Aviemore Headshunt And Tullochgorum Overbridge - 13th March 2021

On Saturday a good sized squad met up at Aviemore to finish the previously frost postponed re-sleepering of the necessarily emptied Headshunt.

Squad heading to site.

Slightly older hand Roger, was welcomed back after vaccine number two, who I am glad to see was on light duties and the back of a much younger potential new recruit - Justin, who was a big help with the impact wrench, removing and screwing down chair screws 

In total 27 sleepers dug out, changed, packed and mostly backfilled as the light faded.

Thanks to Andrew, Angus, Fergus, Kevin, Martin, Justin, Roger and Mike who took the photos and provided all the information.

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Defects having been picked up during track inspections on the soffit of Tullochgorum Overbridge and knowing that an ORR Bridge Engineer may visit during 2021, repairs were authorised.
A stone mason over a period of ten days cut out loose mortar and bricks in the jack arches between the four 1866 Falcon Foundary (Inverness) cast iron beams.

Before

After All gaps are tightly repointed

along with some open joints in the abutment & wing walls.

 Remedial work at other locations is anticipated - watch this space.

Again thanks to Mike for photos and text.

Caley 828 on P'way duties and S&C oiling - 6th March 2021

Steam Locomotive Caley 828 having recently passed her boiler examination needed a test run and Georgie needed a "wee shunt around" over the entire railway on Friday 26th February.

Mike got the above photo at Boat of Garten, Martin the Driver wasn't sure if he was coming or going half the day and Robert acting as Signalman had to second guess where the whole ensemble was destined for but fortunately Georgie as Guard knew!

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Good turnout yesterday, the plan was to finish off re-sleepering at Aviemore, alas the ground was frozen. Georgie quickly moved onto plan B  

Angus and Mike were sent "Wombling" over the track around Aviemore up to Dalfaber level crossing. A good number of bin bags were filled with the accumulated blown rubbish. At some point they called into Spey Lodge where Plumber Jim was building kitchen units - somehow they managed to accidently break one - both Mike & Angus were glad to make it out to the bitterly cold wind again!

The rest of us were detailed to oil nuts and bolts on the switches and crossings (S&C) Aviemore Station - easier said than done!

Above south loop crossing with Andrew, Kevin, Roddy and a bit of Martin, off shot is Ian, didn't know his own strength and was nursing his wrist,

which fortunately came off better than his spanner did!

The crossings were definitely harder work than the switches. More people here than passengers on Northbound Highland Main Line train. 

The North end of Aviemore Station run round loop has hundreds of spring like clips held down with T bar bolts and nuts, Ian was glad of the power tool!

Roddy painted track lube neatly onto component parts, ready for reassembly. We all worked well as a team in finger numbing conditions and feel this S&C task should be completed on a Summers day.

Thanks to all that contributed over both days.  

   

 

Limited Local PWay - Jan/Feb 2021

Another Covid-19 Lockdown from Boxing day, pretty much meant that Strathspey Railway went into hibernation again, except for Georgie! - seeking out and loading the required P'Way materials for the new rail connection for the proposed Aviemore Running Shed.

  P'Way train awaiting signal from a wintery Boat of Garten - destined for Aviemore. Photo from the more than socially distanced brake van, by Resident Station Master acting as the lowly freight guard again!

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By the end of January, a limited local PWay squad assembled at a still snowy Boat of Garten, chainsaws loaded and fires lit in both brakevans, off we set towards Aviemore.

The rearmost brakevan detached near Kinchurdy Cottage and chainsaw operators Ian & Fergus, assisted by Andrew & Kevin set too cutting many overhanging trees on the Down side of the line.

On arrival at Aviemore our train propelled into the headshunt, where previously felled trees and branches awaited their fate! Georgie had hired a woodchipper for the weekend and carefully loaded and secured onto the flatrol wagon above, John feeding it, myself, Martin and Georgie dragged the offending foliage to site.

 Once finished at Aviemore we returned to Kinchurdy, where a considerable amount had been cut and dragged up the embankment to get chipped. On completion, just when thought we were getting home, Georgie suggests a big birch tree, rope attached to the train taking the strain, to persuade the tree to fall - not on the fence or the telegraph wires - it didn't and we made short work of de-limbing and chipping it. As the chipper was hired for the Weekend, we felt it would be a shame to waste a Sunday's hire with it sitting idle.

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 Sunday - On my arrival at Boat of Garten at 0800 the temperature was a cool minus 12 deg C and it took Georgie and me sometime to get the class 27 from the carriage storage shed onto the mainline as the point rodding was frozen solid, slidechairs were perfect, so must be have been an S&T problem! (not that we could use Signals! for fear of them sticking off or detection problems) 

Squad and PWay train picked up from PWay Depot and propelled to Lynchurn No 1 level crossing, dropped off Fergus & Ian with their chainsaws.

 We drew forward short distance to Drumullie LC, to again try improve sighting as above.

After Lunch John was assisted in the tree felling by Fergus. Georgie, Myself, Ian & Mike took turns in feeding the chipper. Thanks to John for this excellent shot.

It was a bitterly cold day and we all missed the bonfires that we used to have, to get rid of the vegetation.

Thanks to all that attended.

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Another weekend felling trees but alas no chipper, as the weather forecast was dire.

Fergus is a dab hand with his tree surgeon chainsaw, Mike poised to haul it all to lineside for ease of disposal another time.

 

Angus on the handsaw and Andrew encouraging it to fall the right way!

Not far from Broomhill, trees felled and one choked drainage ditch, to be rectified.

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Another weekend more recently again the chipper was hired and good weather was had, here near Fishermans' (foot) Crossing, previous day most of the already felled wood was chipped.

Decent lengths of soon to be firewood on one Flatrol and the rest shredded very efficiently (not on to the road!)

 As Kevin was missing shovelling  ballast so much he was detailed to do a bit of culvert clearing, here very close to Lynchurn number 2 level crossing, only adding to the flooding of the river Spey, which Fergus says he was looking at but I suspect he was also appraising his fencing work of last year.

Kevin and I were dropped off near Broomhill at the choked ditch, now that the shrubbery had been cleared, whilst Fergus, Angus and Georgie set about digging out the very muddy level crossing at Broomhill Station.   

On their return, Angus admires the improvement! (apparently couldn't find his wellies - sensible!)

Thanks to all that attended over the weekend. 

Early Christmas present from Network Rail - 21st December 2020

Yesterday Rob Law got an unexpectedly early phone call from Georgie - to get himself down to Millburn Yard, Inverness as soon as possible, to assist loading the Network Rail donated material which has been available for collection for sometime. 

The reason for the delay in picking it up, was sourcing the specialist "Trombone" trailer and then synchronizing it with our contractor with a Hi-Ab capable of lifting the weight. Above shows the lifting of the first of 24 x 60 foot rail lengths. 

  

The person on left is remotely controlling the Hi-Ab lift, Georgie (center) getting ready to sling the next crossing load.

The first lorry "loaded", although capable of 100 tonne gross weight.

The second being lengthened so it could take the check rails, crossings and closure rails, as the Mossend bound (4D47) Eddie Stobart / Russell's train departs, having dropped off containers full of Tesco's Christmas treats and now leaving with containers loaded with Norbord wood in them.

Today - rails now languish briefly at Boat of Garten Station, photo taken by a giant StationMaster (maybe trying to work out the car parking charges!) 

 Thanks to Transport Scotland for cajoling Network Rail into donating the scrap material, Vital Rail for taking the time/care to remove it, so that it can be put to good further use by ourselves, our haulage contractors, Georgie and Rob Law especially for instigating it all, as well as slinging and info/taking photos.

Wish everyone a Merry Safe Christmas..

Aviemore & Grantown worksites progress - 15th & 19th December 2020

Andrew McCracken reports that on Tuesday 15th -

"There is now a fence (the kind known as Heras fencing though the material is not Heras', this last seems to be becoming a generic term like "Hoover") between our land and McGowan's land at the industrial estate - see below images. Temporary until we get a permanent fence erected but sound enough to give security, judging by other boundaries of McGowan's land, and making another positive statement on the ground..

 

My thanks to Georgie McNair and John Sinclair of the permanent staff for helping to round up the components from Morley's and the Lodge and for transporting them to Grantown, and to p way volunteer Graeme Dougal for helping with the erection of the fencing"

(I think this is the land recently purchased from Highland Council for the nominal £1.00, I feel sure it will be reported in full in the next Strathspey Express -  Members Magazine)

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Saturday 19th saw a rather depleted squad continue re-sleepering at Aviemore, heading towards the Headshunt.

John reports 13 were managed despite various injuries to the younger members of the squad, above Ian and Angus have had to remove chairs as limited clearance, so that the old one can be pulled free and newer one inserted. 

 I foolishly volunteered to do the Aviemore - Boat of Garten Track inspection before going to work, fortunately Mike offered to do from Spey Lodge level crossing to Aviemore Station, otherwise I wouldn't have made work in time! Thanks to Mike, Ian, John, Angus & Fergus. Above is possibly my last  (cine film like) clip of Highland Steam this year.

 I would like to wish everyone a Safe Christmas and hope that 2021 will be better! 

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De-Fencing & Re-sleepering continues - 12th December 2020

Even though a number of the Gang called off through various injuries, a good sized squad turned out on a cool drizzly/damp December day, to continue re-sleepering in Aviemore Yard.

Georgie also bought us an early Christmas present in the form of six brand new "Bulldog British Heritage" shovels - only to increase productivity!

Shortly after a leaky steamy scene passes Aviemore Signal Cabin

 

by the time the first train returned our worksite had moved on slightly, almost onto Spey Lodge Level Crossing, although just coasting past slowly (not worthy of a video).

Driver Martin doing some oiling, photo from John who was on light duties, with Fergus our Fencer seconded to dismantling the fence where Georgie was working with the JCB (bottom photo)

 then after lunch digging out the light ash ballast ahead of the main squad, which managed maybe double figures in the number changed - one had to be changed twice! (In true Strathspey fashion) as it was found the screws wouldn't grip as it was rotten inside.  

  The up concrete base of the old Speyside Station footbridge is considerably more extensive than we would like, talk of having to hire a "pecker" to be attached to the Colmar behind Mike, to attack it, to reduce the weight (lets hope the other one is not as big below ground) 

Many thanks to Fergus, John, Ian, Angus, Andrew, Roger and Mike who assisted after doing the Boat of Garten - Aviemore weekly footpatrol. A get well soon goes to Graeme, Kevin, John Hornby and Jim who is recuperating after a planned operation, we now have plenty shovels waiting for you! 

Miscellaneous snowy PWay works - ending 5th December 2020

Last Saturday in November - Ian Stanworth reports and thanks the hard work from the squad of Kevin, Angus, Jim, Martin & Roger managing to change 16 sleepers until 3pm when it got very chilly and the light faded. Georgie had yet again to fill in the pot holes in Aviemore Station Car Park and then spent more quality time with the JCB preparing the trackbed for the new track to the Running Shed site, as seen below 

on Thursday, re-sleepering was not possible due to a penetrating frost but Georgie had the small squad swapping worn check rails on the curve over with good ones on the straight, like everything on railway easier said than done!

Here the check rail needed the gentle persuasion of back to back jacks to sit in the chairs properly, so the new wooden keys could be hammered tight, making the check rail rigid and hopefully prevent any more wear on the nosings. Thanks to Mike, Andrew & Georgie for braving the frost that never lifted all day.

 Yesterday saw further snow as seen from John Wood's track inspection, photo looking towards Aviemore on the "Dalfaber straight". Roger, Angus and Georgie did more dismantling of redundant track behind old Speyside Station. Ian cleared snow off platform at Boat of Garten and Mike attended to Broomhill platform and cleared run round switches. 

 Further on in John's inspection at the Kinchurdy strap rails, hopefully a short clip of the first of the Winter Steam Services makes a rather smoky appearance.

Thanks to all that braved the elements/contributed to this blog - Teamwork as usual!