Shovelling Ballast - 22nd February 2020

Saturday saw a small but pretty determined squad ignore the pretty horrendous weather forecast - heavy snow showers and gales.

 

Hopefully in the not too distant future the above "bomb site" will once again be an inspection pit inside a shed!

 

To keep us warm Georgie got us to dig up the excess ballast from the mainline and barrow

 

 



it into the "6 foot" between the mainline and the recently created siding, above Roger and Graeme at the start and end of the tiring day.

 

 

Fortunately Roger had got the Brakevan stove toasty in the Dock at Boat of Garten, so we had extended breaks throughout the day in comfort, above the Diesel multiple Unit pauses at station enroute to Broomhill.



Slewing, Sighting & Packing Boat of Garten North Yard - 15th February 2020

John Wood reports -

"Another big squad today, two Ian's, Mike, Roger, Jim, Angus, Martin, Fergus, John, and Georgie. Weather was as predicted cold, windy and wet (aka Storm Dennis)
  

 

First tasks, slew the assembled siding 6 foot 6 inches from the mainline to ensure the were no gauging issues, then move timbers and sleepers to the  Boat end of the worksite ( Ian and Georgie ) with the Road Rail Vehicle (RRV)
  John, Fergus, Angus & Roger replaced all the temporary fishplate bolts with the correct length items (as they could not be sourced first time round!) 

 

   Rest of the squad began sighting, lifting and packing the first rail, then cross levelling, lifting and packing the second rail on 154 sleepers on the new siding. This task took us until well after lunch, once complete, we re packed a couple of dipped joints on the siding and buffer end.

 

Lastly we dug out six beds to accommodate the cross timbers which will be used to locate the new RRV rail traversing platform to enable the RRV to get onto both the siding and the mainline in a timely manor.

 

 

 

Good to see the DMU out with fare paying passengers aboard" (seen above at Aviemore, poised for Service on the Sunday)



Sidings & Restaurants! - 8th & 12th February 2019

John Wood Reports - Saturday 8th Feb

 

 

"Georgie, Andrew and myself, unloaded short rails and some other rail parts at Morley's from the PWay train, one long, one short bolster wagon, brake van and the wee shunter using the Road Rail Vehicle (RRV)
Wooden sleepers were slung and moved with the RRV to bridge the gap in the proposed siding up to the buffer stop, then 60ft lengths of rails were put into the previously laid concrete sleepers, Mike, Ian and Jim pitched up to assist after lunch. The 60ft rails were then clipped up (Mills clips ready to be hammered in above)  and fishplated, with the closure rails cut to length at the buffer stop end. Job was just about completed with just 120ft to be clipped before we called it a day.

 

Didn't manage much in the way off photos as it was bitterly cold wind, I wasn't taking my gloves off lol. Photos show finished siding to be slewed leveled and packed in the future."

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Wednesday 12th Feb

For some Months now, the PWay squad have, as in previous years been seconded mid week on a temporary basis to the Carriage & Wagon Department to help clean and polish the carriages of the Strathspey Railway. The warm environment of the modern shed are indeed quite inviting at this time of year. 

 

As is usual, its teamwork that gets things done, Angus and Andrew apply the polish

 

 

Mike and Jim remove it.

 

 

Meanwhile outside in the cold, the first of the mid-week Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) Services convey a handful of passengers admiring the Winter scenery, just visible through the diesel induced "clag" are the Signal Boxes at Aviemore our one working and Network Rail's one now redundant.  

 

 

The above "RU" - Restaurant - Unclassified - meaning it caters for 1st & 2nd class passengers, was last repainted in 2013 and now looks as good as new!

Apparently going to get an internal makeover - perhaps it might feature in   https://restoringcoachesataviemore.blogspot.com/ in the future? 

 

Many thanks over the past Months to - Angus, Andrew, Mike, Jim, Bruce, John H, Martin, Roger, Les, Roddy Roderick and many more I am sure!

 

Rumour has it there may be a "quick paint job" of a carriage to keep us busy!

 

 

 

 

Track Laying "Morley's" - 02.02.20

Today Georgie gleefully told us that it was only minus 6 degrees! That only took us a little longer to get the Mess Van fire satisfactorily going before we ventured out.

 

 

The previous day Ian and Bruce had carefully marked up the positioning of the proposed sleeper ends in yellow on the ground and the spacing of the sleepers at 22 per 60 foot length (it is only a siding!) marked in white on the rails.

 

 

The Road Rail Vehicle (RRV) had positioned the re-built buffer end in approximately the correct position -  6 foot 6 inches from the Running line.

 

 

In true Strathspey fashion it snowed, obscuring all the markings! but we still managed to sling in all the required concrete sleepers - although a wee bit higilty pigilty.

 

   

After some more fine lining of sleepers, Georgie decided we could start putting in the rails

 

 

by after 4pm, 3 lengths were in, with a few Mills Clips holding it all in place, we left Georgie and Bruce attempting to fishplate up our credible efforts - certainly visible progress today.

 

Many thanks to Bruce, Kevin, Andrew, Mike and Georgie - in the nice and warm cab of her RRV! 

 

 

 

 

Siding construction "Morley's" - 1st February 2020

 

Another excellent turnout from far and wide, to start construction of the track into Boat of Garten North Yard ("Morley's")

 

Roger gets High Speed instructions from Kevin, on how to break the metal securing band on the second hand sleepers. 
 

Using the well built sleeper template, constructed many years ago by Hamish MacKay, the holes are pre-drilled to gauge again by Roger ( Octogenarian learning more new skills!), in the pouring rain.

 

 

 Quite a production line was in operation - getting the chairs, new ferrules tapped in, screws dipped in creosote then tapped in and finally screwed down. The 24 Network Rail sleepers bought from Doncaster, soon turned into very useful components for building an eventual bullhead track panel (I guess!).

 

 

Meanwhile another team got to re-build the buffer end, which was surplus to requirements from the Network Rail re-modelling scheme at Aviemore last year. Georgie using the rail jacks to get the correct gauge.

 

 

Above John carefully cuts, the previously crude gas-axed rail ends, so that they can be fishplated up eventually, once the rail drill has done its job. A fair bit of huffing and puffing was required to try and get buffer end true and square. 

 

The Gang worked through the weather elements and a lot was achieved. Thanks to Jim, John, Ian, Bruce, Kevin, Angus, Roger and of course Georgie.