Wednesday 9 October 2013

Wednesday 9th October 2013 - What a Busy and Productive Day!

What an enjoyable morning, spent with 20 of my volunteering chums. The site was fair buzzing with activity!


Brick laying was continuing on Platform 2B. Some attention was being given to ensuring an accurate height and course alignment as we move towards the corbelling.










It it all worked out well, with some guidance from John C our oracle on all matters construction. The Platform 2 wall is really looking tremendous!










Back behind Platform 2 a team continued to lay the vertical 3x2 slabs at the rear of the wall. These slabs provide a buttress between the ballast infill and the embankment behind. Cosmetically they will also protect the edge of the tarmac, which will eventually  be the finishing platform surface. I think the team new they had been working by the end of the day!






Further northwards a third team was clearing the ground space beyond 1B. We need to assess the challenges of building 1C, which would give the GWSR Board  the 10 coach platform that they've been "dreaming" about! mmmmm.... A great deal of building collateral was shifted north and west. Such hard work - the JCB is coming on Saturday to shift the large stuff.






Brick cleaning carried on in the mean time.

We had a very welcome  attendance by Brian from the Trackside Gang today - cutting back the undergrowth above 1C and 2B. A great job was done and Brian has committed to returning on subsequent weeks to continue the work. By this time, Brian I will remember your surname (sorry about that  - brain overload!)



We had a a coach party arrive at 12:30 (our first of many?) to look at progress. The party was from the Stratton Probus Club and had been arranged by Keith Newman, their Programme Secretary. The group had already had a train ride and were off to Broadway for lunch. I gave them a 5 minute chat on what was happening on site and they were all very interested in our project. They were a very pleasant and friendly  group of people. Thank you for coming!



I was helped out with escorting the the visitors by Vic  who was on hand doing battle with the undergrowth on the driveway. Cheers Vic!


8 comments:

Neil Shepherd said...

Re. tarmac on the platforms. I see that weeds are already established in some of the infill. If they are not to come through the tarmac, you would be best to have 75mm to 100mm of freshly quarried type1 stone over a geotextile membrane as the top layer of fill before laying the tarmac. Geotextile suppresses the weed growth from below. Weedkillers don't work as well as they used to. The EU has banned all the ones that work, on the grounds that they are harmful to the weeds, sorry, environment.

Anonymous said...

10 coaches! How long are the platforms at the other stations? is the board going to be asking for help to stretch other stations? The new/replacement platform at Cheltenham is not that long.
Ian H.

Richard Johnson said...

I was also intrigued to read about the 10 coach platform. We (C&W) have been tasked with ensuring that we have at least three, and ultimately four 7 coach rakes for when we get to Broadway.

We don't have enough coaches for ten coach rakes (unless we buy several more).

Dave said...

I presume the 10 coach platform is to accommodate excursions from the mainline via Honeybourne. Will there be a 2C to match?

Anonymous said...

Are you able to provide walking tours of the site?

Anonymous said...

I believe part of the reason of 10 coach platforms is so that the loco can be in the station as well, as that gives great visitor feedback, being allowed on the footeplate. I heard the crc platform was going to be bult for 10 coaches also I think, the priginals ended up being 14 coaches long by the time it closed it was so busy durig race days. Perhaps on days when only a couple of rakes are in use they will be extended with the spare rakes...
Alex

Anonymous said...

Any news about a footbridge I heard there may be one in the offing?

Anonymous said...

Ten coach platforms. Sounds like the WSR. A loco does not move on the WSR unless it has ten coaches behind it - empty or not, lack of platform length no problem. Still the WSR is a branch line, the G&WR is a main line.