Repairs and a new build

The B&S gang are now refreshing the Flag and Whistle building on the outside, which needs a periodical repaint.

The boarding along the top of the southern, sun facing section has been taken off. You can see how the paint urgently needs to be refreshed underneath.

Although this is not facing the customers so much (being behind the office) it all needs doing, and that's a nice coat of brown paint going on there already. They've even got a scaffolding tower to get to the highest bits.

Of course, the idea is to stand on top of the scaffolding tower, not underneath it....

Here, some of the boards being taken down reveal doors and windows that were in use when the building had a different function. Did you know that they were there?

Down below, new boards are being cut to size, as each one has to be made to fit its own particular place.

The final touch of course is a nice shiny coat of dark brown, here being applied to the lighter undercoat by Mick.

While the gang was at Toddington, they also gave the 'pods' a new coat of waterproof paint, as you can see here. The relentless sunshine we have in Gloucestershire (don't laugh) does attack south facing facades, roofs and the tops of the carriages.

New visitor centre

The builders continue to make rapid progress here.

The internal concrete block walls are going up between the steel uprights.

This is more striking from the car park side, where the building is much higher.

What is underneath the black plastic then?

The black plastic was lifted, specially for the blog followers.

It's the start of the external cladding in Bradstone. The fresh pointing still has to go off, so it will look lighter.

The shape of the windows is also apparent.

A test area for the colour of the pointing was prepared on one side. The LH side is a paler colour, while the RH side is a pinkier style. The pale colour was selected for the building.

The floor goes in

A concrete block all has been built at the rear, car park side, and last week the floor went in to the new building.

The floor at platform level.

Lots of concrete and steel. A second floor is also prepared.

On Sunday, the diesel service hauled by the green class 37 enters Winchcombe station.

Note the new, short signals and the repeaters at the platform ends.

Speaking to a few volunteers, the green class 37 seems to be quite well respected.  We can see why, with its immaculate paintowork, shiny metalwork and appropriate rake of coaches. Like a vintage car, but much bigger. Well done, the diesel guys!

You like GWR steam too? Well, here is the crossing train, setting off from the just released signal as Dinmore enters platform 1.

A steel frame

The new Elf centre has progressed rapidly, and after the pouring of the foundations the steel frame went up a few days ago.

Remember when it was still cold and wet? That was the day the concrete lorries arrived. Here they are making a start on the foundations, this trench being for the facade along the platform. The new building will have a steel frame inside, and will be clad in Bradstone.

Looking south, you can see the operator of the concrete pump on the left, and two associates guiding the pour and checking the correct depth.

A set of bolts to support the steelwork is in the centre, not yet fitted.

The car park is well filled - there isn't a lot of room with all these building works going on.

Taking a step back, you can see the extent of the footprint, and the emormous pump appearing out of nowhere.

Two members of the PWay gang, returning to the mess coach after a wet morning on the Winchcombe relay, peer through the fence to see what is coming.

Several steps back further still, and the big concrete pump makes a big arch through the sky in its bid to reach the furthest trench, along the platform side.

There's more rain in those heavy clouds hanging on the Cotswolds edge in the background.

Today, the huge steel structure is fully assembled, and you get a good impression of what the new Elf centre will look like.

This picture was taken at the same time, looking from the platform. The floor is about to go in.

Our plucky little B&S gang has not sat still, but they are shy creatures and you have to be quick to get a photograph of them.

Here they have been digging a trench for an electrical conduit from the booking offic at Winchcombe, over ot the weighbridge house. This will be opened to visitors when it's finished.

The booking office roof was also waterproofed. This was quite a long job, involving scaffolding and a completely new membrane, as well as repairs to the ceiling inside.

Today they were repairing the roof of their own shed in the yard - well, no one wants to sit under a leaky roof. Inside, amongst other things, they are making the running in board for Hayles Abbey halt. They've had to buy a new backing sheet as the first one, unexpectedly, proved to be too small for all the letters. It is a much bigger sign, once the letters are all laid out, and of course there are no measurements from an original to work from. Should look great when it's finished, with its replica cast letters. The hayles guys would like to open for the May gala, so fingers crossed.

Elf Centre - building starts

Multi - talented B&S have been involved in a number of projects in the last few weeks, including the preparations for the construction of a new, more permanent 'Elf Centre', loosely based on Ashburton goods shed.

The B&S crew demolished the old wooden Elf Centre a month ago (see previous report) and the site, cleaned up, then looked like this. Building can't start yet as there is an electricity supply cable and a gas main running through the site. Those lamp posts have got to go too, they're in the way. It's always more complicated than you think!

B&S then removed the two posts, here laid on their side along the platform. The new building will sit partly on the platform, and an awning will also overhang it, so they coudn't stay where they were.

With this handy platform trolley, they were easily transported off to storage, while their fate is decided.







A drawing of part of the new building already appeared in the Cornishman, and a fuller set is produced below, which you might find interesting.

As these pictures were photographed off an official drawing, there is a perspective issue, so rest assured, the roof will be straight!

Notice the reproduction sliding doors, which open to reveal the actual entrance.

The back view, seen from the car park.

Seen from the station building.

Seen from the signal box.






In the meantime, the car park has filled up with earth moving machinery and building materials.

The new building will be made of Bradstone, similar to the toilet and platform 2 waiting room.

The first job for the contractors was to cut a trench to move the gas main from the back of the platform (see yellow post) down to the level of the car park. To keep things nice and neat, the new trench was given a nice straight edge with this cutting machine.

The following day, under rather more pleasant skies, the trench itself was excavated. The new building will occupy the grassed area on the left.

A mini digger was used to dig the trench, and this caused some difficulty because after a foot or two it met the 1906 GWR rock layer on top of the original clay underground. When Winchcombe station was first built, this whole area was excavated by steam shovel, and the clay underground was then sealed with a layer of slagstone and ash. We found the same at Broadway when erecting lamp posts on the forecourt there.

This picture was taken yesterday. It's a rather dull one because of the snow and mud, but it does show that the trenches for the footings have been dug - that is the latest position, you are now up to date !


Other B&S activities

There's been a bit of subsidence at the back of the slabs on platform 2 at Winchcombe - the infill always settles over time - so to take care of this the lads have had a go with the SDS drill to take out a strip, and infilling it with extra material.

The infill is then covered again back to its normal level with cold tar, which you buy by the pallet and stamp down with the ram, helping it along a bit with a gas burner just in case.

The pallet makes a handy support to lean on too.

B&S were also kind enough to offer to make the new running in board for Hayles Abbey Halt. They made a good job of the CRC2 one, so we went to the specialist...

A supportive member donated the letters for HALT (from an original GWR halt) and by borrowing original examples from CRC, the SVR (many thanks to you both) and some more found at a local auction, we managed to lend an almost complete set to a foundry to make these replica 12 inch letters. They are big - check out the GWSR mug in the centre. They completely filled your blogger's kitchen table, provoking a look from Mrs. B.

We don't really have a spy in the sky cam to follow everything the B&S lads do. For example, they moved a whole stack of bricks from Broadway to Winchcombe, renewed the ceiling in the Winchcombe booking office and fitted a new crossbeam for the ceiling boards, and then they repainted the Coffe Pot cafe. We caught them there one lunch time. Normally the cafe has to be booked if you want to have it for yourself. At least they ate their sandwichs in the warm, and out of the rain and snow. Well done, guys!

The Elf Centre is demolished

The big news of the day is the demolition of the wooden Elf Centre on platform 1 at Winchcombe, in preparation for a permanent structure loosely based on the former Ashburton goods shed. More of this further down the blog.

The enjoyable thing with the B&S group is that they do so many different things. Over the last couple of months the jobs have been wide ranging, and invariably very interesting.

At Winchcombe, the new replica GWR lamp post was erected on the new platform extension, with the little retaining wall running neatly round and behind it.

The post still needs painting, and the top fitted. The top is already in store.








In the pathway at Gothrington there were two dips that kept appearing in the path leading to platform 2, probably due to badger activity. Two trenches were dug out and 6 inch pipe runs installed across the path. These were then filled over with new gravel. Time will tell if this remedy will work.

At the request of the race course all the unsightly rubble was removed from around the level crossing area and the ballast pile tidied up. Another job was to remove about 3 tons of the sand left over from the platform two work, to storage at Winchcombe. This will come in very handy for future construction work.

During November the ceiling area of the cafe at Winchcombe was redecorated. At the same time genuine 1950s style ceiling lights were fitted, which replaced the rather modern industrial look of the previous neon strip lights that were there before.

The new 1950s ceiling lights in the Coffeepot

They certainly look the part now, it's all part of the 1950s atmosphere for which the Coffepot is known.

There was trouble in the booking office on the northern end of the station, where water started coming in through the ceiling in two corners. The leak was sealed with a temporary fix which cured the problem in the short term, but a proper cure for the whole roof there is intended with a polymer roll-on sealant which should last over 20 years. This job will be done in the near future.


After an unexpected flash flood at Toddington an aco drain was installed across the top gateway to stop the shop in the station building, lower down, getting flooded out again.

On the 4th of January, only days after the last Santa Special left, a good gang of B&S volunteers started to demolish the temporary 'Elf Centre' structure at Winchcombe, which has featured for many years as part of the Santa Special activities here each winter. We now have an 11 month window to erect the new building, and the first step is to clear the site.

The gang doesn't remove a lot of temporary Elf Centres, so a pause was slotted in after a while to decide how to tackle the next part of the job.

By lunch time on Wednesday more than half of the job was complete. The inside of the building was in surprisingly good condition still, but it had outlived its usefulness and could not really contribute to the heritage feel of the station. We are striving to improve the heritage atmosphere of the railway.

This interesting photograph (it was lunch time, time for tea, sandwiches and a natter) shows the location of the Elf Centre, with the santa coach in the background. The GWR brick built good shed is sandwiched in between two extensions in the backgound, and is today of course in the thick of carriage restoration. A new, smaller Bradstone building will be erected on the site of the old wooden Elf Centre, which will give the appearance of a goods shed over the dock where the santa coach is located. A drawing of the new building was published in last spring's edition of the Cornishman.

After lunch, the remaining parts were quickly disassembled, with the roof trusses on the left and the side panels on the right.

In this picture one of the side panels is being placed on the car park slope, leaving only the footprint of the building still visible in the foreground.

Also of interest is the background area, whose appeareance changed recently. Two red Mk1 former mail coaches used for storage over many years have now left for a new home. The Winchcombe yard is slowly being cleared, leaving room for properly planned new yard facilities. Now in view are two potential carriage restoration projects in private hands, which will also move to a new home in the near future.

A last look at the Elf Centre site, with the building completely removed in a single day. The base also needs to go, in time for contractors to start work on the replacement building on January 16th. They are expected to complete the structure by the beginning of September, and B&S will then be involved in its fitting out, just in time for the 2017 Santa season. Watch this space!

Post Scriptum

Mick has sent in some more photographs, which show the Elf centre being dismantled from within the team:

Looking bare, with trusses showing

Later in the day, only the floor is now visible

The sides have been carefully taken appart, ready for reassembly and further use on a farm.

While demolishing the base plate, the team pauses to contemplate their feet.