A new post.

Swapping a post at Winchcombe

Several weeks of planning culminated on Friday in the successful swapping of a yard lamp post on Winchcombe platform 2, for an 8ft standard platform example.

Below is the 'before' situation.

Note the height of the post, with a rather small looking lamp on top.

The idea of the taller post here was to light the footbridge, but it turned out in practice that it was too tall. Not only is a yard lamp twice as high above ground (at 13ft 6ins) than a standard platform lamp (at 6ft), but this one has been stood on the ground instead of buried in it, which added another 2ft 6 ins. to its actual height.

After a while concerns were raised how to safely change the lightbulb, or to remove the rust streaking down it, and paint it. We therefore agreed with the Friends of Winchcombe Station to remove the overtall yard lamp post, and replace it with an 8ft example, which is still 2ft taller than a standard platform post, but is more easily reachable with a single ladder.

The drawing above shows the three types of cast iron lamp posts used by the GWR. It's a 1936 drawing, reproduced by BR, which we scanned from the most useful book on GWR architecture, Great Western Architecture by A. Vaughan. It's well worth buying.

The yard lamp post at Winchcombe is the third from the left, and the replacement we used is the second from the left. The first on the left is the standard GWR platform post, being 6ft above ground, and within easy reach of the lamp man without a ladder. Note that they are all buried in the ground.

Just how tall is this post?

It took quite a long time to get all our ducks in line, but Friday was the day, and everything came out perfectly.

In the picture you can see Walt, who volunteered to drive the Telehandler, sizing up the job. The sling for it is on the fence, but where is the centre of gravity?

The post has been isolated from the electric supply, with this panel opened at the bottom. The panel is a non-standard add-on, as normally the octagonal bottom 2ft 6ins are buried in the ground.

Neal has got the big ladder out, but as you can see it stretches only just above half way up, assuming you stood on the top step. Some plastic barriers kept a number of well wishers at bay. We also didn't realise that while Friday is a non-running day, it didn't mean there were no trains. In fact is was a diesel footplate experience, involving our Deltic visitor. And it was due soon!

First thing, Neal and Yours Truly set off in the Transit to pick up the man basket from Toddington. Walt positioned the Telehandler, and with the basket firmly attached to the forks Neal soared to new heights.

 

After Neal took the lamp top off a strap was attached to the upper half. As tree branches were in the way for a higher lift, we decided to lay the post down on this side of the fence, once it was off its securing bolts.

The strap was them moved to the centre of gravity, and the post lifted sideways over the fence.

Soon the Telehandler could be seen advancing down the grass behind the fence - fortunately rock hard, due to the drought - and after checking for errant Deltics, we waved it over the barrow crossing.

The post was then taken to the waiting Transit in the yard.

The return load was one of the two 8ft posts that were donated recently by a supporter near Wells. They are formerly from Keynsham, and are unusual in that while they give the 8ft height above ground, they do not have the 2ft 6ins casting that goes below ground. Instead these (1930s?) posts bolt directly on to a slab in the ground.

Back over the barrow crossing with the smaller load.

 

 

One of the preparations we did was to measure the bolt holes in the base of the Keynsham posts, and compare with the bolts to which the yard lamp was secured. Thank God for GWR standardisation: they were the same! So in principle all we had to do with the new post was drop it straight in. But would it really fit?

With this shorter post it was of course easier to drop it straight in, we were well below the tree branches above. But would it fit? What to do if it didn't?

Then there was a short interruption from 'a drone' - the Deltic with its footplate experience came by.

55019 ROYAL HIGHLAND FUSILIER slowly draws into Winchcombe station.

Deltic 55019 is about to set off again here, over our 14 mile line.

Back at the farm the lads had the post screwed down, and were fitting the top back on.

Now the ladder fits - it's much more suitable at this height.

At the end of the afternoon, the scene at the bottom of the steps looked like this:

A more normal sized post, still larger than standard, and with the same lamp top, which now looks much more in proportion.

The FoWS will complete the wiring up, and give the post its final coats of chocolate and cream.

The yard lamp post was taken to Toddington.

We put it here, by the inspection pit and coaling area, which could do with a genuine GWR lamp, in this area, overseen by passing trains.

The final decision rests with the steam dept. A possible alternative use would be next to the future turntable, although that is probably some time away yet. We still have to find £600 for a special yard lamp top, like the ones by the water tower.

As we left, 55019 ROYAL HIGHLAND FUSILIER drifted back into Toddington. We trust that its candidate drivers enjoyed themselves, and that some cash was left over for the GWSR.

Saturday on the PWay.

A lightly smaller gang than usual - 5 of us. Some are away on holiday, it's what you get in summer.

The stalwarts Bert, Dave, Jim, Nick and Yours Truly met for doughnuts and tea in the as yet cool mess coach. It was soon to change!

We set off for that very long straight, between Greet and Prescott, where the Dixton straight starts (another long one, but now in a cutting).

Out today were Dinmore Manor and Foremarke Hall, arranged so that one moment you got two tenders facing you, then next time, two smokeboxes.

The day started with the tenders.

Given the trouble we are having with the back packs for the Interflon, Dave decided to try a small spray gun that we happened to have.

This worked quite well, albeit with an aperture that could be a tad smaller, and the fact that you had to bend down.

One back pack works; to have a second option would double our efficiency.

 

 

 

The second tender met us while we were setting out the site boards. 

Here is one end of today's site, at MP 14/I. It's along that very long and very high embankment. You get a grandiose view of Bredon Hill across the valley here. 

 

As we had a rather long work discussion before setting off, by the time we were on site and had the site boards set out, it was already time for lunch.

Consumer testing of a random batch of bacon baps today.

 

Here we need to make a public service announcement, at the request of two volunteers from the 'Bacon Bap to my door department'. Unlike stated last time, we PWay volunteers do not in fact pay full price for these baps, and we do get a discount. We hope this sets the record straight. Yours truly was confused by the frequent purchase of ice creams, which are indeed full price, but bacon baps (which are home made) certainly allow for a discount for us workers.

Right. Baps consumed, we really must get to work. This long stretch is probably the bumpiest of all the 14 mile railway we call our own. It could do with re-sleepering, and the rail ends cropping. It's on a long to do list. In the meantime, we have to spot resleeper, and jack and pack as required.

Nick (centre) has it easy, Jim (right) has it easier still.

This jacking and packing is made so much easier by our sponsored Robels, and this increased productivity allowed us to address several spots today, instead of the previous one or two with hand beaters and digging out with shovels.

Later in the day we had the other effect for our photographs - two trains, each with the smokebox leading. Here they are then. It's pretty out here.

We kept moving our site boards along bit by bit, so that several dips could be addressed. We had two men on Robels, with two more on shovels, scooping up supplies of ballast to fill the holes left behind after tamping.

Having done a lot of smaller jobs (i.e. dipped joints) we left the largest one to the end of the day. That was also the hottest part.

This large job concerned a dip in a 10 yard section of track, here by this tree. At first we could not see why there was a dip here, both in the track and in the haul road.

After a good look round the site we think we know: It's the four trees on the left (Malvern side) which are sucking water out of the ground. They are oaks, which have a large root footprint. Possibly because of the drought they are using up more groundwater, which results in ground movement. You can see a slight 'wobble' in the LH rail in the above photograph.

As we got here late in the day, and it's quite a big job, we will address this next time.

Wednesday with the Usketeers.

Well, that became Thursday, hence the blog post a day later than usual. Three out of the five of us had to attend to something else yesterday, so a last minute adjournment was arranged.

It may be hot, but we are still up for it, and have the oak tree to shade us.

Having got more sand first thing, we set Dave and Paul up with some muck, and then profited from the very dry weather to apply a coat of chestnut brown to the door, which was cleaned and primered last time.

 

 

Diesel haulage today, so it was guess the loco from its engine noise, as we sat and had our coffee.

The class 37 was an easy one, as it growls and has a lovely turbo whistle. This is 37 215.

It was met at Winchcombe by the Peak. That had some sorts of fans blowing and sounded rather different, so Yours Truly confidently identified it from under the oak tree as 'that Deltic'. 

Alas...

We had a quick chat with the class 37 crew - what was the smoke drifting out from under the front?

Answer: It's oil vapour from the vacuum exhauster.

So now you know...

 

Once the diesels had growled onwards we returned to Paul and Dave to find them inside and backing up.

They were working on the back of the northern gable end, backing up the two courses that were laid last week. Yes, every course of facing blocks needs another behind it to back it up, and make up that fat 16 inch wall.

Paul's side, just started.

Dave's side, also just started.

To give us a bit more room underneath while building up the gable ends, we took out the second to last truss. You might recall that Paul planned for this by wrapping the ends in DPC, so that they wouldn't stick to the mortar.

So yes, the truss came out easily. Yours Truly caught it from underneath and staggered away with it.

An hour later we had another meeting of the diesels, as the trains crossed at Winchcombe. Business was very modest today (and yesterday). Is it the heat? Or the traction? Well, one leads to the other, the fire risk is currently high.

Our new bag of sand is evident here. The one we got last week, sold to us as sharp sand, turned out not to be sharp when we started using it. It looked OK at first glance, and we were mostly interested in maintaining the red colour. We think we can use it inside, although our mortar needs it, according to the instructions.

We made a short day of it, as a couple of hours were lost at the beginning, getting the extra bag of sand. Above is Paul's corner, with a layer of rough blocks added on, and not quite reaching the middle.

On the other end is Dave's work, also a course that didn't quite reach the middle.

Yes, next week we have to do the middle ! The stones are already up there.

Last thing, luckily still under the tree, was a little maintenance of Maxie.  We got her some gearbox oil, as we spotted a small leak. We wondered how long these little 97cc mixers are designed to work? One job? Many years? Maxie is beginning to show her age, and has had to have a number of replacement parts already. Minnie you may remember broke her crank case in half, which was pretty drastic. She joined the great building site in heaven.

Steam engines at Broadway

Although we are currently running diesel haulage due to the fire risk at the moment, there was a bit of steam at Broadway a couple of days ago:

 

Two beautifully built model traction engines, that chuffed up the drive from the Caravan Club, to take a look around platform 1.

Ukraine 2003.

A topical subject, and if you want to know what the country is like during peaceful times, and you like railways, take a look at the two Flickr albums that we created:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/73536293@N02/albums/72157660959544482

This one is from 1998, and was with the LCGB, so hardened cases who wanted to see nothing but railways. We certainly got that, and some of those pictures are now very interesting records, with lots of infrastructure and huge steam engines like the P36s, LVs and Es.

In 2003 we went back, this time with a Dutch travel organisation, but led by a railway enthusiast friend. These are the pictures that have just been put up:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/73536293@N02/albums/72177720299414154

The transport and accommodation was the same Dzherelo hotel train in both cases, but the Dutch participants wanted a bit more tourism, with just one day devoted to steam, which was in the magnificent Carpathian mountains. So here you get more daily life, and a few more Soviet curiosities.

Hope you like them. Ukraine is a lovely country.

During the diesel gala.

Saturday during the diesel gala.

A normal working day for the PWay, but heavily influenced by the 3 train timetable during the 3 day diesel gala. They didn't leave much room for actual work on the track, in between the trains.

 

 

 

 

At Toddington our newly acquired RRV has had a first proper service from a specialised company. It's quite a sophisticated vehicle, so needs a good maintenance programme.

The day at Toddington (Thursday, actually) also gave us the opportunity to attach the brass STEVIE name plate to the panel that Walt has repainted.

In due course the whole vehicle will have a refresher coat of that yellow.

 

On Saturday then we had our tea and doughnuts, then set off to get the Landies.

On the way back to the tool van we met the first diesel hauled passenger train, just entering Winchcombe station.

Wheel deep in the wheat...

We loaded up with kit for two jobs - fishplate greasing with the Interflon backpacks, and two sets of replacement fishplates.

Following the first Landie through the deep grass from Working Lane reminded us of the 1946 Punch poem about the K&ESR, which started with:

Ever seen a railway train,

Wheel deep in the wheat?

 

We ploughed on up the hill until we got to the top, where the line curves as it comes out of Greet tunnel.

What is wrong with that backpack?

 

 

 

The idea was to get one team on the Interflon, while the other examined two possibly cracked fishplates.

However, once again the backpack pumps proved difficult. One clogged after a while despite vigorous shaking (but we have now worked out where, and how to free it it) but the other now failed to pump at all - a broken piston seal is suspected. That slowed the fishplate greasing by 50%, unfortunately.

 

 

The first train to come by was actually one hauled by our most interesting visitor, 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier. While waiting for it to appear, Nick phoned ahead for some bacon baps.

Hallo? Bacon baps to my door?

Mobile phone reception at the Greet tunnel mouth is not all it's cracked up to be. 

Ah! Got a signal at last....

There's no picture of the Deltic coming out of the tunnel, as we took a video of it instead:

https://youtu.be/daqen8IESwc

Annoyingly (for the cameraman) all the tractive effort seemed to have been expended inside the tunnel, and the train just sort of rolled out, with another Deltic burst just as it came past. Pleasingly though, it was well filled.

Trains crossed at Gotherington during the gala, so the Deltic met the class 37 there, and this is it coming past again a few minutes later.

Just to the left is the garden of the Royal Oak pub, a great place to drink and watch trains at the bottom of the garden. From personal experience - no relation, obv.

 

 

 

The best bit of the class 37 was that it brought our bacon bap order...

Here it is, in the grass, with the train just vanishing into the tunnel.

 

This is one of the best bits on the GWSR.

Customers can buy them too, of course. We don't even get a staff discount, but they are worth it.

 

 

We chomped through the bacon buttie for an early lunch, and tried to fix the Interflon pump, but without much success, seeing that we didn't have the sort of tools for what was largely made of plastic. A keying hammer is not quite right.

Then the Deltic returned from Cheltenham. A number of trains seemed to pause here for the outer home by the tunnel mouth to be cleared.

After that, Dave and Tony continued fishplate greasing, taking over from Tim, who started at the tunnel. Tony was the lookout for him.

We had a train about every 45 minutes, and as it was diesel gala day, there was a different one on every train. We could see people running at Winchcombe (where trains also crossed) to get from one train, quick, into the other.

The Peak came this way, and...

...the class 47 came that.

The sky became a bit threatening during the day, but actual rain never came.

The Sulzer engined 5081 drifted to a crawl by the Royal Oak, then accelerated again as the signal by the tunnel mouth came off. The puff of smoke gave the picture a bit of life - diesel loco pictures can look very static.

The fishplate examination team returned from their mission, and the Interflonners called it a day, as it is a bit back breaking bending down for hours at an end. They did something like a mile, having to zig-zag from side to side as we only had the one backpack on the go. That really slows you down.

We returned to Winchcombe in the afternoon, as we had an order for 4 x 9ft bullhead rail posts.

Cutting rail makes a comet rail of sparks, so we waited for the train to pass.

What are you thinking about? Nothing much....

The class 20 takes out its train, next to the Bubblecar.

Nick's turn to cut rail today.

We didn't know what the 4 posts were intended for, but a request is a request, so there they are!

Our last shot of Saturday is of the Deltic again, as it's so popular. Here its is by the bracket signal outside our C&W workshops.

 

Wednesday with the Usketeers.

A full complement of 5 again, and a few visitors, which is always interesting. The day started with bad weather though. The forecast was for 5% percent rain, but we got 100% several times, and even the shelter of the oak tree didn't protect us from getting wet. Thoughts turned to throwing a tarpaulin over the trusses....

 

 

As usual, our late arrival at 08.30 saw Jules and Dave already well into the day, with Maxie the Mixer puttering away and a first mix just about ready for laying outside blocks on the gable end by the tree.

 

We sorted through our piles and provided Jules with all the 9 inch blocks that we still had, including one with a missing corner. Beggars can't be choosers - in principle every block has to go on. In practice, it's actually only most of them. 8 inch blocks are nearly all gone as well, so we put the handful of remainders on a single pallet, and were able to cast to one side two empty ones, so making more space around the site. That felt good.

 

Dave joined Jules on the same face, and worked the left hand side, with the aim of meeting in the middle.

On the opposite side, the southern gable end, we found Paul.

Paul was laying a row all by himself, quietly and without any fuss. Occasionally there would be a request for more mortar.

During a break - we're not the youngest, as you know - he had a peek through the window to see how Jules and Dave were getting on. Having met in the middle, at the tree end, Dave and Jules realised that they now had two courses of blocks on the outside, but nothing to back them up on the inside. So the trestle outside was dismantled, and re-erected on the other side of the door.

Our fifth very busy volunteer was John. He's on a mammoth multi-week task of removing all the embedded nails from the free 4x2s we got from Toddington and Lydney, but today he also found the time to clean and primer the door. It's an original, somewhat time worn, but still sound.

 

 

Mid morning we had a little break, and fought over whose cake we were going to eat.

What we like about the Usk project is the social side - it's so nice to talk to the others...

After cake and coffee it was back inside for backing up. The access is rather awkward - through the door,  then immediately up a ladder. If there's not someone already up there, standing in your way.

Here's a shot through the big window (the view that Paul would have had earlier) showing Jules and Dave inside, backing up the 8 and 9 inch blocks put up along the front last week and today.

We are very glad that we commissioned those 10mm thick galvanised lintels, as there is clearly a lot of weight in stone on top of them. They're not going to rot.

Here's an unusual view of Paul, taken through the doorway. He's working his way along with that new row, and you can see that it too will need backing up. That's planned for next week, we have already agreed.

We tried to get shots for you of both Dave and Jules in close up (not through the window) but that was a challenge, as space is limited there. This is Dave working his corner, with the recently laid 9 inch blocks outside visible in the top LH corner.

The same shot of Jules was tricky. Eventually we went for a sort of 'selfie', by which the camera looks back. It sort of worked. At least you can see what he was up to. Your blogger is also in the shot, at least partly. Well, it was a 'selfie'....

During a pause for Paul, we snapped the front facade to see what he had done. The whole row was in, bar one block. He hadn't actually got it yet, so after establishing that the gap was 13 inches wide, we went and got him a 13 inch 5 inch high block.

That fitted perfectly, so after preparing a bed of mortar Paul can be seen slotting the final block in its place here. The earlier blocks of his are in the foreground, with the 'green' mortar around them.

Later we had a second opportunity to snap Dave, and this shot also shows Jules' work in the foreground, with just a short gap in between.

Next week we're going to fill that gap, and add another layer, then move over to the other side as mentioned earlier.

This is our end of the day shot, before the vital hessian went on to hide it all. Paul's row of blocks is complete, and as the gable end rises, the courses can be seen here to be getting shorter.

No work was done on the chimney liner, but that must come soon. It needs to pop out in the middle at the top.

-------------------------- *****------------------------------

 

Now last week there was a request for some old pictures to compare, so we have fished out a few representative ones.

Below is the earliest picture that we have of the Usk hut. There is a slightly earlier one on line, but we don't have any rights over it, and don't know the author.

 

 

This picture was taken in May 2017, about the time we first considered actually removing the stone built weighbridge hut and transporting the whole caboodle back to the railway. 

The stonework over the big window has fallen down after the window rotted. There is ivy all over the building.

 

 

Taken at the same time, this picture taken from the entrance by the road shows the collapse and decay of the building. It certainly looks a lot fresher now! 

The plate in the roadway for weighing the road vehicles used to be in the bottom  RH corner, but was already missing when we arrived. The corresponding pit was filled in.

The next pictures were taken in March 2018, the year we dismantled the building.

All the ivy has been removed, and we dug an exploratory ditch around the bottom, to see how far down the stonework went. We think it very likely that the ground around the building was raised in its lifetime (of 150 years) so it looks a bit low here.

Note the failing lintel over the little window.

 

This picture now shows the door, which just had a bolt and was ajar.

It is likely that the bottom of the little ditch around it represents the original ground level, as in the picture the doorstep of brick (i.e. added later) covers the bottom of the door, and you stepped down into the building.

 

Our final picture of 4 years ago (yes, 4 years now!) shows the building from the front, where the big sliding window was. Dislodged stones surround it (some stones were taken to the edge of the site and dumped there by someone prior to us arriving) and there is a new big hole in the corner.

 

That hole, we heard, was made by a lorry that passed along the road, saw the burger van on the other side, screeched to a stop and reversed on to the site to turn round or park, and ran backwards into the corner of the building.

Having built a lot of it now, we found it interesting to see that there is almost a hollow space between the outer blocks and inner backing up, at least on this corner. There were also simple barge boards.

Mrs. Blogger and Mike Rose, a local supporter who has helped us a great deal, can be seen surveying the scene in the distance.

The question in all our hearts was of course: Would we ever succeed in demolishing it? Getting it back to Winchcombe? And - rebuild it successfully, block by block?

Follow next week's exciting installment!