Wednesday 8 November 2017

Up to the goods shed

A scattered gang set to work today, with several jobs going on all at once.

One gang set off for Winchcombe, to chair up further wooden sleepers, which are now desperately needed at Broadway for laying.
Another gang joined the loco group to further their concreting of the inside and apron in front of the shed at Toddington.
A small group (4 gangers only) went to Broadway to meet Steve, and start the 'second front' resuming the track laying from the Childswickham bridge in concrete. We were small, but packed a big punch!



A frosty 1 degree start saw us cluster round the stove in the mess coach, hoping for a bit of heat to escape from the stove where the kettles were on.

Paul was warming the plates for lunch, which in kit form was piled up in shopping bags on the left.




The small gang of 4 set off for Childswickham, to find Steve already there.

He had started unloading the extension train which was brought up reloaded with sleepers yesterday, and laid some bundles of sleepers out ready for lining up on the ballast.
The first thing to do was align correctly the end of the track laid, as it was veering off line somewhat. This resulted in a bit of a 'dink' which will be corrected once the train has vacated its spot.

We were laying recently purchased s/h sleepers here, but some of them were less than fully useable, with the Pandrol holes sometimes blocked with dirt as in this picture, or worse still, the loops squashed flat so that the ends of the chain could not be inserted.

We lost 6 sleepers like that today, out of 109 laid.

In the picture Andy is fruitlessly trying to poke dirt out of one of the holes, which in the end wasn't so much dirty as oval. No good.




With the rising sun the temperature crept up to almost pleasant levels (even though it dropped back down to 2 degrees as we left)

Here Steve is giving some advice on the straightness of what we just dropped in. It actually went very well, for a gang that had little practice in laying out sleepers, and only 4 of us too.


After we had exhausted the lot Steve had laid out ready first thing, it was time to get some more off the train. Here you can see the benefit of the wide embankment north of the bridge, which allows him to manoeuvre freely, as well as stack some of the supplies we are going to need later.



Both staff and customers from our neighbouring Carvan Club came up to chat to us, and we were happy to explain the goings on.

By now the first 26 sleepers (for one length) were down, and pretty straight too. Not too hard to drop the rail in then, in due course.








Here you can see the piles of sleepers Steve had brought in on the roadway, and sets of 4 sleepers being dropped on to the ballast bed laid only last week.


We nipped back to Toddington for a quick bite to eat. Actually, it was quite a large bite. On Maitre d' Paul's menu today:

Loin of pork
Stuffing
Roast Potatoes
Vegetables
Apple sauce

Plus a mug of strong tea, and a jumbo roll of chocolate digestives. Even mince pies - in November? We didn't care. We were spoilt. Paul even joined us later for a bit of track laying too.




Then back to work by the goods shed, to find Steve giving the next bit of ballast a final regrading, with the mobile ballast indicator board, just to be on the safe side.

Looks about right, doesn't it?







After laying out quite a line of sleepers (about 100 of them in fact) we felt it was time to lay in the rails that go with them. Steve here has just brought one up. It comes from those laid out a bit further along, ex Laverton loop, i.e. s/h flat bottom. All dragged up from about 2 miles away.









Our second rail of the day goes in, just ahead of the Conflat in the extension train.






We counted the sleepers laid - 104 - and worked out that if only we laid another 4, we had 108 on the ground, and enough for a fourth pair of rails in. Soon done.




After lunch, our gang gratefully grew in size by those who had just finished concreting behind the loco shed.  The 'supplement' set to work keying up the first pair of rails laid - just 108 Pandrol clips to tie down, on an undulating loose rail. A little challenge for them.







Here's the clipping up gang hard at work with the Pan pullers.

Far away in the distance is the original gang, now nearing the goods shed itself.


Laying out all the kit for keying up involves a lot of shuttling backwards and forwards with heavy bags of Pandrol clips. Some heroic person has done this - see them all laid out in a row along the R/H sleeper ends.
It looks as if we will need more bags of Pandrols in order to keep going. One bag doen't go very far.





As the sun set, and the temperature began to fall again, we laid in that fourth pair of rails.

That supply train looks quite far away now, doesn't it?

We're about 75m nearer our destination now. We should meet the others laying south between the platforms somewhere near Broadway station road bridge. And before Christmas too.






Heigh-ho, heigh-ho....  the Pandrol clippers start to return home, while the railing team still has one rail to go.

This was the end of the day view of the works. The nearest rpair of rails is fully clipped up, the next ones have all the kit laid out, ready for next time. We still have another 100 concretes on the train, good for another day's work next Wednesday. Of course the track also needs tweaking to its final position, possible once the train has gone again and you can walk back a long way to get a better view of the curve required.

A sunset shot at the railhead - yes, its possible, not just at the station. Can you imagine a Hall running into the site here, in the setting sun? The glint will reflect all along the train at this time of day.

Our last shot today. Steve is tidying up, the sun is about to sink below the horizon, we drive home in the dark. It's winter.

40 comments:

  1. Superb and the atmospheric photos at the end are wonderful. By Christmas it will be amazing.

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  2. Jo, Where is the southern turnout going to be in relation to station road bridge, North of it or south ner the goods shed?
    Amazing work as ever, and a great scenic shot for the end of the day.
    Thanks,

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    1. The southern turnout will go south of the road bridge.

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    2. Will there be a southern headshunt too, Jo?

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    3. No, that would require another turnout, which we don't have.
      As you can see from the bracket signal installed by the bridge, it was intended to take double track over to the Childswickham bridge, so creating a second loop, but that plan has been shelved on cost grounds.

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    4. At one point it looked like this would never happen, not just on cost grounds, but with the embankment problems too. Is that still the case, or is the southern loop project still a possibility for the future if funds become available? Given the bracket signal and levers in the box are there it would be nice!

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    5. I agree. It's the station first at the moment though, funds are short.

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  3. That makes me realise the passing of time- was it really a year ago you were posting those atmospheric views of the winter sunsets at Peasebrook?
    Nearly there, now!

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  4. Hi Jo, Another excellent progress report with fantastic photos, all of the teams are a credit to the railway.

    I was wondering if you might be able to answer a question that has puzzled me for sometime - Prior to the trackbed being laid through the station, the footbridge was craned in utilising a mobile crane operating from between the platforms. Could not the footbridge steps have been craned in at the same time in order to save future costs?

    It will surely need a crane to accomplish the task in the future, how will it be done, a mobile road crane will no longer suffice?

    Regards, Alan

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    1. Alan. As I understand it, the steps were in such poor condition that they could not be renovated and re-used (unlike the bridge span itself). So brand new staircases will have to be made - and at present there is no budget for that. I wonder if those ace mechanics of the loco dept could be persuaded to do the job since they did such an outstanding job of the station canopy??

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    2. Peter, Many thanks - that now makes sense. Your suggestion should certainly be given some thought as the canopy is a fantastic piece of engineering, I am sure that they could equally produce similar works of art for the footbridge.

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    3. Both the original step had got a serious infection of metal moth so were past it. Down at Toddinton we have a design for the new steps and canopy. The end truss is already made The foundations will be going in before opening, the steel work will have to wait until some money is available. The far steps can be crained in sections from the end of the building

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    4. Neal, Many thanks for the update, it is appreciated that we can receive answers to questions raised from viewing of the blogs. Looking forward to being at Broadway next year and seeing the fruits of all your labours. Alan

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  5. Excellent blog. The theory is now practise, as it has been now proven that the second front was not only possible but a great success! I too liked the last 2 pics with the sunset. Regards, Paul.

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  6. What brilliant progress you guys are making. Congratulations. Your blogs, Jo, bring it all magnificently to life.
    Is the amount of ovality in the pandrol holes sufficient to scrap the sleepers or can the holes be drilled out to size? I assume the use of heat would crack the concrete?

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    1. I have to say I have never seen a ruined Pandrol hole before, it's a first for me. They are quite robust really, but something squashed several on those we bought.
      We could use them in sidings (just do up one side, mixed in with others) or else we also have a need for dud sleepers to stop the flow of ballast near bridge wing walls. So all is not lost. But we don't want a lot more of them.
      Thanks for your kind comments, they are very motivating. I'll keep going then :-)
      I do enjoy the work, and reporting on it. I also worked on the Northiam - Bodiam extension, and for a while on a Belgian one, when I worked over there. All great fun, better than sitting by a window with a pot plant.

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  7. Love the updates and a great credit to all the volunteers. Perhaps a dumb question, but why haven't you been relaying part of the extension with preassembled track panels or does it really need to be bespoke?

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    1. I should think that cost is a big factor. Firstly in buying newly manufactured panels, but also in requiring big machinery to handle them - a 20 or 30 tonne panel would require a biggish crane to move. Instead the team use a JCB and quite a lot of manpower - a bit like it was done when the line was first built! Network Rail are nearly always working under time pressure so pre-built panels make sense. Here the timescales are more extended, although it's still a lot of work for the volunteers to fit in before next spring.

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    2. On the KESR where I also helped lay an extension we did one stretch in panels, and the second assembled on site as now with the GWSR.
      I suspect asssembly on site is easier, you don't need a big crawler crane.

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  8. I hope you meant to say you were laying the last of the last batch of new flat bottom rail (not yet drilled for alternating fishplate and weld joints) earlier "laid out a bit further along" by Steve (20 Sept 2017 blog entry).

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  9. Thanks for another great report and pictures Jo. We think Fourmarke Hall and a rake of coaches will really look the business there waiting for the signal to enter the station, ideally this Christmas on a gauge testing train!! ( we can dream can't we!) another great report and pictures well done.
    Regards
    Paul & Marion

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    1. The 1970s saw several steam movements over the line. Pendennis Castle Flying Scotsman, 4771, One of the Jubilees (Kolhapur?)... Anyone know the very last steam train at Broadway under BR?

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    2. For the umpteenth time, it's FOREMARKE Hall!!

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    3. Anonymous, So sorry about spelling the name wrong yet again, please forgive me, it is all the excitement of the progress here, Marion says it is down to "PHAT PHINGER" syndrome!!!
      I will spell it correctly one day I am sure!
      Paul of Paul & Marion

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  10. Excellent work! You're nearly there now! So close! If only the Goods Shed could be connected. One day maybe!? :) Aaron

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  11. A,superb day's work!.Getting closer,now!.On my last trip,over the line,I,noticed at Gotherington,Skew Bridge,several stacks of sleepers,ready to be loaded!.Have you used them,yet?. Anthony.

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  12. CAFE DEBATE firstly thanks for the tweets and texts ect we are now over two hundred against the few no sense people. I would like to thank jo and all the volunteers ( the Orangemen) they built the railway and station with a cafe and a kitchen. I spoke in April with Alan beilby at gothrington he said there would be a cafe selling light refreshments and some rail books also he also said temporary parking at special events would be under bridge farmers field it's good idea. We all know there will be no platform2 no working signal box no footbridge no carpark fair enough but the bottom line is platform1 complete with cafe the driveway and station frontage resurfaced anything less won't feel right the board must see Broadway is the jewel in the crown new customers must have the real experience I hope the board come to their senses at the next meeting keep the protest going.

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    1. Pretty sure the only completed facilities on opening will be booking office and toilets. I don't think even the people who expected a cafe expected it in 2018?

      Awaiting the next boardroom blog next week with baited breath...

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    2. Alex as I stated Alan beilby told me it would be open many people expected the cafe to be open do you know how busy Broadway is going to be from day one ..!

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    3. Oh, that's odd. I know at one point it was touch and go whether we'd even have a booking office and toilets open in time, let alone a cafe. We all know it's going to be busy from day 1 but we simply can't have everything ready for day 1, irrespective of the board's shop/cafe decision.

      If you're hoping for a cafe to be open day 1 then I suspect you're disappointed, I'm asking for what I expected - a cafe yes - but not until the year after.

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    4. David, I'm not sure of your logic with the 200 for and a few against - you may well have 200 for, but the constituency is rather large. Over the last 12 months there were about 100,000 passengers. This debate has been aired on the Facebook and Twitter feeds with over 10,000 followers, there are 900 volunteers on the GWSR. So I make that 200 for the Café and 110,800 who probably don't care either way or are happy to go along with what the Board decide. So your 0.002% is hardly a majority.

      The problem here is you are shouting in an echo chamber - the blog is followed by enthusiasts who may well all have similar ideas (and I expect there are more than 200 who follow the blog).



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    5. You are comparing cheese with chalk.
      The outcry comes from those that are working on and funding the railway.
      The argument that most people don't care is cynical and was used once before by a senior member of this railway - against the Broadway heritage canopy. Now everyone applauds it.
      Listen to the people that do care.

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    6. Just saying, is 200 the majority of the shareholders and subscribers to the project. Not implying that the idea is wrong or right just that the statement above 'a few no sense people' can be seen as inflammatory and could be construed as misleading. It does your case no good to defame those who may not agree with your point of view

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    7. You don't sound very supportive, so do tell us - which side of the fence are you on? Do you support the argument in favour of the cafe or not? Or is it that you don't care either way and are quite content to sit on that fence? There are many people that are passionate about the new build at Broadway, especially those doing all the work, who have now belatedly found out that some of what they thought was going to happen is no longer the case. As for "inflammatory comments" do you not think that yours may be seen as such in some quarters? You are of course entitled to your opinion but sometimes, if you can't find anything positive to add to the discussion it's better to say nothing than simply looking for negatives.

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  13. Lets not get greedy, we have a new terminus that will have a ticket office and toilets when it opens, then the other bits can be opened as they are completed, we are sure this will actually bring visitor's back at a later date to see the "improvements". The volunteers can only do what they can in the limited time they are there, the deadline of opening just a basic station is already a great feat of achievement for them, however if you have a spare £500K this could be done by getting professionals in, but this would just detract from the volunteers work done already, so lets not kick them in the teeth with that one! Just go with what will be there on the opening, it will work. Now that spare £500K, that will help the line with so many other things that need doing!
    Regards
    Paul & Marion

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    1. That's spot on, Paul. Just for the record several of the key volunteers (all well past retirement age!) are now working three full days a week at Broadway as well as spending time at home on planning, drawings, purchasing etc. They're not asking for medals, just patience, and also the splendid support out there so well expressed in the blogs.

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    2. Much better put than me Paul! :-)

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    3. You're missing the point though. The argument isn't about what the volunteers can and can't achieve, it's about what they've already done in building this magnificent structure, part of which was designed to include a cafe, and is what everyone thought was going to be provided as part of their efforts. Now instead it seems the company want to provide a shop selling cheap tacky 'souvenirs' probably made in China, and, no doubt, expensive books from the various railway publishers that are only likely to appeal to the enthusiast fraternity. Furthermore, the various electrical and plumbing facilities for a cafe need to be provided now, at the building stage, as having to do so at a later date when it's realised that they should have been provided from the outset is likely to be much more expensive. Given the choice between a shop or a cafe, I wonder which will have the most appeal to the average traveller though, not to mention which will provide the bigger overall return financially? I know which one my money would be on!

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  14. yes stand with the hundreds next year without a drink I hope it's not to hot Ho maybe we can be redirected to the garage the cafe will open we don't want the garage taking all the dosh do we blind leading the blind again who mentioned contractors not me mr suck smith...👺

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