Fencing today

Fencing was a common thread on Wednesday.

Here is Pat making up new panels in the B&S shed at Winchcombe. These panels are for the anti dog fouling fence by the Winchcombe car park:

This is where it's going to go.

Three members of the B&S gang are digging out the fence line along the kerbs. The earth was barrowed to the end of the platform.

Two others went to Broadway to deliver some temporary fence posts and blue rope. These are to strengthen the Heras fence along the 'car park' footpath, still in place after the completion of the embankment works. It has a habit of falling over in strong winds (which we have had).

Pete D then went to Cheltenham with two others to fine tune the new footpath with additional ballast and sand. He hired in a "whacker packer" to consolidate the ground, and he will be getting a quote for tarmac within the next few days.

In the workshop the former Broadway station drive gates Barry shortened were being glossed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also in the workshop, Barry could also be seen making a prototype wooden box cover to hide the rather hideous yellow pastic salt containers on the platform. This is a simple measure that quickly hides some of the non GWR items that can accumulate if you don't keep a watchful eye. Our selling point after all is a historic GWR railway experience.

 

On the right you can see the granite setts laid at the end of the visitor centre. They just need grouting now. This is also a nice historical touch, an excellent idea.

 

 A bit of Winchcombe history:

A bit of 'Early GWSR' history for you, from Ivor Dixon's collection of early days photographs, which we will shortly publish on Flickr - there are over 100 to upload. This one is a taster for you, as it has Winchcombe relevance. It's a view of the yard, taken from the middle +/- where Hall's yard is today (we sold half of the goods yard years ago). 

 

The two buildings on the right at the back are interesting - are they still there today? Is that the B&S headquarters?

 

Ivor took the photograph on the 29th of April 1983, before the railway had even started running, and certainly before there were any rails at Winchcombe.

Even longer ago:

This is Winchcombe in the autumn of 1904. Apologies for the poor quality, but such originals often hang on the wall of a musty room, and they don't get any fresher. At least this one is now scanned in.

The picture was taken just on the tunnel side of Greet Road bridge. The new railway built bridge is being put up top right, while behind it you can just make out a temporary one to allow road traffic to continue while contractor's trains are at work underneath.

Most of the cutting up to the tunnel was excavated by big steam navvies, but there were places too delicate for them to work, and then human navvies had to finish the job, such as here. The clay is being excavated by picks and shovels, and is being thrown into short wagons which were then hauled by little contractor's steam locos to embankments were the spoil was needed. From here the most likely destination would have been Chicken Curve. The Wagons have simple dumb buffers of wood, and chains to pull them. The track consists of lightweight flat bottomed rail on half round sleepers - you can't get more basic than that.

Think about these hard working men, as you trundle in your train through the cutting and into the tunnel. They made it possible.