Saturday 22 June 2013

Saturday Gang - 22nd June 2013

A select band of 8 volunteers turned out today. Nevertheless it was a productive day and, as the pictures show, a good humoured one!

The main task of the day was  to shift and  then strengthen the framework for our lean-to equipment shelter. Firstly the frame had to be disconnected from the mess hut.















It then had to be frog marched to the new location farther to the north.



 Having re-located the frame, it had to be screwed down to some new slabs and generally supported from the back by stakes in the ground.









It was one of those jobs that Heath Robinson would have been proud of. Robin Elliott acted as our QA man. It remains for the corrugated sheet cladding to be put back on, which I'm hoping the Wednesday Gang will do!







I guess the important work of the day was the bricklaying going on Platform 2. Clive was the sole bricklayer today. Clive, with only the new petrol mixer for company was able to complete another course of bricks at the norther end.

As I say it was a very enjoyable day. Lunchtime in the mess hut was particularly relaxed, and I was able to sit back and listen to the exchanges between a group of well travelled and knowledgeable  people, all  now with the common goal of bringing life back to Broadway Station.




4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bill
Great blog. Have enjoyed reading for quite a while, and hope to visit the railway again in a few years.
Your picture on the misc scrapbook page of the Station website features a "strange horse drawn wagon" - this is a horsedrawn portable steam engine under a tarp. See http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/engines/types/portable-engine/makers/
I'm far from expert but most have the flywheel at the front - therefore an early one?

cheers
Rupert
Ps The email addresses seem not to be working.

John of Nuneaton said...

One thing you quickly learn in railway preservation is how many times you have to spend time taking down & putting up portable structures and fittings. Regratably when first planning a job nobody forward thinks as to what the final outcome will be so you will constantly be wasting valuable time, money and effort. It's all part of that rich "learning curve". It's only when the job has finally been completed do you realise how you could have done quicker & better. I know as I've been there and got the T-Shirt at another railway in the Midlands which has the only main line double track section in railway preservation.

Bill said...

John,
Regrettably your right! We try to avoid duplication of effort but sometimes we have to make things up as we go along.
Bill

Bill said...

PS,
Rupert, thanks for your comments and observations.
Bill