The Gas Main Winter
The weather was generally mild - no snow. Only one session was lost to rain.
The Gas Main
The building work for the house required a new gas main from the road, underneath the railway and on to the house. The railwayt team was responsible for providing a trench where the pipe crossed the railway. The first picture shows the (deep) trench and the second picture shows the replaced rails. Notice the new sleepers and the imaginatave, compressor powered tamping device.
Engine Shed Bay
This was the Alan S project completed alone withonly limited assistance from DG.
The paint work had peeled and the surface was all broken up.
Alan first removed the old surface with a Kango, amd prepared a base on which to lay concrete slabs; recycled slabs were available on site but had to be cleaned and the old mortar clinging to them removed; the slabs were laid with a slight slope for drainage. Finally new paint was applied: matt to the walls and glossblack to the metal fixtures.
Signal Repairs
Throughout the winter Alan A set himsel up to repair signals in the new garages at the top of the drive.
These do suffer out in the weather all summer.
The picture shows Alan's base with a signal under repair.
Foot Crossings
Several foot crossings were replaced this winter, together with the sleepers underneath.
The old wooden sleepers had suffered significant rot and were replaced with the new, plastic, 'everlasting?' type.
Phil and Peter were the principals in this work although others jouined in.
BufferStops
Peter continued to refurbish bufferstops.
He even added a red light to one at Old Oak.
Odds and Ends
Plastic Sleepers : We began to use plastic sleepers this year.
Turntables : Were found in need of repair but no serious work was carried out.
Vegetation : Usual : Moss & Ivy removed from walls and weeds cut back from track.
Points : Two points stuck; dirt is even getting into boxes which need to be cleaned.
Group Photo
Not the whole group but these were present on February 7th.
Left to right : Alan Ainslie, Dave Mowatt, Phil Elke, Robin Smith, Dave Marsh and June with Sally & Sophie below.