The Roy Hamilton Carriage Shed 1st - 3rd May 2015

 

 

 

 

Recently at Aviemore

 

 

 Peter Mander, Jim Hardy, Jim Pittendrigh, Dan Courtier, Nick Courtier and Colin Frost, erected the sign on the carriage shed funded by a legacy from the estate of the late Roy Hamilton http://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/roy-hamilton-1-497399

 

 

 

The group also painted the sea container which is to be a store for the Carriage & Wagon Department and will be placed a bit further north, alongside the carriage shed wall and away from the sign. The two green containers, currently alongside the track are also to be moved to against the wall of the carriage shed. Thanks to Colin Frost for info and photos.

 

 

 



Rails to - Boat of Garten Headshunt 2nd May 2015

 

A good sized squad was required to lay the rails and the Volunteers didn't disappoint.

 

 



After turning the first rail 180 degrees, we got into the swing of things, fishplating one end once the gap was correct, then keying up :- required one to lift the sleeper with a bar, one to position rail in chair also with a bar and one to hit key into the chair with a keying hammer. 

 

 

Passing trains gave us a short break.

 

 

But Jim as always has his eye on his Tea-Time watch!

The 360 Machine gingerly lowering rail into position here.

 

 

A rare action shot! but keying up really did take a lot of time and energy.

 

 

Meanwhile Fergus and Roger did a grand job "un-fangling" the rope.

We were waiting and waiting for the 2.45 from Aviemore to let us in, to cut and lay the final of the 6 pairs of rails, when it finally arrived. PS. Not sure why it was Diesel hauled as I had to go to work.

 

 

 



Boat of Garten Headshunt - 18th &19th April 2015

 

 With beautiful sunny weather, the very old track forming the headshunt at Boat of Garten, was dismantled and lifted in 20-30 foot panels. Believed to be Great North of Scotland Railway circa 1890, with rails 60-75lbs per yard and chairs are spiked into the sleepers and have wooden keys. I think Strathspey Railway got it donated from Longmorn Distillery in the 1970's, below is a photo at the start of this protracted project February 2013! 

 

and a close up of a rather worn fishplate, which were a sod to unbolt.

 

 

The trackbed was broken up and levelled

 

 

and between trains, under the control of the Signalman, the 360 machine was used to sling the new concrete sleepers roughly into place

 

 

and then lining up using a bar, muscles and what turned into be a very tangled rope! 

 

 

Rather fortuitously the old track now stored below, is likely to continue its incredibly long Railway Service, on its old GNSR stomping ground at Grantown East Station, to support two Camping Coaches as part of a planned Tourist development by Revack Estates.

 

 

Both projects to continued........

 

 

 

 

  

Re-Sleepering/Timbers Aviemore 4th April 2015

Good sized squad on Easter Saturday meant that three timbers could be changed at the South end of Aviemore Station,

 

 

 

You would think that the Easter Bunny would have put on High-Viz and dug some holes for us!

 

 

and then onto Road One (closest to River Spey) at the Engine Shed where three sleepers were changed and re-gauging took place on Road Two.

Thanks to John for the info and Mike for the photos.



Carriage Shed Concrete - 25th March 2015

 

After Keith, Stuart and Georgie did a bit of a shunt removing all the carriages from the shed,  at 1000hrs the concrete was meant to turn up.  1002hrs Ritchie's of Aviemore did and who ever said the Strathspey Railway don't get things through the back door!

 

 

By using the 360 degree machine the job was relatively simple, load up the bucket

 

 

and convey to the required position, as instructed by the Infrastructure Director!

 

 

Then a bit of levelling and shimmying

 

 

and from another angle, notice the Association Chairman still sitting down on the job! 

 

 

 

Finally, once Jim found the appropriate tools (even we, didn't expect the ladder!)

 

 

 job done, bar a few days curing, needless to say the weather was gorgeous again. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Ballasting by hand Aviemore - 21st March 2015

Good sized squad, good weather and we were working inside!

Starting with spreading Ballast beyond the buffer end of Number 8 Road  progressing to the cess between the dividing wall and Number 7 Road. (notice the recent addition of wooden expansion joints for the proposed concreting)

 

A word of thanks to Colin Frost and Friends who loaded the two Flatrol wagons by hand, taking the excess ballast away from around the Groundframe at the South end of Aviemore Station on a previous Sunday, I am sure they would have been seeking divine intervention during that light exercise! The Ballast too rapidly disappeared into the deep ravine and then it was dining alfresco in the comparatively over bright sunlight.

 

 

After Lunch we slowly headed back to retrieve more Ballast, stopping off near the Coal Bench to admire the view..... of the new fence and lockable gate of course!

 

 

and then a photo of our Mess Van parked out the way on the Turntable, eventually we made it up to finish us off by loading a few more tons of Ballast onto the Flatrols, no photos as I was too knackered. Roll on the re-sleepering which you will be glad to hear is back on, as sleepers have been released from 46512's grip...........

 

 

Which if you look hard enough can be seen steaming.

 

 

 

 

  

 

Missing Sleepers Aviemore Yard -7th March 2015

The plan was to be re-sleepering in Aviemore Yard, however the new replacement sleepers were found to be missing! It didn't take long to find them borrowed by the Engine Shed, supporting the boiler of 46512 which I believe, has to have been found to have cracks in the firebox? now requiring urgent repair.

 



After a productive "Pre-Season Volunteers meeting"  in the Cairngorm Hotel, Aviemore, followed by a hearty soup and sandwiches lunch, it was time to progress to plan B - Measured Shovel Packing (MSP) in the platform at Aviemore Station.

 

 

A good couple of lengths were completed with Bill Johnson (centre)  keeping his hand in, before his drive back North to near Thurso. Lets hope its not too long before we can use the sleepers for which they were purchased.