Sunday 14 May 2023

Rapid visible progress on Running Shed - 12th May 2023

Following on from previous at Aviemore Running Shed - the East Pit floor
 

Shuttered and reinforcing mesh ready for concrete, taken by Mike Thursday.


Alex Walker the Builder in paradise.
Ian took Alex at speed (time is money!) as well as the 12.5 cubic metres of concrete



Job done for East Pit. 
Thanks to Alex and Ritchies Aviemore and all that attended and watered afterwards to prevent cracking during curing process.


 

Tuesday 9 May 2023

Kinchurdy Foot Crossing and Aviemore Running Shed - 6/8th May 2023


Coronation day saw a small squad head to Kinchurdy foot crossing


which had been temporarily removed to allow re-ballasting. 

after the excess ballast removed from the sleepers, just a case of renewing the packing and screwing down the crossing timbers into the old holes, or so we thought! Alas somehow they didn't line up at all, so new notches cutout and drilling new holes ensued, just after photo taken - Fergus' drill battery expired with it jammed in and a train coming......

mole grips saved the day. Eventually discovered that the foot crossing now has more of a skew to align better with the gate on the up side - hence the holes not aligning earlier. At the end Georgie had us trying to match her neatness on tidying the track shoulders, to be continued. Not sure if visible but the telegraph wires are apparently being shorted by the encroaching branches - Fergus planning to do a bit of pruning. 

Thanks to Mike, Fergus, Ian, Andrew and Georgie.

Bank Holiday Monday at Aviemore new Running Shed site saw the commencement of digging the East pit at long last but as luck would have it nothing but rusted car bits were dug up at the North end, hindering site clearance.

Thanks to Mike, Georgie and Alex (the stonemason).

Mike provided portrait photos.

P.S. Further progress below 09/05 


And today 10/05, I think both taken by Colin Sterling.



Friday 5 May 2023

Boat of Garten Works - April 2023

In April a lot of work has gone into the platform works at Boat of Garten


 and John above in all over orange did much of it! Assisted by David and Bruce (who took the photo) Bruce said the pea shingle was about the right size of ballast for him, as it was his Birthday and he bought us cake we let him off. Mike and Angus laid slabs for the wheelie bins below the footbridge. Fergus and I did the never ending job of oiling point slide chairs in the morning.


Georgie used the Road Rail machine to gently place old concrete sleepers to create a cheap retaining wall to stop debris


falling onto last years new Signalling bench, the rest of the squad had to use shovels, grapes and bars to good effect. 
Thanks to all that attended. 


This was passing traffic on 25th April - day two of a Photographers' Charter, please note that our PWay Messvan was painted specially for the occasion, it does look better than the undercoat green on one side gray on the other, painted by Andy McClintock many years ago as a temporary measure! 
I finished spreading the ballast on the headshunt but suspect not up to Geogie's standard!