Works taking shape at Aviemore - Week ending 12th October 2024

Thursday Midweek Squad saw a continuation of works at Aviemore. 

Fergus with his own personal whacker plate, possibly thinking "one of these days I'll get a hire fee from Strathspey Railway!" It is a very useful bit of plant.

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Saturday saw an even bigger squad.

Nathan applying heat, John applying some gentle persuasion!

 Above a considerable number of brand new check chairs required, as it is an A Switch (believed to be from Grantown Gas Works many years ago) with a tight radius turnout necessitating a long checkrail. 

Mike, Angus and David topped up with many fresh loads of ash and again compacted using guess what? (might try and erase shadow of me sometime)

Close up of how the timbers in pit are joined up, these were AS1 chair screws, Mike was instructed to cut protruding square heads off, which he did to his satisfaction, Georgie subsequently asked Shed staff to further smooth them off!   

Scene near end of play as captured by John, Road 1 finally taking shape, no idea of the name of Road to future Running Shed?

Thanks to Mike, Angus, Roddy, David, Fergus, Michael, John, Ian, Richard and the brains behind it all - Georgie!  

 

Fencing and even larger timbers at Aviemore - two weeks ending 5th October 2024

An extra midweek day, with Georgie South we headed North - to assist Fergus fencing on the Dulnain extension, in perfect weather.

Apparently we got the large round posts cheap! Mike wielding Fergus' new post hole clam-shell digger, (he called it something else, but I think he was taking the proverbial!) does the job until finding large boulders, rare photo of Michael working or perhaps leaning on Fergus' "too heavy bar", even for Mike  

who used his golf swing to mell the posts to the correct height, Fergus took no chances with any colour blind bulls, he covered his high viz.

We never heard David hit his thumb once, quite amazing really as he did all the staple hammering. Fergus thanked us for our efforts, a few more to do.

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Saturday 5th October saw a slow start with the Boss having to cadge a lift from Inverness, returning her hired van after her usual sojourn South.

Martin under the watchful gaze of Nigel (Shed Foreman's dog) cuts a clear edge and later removes debris from pit floor.

Concrete sleepers fortunately inserted by Colmar  

likewise the heavy longitudinal timbers

Martin and Richard packing the ends to try and get them level in warm sunshine.

Thanks to Mike (todays photos & info) Michael, David, Iain, Martin & Richard.

 

Hottest place in UK -18th Sept 2024

Another well attended midweek day on Wednesday.

Mike changed into long trousers before he finished cutting this and subsequent rails! Alex our Stonemason had almost completed the Up side of the pit as Fergus and him had an early start trying to avoid the blistering heat - BBC said Aviemore hottest place in UK today at 25C.

Georgie having a word with Alex about the "noise" emanating from his ghetto blaster - she suggested Classic FM!

Myself, Michael and Roddy keyed up many rails (easier said than done!) as Georgie measured and Mike cut them to fit, all in road two. 

Above was the scene (in road zero?) as we were leaving, after a hot tiring day but progress had been made on many fronts.

 

Road two taking shape - 13th & 14th September 2024

On Friday 13th! Ian reports -

"Iain Ross and self were taxed with drilling the rest of the softwood sleepers, and putting 1 chair on them; the other end of most of them will have a check chair and therefore the spacing is different. We also plugged and drilled 4 hardwood timbers which are sat towards the pit, and chairs were added both ends to them. Georgie was busy infilling the ductwork trench, after laying in witness tape to permit future maintenance staff to be aware of the route of the duct"

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Saturday saw a bigger squad of  Mike, David, Richard and Iain again

Above a new method of joining timbers at switch levers.

As can be seen above both switches in and fixed down, sleepers laid out to take closure rails, chairs have ferrules. Georgie seemed pleased with progress.

Thanks to all that attended and Ian & Mike for respective reports and photos. 

 

Rare future proofing at Aviemore - 10th Sept 2024

An extra mid-week day saw unexpected progress

Georgie had marked out all the sleepers that required drilling using the bullhead jig, I drilled and Roddy screwed down the pre-prepared chairs - back breaking stuff and no shorts worn today as about 20 degrees Celsius less than Saturday! with cooling blustery heavy rain, after lunch Georgie asked if we wanted a change in tasking?

Whilst Georgie dug the trench we carried the ducting some 200 yards to site, not so easy with the gusty winds.

Rope tied to fishplate and launched through each length, then all joined together and partially buried by hand, a water pipe was also buried - all in the name of future proofing - a rare concept at the Strathspey Railway I know but certainly easier than trying to burrow under the track as the S&T recently found out.

Thanks to Roddy and Georgie whom we left filling in using the JCB.   

 

  

Components getting in place Aviemore - 7th Sept 2024

Squad met at Aviemore and divided up - Roddy and myself tasked with oiling all the switch slidechairs at Aviemore, others sent to the Headshunt to finish packing and tidying from last Month, others putting ferrels in all the AS1 chairs to be found

By the time our respective tasks completed, Georgie had shunted vehicles out the way and a start was made 

laying component parts in approximate situ 

One switch rail and the crossing in the distance

By the end of the day we were all puggled by the heat, possibly Newton's third law in operation above!

Thanks to Roddy for the larger photos

Thanks to Michael, Ian, Fergus, David, Martin, Roddy and Georgie, a few of us attended an end of main season very enjoyable soiree at Aviemore Station, paid for by the Strathspey Railway Company.

 

Aviemore Works - Week ending 17th August 2024

Tuesday I think - Fergus made a start on the refurbishment 

of the stonework in pit, road two at Aviemore Shed.

Spoil wagons at the ready, site still to be levelled in the foreground, with another PWay train (ballast) arriving in the background. Thanks to Ryan for the above photos on Wednesday.

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By Saturday this was the start of work (or so we thought!)

site cleared through the week by Georgie and

concrete sleepers, switch & crossing, timbers and wooden sleepers all at the ready.

Alas we were diverted to the North Headshunt at Aviemore for more urgent repairs.

Thanks to John, Mike, David and Richard & Ian were part timers this time. 

 

New Works Aviemore, Broohmill nearly concluded - 7&10th August 2024

Unexpectedly Wednesday's midweek squad was summoned to rendezvous Aviemore Shed, 

for sometime road two pit has been out of use awaiting refurbishment.

Georgie has taken the opportunity to also reconnect road one at the same time, apparently Shed Staff require it all to be done within three Months.... Roddy above makes a back breaking start removing all the fishplates towards shed doors, Mike failed to find the appropriate socket for powertool assistance!

Georgie more successful with attachments for Road Rail Vehicle.   

All rails, spoil and timbers large and small removed onto PWay trains, which were shunted about the yard by Nathan. Still a lot of manual lifting required, the very old chairs are heavier than they look and safely stacked away for future use.

Thanks to Mike, Roddy, David.

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Saturday saw squad back at Broomhill almost concluding works there. 

Thanks to Mike (who was sent on a Track Inspection) Richard, David, Fergus and Michael (part-timer!)

 

Broomhill Up Cess - 6th July 2024

 Its been a while and we are still at Broomhill re-sleepering and inserting Pan 11 baseplates - more in a future blog.

 

Yesterday saw a small squad of only two - David and myself tidy the ballast in the four foot where the re-sleepering is completed on the mainline in the distance.  

By the time Georgie arrived we were onto trying to recreate the Up Cess, 

which was ideal as no one can finish it off better than her!

POLITE NOTICE from her to Enginecrew and others Please Do Not disturb the ballast on the shoulder!

Broomhill S&C complete? - 20th April 2024

It has been a while since the last post, holidays etc. - Mike reports

Saturday 20th April saw a good squad meet up yet again at Broomhill, the order of the day was many track jacks and much jacking and packing of the newly installed switch and crossing (S&C) at the North end of the run-round loop, followed by Georgie's requisite

 "now tidy up the ballast boys"!   

By the time Mike took the above photos, David (been away - injury and a wee trip to New Zealand) and himself had been tasked to oil all the S&C fishplates 

and tighten to the correct torque, whilst the rest of the squad joined by Fergus after his Aviemore Section Track Inspection had started the tiring digging out the sleepers in the loop that require changing............next time.

Thanks to - Georgie, Mike, David, Richard, Steve (new chap) Ian and Iain.

Switch & Crossing in eventually - two week ending 16th March

Saturday 9th saw a good squad assemble in anticipation of much visible progress with our 12 tonne Rail Crane, alas it broke down almost immediately, necessitating Nathan to make a wee trip to Inverness to get a part sorted/made. 

Mid afternoon recommencement of the big lift 

and this was the scene at close of play at a late 6pm!

Thanks to John for photos and of course all that attended.

By Thursday 14th Georgie and I believe Fergus had been busy rebuilding the switch recorded above at the start of another mid week day with a good turnout (no pun intended!)

Our aim to insert closure rails - which inevitably meant dealing with Mike's favourite fixing - elastic spikes! Martin doing the easy part hammering them in, although as it transpired all 6 holes in the baseplates had to be spiked to give them a good grip on the sharp curve. 

Georgie doing the technical as always - measuring, cutting and inserting the rails. Angus and Roddy fishplating up and myself any labouring. Job complete to Georgie's satisfaction by 4pm.

Saturday 16th saw the 4 length gap closed up with concrete sleepers, rubber pads, biscuits, clips and newer rails.

 

Possibly a bit of slewing still to do! But essentially stringy bits all joined up again.

Hate to think the number of man/woman hours put into this time critical project but we were certainly helped by dry weather. 

 

Broomhill progress to 8th March 2024

Sunday 2nd March saw a brave John doing his second day in a row and Richard his THIRD on the PWay 

John reports - 3 hours of digging out more ballast and another two lengths of removing the dreadful elastic spikes all but killed them, so they were very grateful to see Rob turn up to assist. Alas the Colmar Road Rail machine wasn't able to slew the track, even under Georgie's expert handling

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Wednesday saw Fergus and Georgie in a bitingly cold but dry wind, coax the trusty
Muscleman (above) back into life to continue slewing, alas it did burst a pipe three times! But it did what it is designed to do to Georgie's satisfaction.

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John reports of Friday's shenanigans - More slewing today with the muscleman which only broke down twice (which is at least an improvement!) and manually with rail jacks, bit of digging sleeper ends out for another 3 lengths towards the station. Stripped 6 sleepers of the new point panels to lessen weight for the crane.

Then we swapped 6 sleepers under the newly re-located catch point, 1 rail end cut to length.

Thanks to Georgie, Ian, Martin, Angus and Iain for the assistance.

(thanks to John for all the photos)