Two Hot Days Again

 Week commencing 6th September 2021

The year marches on and after a couple of weeks of non weather , Monday and Wednesday saw the return of the very warm sunny days.

So what's the lads to do on these warm days.

Firstly Peter Q gave a drop of the hard stuff to the plants on the embankment. 

There had been an accumulation of pine needles in the guttering at the south of the station building , Peter being good with heights volunteered to give all the guttering a clean and wash out.

  

Look what he started , the drains and manholes then had a good clear out. Brian on the post hole digger dragged out no end of dirt and pine needles , even rescued a small frog  . The Group soon got bored and drifted away to more interesting jobs

That left Tony , Dave and Ian to work their way down the drive , working through each of the manholes down to the bottom , and then they were left with just to clear out the grating.

Brian finally managed to clear the last of the  large shrub's at the top of the embankment.

Two wheelbarrows later ! on the home straight .

 A late comer saw Vic appear on the garden with some new plants. 

Wednesday

Weather still pretty warm.

Only 3 volunteers at the start of the day , but more soon trickled in.

Peter Q was down the drive keeping on top of garden.

Further up the bank Dave and Ian repaired the gate . may be people have been standing on it watch the trains.

The other Peter ( K) was in his workshop portacabin finishing the construction of the final Spear fencing panel.

Outside the other Ian was giving the previously constructed panel a coating of red oxide paint.

The weather hadn't been kind to our  " home made " garden benches the combination of sun and rain had made them a bit Slack !

Dave with new screws and the other Ian with the ratchet spanner tried to fix and repair them for yet another year .

The Wednesday heavy group of Volunteers turned up after lunch with some cut edging slabs for the end of the ramps.

Terry and Keith were on the end of platform 1 ramp slabbing the area by the foot crossing. 

Over on the platform 2 side Bob, Rod and Paul were preparing the area for the fitting of edging slab.

Locos of the day were " 4270 " and  " 35006 " 

The Mid afternoon train which is usually top and tailed, had the newly rebuilt Class 47 pulling the train back to Toddington.

Dave

A Short Week

 Week commencing 30th August 2021

Due to the August Bank holiday only the Wednesday was a volunteering day , but quite a few put the extra time in and also work in the Broadway Café.

One of them being Peter Q 

Here seen watering one of the Hydrangeas , on the embankment garden.

Another Café worker is Mike, he also is one of the painters.

who is giving one of the newly constructed spear fencing panels a coat of red oxide. Inside the portacabin is Peter K constructing a new panel , he too also helps in the café.

Down at the end of the platform south ramps , the much shrunken Wednesday gang were discussing how and what to do next in how to finish off either of the ends.

Platform 1 will eventually be be slabbed , platform 2 , an bit of this and a bit of that !

Pat as per normal was on the grass behind platform 1 and then on Platform 2 

Dave was in the workshop , working on the new A board and giving the dagger  boards another coat of Primer / undercoat.

Crowd numbers are still quite high as seen on the arrival of " Dinmore Manor " pulling the first train of the day into Broadway.

Dave

Pottering On

Week Commencing 23rd August 2021

 A good couple days weather wise for volunteering not too hot , no rain on the horizon so the plants have to be watered .

Firstly two pictures from last week of what the Broadway Wednesday gang had achieved , digging out and preparing the area at the bottom of the ramp on platform 1 , and finishing off the slabbing  by the canopy support upright.

Meanwhile on Monday.

Pat was having trouble with the Flymo.

Brian was at the top of the embankment clearing what are now sizable shrub's.

Peter Q was at the bottom tending to his various shrubs, whilst Vic gave the car park a quick sweep.

Due to the lack of paint Mike was unable to carry on with the painting of the spear fencing , but he did  manage to find an old pot of grey paint , which he applied to the door of one of the electrical boxes to freshened it up.

Elsewhere a bit of Maintance.

Dave and Ian repaired one of the Notice boards ( broken hinges )

And refurbished Doreen's memorial plaque ( rotted post and wooden surround )

Later returned to the small garden , in which was then being weeded by Vic.

Wednesday

 Some strange going ons with the Wednesday seen pushing the various trolleys up and down the platform.

They were trying to find a suitable item to stop people wandering underneath the footbridge stairs !

By the end of the day they had finished the edging at the end of platform 1 ramp, 

Pat was attacking the undergrowth on platform 2.

Peter Q had found a nice spot for a sit down.

Dave after repairing the Workbench , started the construction of a new A board for the shop.

Locos of the day were  " Dinmore Manor " and  " Foremarke Hall "

It will brighten up eventually

 Week commencing 16th August 2021

A very dull day greeted the volunteers on Monday its supposed to be summer !

Peter and Dave made there way into the café to finish what they had started last week . A new work top between the front and rear counter by the wall.

Job completed , coffee machine returned to its rightful position for now !

Then it was back to gardening in its various forms

Vic was in the border weeding

Pat with the flymo

Brian and Peter clearing and weeding on the embankment

And Ian wheeling it all back to the Bonfire area.

On the bridge Neal was close to finishing the paneling on the footbridge stairs , we did hang around to see the last one go in , but !

 Wednesday saw that he in fact had finished it and the nails holes had been filled and painted.

Wednesday

Still overcast and murky. but a change by the end of the day

It was PTS ( Personal Track Safety ) examination day , just to make sure we are all aware of the rules and regulations that allow us to work near the track . 

Before his test Peter Q was seen attacking a dead tree behind platform 1

Clive was using up the last of the light stone undercoat on a couple of spear fences.

Dave had finished the new leaflet holder , its ready to be sign written by Alex ,then a coat of varnish if we can decide on a colour !

Dave and Ian did more work on the Dagger boards.

Their was more going on around the station but the pictures failed to come out .

This included Rod, Terry Keith and Paul finishing off the slab around the canopy post, they then went on to the end of the platform to tidy off at the bottom of the ramp.

Locos on the trains today, 

Foremarke Hall

Dinmore Manor

And the big blue diesel , in the sunshine at last !

Dave