Some of the team are on site for most of this week which has allowed us to move ahead with the extension. We are not sure whether this is being enthusiastic or merely to escape Christmas shopping.
We have two reports today, first Andy G was on hand and took the following pictures.
We start with the most important subject, tea. As the work site is now moving away from the station the supply of tea becomes more critical. For this reason the works train was run to the end of the line with specific instructions to have the kettle on the stove and a plentiful supply of teabags and mugs. First priority sorted! Here is the mobile tea room, otherwise known as the guard's van in position. Ahead of the van, or should that be behind, you can see the first 40 sleepers laid out by the gang before a tea break. The rails are waiting to the side.
Speaking of rails another delivery arrived of the brand new rails for under the bridge and to connect to the rest of the railway. A bit of a wiggle was needed to get the trailer in to the right place.
Swinging out the rails and unloading them took some coordination but with the experts in charge all went well.
And here they are, this is one of our Christmas presents. Flat bottomed rail for over the slab and bullhead rail for the connection to the existing rails.
These rails were then dragged in to position towards the bridge.
The next set of six photos are courtesy of Glynn S/ CHR /CHR Facebook.
Looking south in to the hazy sunshine we can see the freshly laid sleepers stretching out towards the cattle creep (bridge 51).
Looking north from the cattle creep you can see the rails laid out to simulate their position so that the supporting concrete sleepers can be positioned and then the successive sleepers spaced out using the jig.
The sleepers then are ready for about a quarter of a mile up towards the gasworks bridge.
To the north of the bridge the freshly delivered bullhead rail was moved up in to position before being rolled to the side to allow sleepers to be laid.
Here the gang north of the bridge start to lay out the sleepers, by the end of the day around 40 had been placed in position. These concrete sleepers are heavier than the wooden ones so today's tea was well earned. Just look how things are moving now.
The next view shows the section beyond the cattle creep which will be tackled next. With a fair wind this section should be underway in February, only another three quarters of a mile and there is a brewery waiting at the end. What more incentive could the team need. Now all we need is someone to organise the celebration in the brewery.
A special thank you to all who turned out and to those who are giving up their holiday to work on the extension. Thanks to Andy and Glynn for sharing the photos. Don't forget to look at the Facebook page (link top right) and give us a 'Like'. If you like what we are doing tell your friends to like us as well.
This weekend sees the last of the Santa Specials with a few places remaining so do pop along and see what we are up to. To avoid disappointment please book on line for the Santa Special through the link on the CHR website, a link to out homepage is in the top right of this page.
Until next time
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