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.

 

Hottest place in UK -18th Sept 2024

Another well attended midweek day on Wednesday.

Mike changed into long trousers before he finished cutting this and subsequent rails! Alex our Stonemason had almost completed the Up side of the pit as Fergus and him had an early start trying to avoid the blistering heat - BBC said Aviemore hottest place in UK today at 25C.

Georgie having a word with Alex about the "noise" emanating from his ghetto blaster - she suggested Classic FM!

Myself, Michael and Roddy keyed up many rails (easier said than done!) as Georgie measured and Mike cut them to fit, all in road two. 

Above was the scene (in road zero?) as we were leaving, after a hot tiring day but progress had been made on many fronts.

 

Road two taking shape - 13th & 14th September 2024

On Friday 13th! Ian reports -

"Iain Ross and self were taxed with drilling the rest of the softwood sleepers, and putting 1 chair on them; the other end of most of them will have a check chair and therefore the spacing is different. We also plugged and drilled 4 hardwood timbers which are sat towards the pit, and chairs were added both ends to them. Georgie was busy infilling the ductwork trench, after laying in witness tape to permit future maintenance staff to be aware of the route of the duct"

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Saturday saw a bigger squad of  Mike, David, Richard and Iain again

Above a new method of joining timbers at switch levers.

As can be seen above both switches in and fixed down, sleepers laid out to take closure rails, chairs have ferrules. Georgie seemed pleased with progress.

Thanks to all that attended and Ian & Mike for respective reports and photos. 

 

Rare future proofing at Aviemore - 10th Sept 2024

An extra mid-week day saw unexpected progress

Georgie had marked out all the sleepers that required drilling using the bullhead jig, I drilled and Roddy screwed down the pre-prepared chairs - back breaking stuff and no shorts worn today as about 20 degrees Celsius less than Saturday! with cooling blustery heavy rain, after lunch Georgie asked if we wanted a change in tasking?

Whilst Georgie dug the trench we carried the ducting some 200 yards to site, not so easy with the gusty winds.

Rope tied to fishplate and launched through each length, then all joined together and partially buried by hand, a water pipe was also buried - all in the name of future proofing - a rare concept at the Strathspey Railway I know but certainly easier than trying to burrow under the track as the S&T recently found out.

Thanks to Roddy and Georgie whom we left filling in using the JCB.   

 

  

Components getting in place Aviemore - 7th Sept 2024

Squad met at Aviemore and divided up - Roddy and myself tasked with oiling all the switch slidechairs at Aviemore, others sent to the Headshunt to finish packing and tidying from last Month, others putting ferrels in all the AS1 chairs to be found

By the time our respective tasks completed, Georgie had shunted vehicles out the way and a start was made 

laying component parts in approximate situ 

One switch rail and the crossing in the distance

By the end of the day we were all puggled by the heat, possibly Newton's third law in operation above!

Thanks to Roddy for the larger photos

Thanks to Michael, Ian, Fergus, David, Martin, Roddy and Georgie, a few of us attended an end of main season very enjoyable soiree at Aviemore Station, paid for by the Strathspey Railway Company.

 

Aviemore Works - Week ending 17th August 2024

Tuesday I think - Fergus made a start on the refurbishment 

of the stonework in pit, road two at Aviemore Shed.

Spoil wagons at the ready, site still to be levelled in the foreground, with another PWay train (ballast) arriving in the background. Thanks to Ryan for the above photos on Wednesday.

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By Saturday this was the start of work (or so we thought!)

site cleared through the week by Georgie and

concrete sleepers, switch & crossing, timbers and wooden sleepers all at the ready.

Alas we were diverted to the North Headshunt at Aviemore for more urgent repairs.

Thanks to John, Mike, David and Richard & Ian were part timers this time.