Thursday Gang

Our friends at Central News were back on site and did a feature of around 3 minutes on their Evening News last Thursday. There was a interview with Dave Roll who is our Thursday Gang leader.  Filming also took place along the extension. 

Dave posted this report about the activities underway.

"A good turnout for the first Thursday of the New Year. I counted about 20 of us scattered around undertaking various tasks.
There was a group using the JCB to straighten the sleepers and move rails into the 4' just north of the Cattle Creep.
A second team tackled the fishplates starting at the end of the current running line and working north as far as Plas Fynnon pond.
Holes in fences where we suffer trespass were dealt with, the Christmas Decorations and banners came down and the work on the Suburban Carriage continued in the shed.
General tidying of the yard and shed continues. I have recently noticed that there has even been a workbench revealed, which probably has heritage value in itself."

Andy G and Tom S were on hand to take some pictures.  We start with a photo by Tom showing the JCB tweaking the sleeper positions to ensure alignment, the old manual methods of a crowbar stuck in the ballast and a heave are still used on occasion but the excavator makes it so much easier!

With the sleepers aligned it was time to position the waiting rails in the 'four foot' to then be lifted in to position in the waiting chairs.  Here we are moving north from the cattle creep.

At the end of the day John and Tom review their handiwork and propose to celebrate with a brew back at base.

Thanks to Andy and Tom for the pictures and to all who turned up on Thursday.  Some people like it so much that there is now also a Tuesday session planned as well.  Work has been undertaken on an informal occasional basis on Tuesdays already, so from now on that will also become a full working day.  Let's see how that develops.
 
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Until next time.