It's been a while and we're still at Granish! - 31st Oct 2026

It's been a while and we're still at the Granish Relay!

Squad met at Dalfaber Industrial Estate and procured our tool of choice from the back of Georgie's truck and we proceeded to worksite - the Granish Relay - which is finally at the ballast tidying stage.

We managed a good few lengths to Georgie's satisfaction and I guess we are about half way, on finishing, walking back it was noticed some sleeper spacing is a bit irregular, we blamed Richard as he wasn't there!

Many thanks to Georgie, Mike, Fergus & Iain R

Many thanks to Georgie, Fergus, Mike,  

Granish Relay - 29th November & 3rd December 2025

After three days of hard graft four contractors from ?

 lifted the track some four inches and packed ballast under the existing wooden sleepers to raise the whole formation of the forthcoming quarter of a mile relay.

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 A cold but bright Saturday saw squad meeting at Aviemore Shed, were the PWay train was ready for departure, we were grateful to Kyden who had been busy early getting the stoves lit to a red hot temperature! Ensemble proceeded to worksite - starting 85 milepost (end of Dalfaber straight) working back towards Aviemore.   

Rails removed using our 12 ton rail crane and then Georgie gets to grips with her new Road/Rail Vehicle "Katie". 

To speed things up, the old manual way was also used (but not for long as fortunately we ended up in Georgie's way very quickly!) 

As it was getting dark the sleepers had been changed from timber to concrete on four 60 foot lengths and rails in on only two - Santa's sleigh might be able to jump the gap but not his forthcoming Steam train on Saturday!

Thanks to Georgie, Nathan, Tyler, Kyden, Mike, Martin, Richard, Fergus & Iain.

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Necessitating a midweek flurry of activity from biggest squad this year I guess.   

How many people it takes to hammer in one key! 

By 3pm job done to Georgie's satisfaction after a bit of slewing and packing.

Thanks to Georgie, John, Nathan, Tyler, Rory, Kevin Mike, Martin, Roddy, Richard & Fergus.

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Our contractors coincidentally were also within our Possession at a different close by worksite.   

Using their Road/Rail Unimog to

lineside clear the approaches to Dalfaber Level Crossing which John Wood had under his Local Control for the duration of the works. 

 Above at first glance - well beyond our boundary fence!!

 But in actual fact - sympathetically trimming vegetation that is a threat to our Signal & Telegraph pole route (only wires visible).

Many thanks to our friends at Scottish Woodlands and John who took the photos.

  

Drummuillie Timber - 22 November 2025

Another cracking day with blue sky and little wind, perfect for some tree felling. Big squad met with appropriate tools at Boat of Garten, Georgie having the class 31 locomotive running and even the Brakevan stove was lit (alas no bacon rolls this time!) 

First site near Drummuillie, a lot of felling and dragging brash across the line for future chipping.

Then picking up the not inconsiderable amount of timber, even Finn joined in.

We then moved onto Lynchurn underbridge/cattle creep where we cleared the wing walls of the encroaching vegetation, the burn needs cleared as we did 31/01/15    

https://ontrackatstrathspey.blogspot.com/2015/01/ditch-clearing-31st-january-2015.html

But that is for another day!

Thanks to Georgie, Mike, Ian, Richard, Jeremy, Fergus and David.

 

MSP Summit - 15th November 2025

Aviemore meet but by 0940 whisked away far too efficiently to worksite! - "Summit" by the already prepared PWay train

with stoves in both Brakevan and BG coach well alight thanks to Tyler from the Shed, above and Kyden who turns his hand to most things.

 

And yes you've guessed it - Measured Shovel Packing the tasking for the day, above Richard getting to grips with the sighting element of the dark art.

Georgie explained more on how to use the cross-level to Kyden and how to jack up the track and other manual less technical skills! 

Nearly a quarter mile was completed in glorious work weather. I suspect Finn, Jeremy's dog went back most tired as we threw sticks in all directions off track, which were duly retrieved and if not he returned with a bigger one! 

Thanks to Georgie, Mike, David, Iain, Jeremy, Richard, Kyden and Tyler who fed us with unexpected bacon rolls. 

Maintenance Broomhill Section - 25th October 2025

With holidays etc only a few of us met at Boat of Garten, Georgie had already loaded up her  "truck" with the requisite tools and off we headed for Fisherman's crossing. 

A couple of dipped joints near the 90 mile post were just a warm up, the main event was some half a mile away near Lynchurn 2 level crossing, where above Andrew and Jeremy no doubt discussing their former mountaineering conquests of the visible snow capped peaks of the Cairngorms.

After much huffing & puffing and the dark art of Measured Shovel Packing, the concave joints are now convex, albeit briefly, as rail traffic will soon smooth it out to be perfectly level.

 

Luncheon was had in the relatively warm environs of Broomhill Porters Room, Georgie gave us the light task of spreading the ash on the Up cess just South of Broomhill bridge, which had recently been disturbed by trenching for cables.

Thanks to all the aforementioned and Fergus (the fishplate fiend) who joined us after his track inspection and yes he replaced one and left a further two for Georgie to attend to!  

 

Many trains at Boat of Garten - 17/18 October 2025

Following on from the previous P'Way blog - Thursday and Friday saw the Rail 200 Inspiration train stabled in the back platform at Boat of Garten open for the public to visit.

Above photos thanks to G.Sutherland at end of play Friday.

(Hope the many visitors appreciated our infrastructure maintenance!)    

As part of the visit there is a special Strathspey Railway Gala with two train running with mixed traction! (by the looks of things) 

Thanks to Rob Law for above two photos

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Saturday saw partial normality return, as the Rail 200 train had departed but apparently the two train running was still in operation.

Akin to "how many men to change a light bulb?" Answer : four! (as I had already failed with the powerful battery wrench first) - all to remove one chair screw! 

Fortunately they weren't all as hard as this one, dismantling all the chairs from the dead sleepers that Georgie had retrieved.

After luncheon was more of the same but it was easier as at least most of the sleepers were upright - alas we still could not see much of the many train movements taking place yards away!

Thanks to Mike,Fergus,Jeremy Iain, Michael & Ian (who joined in after his track inspection)

Boat Spruce up - 11th October 2025

We welcomed a new volunteer Mike who lives locally

and soon mucked in as above, apparently the brief description of the task from Georgie was "fill in the holes on the platform" She had left piles of gravel, only a matter of spreading, levelling and raking. We did end up digging out the worts of the moss and barrowing away, that kept Andrew, David, Richard & myself busy all day!   

 

Whilst I was admiring the finales on the completely renovated Running in Board above, Richard explained that it was himself and David Childs that had to overcome the different size lettering by grinding them down as part of their many tasks. Richard had also painted the platform edges on all three platforms in record time!

Jeremy, Mike and Michael set to battling the encroaching vegetation on the Down platform.

Thanks to all that attended.

 

Aviemore Miscellaneous - 20th September 2025

The main P'Way task today, was to fix the badly dipped joints just outside the door of road three at Aviemore Engine Shed.  

 Eventually dug out to see what was supporting rails - repaired in a nonconformist way, twice as above!

Other jobs completed - never ending task of switch slide chair oiling (only gets bigger each siding we build!) - Mike & Iain. Jeremy trimmed trees above the new wheelset siding that doesn't have a switch and felled a tree on wing wall at Dell of Spey.

Georgie and Ian busy clearing top of shed floor

 Alex (Master Builder) had previously done cutting and applied some of the new screed, to be continued.

Fergus found yet another broken fishplate on his track inspection and over and above the call of duty took the bus back to Boat of Garten to get it replaced ASAP.

Thanks to all mentioned, especially Mike whom supplied timeous photos/info.

 

More minor sleeper refurbishments Boat Yard - 13th September 2025

As can be seen from previous Blog posting, there were a fair number of concrete sleepers that didn't make the grade for our own mainline future use, 

so a good number were purchased from KJ Bownes of Worksop, already refurbished - even so Georgie wanted the nuts loosened, oiled and re-tightened - to ensure fit for purpose (changing individual sleepers when on mainline is major hassle!).

Thanks to David, Jeremy, Fergus, Richard, Michael & Mike who assisted after his track inspection & supplied info/photo  

 

Aviemore Wheelset storage - 30th August 2025

New Running Shed crossing and switch essentially complete, bar a lot of drilling and screwing down and packing, slewing

as pictured by Keith Holyland Friday afternoon.

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Saturday saw the Squad again meet at Aviemore but it wasn't the expected worksite location.

Old Speyside Platform loop has been removed by Georgie, after many volunteer back breaking hours of dismantling it into it's component parts and re-utilising most at Running Shed worksite. 

To compensate for the loss of track to store wheelsets and bogies, Georgie cleared and levelled a suitable area

and Martin, Mike, Fergus and a new face Jeremy quickly set about utilising the already secondhand concrete sleepers that weren't possible to refurbish. 

HS2 its not

but it won't stay exposed for scrutiny for long!

Aviemore Running Shed Track - ending Saturday 23rd August

By 1600 Friday - Switch & Crossing roughly in position.

Later on, an evening PWay train ready for departure.

By Saturday morning Georgie had train unloaded

And some of the bigger bits have come from a lot further afield than

Boat of Garten! (maybe there will shortly be 10 "roads" at Aviemore?)

Saturday saw Mike, Jeremy and Michael set out the new L1,s as above, retrieve fifty AS1,s via the green wheelbarrow! And drill forty hardwood sleepers slowly as they lived up to their name!

Thanks to all that attended & Ryan, Mike for photos and info.  

 

Aviemore Running Shed - progress on Track

Georgie has done a lot of prep work to get the requisite materials to Aviemore, her aim is to get it completed in 10 days! - to achieve this Fergus and Alex (Stonemason) are being utilised on a fulltime basis - Many thanks to them.   

Waybeams secured in place, If I remember correctly the late Hamish Mackay's funeral collection monies, which were kindly donated by his Wife - went towards the purchase of the many new L1 chairs ready for their final resting place.  

Progress by 1600 Wednesday.

 

On going concrete sleeper refurbishment

 Back at the start of the year we were donated track panels by Network Rail from sidings on the West Highland Line. Georgie's aim is to refurbish enough good concrete sleepers (546!) for us to replace the ageing wooden ones on a 1/4 of a mile of track towards end of Dalfaber straight, over the closed season this coming Winter.

Below brief outline of the process -

Dab of track lube

Unscrew sufficiently to check if any pad still exists (some are horse hair) between chair and sleeper using power tools thankfully!

"Gentle" persuasion for those nuts that are seized, usually three strikes of hammer cracks them free or shears rotten bolts! 

New rubber pad inserted if required, by deftly lifting chair.

Another dab of lube before tightening nuts up again, those that will not loosen or bolt spins below sleeper or other reason as deemed by Georgie are condemned (yellow X) for future use in sidings. 

Thanks to Richard (photos) Mike above (info) Andrew, Georgie and the Station Master who kindly supplied cold tins of soft drink as it was a roasting day.