Siding construction "Morley's" - 1st February 2020

 

Another excellent turnout from far and wide, to start construction of the track into Boat of Garten North Yard ("Morley's")

 

Roger gets High Speed instructions from Kevin, on how to break the metal securing band on the second hand sleepers. 
 

Using the well built sleeper template, constructed many years ago by Hamish MacKay, the holes are pre-drilled to gauge again by Roger ( Octogenarian learning more new skills!), in the pouring rain.

 

 

 Quite a production line was in operation - getting the chairs, new ferrules tapped in, screws dipped in creosote then tapped in and finally screwed down. The 24 Network Rail sleepers bought from Doncaster, soon turned into very useful components for building an eventual bullhead track panel (I guess!).

 

 

Meanwhile another team got to re-build the buffer end, which was surplus to requirements from the Network Rail re-modelling scheme at Aviemore last year. Georgie using the rail jacks to get the correct gauge.

 

 

Above John carefully cuts, the previously crude gas-axed rail ends, so that they can be fishplated up eventually, once the rail drill has done its job. A fair bit of huffing and puffing was required to try and get buffer end true and square. 

 

The Gang worked through the weather elements and a lot was achieved. Thanks to Jim, John, Ian, Bruce, Kevin, Angus, Roger and of course Georgie.

 



  



Switch prep Boat of Garten - 25th January 2020

 

Another PWay extra Saturday squeezed in, with extra Train Services planned this year access to the track is likely to be even more difficult (looks like we may be building the switch off - site and craning in) so we took advantage of the good weather. Today's task was to cut to length, scarfe joint 5, fill in all the previous bolt holes in the reclaimed Network Rail timbers from Aviemore refit of March last year.



Roger and Angus got the unenviable job of cutting the plugs using age old method of small blocks of jarra wood (below) beaten with a hammer through a sharpened die of the CORRECT size. They seemed a little large for most of the sleeper holes loll.

 

 

Above is of the tight grained very dense Jarrah hardwood.

 





The old holes were splodged with bitumastic paint then the plugs hammered in and cut off flush, this is to prevent water sitting in the holes and causing rot to the timbers.

 

 

the scarfe joints needed to join two timbers together, cut using chainsaw and circular saw, also sleepers cut to length, chainsaw skills come in useful not just for felling trees at the railway.

 

 

Georgie touching up the last off the plugs with bitumastic paint and the finished sleepers spaced out ready for the next task.

Productive day, we all went home happy and covered in black paint, literally lol

 

Many thanks to Mike, Angus, Jim, Roger, Ian & John (who supplied all photos/info)

 

 

Spot re-ferruling Boat of Garten Station - 18th January 2020

 

Another excellent PWay squad turnout to a frosty but sunny Boat of Garten - task

 spot re-ferruling between the Signal Boxes.
 

 Georgie marked out the ones requiring replacement,
 

 then remove the chair screws, above the old wooden ferrules still in situ, with the replacements already poised.

 



Next Angus has the unenviable task of extracting them - some are easier than others!

Followed by Andrew attacking the most obstinate ones, with Georgie on platform cracking the whip on team two!

 

 

Looks like they broke the rail!!!! - the new ferrules are gently hammered in.

 

Then any worn screws replaced with better ones, dipped in creosote by Angus, tapped in by Martin and screwed down by Jim. Three bags of ferrules were consumed during the day and squad still had time to lay out most of the timbers for new switch into Boat of Garten North Yard as mentioned in previous PWay Blog of 11th Dec 2019, John said he was too busy to take a photo! (I will try in a few days) but thanks for all the photos and info.  



 

Many thanks to volunteers - John, Angus, Martin, Jim, Roger, Andrew, Ian & Fergus for braving the snow flurries and achieving a lot through teamwork.

Ballast Drop Croftnahaven - 11th January 2020

We managed to squeeze in an extra PWay day at short notice but we all wondered if we were wise, as driving up from Inverness it was very wet indeed and the weather forecast was not very promising.

 

 

Georgie had the train all ready, even to the extent that the fire in the brakevan was already lit! From Boat of Garten we headed towards our worksite - just beyond Croftnahaven No 2 Level Crossing. I declined the offer of being ballast controller (so I could try to get a photo) above Mike drops ballast on the shoulder successfully,

 

less so for the four foot drop, the above photo does not convey the mountain of ballast, he blamed the Driver - Georgie, for not going fast enough!

 

 

Anyway it took us most of the day to dig out and spread the resultant ballast.

 

 

Georgie and Mike disposed of the empty ballast wagon by taking it away to Broomhill.

 

 Leaving myself, Jim and Angus to first have a cup of tea in the by now roasting brakevan, then cut down the broom bushes and remove some of the mud deposited by tractor wheels over the timbers on the crossing. On Mike & Georgies return, they started to lay out the cattle grid like things, that in theory deter the cattle from straying onto the line when they are herded across the line (this was asked for by the Farmer recently)

 

 

Finally loading up the pruned bushes, many thanks to all that turned up and the weather was not too bad after all!

 





 

Unlike "this day" 11/01/2004 - Pre carriage maintenance shed, Pre Roy Hamilton carriage storage shed and Pre climate change!

----------------

And yesterday was even better weather,

 

 

we retrieved many of the old fence posts that Fergus has quietly been spot changing for new ones over time near Broomhill.

 

 

And above is his completely new 300 metre length near Fishermans Crossing, with the old having been loaded onto the "flatrol" to be taken away for the scrap merchant.   

 

 

UWCs and re-ferruling - 20/21 - December 2019

 

Yesterday saw myself and Roddy start a "temporary" fix for the sighting posts (previously mentioned) in connection with the visibility splays at our User Worked Crossings (UWCs), as most are some 920 feet from the crossing, they were very difficult to see.

 

 

The intension is they will be painted white in the better weather, in the interim we have recycled the back of out of date Big Railway plastic poster timetables.

 

 

By tightly wrapping them around the post and using roofing felt nails to secure, as above, only time will tell how long they survive the ravages of our Highland climate.....

 

Today saw a really impressive number of PWay Volunteers - the avoidance of Christmas Shopping may have had something to do with it! 

 

Our task was to re-ferrule the life expired wooden ferrules that have rotted away and replace worn sleeper screws. Georgie marked them up, we removed the screws using one of our petrol driven Bances, got out the old ferrules inserted new plastic ones, lightly hammered in then screwed them down again with the other Bance.

 

 

Even though John, centre above, bought new hardened steel pins to hold the chuck heads on, they broke very quickly indeed and we reverted to another person manoeuvring the chuck from screw to screw - until Jim got some fence wire which lasted longer!

 

 

Photo Mike - Some passing traffic didn't stop our progress

 

 

fortunately Santa did! - as there was a bitingly cold wind and it was back breaking work but really good progress was made thanks to Georgie - supplying all the appropriate tools, Roger, Mike, Angus, Ian, John, Les, Jim and special mention to Andrew - whom at very short notice did the Track Inspection from Boat of Garten before joining us.

 

 

 

Digging and more Digging! Boat of Garten - 11th December 2019

Mid week produced a welcome massive squad of eight, Georgie tasked Angus and I to obtain and put up the Temporary Speed Restriction (TSR) Boards required for the proposed switch into Boat of Garten North Yard,

 

 

unfortunately we could not source a 10 mph board for the above Warning Board but sharp eyed Drivers should be able to spot the 10 at the Commencement Board though!

Plumber Jim was mildly critical of their plumbness, I retorted that they lean into the prevailing wind so that they don't blow over! 

 

 

 Once we had finished that Angus and I joined the main squad, in a continuation from last Saturday, of digging out the ballast to the bottom of the sleepers.

 

 

Admiring job done, right up to the North end of the Boat of Garten bridge, in the background at the 88 3/4 mile post can be seen the Termination Board of the speed restriction and on the obverse is the 10 mph Commencement Board for Up trains heading towards Aviemore.   

 

 

As we had daylight still available Georgie told us to remove the excess ballast from the four foot (between rails) and build up the shoulders further down the line. The photos do not do the inclement weather justice as there was a biting wind and snow showers (my camera does not like any form of precipitation) but many thanks to Graeme, Martin, Andrew, Fergus, Mike, Angus and Jim for braving the elements and the hard labour.



Sleeper renewal and switch prep at Boat of Garten - 7 December 2019

Report and photos from John -

 

 

"This Saturdays pway squad update, 8 life expired sleepers changed in front of the North signal cabin at Boat of Garten completed by lunchtime,

 



 



The afternoon was spent digging out ballast for the new points install at the south end of boat road bridge, 15 beds dug out before it started to get dark and the inclement weather took its toll and the squads spirit became life expired!!

Thanks to Georgie, Fergus, Mike, Jim " not that Clark" and Ian " transport manager" for their care and consideration/abuse as it was my first day back on the squad after my Op."