More podding about

There were three teams in action today.  Barrie, Bruce and Ian were again working on another running in board in the workshop. There are 2 under construction at the moment, but the cameraman was unfortunately not there to see them for you.

The main job at Toddington was to continue work in preparation for the pods.  There is still no date for delivery but we hear that things are moving on that front. 

 

The first picture today shows the pod area where a manhole cover was moved to one side last week. 

 

In its previous location the original manhole would have ended up precisely under one of the pods.

 

 

 

 

 

The main activity today was to erect posts to support the new boundary fence between the pods and the children's play area, and to remove some of the rotten posts supporting the fence to the play area.  

 

Rod baling out a hole near the water pipe

Post hole no 2 is being excavated by Rod Terry and Keith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phil joins in to check for level

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the end just about all were suspect so they have all come out bar 2, which have been left so we can set line and height for the new posts next time.  

 

Row of posts, from the car park

Pete starts to back fill near the new manhole

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also wanted to expose the water pipes to the existing Pods to see if these can be used for the new ones.

Austen coats the buried sections of the new posts with preservative

Before lunch we managed to do all the main posts; then after lunch intermediate posts were installed.

The stock of removed fence panels.  These will be fettled up and reused.

In the picture on the left you can see the pile of recovered fence panels by the toilet block, and in the foreground, two of the older posts remaining to help set up the line and height for next time.

In this final picture you can see the whole row of new fence posts. They run alongside the cast concrete bases for the pods when they arrive.

In other news Pete, Austen and our cameraman worked on the roofs of the Admin offices. These are nearing the end of their lives and leaks are beginning to appear. The gang tried to make them waterproof once again for the coming winter season, with a mixture of sealing up splits and covering with tarpaulins. Alas, on that occasion no photographs were taken, but we can reveal that the information office now sports a bright green tarpaulin hat.

 

The sooner these functions re-locate to our newly acquired offices in Winchcombe the better. (May 2019 is the suggested date)

More work on the pods

As another outdoor department, the Construction and maintenance team suffered from the steady rain yesterday, but did manage to advance the work preparing for the pods at Toddington. As our roving reporter was taken away to a meeting during the morning while it was still dry, there are no photographs of the sewer pipe being extended into the new manhole, but he was able to work in the afternoon, after it had started to rain seriously. Typical of the weather of course.

Boards in place for the barrow

Following the experience of getting loaded wheelbarrows stuck in the ground Pete had delivered some boards on Saturday, so transporting dug out clay, ballast and concrete was a lot easier.

Shuttering for base L4

Jim M on mixer duty; Mike is off in search of inspiration.

All the work was done in very steady rain.

Apologies for the modest number of photographs this time, but with the rain the team was keen to finish off the work and there wasn't so much enthusiasm to dig into the dry clothing with wet hands to get out the camera.





Then it was all hands to finish the positioning of the l/h bases, bale out the water and fill them with concrete. 

Shuttering being adjusted by John and Rod.

Phil consolidates the concrete for base L3

By close of play the team had finished the outstanding work for the r/h bases and had also completed all 5 l/h ones.

Much to their delight the levels of all bases are just about spot on.  Quite a tribute to the workmanship of the team in atrocious weather 2 weeks running.

It is now hoped that the pods will be delivered next week, so that the team can concentrate on connecting up the water and sewer connections.

Also delivered were some 20 paving slabs. These will allow a start to be made on the footpath along the front of the pods next time.

Pods at Toddington

Earlier in the month, work continued in the C&M shed on the Winchcombe running in board renewal
















as well as the modesty screen for the CRC gents toilet.



Last week a start was made at CRC and one of the modesty screen posts was installed. In addition, the two gateposts dug out from the Broadway station approach were delivered to CRC.

Some grouting of the edging slabs was carried out on P1; about a third has been done now.  The second post and the screen itself are now ready for installation in the near future.

This picture shows the completed RI board prior to installation yesterday at Winchcombe. 

 

The second RI board is now ready for its letters and is likely to go up next week.  These are surprisingly solid and heavy boards.

 

The letters are cast in aluminium from originals collected by a volunteer. Besides the more authentic chamfered look, these castings will last longer than the plywood used up to now.

 

 

 

Rod and Keith demolish some play furniture

 

The main job has been to prep the site for 2 new PODS (4 rooms) which are due to be delivered before Xmas, and for which there are already bookings made for January.  

 

The work has involved taking down the fence alongside the existing PODS and the car park and removing two items of the play furniture.   

 

 Note there is a new drain in the wrong place as a result of the recent sewerage works.

Hole for an additional manhole

 

New drain in the wrong place

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As now situated,  that drain will be covered by the building and the team has had to dig out for an inspection manhole some 6ft further out.  

 

Footprint of new pods at Toddington

Water pipe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The footprint of the PODS is marked in blue in the picture above left.  Above right the tap needs a new post as the present one is rotten, seen here supported by props.  The whole area is mushy clay and not easy to dig out for the concrete pads which will support the new building, all 7 tons of it.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, back in the shed at Wincombe, the replacement running in board was completed.

Mike, fighting the clay

Shuttering goes in

 

 

 

 

 A start was then made on the bases of the new pods by getting some shuttering into position.

 

The first base was concreted in, all under very inclement weather and with high winds.

Austen worked the mixer. As it didn't have its legs, a base of pallets also did the job.

Close of play yesterday afternoon shows the site of the new pods. The five right hand bases have been shuttered and concreted, the site cleared of playground furniture, and the wobbly tap at the front supported on some props.

 

Each concrete base will also have a concrete slab on top. These slabs are from the recent delivery from the school.

 

What gets bigger the more you take away?

A hole, of course!

And this is what 6 of the team dug at CRC. It's a big hole too.

There were 9 C&M members at work in all, with 3 of them back at the base at Winchcombe on supplementary duties such as painting the fence panels and further work on the refurbishment of the Winchcombe running in board.

AT CRC Pete, John, two Jims M and H met Rod and Terry.

 

The aim was to complete the digging of two post holes for the two cast iron gate posts removed from the Broadway drive.

 

The holes needed to be 3ft by 3ft by 3ft and they created a large amount of spoil. This had to be barrowed across the crossing to be tipped at the back of P2 near the bonfire pile.  A trip of 150 yards!

 

 

 

  

Progress on hole No.1, with a growing pile on the left waiting to be barrowed some distance away.

Rod and Terry get stuck in, with SDS drill and petrol driven auger in support.

Hole No.1 completed at last. It took two days to dig this hole alone, with a volume of 9cu ft extracted by fair means or foul..

The other 4 gang members at CRC attacked the old wire fence in the prickly Hawthorn with gusto. Two wooden posts, deeply embedded in lots of sturdy Hawthorn were also removed, with great difficulty.

This picture of P2 shows the arisings pile, which was also located 150 yards from where it was cut. Of course.

 

To give you an idea of the fence removal job, here are two gang members deeply embedded in the hedge trying to get to the root of the tree, and liberate the foot of the old fence posts for digging out.

You photographer stands at a safe distance from the prickles...

 

Here's the whole team of six (5) at CRC on the same side of the camera, staring at the one volunteer doing any work. Volunteer Jim H is behind the camera again. Here they have made a good start on big hole No.2.

In this final shot of the day hole No.2 is well on its way. It should be finished off next week, and with a bit of luck, see some fresh concrete in the bottom with the fixing bolts for a cast iron post.

An offer you can't refuse

The railway received a very generous offer from a junior school in Tewkesbury for some free concrete slabs, providing we picked them up immediately. An offer we couldn't refuse! You never know when you might need slabs or bricks - certainly Broadway P2 when it is completed will need lots of 3 x 2 slabs under the canopy.

Just in time the blue Transit came back from having new brake linings fitted, and three volunteers jumped aboard and whizzed off to Tewkesbury. In the picture we see Pete, Phil and Jim M just leaving, while Jim H followed in his car.

Useless fact: how do you know you are sitting in the C&M Transit? The bottle holder is full of 6 inch nails....

At the school the Transit team was met by Mike and Bob Mac, himself a Tewkesbury resident. Could there be a connection?

50 slabs were heaved on to the truck, whereupon it returned to Winchcombe where this first load was stacked on pallets.

The Transit then returned to Tewksbury another two times, resulting in this most useful stack of 150 slabs at Winchcombe.

We're also on the lookout for imperial blues, should there be any out there that we could have. We need them for the goods platform that is about to be built by the oak tree siding in the Malvern side of the yard.

John, Martyn and Peter K spent the day in the Winchcombe visitor centre fitting 12 acoustic panels to the ceiling.  This was slow at first as setting them out to follow Pete's plan wasn't easy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of the day they were up though. Just got to hoover the floor to suck up all the little bits that fell down from above.

Now let's hope that the panels work.

 

 

 

Mike did some more railing painting, but we haven't got a picture of that as our photographer was in Tewkesbury loading slabs. Well, he can't be in two places at once.

 

A quick catch up from last week too, when Pete, John and Jim H went to Cheltenham.

As the Heras fencing there got blown down in the storm we had, the team had to rebuild it completely. They then had another go at the holes they are digging through a very hard ground for the cast iron gate posts that are intended to be erected there. You seem them digging away here in the picture above.

Picture of.... a hole.

They got the second steel post out, but it fought them all the way.

They spent ages too in further enlarging the first hole.

There is at least another 6 inches of concrete to come out of the hole where the second post was, before it can be used again for the cast iron one. They'll get there, bit by bit though. Persistence does pay.

 

 

Spearhead and gates

A brief update of work yesterday; brief due to a meeting during the morning.

Nonetheless we have some interesting photographs for you of spearhead fencing about to go in at the north end of CRC.

Five panels have been newly manufactured by a volunteer and were delivered on Wednesday. In the picture they are on a pallet as unloaded, but lying down like this painting wasn't possible.

As the PWay gang as working in the yard across the tracks they were asked if they would stand the panels upright with the Telehandler.

This they did, so that painting could start.

The 5 panels had to be manoeuvered around a bit during painting, and this confirmed just how heavy they are. These panels are taller than the usual spearhead fencing seen along platforms.

To go with the spearhead fencing panels a new set of gates was also manufactured by the same volunteer. This was made possible by the experience gained from making our own panels for Broadway.

The gates are even heavier than the plain fencing panels! At the end of the day they had been turned, so that both sides are now in white primer.

The new spearhead gate posts will be hung from the cast iron gate posts removed from the drive at Broadway.

A picture from the past - Here are the same gate posts still in situ at Broadway. The wooden gates were cut down and used by the visitor centre at Winchcombe.

In the C&M shed at Winchcombe the running in board is getting a refurb and it is seen here at the back, waiting for new 12 inch letters. These will be in cast Aluminium as pioneered by Broadway, replacing previously used plywood which soon delaminated.

In the foreground is one of two panels for a new modesty screen to be installed by the gents toilet at CRC. By the end of the day one had been painted in gloss brown.

Cheltenham posts

The C&M team was working at Cheltenham Race Course, as well as on the short carriage shed extension at Winchcombe.






At Cheltenham, the plan is to erect some recovered spearhead fencing and a pair of newly made replica gates at the southern end of P1. Here the first hole is being dug.

These gates will be hung on the original cast iron station approach gate posts, taken away from Broadway.

The cast iron gate posts are away being repaired, as one was found to have snapped below ground level when it was dug out with the mini digger at Broadway.

Hence new post holes are being dug at CRC, to provide a pair of gates for the disabled access in heritage style.

The job of digging out the old gate post - a modern galvanised example - was pretty arduous, as it was bedded in concrete to quite a depth.







You can see the northern access to P1 here in the background, and in the foreground an SDS drill is being used to break out the concrete, which is about 2ft deep.

A gang of 3 (Jim H, Jim M and Phil) went there to do this job, and also deliver the fence posts for the new line of spearhead fencing.

At the end of the day one former post was out, and the other had about 50% of its concrete removed, with more to do next week.

We also have a picture of one of the 4 recovered spearhead panels, here resting at Winchcombe
for repair and de-rusting. Another 5 or 6 are being manufactured by us in-house, as they were at Broadway. We know how to do this now, using bought in components. They will be painted in the dry at Winchcombe first, prior to actual installation.

While the gang was at CRC there was a visitor in the form of P&O. This locomotive was wired up for sound recording, an unusual idea.
If you look carefully you can see the wire rolled out along the running board. There are also 3 foam rubber microphones along the top of the boiler. According to the footplate crew the sound recordings will be used by a well known model railway manufacturer to provide sound on their model locos. We hope not all of them! The mind boggles at the sight of a model standard tank chugging away like a 3 cylinder Bulleid pacific....

Our cub reporter from CRC also sent us this picture taken at Tyseley on Sunday. It shows Bahamas just outshopped after overhaul, and in steam.

Enjoy!

The other C&M team was working on finishing off the new shed extension for C&W at Winchcombe.

On an earlier day we caught the contractors in the middle of erecting the steelwork there. They had the old end of the shed off in just a morning, it went really quickly. This included two perfectly triangular pigeon's nests in the corners of the roof.

The little shed extension, to allow extra covered space for bogie overhauls, and perhaps even a goods wagon, is now pretty much up. It's a bit narrower than the rest of the shed, in order to allow continued unhindered access past the LH side, where things are a bit cramped.

During our visit the new roller shutter doors - the shed used to have an open end - were being installed and outside the C&M lads were mixing concrete to fill in the rest of the hole into which the extra stanchions have been placed.

The C&W will now be nice and snug inside. We were hoping for news of a house warming party, but so far, no luck.