Wednesday 25 March 2015

Carriage Shed Concrete - 25th March 2015

 
After Keith, Stuart and Georgie did a bit of a shunt removing all the carriages from the shed,  at 1000hrs the concrete was meant to turn up.  1002hrs Ritchie's of Aviemore did and who ever said the Strathspey Railway don't get things through the back door!
 
 
By using the 360 degree machine the job was relatively simple, load up the bucket
 
 
and convey to the required position, as instructed by the Infrastructure Director!
 
 
Then a bit of levelling and shimmying
 
 
and from another angle, notice the Association Chairman still sitting down on the job! 
 
 
 
Finally, once Jim found the appropriate tools (even we, didn't expect the ladder!)
 
 
 job done, bar a few days curing, needless to say the weather was gorgeous again. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Sunday 22 March 2015

Ballasting by hand Aviemore - 21st March 2015

Good sized squad, good weather and we were working inside!
Starting with spreading Ballast beyond the buffer end of Number 8 Road  progressing to the cess between the dividing wall and Number 7 Road. (notice the recent addition of wooden expansion joints for the proposed concreting)
 

A word of thanks to Colin Frost and Friends who loaded the two Flatrol wagons by hand, taking the excess ballast away from around the Groundframe at the South end of Aviemore Station on a previous Sunday, I am sure they would have been seeking divine intervention during that light exercise! The Ballast too rapidly disappeared into the deep ravine and then it was dining alfresco in the comparatively over bright sunlight.
 
 
After Lunch we slowly headed back to retrieve more Ballast, stopping off near the Coal Bench to admire the view..... of the new fence and lockable gate of course!
 
 
and then a photo of our Mess Van parked out the way on the Turntable, eventually we made it up to finish us off by loading a few more tons of Ballast onto the Flatrols, no photos as I was too knackered. Roll on the re-sleepering which you will be glad to hear is back on, as sleepers have been released from 46512's grip...........
 
 
Which if you look hard enough can be seen steaming.
 
 
 
 
  
 

Sunday 8 March 2015

Missing Sleepers Aviemore Yard -7th March 2015

The plan was to be re-sleepering in Aviemore Yard, however the new replacement sleepers were found to be missing! It didn't take long to find them borrowed by the Engine Shed, supporting the boiler of 46512 which I believe, has to have been found to have cracks in the firebox? now requiring urgent repair.
 


After a productive "Pre-Season Volunteers meeting"  in the Cairngorm Hotel, Aviemore, followed by a hearty soup and sandwiches lunch, it was time to progress to plan B - Measured Shovel Packing (MSP) in the platform at Aviemore Station.
 
 
A good couple of lengths were completed with Bill Johnson (centre)  keeping his hand in, before his drive back North to near Thurso. Lets hope its not too long before we can use the sleepers for which they were purchased.