Packing ballast Broomhill plainline - 11th February 2025

For mid-week, a big squad met at Broomhill,

unfortunately Georgie too quickly re-cycled the previously spent ballast back into the four foot using the JCB, sighting boards in position and track jacked up apparently 10mm high to allow for compaction and a 15mm cant, as apparently it is the tightest curve between Aviemore and Forres. 

We reluctantly left the warmth of the Porters Room, our first job to spread the ballast into the right places!

Then the hard slog came - clockwise me, Martin, Fergus & Angus simultaneously packing the ballast under each lifted sleeper, high rail first then back along the low rail, move jacks, sight  level & repeat, not sure Georgie was too impressed when she observed that we had managed to lift the track off the jacks with our obviously over exuberance! Eventually we where done literally and Mike & Iain had also pulled in all the pandrol clips. We left Fergus with Georgie doing a bit of slewing as it was getting dark....

Thanks to all that attended - track fit for traffic again.    

 

Broomhill plain lined - Week ending 8th February 2025

Mike reports with below photos - Wednesday 5th saw a small squad meet Broomhill

another 16 sleepers pre-drilled and PAN11 baseplates fitted, last of timbers removed using Colmar and Fergus in JCB.

Ballast cleared out, hopefully to the correct level, using GPS (a.k.a. Georgie) controlled JCB & the high-tech laser sighting boards !

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Scene at start of a chilly Saturday 8th Feb

and by mid afternoon!

Fergus further reports with above photo - Rails dropped in, fishplated and outside pandrols hammered in! (Pan puller missing) fun was had with the closure rails......

Thanks to Mike, Fergus, David, Andrew & Michael showed up after lunch 

 

Pre-drilling for Broomhill remodelling - 18th January 2025

I think this is the third time we have tried to restart the Broomhill Yard Remodelling, a good sized squad in dry temperate conditions met with the usual cooling Broomhill Breeze! 

The main task - to pre-drill mainline sleepers, using our new to us adjustable gauge set apparently 1/4 Inch wide, by the end of the day lots of flat batteries and 60ish sleepers drilled & requisite Pan 11 baseplates referruled & screwed down ready for use.

Also the turnout to be removed was mostly undone in preparation for the big lift planned first two weekends next month.

Thanks to Georgie, Ian, Fergus, David, Andrew, Richard, Martin & Mike who supplied photos and info. 

 

 

Chilly start to 2025

Friday 10th January saw Georgie & John Wood shunting PWay materials from Boat of Garten to Broomhill  

after much clearing of snow from switches etc John's photo.

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Saturday 11th didn't see the planned start of work at Broomhill for obvious reasons. On our arrival at Boat of Garten it was minus 16.5 Celsius! Loco needed a wee jump start and plan B eventually swung into operation -

retrieving all the broken fenceposts, old fencing wire and ryelock that Fergus (top right) our fencing contractor had neatly piled up after doing a lot of fence renewals 

between Boat of Garten and the Dulnain bridge, of course we had to push the previous days positioned vehicles onto the extension with us, after freeing the frozen brake blocks!

On the way back Georgie had us clearing vegetation around level crossings and bridges.  Ian's two thin photos. 

Thanks to Mike, Ian, Andrew, Fergus and Georgie.

    

 

 

PWay Annual "line Inspection" - October 2024

Saturday 19th October saw the PWay squad have our annual relaxed inspection of the line.

 On the 1230 Aviemore departure we had soup & sandwich light lunch courtesy of Strathspey Railway Catering Department in the TSO and very good it was too! As it transpired that was just a starter, as we somehow managed to get some complimentary bottles of beer and later on the 3pm departure, fish & chips from Smiffy's in the Observation Saloon courtesy of Strathspey Railway Company (SRC) as above. 

And on the return from Broomhill we had a good view of the loco workings. In years gone by we would all have then adjourned to a local hostelry but maybe next time.....

Thanks to SRC and all that managed to attend.

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Later in October the switch into road one at Aviemore Shed

was finally reinstated.

Apologies came across the above as draft only, thought i had published

 

Works taking shape at Aviemore - Week ending 12th October 2024

Thursday Midweek Squad saw a continuation of works at Aviemore. 

Fergus with his own personal whacker plate, possibly thinking "one of these days I'll get a hire fee from Strathspey Railway!" It is a very useful bit of plant.

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Saturday saw an even bigger squad.

Nathan applying heat, John applying some gentle persuasion!

 Above a considerable number of brand new check chairs required, as it is an A 6 1/2 Switch (believed to be from Grantown Gas Works many years ago) with a tight radius turnout necessitating a long checkrail. 

Mike, Angus and David topped up with many fresh loads of ash and again compacted using guess what? (might try and erase shadow of me sometime)

Close up of how the timbers in pit are joined up, these were AS1 chair screws, Mike was instructed to cut protruding square heads off, which he did to his satisfaction, Georgie subsequently asked Shed staff to further smooth them off!   

Scene near end of play as captured by John, Road 1 finally taking shape, no idea of the name of Road to future Running Shed?

Thanks to Mike, Angus, Roddy, David, Fergus, Michael, John, Ian, Richard and the brains behind it all - Georgie!  

 

Fencing and even larger timbers at Aviemore - two weeks ending 5th October 2024

An extra midweek day, with Georgie South we headed North - to assist Fergus fencing on the Dulnain extension, in perfect weather.

Apparently we got the large round posts cheap! Mike wielding Fergus' new post hole clam-shell digger, (he called it something else, but I think he was taking the proverbial!) does the job until finding large boulders, rare photo of Michael working or perhaps leaning on Fergus' "too heavy bar", even for Mike  

who used his golf swing to mell the posts to the correct height, Fergus took no chances with any colour blind bulls, he covered his high viz.

We never heard David hit his thumb once, quite amazing really as he did all the staple hammering. Fergus thanked us for our efforts, a few more to do.

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Saturday 5th October saw a slow start with the Boss having to cadge a lift from Inverness, returning her hired van after her usual sojourn South.

Martin under the watchful gaze of Nigel (Shed Foreman's dog) cuts a clear edge and later removes debris from pit floor.

Concrete sleepers fortunately inserted by Colmar  

likewise the heavy longitudinal timbers

Martin and Richard packing the ends to try and get them level in warm sunshine.

Thanks to Mike (todays photos & info) Michael, David, Iain, Martin & Richard.