Maintenance Broomhill Section - 25th October 2025

With holidays etc only a few of us met at Boat of Garten, Georgie had already loaded up her  "truck" with the requisite tools and off we headed for Fisherman's crossing. 

A couple of dipped joints near the 90 mile post were just a warm up, the main event was some half a mile away near Lynchurn 2 level crossing, where above Andrew and Jeremy no doubt discussing their former mountaineering conquests of the visible snow capped peaks of the Cairngorms.

After much huffing & puffing and the dark art of Measured Shovel Packing, the concave joints are now convex, albeit briefly, as rail traffic will soon smooth it out to be perfectly level.

 

Luncheon was had in the relatively warm environs of Broomhill Porters Room, Georgie gave us the light task of spreading the ash on the Up cess just South of Broomhill bridge, which had recently been disturbed by trenching for cables.

Thanks to all the aforementioned and Fergus (the fishplate fiend) who joined us after his track inspection and yes he replaced one and left a further two for Georgie to attend to!  

 

Many trains at Boat of Garten - 17/18 October 2025

Following on from the previous P'Way blog - Thursday and Friday saw the Rail 200 Inspiration train stabled in the back platform at Boat of Garten open for the public to visit.

Above photos thanks to G.Sutherland at end of play Friday.

(Hope the many visitors appreciated our infrastructure maintenance!)    

As part of the visit there is a special Strathspey Railway Gala with two train running with mixed traction! (by the looks of things) 

Thanks to Rob Law for above two photos

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Saturday saw partial normality return, as the Rail 200 train had departed but apparently the two train running was still in operation.

Akin to "how many men to change a light bulb?" Answer : four! (as I had already failed with the powerful battery wrench first) - all to remove one chair screw! 

Fortunately they weren't all as hard as this one, dismantling all the chairs from the dead sleepers that Georgie had retrieved.

After luncheon was more of the same but it was easier as at least most of the sleepers were upright - alas we still could not see much of the many train movements taking place yards away!

Thanks to Mike,Fergus,Jeremy Iain, Michael & Ian (who joined in after his track inspection)

Boat Spruce up - 11th October 2025

We welcomed a new volunteer Mike who lives locally

and soon mucked in as above, apparently the brief description of the task from Georgie was "fill in the holes on the platform" She had left piles of gravel, only a matter of spreading, levelling and raking. We did end up digging out the worts of the moss and barrowing away, that kept Andrew, David, Richard & myself busy all day!   

 

Whilst I was admiring the finales on the completely renovated Running in Board above, Richard explained that it was himself and David Childs that had to overcome the different size lettering by grinding them down as part of their many tasks. Richard had also painted the platform edges on all three platforms in record time!

Jeremy, Mike and Michael set to battling the encroaching vegetation on the Down platform.

Thanks to all that attended.

 

Aviemore Miscellaneous - 20th September 2025

The main P'Way task today, was to fix the badly dipped joints just outside the door of road three at Aviemore Engine Shed.  

 Eventually dug out to see what was supporting rails - repaired in a nonconformist way, twice as above!

Other jobs completed - never ending task of switch slide chair oiling (only gets bigger each siding we build!) - Mike & Iain. Jeremy trimmed trees above the new wheelset siding that doesn't have a switch and felled a tree on wing wall at Dell of Spey.

Georgie and Ian busy clearing top of shed floor

 Alex (Master Builder) had previously done cutting and applied some of the new screed, to be continued.

Fergus found yet another broken fishplate on his track inspection and over and above the call of duty took the bus back to Boat of Garten to get it replaced ASAP.

Thanks to all mentioned, especially Mike whom supplied timeous photos/info.

 

More minor sleeper refurbishments Boat Yard - 13th September 2025

As can be seen from previous Blog posting, there were a fair number of concrete sleepers that didn't make the grade for our own mainline future use, 

so a good number were purchased from KJ Bownes of Worksop, already refurbished - even so Georgie wanted the nuts loosened, oiled and re-tightened - to ensure fit for purpose (changing individual sleepers when on mainline is major hassle!).

Thanks to David, Jeremy, Fergus, Richard, Michael & Mike who assisted after his track inspection & supplied info/photo  

 

Aviemore Wheelset storage - 30th August 2025

New Running Shed crossing and switch essentially complete, bar a lot of drilling and screwing down and packing, slewing

as pictured by Keith Holyland Friday afternoon.

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Saturday saw the Squad again meet at Aviemore but it wasn't the expected worksite location.

Old Speyside Platform loop has been removed by Georgie, after many volunteer back breaking hours of dismantling it into it's component parts and re-utilising most at Running Shed worksite. 

To compensate for the loss of track to store wheelsets and bogies, Georgie cleared and levelled a suitable area

and Martin, Mike, Fergus and a new face Jeremy quickly set about utilising the already secondhand concrete sleepers that weren't possible to refurbish. 

HS2 its not

but it won't stay exposed for scrutiny for long!

Aviemore Running Shed Track - ending Saturday 23rd August

By 1600 Friday - Switch & Crossing roughly in position.

Later on, an evening PWay train ready for departure.

By Saturday morning Georgie had train unloaded

And some of the bigger bits have come from a lot further afield than

Boat of Garten! (maybe there will shortly be 10 "roads" at Aviemore?)

Saturday saw Mike, Jeremy and Michael set out the new L1,s as above, retrieve fifty AS1,s via the green wheelbarrow! And drill forty hardwood sleepers slowly as they lived up to their name!

Thanks to all that attended & Ryan, Mike for photos and info.