Concrete and picket fences

Nine B&S volunteers today, working in the heat that we all know.

In the shady but hot workshop at Winchcombe Mike and Ken were making more picket fence panels. With them was Bruce, who continued with the fabrication of the new Winchcombe running in board.

The gang has been working two days a week and this first picture shows them at work on Saturday. Pete is just finishing off the retaining wall outside the C&W container, while an initial dose of concrete has already been poured.

On Wednesday the concrete had dried and looked like this. Just a small stretch still to go.

But not for long. Here they are filling in the last little bit, with the concrete mixer moved right in front of the site. The gang have also acquired a new (blue) electric mixer, whereas before an unreliable petrol one was used. It was used straight away!

And, hey presto, that last stretch is filled in as well. Now there is a concrete surface all the way from the C&W main entrance to the pad outside their container.

Pete is just smoothing over the very last bit here, got to make a professional job of it.

Jim M and Austen were on handrail duty again, and this one is by the Gents toilet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Toddington, the fence panel team was busy again.

 

 

 

 

 

With new panels just arriving at the bottom of the picture, Vaughan can be seen removing the life expired ones a little further along.

 

 

 

The new panels were brought up on the truck and before mounting them Vaughan made some last minute, on the job adjustments.

 

 

An overview in this one showing another 4 panels installed. In total, 10 out of the 25 panels have now been replaced with new.

Note that there is collaboration with the Friends of Toddington, who have already started to paint the first few panels.

An impressive stockpile at Winchcombe, where another 12 panels await delivery to Toddington.

These two pictures show some regrettable damage done to the top half of Honeybourne signal box, the one that is located on the western edge of the car park.

It seems that a bus reversed into it during the recent bus gala. The B&S team made it safe by removing loose tiles displaced by the shove from the bus. Unfortunately the cast iron gutters on the corner were also smashed.

 

 

 

 

 

Vaughan and Jim H were out and about too. First they collected the blue electric mixer donated by a supporter, then they took a delivery of handrails and fittings to Winchcombe. Then back to Toddington to assist with the fitting of the 4 fence panels.

Lastly they fitted some caps to the sewer vent pipes at Toddington, in an attempt to limit the smell reported in the Flag & Whistle area. Another consequence of the very hot summer we've been having, and here's hoping they found a cure.