A Fishy start to FishPlate Oiling - 4th June 2017

 Thursday I decided to make a start on Fishplate oiling, I coerced my friend Roddy into coming along. As an incentive, we did Level Crossing naming on the Dulnain Extension first.

 

 

Then got down to the task in hand, transpires Andy and Roger had found all the tools and cleaned them and Georgie had put the Tracklube out at the full mileposts but left none in the Tool Van! I decided to drive to Fishermans crossing and pick up a tin of Tracklube, as it was very close to the road. By the end of the day the Up Loop line at Boat of Garten was complete. Above unexpected arrival of 828 on last service train, surprises Roddy (and myself)

 

 

On Saturday the Down and Up Loops had been completed by Andy MacClintock, Angus and Kevin. On Sunday Kevin above - not "The .... Scotsman" - hails from Leicestershire where he works for PWay on Big Railway, anyway he suggested using the skates and trolley to aid our progress on the single line towards Aviemore.

 

  

Close to the Home Signal - a Fish that never made the Plate! (it didn't jump out of the Spey that's for sure) Even Andrew the "Lineside Forager" turned his nose up at it. 

 

 

A disappointingly blurred "Scotsman" departs Boat of Garten, maybe I should get a new camera, as my good one got destroyed by PWay wet weather.

 

 

 Service train passes Kevin, by end of the day we are almost 1 mile out of Boat, Thanks to Kevin, Andys - MacCracken & MacLintock and Stuart who turned up 10 minutes before we finished! But never mind Stuart only 10 miles approx to go, plenty of time to join us next time?

 



 

 

 



Weed killing and Holidays - May 2017

 

A couple of Months ago the Strathspey Railway Association funded three Volunteers from the PWay squad to go on a basic weed killing course, all three passed the rigorous exam and weed killer, pump dispensers and Personal Protective Equipment were purchased. The track itself was still done by our usual contractor on May 19th but the rest is being done solely by Volunteer labour - meaning a considerable cost saving for the Railway.

 

  

Here Mike Tough in his Weed Buster garb, does the Down Platform at Boat of Garten, Colin Frost and Ray Keynon raking up their bank strimming efforts in the back ground. John Wood subsequently had another go at the stuff higher up the bank.

 

The last PWay weekend was missing the above, whilst we did a week long Preserved Railway trip of Wales and England. Here getting an excellent V.I.P. guided tour round the East Lancs. Railway thanks to them and Dave Yeoman for making it possible.

 

 

There wasn't too much of this - Honest!

 

Seeing the above advert, in background for "Spooners" - which is the Railway Bar/Diner at Porthmadog, reminds me, that we had Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner followed by a few light refreshments all in the one day! - thoroughly recommend the place.

 

 Ian Stanworth may write up more on our trip, in a future edition of the "Express".

(John Wood took 2 out of the 3 photos, using his mobile "phone") 

 

 



Morley's Mansion Rail instalment - 6th May 2017

Good turnout on another of recent beautiful days, the construction of a small rail inspection pit inside Morley's Mansion at Boat of Garten had been constructed by Georgie using predominantly old sleepers, fishplates and chair screws as below.
    

 

  The day started with filling in the track up to rail level in the centre of the shed and up to sleeper height in the 4 foot, and then carried on with moving rails into place ready for laying track in.

The Grantown on Spey railway station nameboard was found in amongst stuff at the back of the shed at the start of the project and is likely to be preserved here for some time I suspect. 

 

 

In the afternoon the weather was so good I took a trip up, to see how things were getting on enroute to my work. On arrival, all I was greeted with - where are the ice creams?

 

 

The concrete sleepers were then lifted into the sloping alignment up from the shed towards the running line, rubber pads placed, waiting for clips, biscuits and of course rails

  

 

Not our usual worker to watcher ratio, honest! Georgie giving a refresher course on how to clip up flat bottom rail.

 

 

Thanks go to Georgie, Ian (for info and above photo), Roger, Neil, Jim, Andrew and Andy. 

 

 

Whilst doing his track inspection John Wood spotted the above, being resourceful his own human fire hydrant wasn't quite enough.......so he had to go and get water from another stream.

 



Morley's Mansion Boat of Garten - 1st April 2017

Plan A for last weekend was to use the Jacker Packer but the drive motor seems to have packed in, so plan B swung into operation, 24 Mainline condemned concrete sleepers were recovered from undergrowth by Boat of Garten North yard & 8 x 60 foot rails lengths loaded on to a Flatrol in Boat of Garten main yard.

The Class 31 was able to assist in between service trains. The aim of all this is to make a start on putting rails into the late John "Morley's Mansion" below

 

So in the short term, the Jacker Packer can be fixed and stored undercover with its own wee test track! (guessing here)

 

In the past The Highlands and Islands Fire Brigade had rented the left side of the shed, for their small Fire Appliance and it was partitioned off, which was swiftly removed by the above Motley Gang.

 

 

The level of the dirt on the right was to be lowered by 330mm to accommodate the track. By 5.30pm on Sunday I believe 24 sleepers laid and four rails put in.

 

Thanks go to John Wood (for info and photos) Ian Stanworth, Roger Snowdon, Fergus, Georgie McNair and Andrews McClintock & MacCracken, special mention must again be made of Jim Clark for getting an emergency call to fix 7 plumbing leaks at Boat of Garten Station, when he only came to lay some track!

Boat of Garten Bridge MSP - 18th March 2017

Ever since the Boat of Garten bridge was put in for us at Highland Council expense in 1996, the approaching trackbed on either side was raised considerably with a high point either end of the bridge but flat on the deck itself. Todays task was to finally rectify that and have a nice smooth curved vertical profile over the bridge seamlessly joining the existing track profile.

 

 

Above digging out every second bed continues on the high rail and using the sighting boards on the low rail for some major Measured Shovel Packing (MSP)

 

 

Once cross levelled by Georgie, taking in into account the cant of the curve and marking the measurement at each sleeper, the business of shovelling in under the sleepers, the predetermined exact amount of crushed chippies started,

 

 

fortunately the Diesel Multiple Unit was running to give us a break, at least Jim only gave Steve the Driver one finger and not two!

 

 

MSP complete by mid-afternoon, Georgie announces "a bit of slewing Boys" a few groans but novice Rigger Neil mastered the small but powerful Slewing Jack very quickly and he had the job done to Georgie's satisfaction too soon!

 

 

As Georgie got us to finish of the day by changing three broken chairs in the Yard, above Jim was well impressed with the hand drill, not sure which is the oldest?

 

Thanks go to Andrew, Andy, Roger, Jim, Neil and Georgie.

(Angus went and watched his team only draw with Ross County) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roy Hamilton Carriage Storage Shed plumbing & drainage - 10th&11th March 2017

With time running out before the new Catering starts on the Railway, a large squad was called on to get things done quickly, the digging was mostly done on the Friday.

 

 

Above Rigger Neil leaning on smallest spade ever, looks on enviously at the swift removal of earth and who says size doesn't matter! Martin is glad of the break. 

 

 

Above Colin and Plumber Jim.

 

Mike Tough reports- "The water to the shed had to be turned off whilst we plumbed in the new toilets in the Shed ...this caused drama & delay to the power washing of the 08 ahead of it’s imminent paint job .. all ended ok & the new toilet’s were working by lunchtime & Jim as is the plumbers right, demanded first use, Jim subsequently reported there were no leaks "which is above average""

 Mike managed to lose Colin's best file over the two days and had to take the associated ribbing.

 

Thanks go to Neil Howie, Martin McLeod, John Wood, Colin Frost, Jim Clark, Ray Kenyon who sent many photos and Mike for the report and Georgie for the JCB digging. 

 



Aviemore Switch Timber renewal - 4th March 2017

Even though the weather forecast was not looking good at all, eight willing Permanent Way volunteers turned up as promised, meeting in the shelter of the Mess Van, which had previously been strategically positioned just South of the Aviemore Station Pedestrian Level Crossing. The task was to change 8 Switch Timbers, which had been individually identified by Georgie as life expired. They were purchased cut to measure from Raddery Sawmill on the Black Isle. 

 

 

Above taken by Mike Tough in early 1998, when our track alterations took place in the former Back Platform and yard at the recently refurbished Mainline Aviemore Station. 

 

 

Again from Mike's 1998 collection (a Sunday at 1008ish, I guess), showing a younger looking Andrew McCracken in foreground and others? possibly preparing way for the catch points.

 

Anyway back to yesterday....

 

 

An older Andrew (not sure about the wiser!) casting an eye over Fergus.

 

 

The longest Timbers were 16 foot, may have been a bit awkward getting them in, due to proximity of fence and of course the platform.

 

 

 

 

Did someone say tea?

Possibly thankful that there was a Private Photo Charter running Saturday & Sunday, giving them a break when the Loco run round, the photos don't convey the horribleness of the weather. Thanks to John Wood for last three photos and info. 

 

Sincere thanks to Andy McClintock, Bruce Buswell, Jim Clark, Angus MacPhail, Martin MacLeod, John Wood, Andrew McCracken and Fergus for enduring the extremely wet and cold conditions for the entire day (weather looked better in 1998!) and as always completing the task set. Again thanks to Bruce, A.McClintock and Georgie for tidying up the site today.