Saturday 23 February 2013

Saturday 23rd February 2013

What an enjoyable day! It was very cold, but 8 volunteers were able to keep warm with a variety of tasks.

The best efforts of the brick cleaning gang have not been able to get ahead of the rapid brick laying that has been carried out over recent weeks, so Dave B and Peter H helped master chiseler Robin get back ahead of the game! Some 400-500 bricks were cleaned and ready for the next lot of bricklaying.  Quite an achievement in one day!

Here Hilary Roesen passes through the brick cleaners on her way to the bonfire. Hilary has volunteered to clear the flower borders opposite the Station frontage. It has needed a bit of TLC for some time. Marguerite is giving Hilary some "guidance" as to how to proceed!

The full frontage and border are shown below and will  be quite a challenge. The GWR Youth Volunteers were asked if they wanted to help, but declined in order to finish a re paint of George Forrest's diesel shunter. I can understand that! They promised to come later in the year.

Back on platform 2  we started to finish off the covering up of the new power cabling. Again it is a job that needs the assistance of a mini excavator but some progress was made and another treasure trove of red bricks was uncovered!









Later in the day Jo and I put in the marker pegs for the next stretch of platform 2. Boy is there some spoil to shifted to get a clear runway to pull the foundation trench. where will we put it? I'm not sure yet but we won't be chucking down any embankment!







We had a visit from Greg Wigg today, from the GWR Archiving Trust. He made the mistake of coming in his working gear and standing in one place for too long. I was obliged to put a shovel in his hand!











Lastly a couple of interesting photos. The first shows the slightly different alignment of the new platform verses the old. The shallow trench is were the old platform foundation was.

Lastly a relic found on the track-bed by John B. Any ideas?

Thanks to Jim Hitchen who beavered away in the new container, installing lighting, shelves and generally organising our stocks. A great job - you could happily eat your dinner off the floor now!

Thanks for the photos Jo.






8 comments:

Nelson Street said...

Hi

It is an LMS telegraphic Code Plate early LMS wagons were fitted as an extension of the Midland scheme. DB was a Double Bolster wagon - I haven't been able to find DBO

Malcolm

Bill said...

Thanks Malcolm, I new there would be someone out there that would know!

Anonymous said...

Perhaps it could be incorporated into something larger to provide a ' Date Broadway Opening ' information plaque on the approaches, in the fullness of time ?
Chris Crump

Dave said...

Jim's work on the new container, along with John C and others who helped, will be a huge benefit to the rest of us - really a great job and an example to the rest of us who need to keep it tidy!

Anonymous said...

What's the reason for the slightly different alignment between the old and new platforms shown in the picture?

Bill said...

Slightly wider between platforms to ensure regulatory 300 x 600 refuge under platform edge.

Nelson Street said...

Hi
Just a follow up to the DBO plate - a friend has confirmed that it was a 20ton Double Bolster - the last letter indicating the load capacity
Malcolm

Anonymous said...

>Slightly wider between platforms to ensure regulatory 300 x 600 refuge under platform edge.

Thank you.