Yes, the pile of ballast put down starting from Peasebroook got longer again today, as two of us on dumpers had another fruitful day ferrying the stuff out to the coal face. The weather remained kind to us, after light drizzle yesterday, and it was +/- warm and dry. You couldn't ask for better really.
We have an early start and here is John driving the first load into the gloom. The two dumpers cross pretty much in the middle.
By the time we meet John again, the day has broken and the weather looks kind to us. Here he is negotiating the Childswickham road bridge, while yours truly pauses to let him through. It is here that the track will swing from the right hand side (where it has been since Laverton) over to the left, through the section of the bridge here being crossed by John. It will run into Broadway station on the Cotswolds side, with the run round loop creating double track from just before the station road bridge. Alongside the Caravan club it will be single track, at least in the first instance (a cost issue).
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| Say: 'Ah' |
A passing empty dumper was flagged down by Steve to receive this gift: a huge ball of redundant fence and barbed wire.
This was taken to Broadway and should eventually end up in a skip. All the fencing on the Cotswolds side has been completly renewed.
We were pleased to see Stevie on our job today. He levelled the trackbed some more for us, and then addressed the long row of ballast piles that have been building up since Wednesday. His location is just this side of bridge 4.
With the remaining ballast pile at Broadway diminishing rapidly (only one of the 3 fresh lorry loads ordered actually came) one dumper was detailed to assist Stevie to move the surpluses of ballast dumped around, while he graded the trackbed from bridge 4 onwards. We've got a bit too much here, so we can tip it on the other end and make it longer.
While unrolling the Terram, we came across a large tree stump and Stevie removed this for us.
You need to remember that this area was a jungle 2 years ago. In fact a picture of it will help remind those who haven't had chance to walk the old trackbed when it was still heavily overgrown..
Here you are, Peasebrook Farm, recognise it? That tree stump came out somewhere on the right. We've already come a long way since this.
At the end of today we had done another 100 yards, being another roll of terram. In fact we could have done more, but:
- The ballast top up didn't fully happen
- The 6T dumper got a puncture.
Sadly this is the second puncture we have had at Broadway, and the cause in both cases is the same: Reinforcement steel from broken concrete brought to Broadway for disposal by other departments.
An atmospheric end of the day shot. In the failing light we reached the old PWay hut.
Ballasting work resumes on Monday and we expect to be doing this for several days yet, albeit with a pause over Christmas.
Shame about the punctures. Can you get your friend with the metal detector to sweep the trackbed for you, or is too big an area to check?
ReplyDeleteEric
Impressive! Jon R
ReplyDeleteThanks for the informative pictures jo. At the childswickam road bridge the trackbed seems to fall away a little before the bridge, why is this? And is this why the track will change sides ?
ReplyDeleteWhat type of flooring will be on the booking office floor? Is it quarry tiles ?
It doesn't really fall away, but there may be a slight dip as a result of the shotblasting and access for it.
DeleteThe track will change sides because it has to, and this is the place chosen for it.
The planned flooring of the booking hall is for patternend quarry tiles. These should look great! Originally we think it was wood but we can no longer have a suspended wooden floor, so the quarry tiles is the next most likely Victorian thing.
Well one AAIN the ballast dept. Soon have ballast in between the platforms and then you will have problems with site access. Regards, Paul.
ReplyDeleteIt still seems a shame that you are not intending to have a double track set-up. There is always the possibility of installing the second track at a later stage (money permitting of course), but then you would have the problem of the existing track switching sides along its route, which would make the installation of the second track a lot more difficult.
ReplyDeleteDoes the GWSR see any possibility of ever having double track in the future (like the Great Central Railway)?
I think if so it's a long time in the future, we have other objectives like getting to Broadway first.
DeletePersonally I think it would be fun to have double track from Toddington to Winchcombe, but here too the single line is not always where it used to be.
Like most things in life, it's all a question of money and priorities. I agree that, in the future, a section of the line would be of benefit if it were to be doubled, both in terms of historical accuracy and operational flexibility. The viaduct will always remain single for longevity and regulation security reasons which are well known (the track must run down the middle of the viaduct). However, the desired end-state of the current campaign is to get to Broadway and to provide suitable facilities there for passengers. All being well, it will be an even bigger impact on the GWSR than the opening of the Cheltenham Race Course Station in 2003 (remember what the GWSR was like before then? It was good but it was nothing like as impressive as it is now) and it may be possible to enhance the track layout further. Double track from Toddington to Winchcombe would probably be the most likely scenario. However, in the meantime there's an extension to complete and 2017 is almost upon us - no pressure then! Toddington Ted.
DeleteI fully agree with your plan to complete the extension to Broadway. Opening this line will allow for the residents of Broadway to travel by train to Cheltenham, which should bring an increase in passenger numbers.
DeleteIf I were you, once Broadway is up and running, I would look to extend the line in the opposite direction - into the centre of Cheltenham. I appreciate that this is a major job (especially with regards to the bridge), but it would allow for you to link up with the national network at Cheltenham Station.
Having a rail link would have additional benefits to Cheltenham - it would allow people to travel into Cheltenham by train (perhaps an early morning 'commuter' service operated by a DMU, with a return service in the evenings?), which would reduce congestion on the roads. That would be worth proposing to the local authorities, on the grounds you might be able to get some financial support for an extension from Cheltenham Racecourse to Cheltenham Station.
As for double track from Toddington to Winchcombe, I can see the potential. The only trouble is that when the embankment at Chicken Curve collapsed, it was rebuilt as a single line, not a double one. That said, this track section is the oldest, and you would have to replace it at some point. Perhaps replacing the old track would be the opportunity you need to upgrade to double track?
Sadly, the time to run trains south into Cheltenham ended in 1979 when the trackbed was sold. The GWSR boundary only runs to a point just south of Swindon Lane Bridge, From there on, the trackbed has either been turned into a walkway, been built on or altered in such a way as to make reinstatement prohibitive, let alone replacing the bridges. More importantly, there is not the will (and I don't think there ever was)of those in authority in Cheltenham to reinstate the line. Councils have far more pressing things to spend money on and, if inflation goes the way it's predicted in 2017, money is going to be even tighter. The embankment at chicken curve appears to have been rebuilt to its original width but it would need considerable amounts of ballast there to reinstate double track, I agree. Toddington Ted.
DeleteWell done the PW Dept, Saturday was not a good day to be out in but your made of stern stuff! it is a shame that there can't be double track from Broadway to just past the Caravan Club Site anyway, it would make the view from Broadway very realistic! BTW what do you mean about the viaduct and safety rules in only having one track down the centre of it ? There is a lot to learn about the railway since I became very interested in this line after my visits to GWR! again thanks for the great pictures, it really shows what the share money is being spent on! Are you doing any video's of this as well? I check the blogs several times a day and I am always amazed at the work going on and also so interesting and explained so well. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeletePaul.
I could do a video, but of what? It's not possible to film the ride down to the 'coal face' because the trackbed is very uneven.
DeleteOK with that but the track laying and the ballast tamping I found to be interesting. can you answer my question about the single track on the viaduct safety issue?
DeletePaul.
It was me who wrote a comment about the viaduct single track issue, not Jo the Blogger. Caveat: I'm not privy to the exact regulations regarding passenger safety on viaducts, but I did read it somewhere. Here's a puzzle then: if modern health and safety regulations state that heritage rolling stock (Mk 1s etc), whose doors cannot be centrally locked, have to be a certain distance from a parapet such as Toddington Viaduct parapet, why does the Bluebell Railway have track going along the side of it's double track capacity Imberhorne/Hill Place viaduct at East Grinstead? If you look at Imberhorne Viaduct, the parapet is much higher than Toddington viaduct so maybe that's the answer. Basically, there is also good reason to run the track along the viaduct at Toddington along its centre line as this gives less stress on the structure. I have tried to find chapter and verse regarding viaduct safety in HSE and ORR documentation on line but so far without success. Basically its the risk of a muppet opening a carriage door whilst the train is on the viaduct. Another question, why don't they call the Office of the Rail Regulator (now the Office of Road and Rail) OFFRAIL?! Toddington Ted.
DeleteThank you Toddington Ted, seems like a reasonable answer, when I get 5 minutes I will try them, nothing like being direct! Some times it seems the possibility of a muppet doing this on a heritage railway means HSE or whoever gets the collywobbles and covers their a*#e to protect themselves in this age of being able to sue anybody! Again thanks TT.
Deleteregards Paul.