Start of Autumn

 Week Commencing 20th September 2021

Cool misty mornings and warm days it must be the start of Autumn, so its out with the brushes.

The drive and surrounding areas needed a good brushing down

Peter Q , Ian and Dave did the drive

Vic did the end of Platform 1

Different kind of brush, Mike was touching up the missed areas on the newly made spear fencing.

Ian had a go at tidying up the tool shed. looks good , but how long is it going to stay like that ?

Later he and Dave tackled some Ash trees dying of Ash Die disease at the rear of  platform 2.

Had a visitor today the Pway train , delivering rails . Kept us amused watching it shunt itself around for 1/2 hour.

Wednesday

Another misty morning but the sun soon came out.

More volunteers today.

 Peter Q was down the drive .

 There was a steady stream of slabs being move up to the end of platform 2 by Rod .

 Heading to where Terry and Keith were laying them at the end of the ramp , Paul was in charge of the cutting.  

Down on Platform 2 saw Peter K welding on the legs of the final spear fencing panel.

And here it is the very last Panel of about 50 in this run .

No sooner has Peter had moved, Ian was in like a shot to Red Oxide the legs. Later, He and Ian moved all the completed Panels into storage ready for the future .

Before that Ian had helped Dave remove the last of the cut down Ash trees to the Bonfire Area. Due to the amount of pine cones on the platform making it uncomfortable to walk on in areas , Dave using his Cone pickup tool had a go at removing as many as he could .

This was the second wheel barrow half full.

Terry sent me these end of the day photographs of what they had achieved at the end of the ramp. Type 1 ballast smoothed out the difference between the existing platform and the newly laid slabs. 

Elsewhere and way off in the distance Pat was brush cutting and Strimming.

Locomotives of the Day

Were  " 4270  " and  " P and O "

And finally the Diesel pulling the train out of Broadway today was the Class 24, see more of her and our other Diesels at the " Autumn Diesel Gala " this weekend.

The Three Amigo's

 Monday 13th September

The 3 amigo's Brian, Dave & Ian in the station car park ready for a days work.

There was a fourth of course it was me (Vic) behind the camera.

Vic had to sort out the two flower beads at the bottom of the drive with the removal of all the weeds.

Here is Brian discussing with Dave the days action. Good job they have something to lean on.

Ian today decided to tidy the tool shed, making hanging brackets and giving it a good clear out.

Hopefully it will stay that way.

Mike advising some potential customers on station details and our running days.

Pat had to sort out the throttle cable on his Flymo.

Neal and John were excavating the bank on Platform to at the back of the foot bridge steps where eventually a wall will be built.

Vic before going home after a morning's work, set fire to all the accumulated rubbish.

Wednesday 15th September

No Bloggers on site today, we were both on Grandparent duties  " I think " .

But luckily Terry of the slabbing gang sent me a few pictures of what they were up to.

Terry , Bob ,Keith and Ian were at the end of the platform ramps laying more slabs and on platform 2 the Coping stones.

Next week they will hopefully slab platform 2.

Elsewhere Pat was strimming around platform 2 , Peter K was in his workshop and Julie and John had a good day in the shop.

Dave , Vic and Terry

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