15th April 2023
Cold start but turned out to be a very warm day and attended with thirteen friends who were:- Alan June plus Tim Heather Alan S Mick David D David G Dave M Dave MB Peter W Peter S Jamie Robin and not forgetting Cliff who turned up earlier than expected so we had to wait a bit longer for lunch. Picture on the left shows lunch and David G is not present as e continued with fault finding detailed below. Projects today included tidying the railway Heather cleaned the signal boxes and both turntables signals out various friends fault finding on the signalling and testing Robin David G and Alan A washing ballast and improving the area at the carriage shed Peter W Dave MB Tim Alan S Mick and installation of a metal step at the loco shed Alan S. Thanks to June for the tea and cakes.
Step
Alan S constructed the steel step to replace the wooden ones that have not lasted. This step is screwed to the wall but can be lifted and removed for the winter months.
Carriage shed area
The ballast washer was relocated to behind the carriage shed as it makes so much mess with waste and water. The pile of dirty ballast was removed from the carriage shed area and then washed and relayed to provide a better surface and make the area look more presentable. We all got wet at some point either due to the hose pipe coming adrift or someone not looking at where they were pointing the hose!!!! Mick can be seen supporting the spade this week.
Signals
Cliff has repaired two more signals Baytree 18 and Old Oak 2 and has put new bases on the posts which means longer bolts required I will bring next time. Also he has put an insert into the posts where the bolts pass through to reduce water and weather damage.
Everyone played a part in putting the signals out. Once in place Robin and David D tested the operation of each signal box.
At Old Oak there was one track circuit fault and in the pictures below Alan A and David G can be seen working through the fault finding process.
The fault was eventually traced to the relay and the 2BA bolt had fractured rendering the relay unusable. I have attached picture of the bolt and nut as it looks hollow. All replaced and in working order.
We seem to have another signlling engineer permanently on site in the form of a toad. The toad was located resting inside Spinney number 9B points machine. Jamie can be seen cleaning the area.
Next time
Spinney point number 7 which leads to the branch requires adjusting after having bearings replaced. I will bring longer bolts for the two signals that require installing.
1st April 2023
The weather was dreadful on the Friday but proved to be a good day on Saturday and allowed for us to complete many jobs. Twelve friends and were Alan June Andrew plus Tim Peter Peter W Dave M Dave MB David D Cliff Robin Nick Andy Mick and Alan S. Due to flooding at home I was delayed in arriving and was beaten by Cliff so I called lunch before everyone else mentioned it. David G had another pressing engagement so could not attend I have never known him miss so many. The picture on the left shows Peter W putting finishing touches to the signal at the entrance to the tunnel. Peter has been working on signals at home and this signal was previously permanently wired but now has a connector so it will join the others at Winter time. Cliff has also been working at home and has made signal identification plates and these have been fixed to all the Baytree signals unfortunately I was unable to get a good photo of these. Dave M bought along the Ivatt he is building and he is progressing well again I was unable to get a picture of this but I am sure there will be a chance later this year.
The branch line at the Old Oak foot crossing has been re sleepered using plastic sleepers as the previous sleepers had not lasted and rotted very quickly. The foot crossing just needs new boards to be fitted and we await the material. Also completed was the engine shed road a panel was re sleepered and re ballasted. David D made a sketch of the track layout and marked where there was a need to spot re sleeper quite a lot as it turned out pictures show work at the top of the branch and Robin checking he has the plans up the right way.
Alan S has laid some paving slabs next to the engine shed but on the grassed area. This will allow for container to store the wood etc used for lighting up the steam locomotives rather than the present situation of just to be found somewhere in the loco shed. Peter and Dave MB worked mostly out of sight by clearing the debris from between the tunnels and can be seen struggling to move the leaves to the bottom of the garden.
Next time
The retaining wall as you approach Spinney has started to collapse and is at risk of fouling the line and will need some agreed repair before we run trains.
18th March 2023
Cancelled due to weather forecast which is mostly rain. Cliff has offered to run his 00 gauge railway.
Peter W took up Cliffs offer and enjoyed running the railway although he states that it would take many more visits for him to get the hang of it all. Maybe the wiring could be tidied up.
4th March 2023
Twelve friends today and were:- Alan and June plus Tim Andy Dave MB Dave M Phil Peter W Robin Nick Paul David D Cliff and Jamie. David G was away again sunning himself whilst Mick and Alan S both suffering from ailments of one sort or another we wish them well. Activities of the day mainly centred on track replacement along the branch line and engine shed roads. Progress can be seen in the pictures and when Cliff arrived we stopped for lunch although only one picture of this batch of three shows any work but leaning on a shovel and sitting in a wagon is a British way of life. Thanks to June for the teas and cakes.
Unfortunately the track was ballasted before the rails had been bolted together at each end and this resulted in the track panel being too long and requiring an angle grinder to shorten. Peter W is continuing with his signal restoration and has decided to remove Spinney 102 signal at the entrance to the first tunnel and change from a permanent fixture to a removable signal so it can be taken in during the winter months. The winters have taken their toll and Peter has taken the signal home for rebuilding.
When the wooden boards were lifted from the foot crossing or rather fell away it was noted that the sleepers had rotted to such a degree that they required renewing. These sleepers have only lasted ten years so we are trying to source some plastic sleepers as being under a wooden crossing they do not get a chance to dry out. Whilst removing the rotten sleepers we decided on some forward planning and have installed a new pipe so that should we require to run any electrical cables we have the means to run it past the foot crossing. Each end of the pipe is covered over with tape until it needs to be used to avoid blockage.
One panel has been removed from the loco shed road as this is where it buckled last year in the heat. The panel was constructed using a smaller screw and tightened restricting movement this has been changed to the current practice and size of sleeper. We ran out of sleepers hence the short gap. Both relaying projects have been reusing old ballast which has been sieved and washed twice along with some new ballast.
18th February 2023
Good weather for the time of year allowing progress to be made. Eleven friends today and were:- Alan June Andrew Hayden plus Tim David D Dave MB David G Mick Cliff Robin Peter W Peter S Phil and Paul. Alan S stayed at home as he is unwell otherwise it was the usual regulars. Cliff arrived so we stopped for lunch. Peter W has restored another colour light signal and Cliff returned two restored signals and took another one away. Have these been through quality control? Cliff said he was taking a signal away with a faulty arm hope he gets better soon. Thanks to Dave MB Peter W for photos June and a special mention to Hayden as he took over the role of suppling the teas and cakes well done.
Robin has painted a track gauge yellow well what other colour is there and I can recommend diagonal black stripes. The colouring denotes that it is one millimetre over gauge and ideal for radius. Many hands again to make new track panels. We progressed so well we decided to lift another track panel which brings the relaying project up to the foot crossing.
Mick used his class 20 with sound effects to deliver the new ballast and was the first train movement of the year. Even when we had lunch we could hear the loco ticking over just like the full size railway. Unfortunately we had a drizzle of rain after lunch which made the aluminium rails slippery and the brakes were not sufficient to control the ballast train when descending the branch line gradient so Mick put it away didn't want to put flats on the wheels.
All the old ballast is being washed and we found that passing the old ballast through the machine twice made the ballast as good as the new ballast delivered from the ballast pit. There is still a lot of ballast to wash which will save us money but it is a filthy and wet job. I fear that the siding seen in the picture will need to be lifted and ballast cleaned. Whist at it it would be a good idea to ease the radius leading to it as a few locomotives had struggled here. Righthand picture shows the progress today with re sleeperd track back in situ connected with fish plates and lightly ballasted. Evidence of the last panel to be lifted can be seen with the sleeper indentations. Ballast here looks good on the surface but is just a covering over the earth below which will require digging out.
The day ended as it started with a lot of discussion and picture shows the group discussing the track circuit arrangement which apparently does not conform to normal track circuiting. I left early so am unaware of any decisions made or do we need to stand around and chat a bit more or do we need more people to stand around and contribute? Andrew and David G were leading the way with this issue.
4th February 2023
A warmer day than last time but still a chill in the air when you stopped working. Twelve friends today and were:- Alan June plus Tim David D Dave M Dave MB David G Alan S Mick Cliff Robin Jamie Peter W and Paul. Cliff emailed to say he would briefly pop in during the afternoon and reminded us to stop for lunch. Cliff has been working at home on repairing signals and came to deliver and collect another one. Unfortunately the signal he intended to bring did not pass quality control and will need attention to paint work. Cliff has taken a signal from Baytree. Also repairing signals is Peter and can be seen holding his latest work of art SY101 which is normally located between the two tunnels and clearly shows the side fill in piece to match the angle of the cutting wall. The old one needed so much repair work that he made a new one using LED lamps which can be easily changed. The two main projects continued with great pace and can be seen in the following pictures. Thanks to June for the teas and cakes.
The two main projects can be seen in the following pictures firstly branch line track renewals with eight friends working on this. Last time the ground was frozen thankfully the groundwork was manageable and the old ballast was dug out and piled up at Old Oak in readiness for ballast cleaning next time. The track bed has been lowered so that the rail level is inside the side retainers and ballast will not slip away as was previously the case. A new membrane has been installed.
Last time the steps were installed for measurement and gauging this time they were removed and then reinstated with cement and postcrete for the retaining wall. Next time will see the surrounding area back filled and ground work levelled.
These two pictures clearly show the progress made during the day.
21st January 2023 a cold day
The white frost did not clear from the ground and temperatures remained around Zero definitely woolly hat weather. Thirteen friends braved the low temperatures today and were:- Alan June plus Tim David D Dave M Dave MB Alan S Mick Cliff Andy C Robin Phil Jamie Peter W and Peter S. David G is still somewhere sunny. Cliff arrived so we stopped for lunch where the sun was shining and Cliff proudly showed off the signal he has repaired. Unfortunately this signal was marked OO 10 and was removed sometime ago and replaced with a shunt signal. However a good exercise as there are more to do and we might need a spare signal. Jobs today include remaking track building up the ground level behind the carriage shed clearing the Old Oak turntable and installing new steps at the carriage shed area. Thanks to June for the teas and cakes as we needed the warmth.
As can be seen track replacement is progressing on the branch line the track was lifted and re sleepered but the ballast or most of it could not be dug out as it was frozen hard. The loose ballast has been piled up some for cleaning when weather improves.
The track in the picture has been laid to show progress but will need removal to dig out the ballast and have a new membrane installed which we have done for the rest of the railway track renewals.
A sunny spot was chosen to carry out the resleepering.
The area behind the carriage shed has had a retaining board installed and the ground area raised using earth from the other side of the carriage shed. This not only removed a hump of soil that was in the way it has made it possible to walk behind the carriage shed for inspections. The carriage shed area including the turntable at Old Oak was cleared of all leaves where possible. The main project in this area is to install steps and a re continuation of the retaining wall. Picture shows Alan showing he can hold a tree up. Currently everything has been laid out in place to ensure all parts fit before cementing into place which will be for next time. Peter W has offered to get the cement and Alan S will bring his angle grinder to cut some slabs. A lot of progress made today.
7th January 2023 First meeting of the year
Attendees were June Alan A plus Peter S Peter W Robin Nick David D & David MB. Apologies were from Cliff having to look after Marian as she had broken her arm David G. had gone to warmer climes Mick Alan S (still suffering from a Christmas cold) and Heather and I which left 6 friends starting the winter maintenance which can be seen in the pictures. Thank you to Peter W and Dave MB for the contributions so that I could publish this article and to June for the teas and cakes to keep them going.
Peter W continued with BE10 socket which took a long time to finish as it was done in the rain. The photo of me hitting it with a 7lb hammer was taken by Dave MB just a staged photo hopefully. Peter also walked all the track fitting socket covers and was surprised that so many had not had covers put in place when each signal had been taken in last year!
Everyone else was involved in lifting 3 track panels to Old Oak removing sleepers bending rails offering up more bending more offering up and so on. All that took place before and after lunch and hopefully this will be completed at next meeting. Lunch took place in the "tidy" engine shed. In Cliff's absence lunch was declared by someone at 1pm. Robin has taken some track gauges home for recalibrating. The weather started off drizzly but improved we even saw some blue sky at one point. It started raining again at about 3.30 when David D. went home everyone else left between 4 and 4.15.
10th December 2022 A cold day
A lot of friends decided to stay away stating it was cold whereas it was not cold it was freezing to start with and ok when the sun came out. It was minus 3 when I left home and we reached the increasing temperature of plus 3. An increase of 6 degrees which made it feel quite warm!!! especially after a warm mince pie or two from June. Pictures show the rail head conditions which were very slippery and we couldn't have run a train if we tried. First project of the day was to repair Spinney number 7 point but unfortunately we did not have the correct bearing replacement something Alan S has taken away to get an exact replacement. Six friends who braved the day were:- Alan A June plus Tim Alan A David G Cliff Dave M (am) Dave MB (pm) (Took it in turns so there was always a Dave on site). Thanks to June for the teas and warm mince pies which went down a treat.
The main project of the day was clearing out the engine shed sweeping / hoovering away dirt and rubbish along with unused items. Thanks to Cliff for cleaning my water bowser. A lot of items found their way to either the dustbin or fire David can be seen on one of his many trips to the fire area. Floors hoovered and items placed in containers to keep everything together a good result see how long things stay in their intended place and the shed remains tidy.
In the clear up we found a card I had written to Bob a few years ago which stirred up some memories.
Cliff has taken away some signals to repair which will include new lenses and some nuts and bolts replaced.
Thanks to David G and Dave MB for taking some photos which have been included in this news.
The next meeting will be in the new year on 7th January where unfortunately David G and I will not be able to attend so news depends on contributions from those who attend.
Happy Christmas to all the friends and readers and see you in the New Year.
26th November 2022 Start of winter maintenance
A good turnout and most can be seen in the picture showing a lunch break Missing from the photo was Alan A and Peter S who arrived afterwards (Cliff has a contender). Cliff emailed to say he was unable to make it today and to start lunch without him so we did. We wish him well. Eleven friends today and were:- Alan June plus Tim Heather David D Dave MB David G Robin Jaime Henry Paul Peter W and Peter S.
A mild weathered day getting chilly at the end so we all packed up by 15.00. Thanks to June for the tea's and cakes.
Peter W continued to supply and fit backing plates to the signal connectors and fit covers over the sockets to protect them through the winter months as seen in the right hand picture. I removed over ballasted line through Baytree so the sleepers don't rot and then the main task of the day which everyone got involved with was the disconnecting cleaning and putting away the signals and block instruments. At least three signals require attention to repair lens fallen out wood has rotted and better fixing method required Peter W has taken Spinney SY101 away to repair. Spinney SY10 signal seems to be completely mobile as the small cement base has come out of the ground. Robin has written on some of the signals their identity so we should be able to put them back in the correct location and signal box. Excess moss was removed from the Old Oak carriage shed and gutters cleared however the down pipe is blocked and the leaves need to be pulled out next time. The Old Oak turntable was buried under leaves so this became a project with many helpers.
At the next meeting it is hoped to start on the relaying project on the branch approaching Old Oak which has been mentioned in the previous news.
5th November 2022
Due to the inclement weather cold wet and miserable today has been cancelled. Winter has started. Next time we need to put the signals away.