the gang started to address the remaining part of the path up to the end of the bridle path. The ground is uneven, and some unkind person has tipped a lot of old motoring rubbish on our land - a rocker cover, a headlamp bulb, an air filter, a rod with a gearwheel on it, a car jack were some of the bits we found. All that is interspersed with rusty thick GWR wire. It lasts 100 years, we can see that.
Here the guys are putting up the first of the posts for the post and rail fence.

Then the next post, which Paul is holding up, while Peter is shovelling in the concrete. When all was done, the whole thing turned out to be too low, so a lot of pulling took place afterwards. Now it's about OK.

In the background John is sorting out some topsoil for us, while flattening the bank of a pile of dirt we found there.

We had the use of the blue railway truck today. It took away a whole pile of rubbish - there is more - and while it was available, we used it to fetch  the gate and the posts for the entrance from the bridleway.

These were given an immediate coat of Creosote, before they are dug in next week.

Here's that gate. Doesn't it look good? Dave has all the bits for it too. That'll go up next week.

Today we had a visitor from Cornwall, who knew all about us from reading this blog. Amazing. He was kind enough to bring us two rolls of chocolate biscuits for next week. They will go very well with tea. A nice example to set, any more out there? We like biscuits, and cake.

All, day Jim H and Dave P scraped and sanded that shelter, to make it ready for painting. Finally the northern end was ready for the first coat of primer.

Dave P had a good go at the front too. Here the yellow paint that it originally came with turned out to have been applied to the corrugated iron beneath without a primer many years ago, and as a result was bubbling and peeling. Not a good surface for a repaint, so it all had to be scraped off. This side is already in banana yellow undercoat.

Meanwhile Julian, unperturbed, continued to paint his white line.

Jim very carefully painted the window frame. We had a bit of a discussion about the colour (peering at old photographs) and the colour white was agreed on.

At the end of the day, freed from paint scraping, Dave P had a go at the tree stumps below the container.

Chop them with an axe, that's right. Give 'em what for.

This was less successful than you might think, as the roots were very rubbery. The ultimate weapon was then selected to finish them off - a chainsaw. That worked.

The chainsaw buzzed as the others looked on in amazement. It's a rather untidy bit below the container, as it is dominated by a sawn off ash tree, which is sprouting again from multiple little branchlets.

No trains today, so you'll have to make do with this zoomed in shot of the painting works in and around the shelter. Behind are the two long and short posts for the running in board.

The grass has been sown all over the bank, but it won't grow as there is no rain. Several voices have called for rain. You don't hear that very often in an English spring.

A quick update

What with the opening day marching towards us with huge steps, three of us volunteered to put in an extra day, which we spent mainly on preparing the shelter for painting. You can't see much, but it took us all day!

One small but important thing we did today was to mount the GWR Trespass notices, one at each end.

This is the northernmost one. It's the actual one we found in the grass, with the corner broken off. The corner pieces, about 8 of them, have all been welded back on, but it's fragile, so don't beat it with a stick. The notices go for about £100 on Ebay so they are not worth a great deal, but we have nonetheless secured both with shear nuts from behind.

Jim H came equipped with two barrowloads of painting material, as well as two ladders, all hauled in the back of his car / annex painting shop. It enabled us to make a fine job of the preparation, everything was there.

As trains were running today, most of the snapshots for this blog post have a train in them. Well, painting is not that interesting...

We always stop to say hello, so here are Jim and Dave giving the driver a cheery wave.

It seems that this year the DMU will stop at Hayles Abbey Halt by request; we even have a fare for it.

Here's a shot of the new sign with the DMU on it. We think it adds something to the reality of the scene.

Let's try the other end, Winchcombe side. 4270 chugs by, new sign on the left, very nice we think.

The three of us spent the day rubbing down the southern side, and part of the westen side of the building. We also cleaned and Kurusted the window frames, and painted underneath the eaves. More Kurusting of the inside, which is now ready for primer (on the steel angles, the rest will be left as it is). 3 interior notices are being manufactured by Jim.

BTW, accidentaly spilling paint on our nice new platform is frowned upon. Will it rub off with Turps?

Then 4270 came by once again, this time with the sun in the rear, making this passing shot the more colourful one. It now also has some black and white in it. Pity they shut off just about here, it seems they can coast from here back to Toddington.

Now you can see some more primer on the shed. There's already a layer of Kurust underneath, the rest was scrubbed down to get it clean (there was once ivy growing up it) and next time we will give it a light sanding down so that the undecoat will take. We have secured a big tin of GWR light stone for the top coat, it won't be banana yellow for much longer.

This shot was taken at the end of a long, sunny day at Hayles.

The platform is neat, the handrail freshly painted, and now the two trespass notices are up. If only it would rain some, so that the grass can grow.

The last train of the day drifts by (steam shut off again, have they no feelings for photographers?)
The running in board is about half finished, and it will go on the far LH end of the platform. There are many layers of paint still to put on it, that is the main reason for its non appearance until now.

We will be back on Monday.

Ever more beautiful

That's how this little halt is starting to look, especially when seen in today's sunshine. Just look at the mist on the Cotswolds Edge this morning:

This is the view towards the hill behind Hailes, and the abbey used to stand at the bottom of it, on the left. Those monks always knew how to pick the prettiest spots.

First things first, a cup of tea, a doughnut, and a natter.

We're going to miss these little get togethers, when the halt is opened. We sit in the sun, and listen to the larks. Soon we will have the container removed (going for scrap, it leaks like a sieve).

There were several teams on the go today, we must have been a dozen or so. This team spent the day on the path, putting down the Terram and filling in with stone chips. Note the handrail, which is now finished and fully painted white.

At the northern end the rail for the trespass notice awaits installation, and the first train of the day chugs by. Steam came out of the chimney, and hot air from the cab: 'Oi you, get on with it !!!' Never been joshed from a moving locomotive before. Of course, we took no notice. (sniff)

We've had a couple of interim sessions with 2 and 3 man teams, so there has been good progress on the shelter. The back was rubbed down, treat with Kurust, and a coat of primer applied.

Here Jim is fixing screws from behind to hold one of three notice boards that will be placed inside.

The roof has had a start made on it with black Hammerite.

Talking of black, this dirty hand print on the newly painted and virginal white handrail got Jim H foaming at the mouth. Who committed this heineous crime?

Did you hold on to the handrail? Did you?

Soon after, a second train trundled by, under the blue timetable. Again we were jeered at, this time by a member of the PWay-cum-guard. We know your name...
Oh well, I guess it's irresistible to tease the one you love. In fact, he must love us a lot, because he did it every time the DMU went by.

The path is rather rough near the top, and in the area where Minnie used to ply her trade, the ground is soaked with semi hard concrete.

Paul and Dave are scraping off the top layer here, so that the edging boards can be extended upwards, and another sheet of terram put down.

Dave is using Jim H's Hilti, which is a marvellous machine for this sort of stuff.



Elsewhere, Tim and John raked and levelled the top of the bank. It was cleared of stones, so that the grass will be on a level and clean surface, should anyone come along to mow it. John also sowed much of the second bag of grass seed that was donated to us. All we need now is a bit of rain - please.

An exciting step forward today was the planting of the two rail posts, one at each end of the platform. These will carry the cast iron trespass notices, warning people not to go any further.

A team of 8 carried the rails down to the platform, just like the good old days. No photographs of this though, the whole team was holding on.

The posts were secured with concrete, and the notices will be bolted down with shear nuts. We just need to wait until the concrete has gone off, and the posts stand secure.

Post holes for the running in board were also dug.

Again the loco hauled train came by, under a wonderful blue May sky. The gang building the path stopped to take a look and wave.
You can just about make out a first fuzz of grass on the slope by the platform. More grass has been sown on the bare strip in the foreground.

Jim and Dave spent almost the whole day on the shelter.

Here you can see that Dave has finished the roof (we have switched to Bitumen in the end, as we needed so much paint that the Hammerite became too expensive) and Jim has started on the undercoat on the rear. Coincidentaly, this is the same colour as the top coat applied to the shelter at Usk goods yard. Our top coat however will be GWR light stone.

After Jim H completed the undercoat at the back, 4247 drifted by again.

Jim H and Dave take a breather from painting, and paint stripping.

They will be back on Thursday to advance the painting of the shelter a bit further.

Meanwhile, the top of the path is starting to turn the corner. The edging is being continued around the bridge rail posts, but it will then change to a post and rail fence, with a gate somewhere near the far end.
Isn't it funny how it always takes a lot of chiefs, and one Indian?

Here Paul and Jim, (single handedly!), fill the many wheelbarrows of stone that are required for the path. We had 20 tons of the stuff here, then another 20 tons.

In the background, John and Tim have started on the next bit, which is to prepare the ground where the shelter was parked for repair. It's too low there, so a few rocks and spent ballast are being thrown in the void.

This is the low spot where the shelter was parked.

The path of stone chippings will come through here, and end in a gate just off to the left.

The blue line shows our property border; the camera is positioned on the bridle path.

The last picture of the day shows 4247 coming through, chimney first. It's started to cloud up a bit, and this picture is not an easy one as to get the loco chimney first, you have to take the photograph into the light.
Dave is putting the final bit of concrete into the northen rail post hole, while John stands next to one of the holes dug for the running in board, which will stand at this end of the platform.