Contractors' second week

Little Buckland

Good progress is being made by the contractor at Little Buckland. The culvert has been fully excavated, the old salt glaze pipe removed, replaced by a new double skin pipe and at the time of the visit was being back filled again. A road roller dropped into the hole is used to compact the infill.

In this picture the Malvern side outlet is being rebuilt by a brick layer, who is standing in only half an inch of water. Lucky with the weather there, it could have been a lot worse, so conditions are pretty much ideal.

The Cotswolds side still remains to be done. Despite several dry days, there is still water here. Whether this comes from the (raised) ditch along the road, or from the fence line along the foot of the embankment wasn't apparent to yours truly.

Infilling continued this morning, and at this rate the contractors will soon move on to the next job, which is at Peasebrook farm, where two culverts will be repaired.

Laverton Loop

The plucky PWay gang continued on Saturday and took out the remainder of the southern loop pointwork.

In this picture you can see the ballast removed from in between the timbers piled up on the left, and concrete sleepers and new rail from stock laid in the gap. All the rail between here and the foot crossing by the stop board in the distance has now had the fishplates removed, been cut to remove the bolt holes, and dragged up to close the gaps. It's now ready for welding up. One of the special insulated block jointed rails with the 6 bolt fishplate lies on the left.

Looking north, the lighter rail is the new material. The joints in the foreground are ready for welding.

This detail shot shows how an IBJ has already been inserted; it's quite fast progress.


Next, the existing rail in the former through road will be replaced with new from stock, and used elsewhere. The current stock should take us up to the road bridge, just short of the northern loop point, in the far distance. The gang also has some work to do in the yard at Toddington, so there may be a short break on the extension while this is done.




Harvest Home inn.

Not an extension item, but no obvious place for the news and it is of interest: The Harvest Home inn at Greet, close to Winchcombe station, has been pulled down!

A developer plans to build three houses on the plot.

The new house owners will have a grandstand view of the railway - check out the bracket signal just visible across the former car park in this picture.


The history of this building is sketchy, and if anyone knows more, a comment on the blog would be welcome.
It was built, apparently as a watering hole for the labourers of the new line, in about 1905. It was not unknown for railway employees to nip over the bridge and into the pub, providing it was a quick one!

Contractors start at Little Buckland

Yesterday a contractor arrived on site at Little Buckland, to start work on repairing the blocked culvert just south of the bridge.
This is the work that is necessary before the track laying can proceed past bridge 5.
A salt glazed pipe passes through the embankment here from the Cotswolds to the Malvern side. It is blocked/broken somewhere near the middle.

Half of the embankment was already dug out at lunchtime today. The entire pipe will be replaced by a new one. The concrete sleeper wall on the left marks the edge of the bridge wing wall. The yellowish stone towards the LH side of the new hole is the infill placed by the contractor that rebuilt the bridge abutment here.

Looking down from the top of the embankment, you can see that the old pipe has been reached. The drain carries on beyond in a straight line, following the line of the road but above it.

The lie of the land is strange here. The embankment is not quite high enough for a bridge, so when built the road was lowered by 6ft here, so that it dives under the line. The drain on the other hand is at the level of the original ground, so has to run above it until the level of the road is normal again.

Turning round the other way, the excavator is taking out a few chunks from the Cotswolds side, in order to make himself a ramp for the Malvern side. While digging, a piece of Brunel bridge rail emerged from the weeds, and was put to one side for future recovery.

Back to the Malvern side, and the excavator is dumping a bit of spoil into the hole in order to create the ramp.
In the background you can see the railhead. It's so close that it's not worth spending only part of the day to bring it up to the site. Once this hole is closed again, the PWay gang will be able to resume track laying - the next obstacle isn't until Peasebrook farm, where two more culverts need repair. This forms part of the present contract, as does the establishment of a drain parallel to the embankment.

Here comes the delicate bit. Having armed itself with a heftier bucket, the excavator carefully makes its way down the ramp it just built. The skill of these operators is quite fascinating, all very calmly executed.

Happy with the position on the ramp, the operator starts to scrape away the clay on top of the Malvern end of the salt glazed pipe, aided by the signals from the banksman at the bottom.

We will report further progress here from time to time. The cost of this work is being funded from the share issue, so you can see that your contribution is being used very well indeed. In fact it is the first item on the share issue budget that is being applied.


Broadway Signal Box

The S&T gang work to a different daily schedule than the Broadway gang, and the two do not necessarily overlap. Here they are on a Tuesday, a non-working day for BAG, busy in the locking room.

The work in hand there is the fitting of angle cranks and signal wire wheels for the signals and points operated by the levers above in the operating room. Downstairs they change direction from vertical to horizontal, pass through the tunnel and at the mouth of that, turn left or right depending on the job that they do.
Although the second loop originally intended for the area in front of the old goods shed has been put on the back burner for budget reasons, the layout of the box and hence the arrangement here in the picture is being constructed so that it can easily be fitted at a second stage.
The wheels in the picture are bolted to 'C' bars attached to the concrete floor. The point levers are arranged to be positioned in the middle of the frame, with signal wires to the left and to the right. The job today was to fit the first of the rods that operate a point. In this case, the rod will operate a locking bar. Initially, there will be 3 points at Broadway, two for the loop and one for a siding at the headshunt.
 

Laverton Junction is no more

The sun brought out a pleasingly large PWay gang today, which set out to continue cutting the rails on the former Laverton loop, and moving them along south to be ready for CWR welding.

The gang split into three groups:

- Cutting the rails so as to remove the bolt holes where the fish plates used to be
- Declipping the plain track along the former loop through road
- Removing the fish plates along the same section

This is the scene on arrival - a cleared embankment, new fencing, fields growing fast, larks singing. There's a track down there, but it's that temporary headshunt, that still needs to be replaced.

This is where the gang started - 6 panels north of the stop board. The rails concerned have been cut and dragged south, correctly spaced for thermic welding, and clipped up using G clamps. Now there's a gap. As we cut more rails, and drag them south, this gap will get larger and larger.

Competitive disk cutting here - I think Steve is a nose ahead of Alan, but it was a photo finish ! In the distance are the two gangs declipping, and removing fish plates with the nut runner.

You may well ask - what do they do with the off cuts? Well, we keep those, if you have enough of them they make a useful contribution to the scrap pile. Here is Paul with a pair. Although they are quite heavy, it's somehow easier to carry two, as it gives you balance. They get flung into the back of the ever indispensable Landrover.

Once the 4 ends of the rails have been cut off, the next set of rails can be moved south. Stevie Wonder does that for us. Formerly, in the good old days, this would be 12 men with cloth caps.
You can see that quite a few ends have to be cut off. This costs one disk per cut, so we got through about 16 of these, then ran out. A new supply has been ordered, but did not arrive at the requested address, despite numerous reminders. What can you do. More cutting next time then. We shifted 4 panels today; 6 the previous week. The gap is getting larger now.

Here we have the former turnout for the long dismantled cog railway up Fish Hill, and on to Adlestrop. Another page of history turns. Laverton Junction is no more. Cog railway, you ask? Well of course, Fish Hill is very steep.

A piece of railway memorabilia bears witness to this long lost cut-off line to the OW&W. Did you know?

Time for lunch! It is cold enough for jackets and sweaters first thing in the morning, but by lunch time, it is hot and bare arms are the order of the day.

The gang retreats to Winchcombe for a two course cooked lunch in their 'air - conditioned' mess coach. Fish & Chips today, with a strawberry sponge cake from Mrs. B. Delicious it was, and washed down with a number of mugs of tea. Then quickly back to work at Laverton.

There we find these curious rails. They have been specially brought up.

These are 'IBJ's - Insulated Butt Joints. Although we are using CWR, a pair of these will be included at Laverton to separate the track circuits. Note the length of the fishplates, and the little gaps left for the track fastenings to fit in, they are that long.

Your blogger and three others spent most of the day doing this - extracting the SHC clips from their hoops, all along the loop through line. There is a specially shaped bar for this, with a shepherd's crook arrangement at one end, and a plain chisel end at the other, in case the first end doesn't work. And often it doesn't! SHC clips are wavy in shape and rectangular. Alas, some wag has invented a weight saving clip with a swallow type tail, and this is murder to extract. The bar keeps slipping off the tiny purchase point that is the end of the swallow tail. Easy to insert they are, but then the trouble starts.
This type of fastening is now extinct, as the industry has gone over to Pandrols, which are simpler, and easier to insert/remove. Even a machine can do it now. However, almost all of our sleepers are of the hooped type, so it's SHC clips, and like it. At least we can report that we completed the job all the way up to the northern turnout. (one in two where instructed)

Having temporarily run out of disks, the cutting gang took to dismantling the southern loop point. This is another mile post in the removal of the loop, and rebuilding this part of the extension. Great to see this happening.

Here we see Steve lifting out the crossing. The turnout has already been numbered for reassembly, and the parts were taken away for removal to Broadway.

Here one of the stock rails is being lifted out. Soon the turnout was no more, and it was time to gather up the tools and loose pieces such as the fishplates, which were all taken back into the stores at Winchcombe.

This current month will see more work at Laverton, while hopefully, the bank balance will build up with contributions to the share issue until we are confident enough to order some rail, perhaps as early as June.

During the next few PWay working days we will continue with the cutting and repositioning of the through line rails. By the time we reach the position of the IBJ rails, the gap created by cutting off the fishplate holes should be big enough to insert them, as well as plain rail where the two turnouts were.

During the month of June the gang will be working at Toddington, where the loco loading ramp is due for some attention. In the meantime, contractors will be repairing the three culverts at Little Buckland and Peasebrook farm. As they complete that job, the PWay gang will have finished at Toddington and we should then be in a position to start laying some new rail and driving the rail head further north.

If we have enough money - have you sent your cheque yet?

Ballast Wagons emptied

The 6 Dogfish mentioned in the last post were emptied today, and returned to Laverton for a second round of filling from the bed of the loop.

We took a picture of Bert Ferrule - Bert Ferrule took a  picture of us.

A small team of 3 met at Toddington and boarded the class 73. After the disappearance, and reappearance of the DMU (now with refurbished centre trailer), the road was free for the light engine to go up to the extension and collect the train of 6 hoppers. Here we are crossing Stanway viaduct, light engine. A Pway ganger is out on a track walk to check for any defects.

Your blogger was happy in the cab of this electro-diesel, as it is a Southern Region engine, from whence he hails. It's a curious and unexpectedly successful loco. Most of the fleet of 49 built in the 1960s are still in service 50 years later, or preserved. The type was built for use on the relatively small Southern third rail electric system, and fitted with a modest 600HP 'get you home' type diesel engine, should it ever pass beyond the third rail area.  It is a pleasure to drive, we were told, and despite the low nominal power output it is fine for a preserved line.

A curious feature is this two way intercom system in the cab, called a 'LOUDAPHONE'. I think that name makes it clear what it sounds like.

Of course it is made in SR territory, in Surrey.

As we pass under the B4632, the straight leading up to Laverton Halt is revealed. The PWay train used on the extension is in the far distance.

As we arrive at the site of Laverton Halt, the southern turnout points to the loop line recently removed. The pile of concrete sleepers will be used to replace the turnout with plain rail. The Dogfish are filled to the brim.

The Class 73 couples up to the Dogfish, and the bogie bolsters are left behind. On the way back the weight of the ballast in the hoppers is felt more clearly, and the diesel engine has a proper job to do. You can hear the electric transmission; it sounds a bit like an old tram.

Back at Toddington, we wait for the service train to arrive along platform 1. We can then set off for our destination - Toddington north siding. This long siding, on the down line leading up to the viaduct, currently holds a number of sundry wagons, a steam crane and a kit called '76077'. Some of this unrestored stock will be moved elsewhere, giving the long siding enough space to store two working rakes of coaching stock, which will be very useful for when we run to Broadway. The loco kit will stay.

This siding is not yet ballasted, and the spent but almost new ballast recovered from Laverton is an opportunity too good to miss. All 6 wagons were dropped here, and the piles dropped into the 4 foot 'sharked' into the 6 foot and the cess, with an extra run made with the final wagon to give the cess a little extra, as it is on the route used by guards returning from stabling a train there.

Unfortunately, good as it is, the SHARK does not fully complete the ballast distribution job, and it has to be finished off manually. About 2/3 of this shovelling job was effected by the small team of three today. We worked along the downside cess, levelling it to sleeper height so that the sleeper ends are visible and can be walked upon. In the afternoon the weather became quite sunny and beautiful, but also very hot, so that we had to swap our orange bomber jackets for lightweight  and more airy Hi Viz vests.

At the end of the day the class 73 took the empty Dogfish back to Laverton, where they will be refilled almost immediately. A further ballast drop, also including the new turnout in Toddington yard, will be effected tomorrow. Whether there is enough spare ballast at Laverton for a third train, or part thereof, remains to be seen.

Here the class 73 has arrived back at Laverton and is about to shunt the whole train a few yards further back, to allow the next round of loading. This is approximately where the driver is walking in the picture.

What happens next?

The 'Last Mile' share issue is running, and we are accumulating a fund which, inter alia, will enable us to purchase another round of new rail to get us to Peasebrook Farm (bridge 4). This purchase is pencilled in for June. In the meantime a contractor will repair 3 culverts, the first of which, at Little Buckland, is what is holding up further track laying at the moment. This work will start on May 16th and will take +/- 6 weeks.

The PWay are never idle, and are quite busy in Winchcombe yard doing other stuff at the moment, and for example were called out to repair a broken fishplate just south of Greet tunnel. Next on the extension will be cutting the bolted rail ends off the rails on the through road at Laverton. This is quite a laborious job, with 4 ends to cut on every panel. After the ends with the fishplate holes in have been removed, every rail will have to be released and dragged southwards, ready for welding. This job could start in a fortnight or so.

And finally...

There's a GWR enthusiast out there on the clearance gang:

Have you copped '5977 Beckford Hall' yet? Does this sighting count?

The choice of Beckford Hall is quite fitting, as it has actually been split into appartments, just like this one. Judging from the scratch marks round the hole, it's quite well used too.

Laverton track lift completed

A small PWay gang completed lifting the last panel on Saturday, and removed the last concrete sleepers, so that only the ballast now remains on the loop line at Laverton. The through line remains in place, as do the two turnouts, which still need to be dismantled (no 'e' this time!) and replaced with plain track.

This view today shows the site of the old halt in the background behind the PWay train, and in the foreground the site of the run round, with only the ballast, laid with the loop and still fresh, in the foreground.

Steve, the contractor, was on site today to a). Start loading the ballast into the empty Dogfish, and b). Start dragging the loop rails over to Broadway. Here we see him attaching a pair of rails to the back hoe of the JCB, ready for the 1 mile journey to Broadway.

This is the view immediately north of the northern turnout. In the distance is the old headshunt, quickly laid, which will also be replaced.

Looking at the southern loop turnout here, you can see that the ballast bed laid only a couple of years ago, is being recovered. Nothing must go to waste. This ballast, almost new, will be used elsewhere on the railway.

This shot shows about the middle of the loop. Steve has made a good start with recovering the ballast here, and has filled 5 or all 6 (the exact number escapes me) of the Dogfish. They now need emptying and returning to Laverton to complete the job.
This part of the track is in good condition, but needs welding up, so has to be cut to remove the bolt holes, dragged to close the gaps, and CWR welded. There's still plenty of work here for the gang to keep busy, while we wait anxiously for the outcome of the share issue. There has to be enough money in the kitty for us to complete the job.

At the other end, just short of Broadway, Steve is depositing the rails that he has dragged for a good mile or so by the Childswickham Road bridge. It's the first rail to arrive at Broadway ! Another great step in progress. From here it's just a short drag to where they will be used once the PWay team gets here. They will make a start at Springfield Lane bridge, and work back. This will happen once the work at Laverton is complete, and the kitty is looking good enough to buy rails and ballast.

Broadway station was very damp today, and the steady rain prevented all but two short rows of blues being laid. We did try!


Here is a view of the BAG team taken last Wednesday, when the share issue was launched by Pete Waterman. Ian Crowder took this photograph of the happy gang. Your blogger is in there somewhere :-)

A proud Peter Waterman is out in front.

More dismanteling at Laverton

A small team from the Wednesday gang took out further track at Laverton today.

A change in the MO was decided upon, and we are now doing it with the forks and two sets of chains. We lift them out and on to a pair of bearers, then scoop them up for stacking at the end of the loop. Slower, but surer that way. We'll have to load them on to the bogie flat another day, but it proved very difficult to do so on the very narrow remaining trackbed.

Here the telehandler has just lifted out a pair of sleepers, and has started on its journey north to the stacking point.

At the northern Laverton turnout, 60 sleepers have been stacked to allow the replacement of the pointwork in the foreground with plain rail. The others sleepers are being parked here, and will be taken up to Broadway eventually.

Behind the telehandler, this is all that is left of Laverton loop today. Just one more pair of rails to be taken out and dragged north, and a few more sleepers. A day's work could see this completed.

Looking the other way from the top of the bogie flats, you can see the last remaining stretch of rails. The sleeper stacking gang is busy in the background. A very welcome van load of new wooden bearers was also delivered. These are invaluable for stacking the sleepers, not only here at Laverton, but also at the sleeper depot at Skew Bridge. This is a brilliant source of free bearers found by a member of the PWay gang.

The rail has been dragged north to a point beyond the turnout. At a later date, it will be further dragged along the trackbed to Broadway. The two turnouts will be dismantled and taken by truck.

Ready for dismanteling, the turnout timbers have already been marked up in numerical order. In the distance is the bumpy former Laverton headshunt, that also has to be renewed. The gang will be at Laverton for a little while yet then.

Later in the afternoon, and with a squall in the distance, the gang decided to call it a day, as they had to return to the telehandler to Winchcombe and lock up the tools. The tiny stretch of track remaining can be seen in the distance.

Earlier in the day, the formal launch of the EIS share issue took place at Broadway. The biggest cost item in the 'Last Mile' is rails and ballast, so please heed Pete's call and help. We can't do it without you.


Edit
In response to a desperate Mr. Baker :-)

But no money for the steps, unless the share issue is oversubscribed!