Boat of Garten works - Two weeks ending 25th June

Saturday 18th June saw this years fishplate oiling completed in possibly record time

  thanks due to the regulars which included David, Michael, Iain (above foreground) Fergus, Ian and Mike who took the photo. Every joint was oiled on the "long welded" 180 foot length section and Georgie wanted every second normal 60 foot one done from Milton 1 level crossing into Boat of Garten Station (even though we did them last year!)

 

We are not so advanced with the hand spray weed killing as our long standing contractor has been very busy elsewhere, Mike has done much at Aviemore, Boat of Garten and Broomhill public Station areas and above even used some leftover weedkiller to do a small bit of our own P'Way Depot  but there is a huge amount of yards etc still to do.  

The following Saturday (not a normal P'way day) saw Fergus the Fencer and trainee Assistant Fencer Michael, helped by Mike in the afternoon erect a similar three wire chestnut pale fence at the request of one of our good neighbours (they kindly paid half the cost), 

the deal was brokered by Boat of Garten Stationmaster Walters who inspected the works as the last down train arrived (they kindly rotated 180 degrees so I could get the photo but I missed the fence!!!)

Miscellaneous progress up to - 14th June 2021

Alex the talented Stonemason has now rebuild and re-roofed the listed Highland Railway old toilet block at Aviemore Engine Shed.

As this project draws to a close another massive one commences close by - considerable ground works on the new Steam Running Shed.  

Mike surveyed and pegged it out for Georgie to start digging 

and removing using one of likely many spoil trains.

Saturday saw Georgie, David, Les, Ian (Aviemore) Fergus above and one of these days Mike might catch Michael working on camera! reached Lynchurn 1 level crossing on apparently penultimate day of fishplate oiling towards Boat of Garten.

Today's task was beset by problems from the rather wet start.

Look closely enough and Michael is actually working the weedkilling boom on the return run from the River Dulnain. The North British Locomotive had to get topped up with oil on arrival at Aviemore and then the diesel generator for the weedkilling pump packed in. Many thanks to Mike, Michael, John, Georgie and special mention to Jim Summers, Irvine Roy & Trainee for fortuitously working the signal boxes, although alas the Aviemore - Boat of Garten section is still to be done another day....

Meanwhile Andrew McCracken bravely single handedly managed to pre-drill and stack an amazing 41 new sleepers, although he reckons might have been more if he had a sharper drill bit!

Fishplate Oiling - Mid May and 4th June 2022

It's that time of year again 

So I headed to Broomhill recently to ready the fishplate oiling cans.

The previous P'Way weekend saw Mike, Michael, Iain and Georgie do the required joints ie those with the nuts on the outside of the "four foot", as each consecutive length alternates - nuts outside/inside, thus ensuring that every 120 feet are oiled every year (in theory!) above looks a particularly dry joint?

  

Georgie and possibly Iain getting close to the end of the day Croftnahaven No 2 level crossing, but it was a long tiring walk back to the Broomhill starting point.

Today was a glorious Strathspey day with a continuation of the squads favourite task, above Michael with the carefully laid down powertool, maybe wondering why the others are so far behind or why he is wearing waterproof trousers on possibly the hottest day of the year thus far.

Georgie was so pleased that Tullochgorum was reached that a lift back to the cars was in order (ice creams another time maybe!) Thanks to Kevin, Iain, Michael, Georgie and a recently post covid Mike whom provided info and photos.