Friday 10 November 2017

More on the weighbridge hut

Wednesday's main job for the Building and Services gang was to carry on with the roof of the Weighbridge hut, under a cracking blue sky.

To start with the last few tiles were fixed back on to the roof on the forecourt side. A beaming Jim seems to be painting his way into a corner, or is that tiling his way?




Shortly afterwards all the tiles were on, with the exception of the ridge tiles.

One of them has been placed on the end to see how they go.










Pete then placed the ridge tiles, thus completing the tiling on the roof, and making the little hut, an original to the site, watertight again.











Down on the ground, next to the big iron plate on which the goods vehicles would stand to be weighed, a small amount of black mortar was being mixed for the ridge tile job.











Inside the hut a second group was painting the underside of the roof.

It's actually a second undercoat that is going on here.We need to protect the wood for as long a life as possible.








Ta- dahhh - the second undercoat is finished, and it's time for a cup of tea while it dries.





Down by the cattle dock, which will be the nerve centre for the imminent Santa activities, the fencing in the vicinity of the new Elf Centre has been completed.






Down below, the granite sets mentioned in the last posting have been delivered. Hope they didn't all come in the boot of that small family car.
Now to lay them, between the building and the Santa coach.



Back in chateau Building and Services, Barry was adjusting a set of timber gates so that they will fit their new location by the Elf Centre.

These were sponsored by a member for Broadway, but had to be taken out when the original GWR gate posts at Broadway were dug up from the drive.












This is new location for the gates then - the steps next to the new building.








In other news, Bruce replaced two windows in the Winchcombe station building (itself recovered from Monmouth Troy) which had become damaged.


And now
A bit of Winchcombe history:

A new historical photograph of our station at Winchcombe has emerged, in which you may well be interested. It is in fact quite rare to get a photograph without any trains on it, and in this one we see the forecourt side. It allows us to see the layout of the yard as it was, because today it looks rather different.

It looks as if the photograph was taken close to the opening date, being 1st February 1905. The trees are bare, but there is no sign of the contractors any more, so it may be a few winters afterwards. A large band is about to set off, no doubt for Winchcombe itself, quite a march away. The view of the yard was probably taken from the stationmaster's house (which is still there, now as a B&B) and it had a GWR lamp post in the garden. That's gone now, but it would be nice to put some genuine GWR lamps in at Winchcombe - the blogger is keen to help with his contacts at the foundry! Another lamp looks to be located at the entrance to the goods yard.

Note how the station forecourt is cordoned off by fencing, to meet one of the gate posts giving access to the goods yard. By the other gate post (both still exist) you can see the weighbridge house now being restored, and something is parked on the weighbridge itself, just in front. Is that a small steam roller?
No motor vehicles are in sight, but at least one horse drawn cart, again pointing to an early date, together with the clothes of the civilians in the picture. We'd say just before the start of WW1.
On the far left is the original footbridge, now removed and replaced by a modern one. It was of the same design as the one at Broadway, and had the same canopy overhang meeting the steps. The building itself has 3 chimneys, representing five fireplaces.
The three men on the right are standing on a part of the drive that was sold off for housing, making for today's rather awkward approach. It used to be much wider, and straight.

We would like to thank Bryan Nicholls for the use of the photograph, from his collection

3 comments:

  1. So now you have a great weighbridge. What are you going to do with it? I did see a weighing machine on ebay, not sure if it is exactly the type. Possibly, it might be more at home outside a parcels office. They want rather a lot for it too. Is the table, (weigh bridge), workable? That would be a key point to the usage/restoration. The there's the coal fire that used to be a focal point of any cabin on the railways. Keep us posted on the weighbridge hut's use please. Regards, Paul.

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  2. The Band & Company look like members of the Boys Brigade. I remember having the pillbox hat when belonging to 2nd Slough.

    Vic

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    Replies
    1. Well Vic, a Slough boy! so you were in the B.B.! Bet you used to go to Slough Station to the triangle for train spotting! My big brother Jim was in the B.B. but not interested in the trains! he used to wear the forage cap though. Do you remember the Stoke Road bridge being rebuilt? When Slough Council decided to do to the town that didn't happen in WW2? Small world isn't it!
      Regards
      Paul & Marion.

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