Thusrday Gang

Sorry for the delay in posting these pictures.  I was away for the weekend working.
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The Thursday Gang comprised of 17 people this time including a new volunteer.  A big welcome to Mike.

The track work team concentrated on the middle road in the station and more panels of track were laid.  The fist job of the day was to pack the already laid sleepers and add extra ballast where there were some voids.  In the first picture the team work on the ballast as we look back along the sleepers that have been laid out to receive rail.

The fishplate tickling team were back in action with Steve showing Colin the ropes and Noel and Mike watching and learning, or giving helpful suggestions.

Here is the group photo of the proud team at the end of the day Left to right Steve, Keith, Noel, Mike, Alan P, Colin, Tom and extreme right Glynn S.

The hard work resulted in more track through the station and we are almost up to the bracket signal. As the sun gets lower in the sky the shadows lengthen and brings a different atmosphere to the station.

Looking back from the platform we can now see the line in to the station proper.

Just for a bit of fun here is the picture cropped a little.  Now doesn't that look good!

Many thanks to Andy G for the pictures and to all who turned up

Until Next time

Tuesday Gang

The team were in action again in the centre road at Oswestry and another panel of track was assembled.  Thanks to Colin for taking the following two pictures at the end of the session.

The track is now advancing between the platforms, each 60ft panel is about the length of a coach and the platforms at Oswestry were good for 12 coaches plus loco.  Still a few more panels to go before the centre road is complete but first we need to move that truck.

We need a bit of ballast to help out under the track where there are a few low spots.  The end of the down platform can be seen to the right.

Once the hiab is out of the way we can push on with the tracklaying.

In addition a small group worked on the south side of the cattle creep to connect up the relayed section with the line to Weston.  Again it's photos from Colin.

Here we are looking along the straight to Weston, the freshly laid track is in the foreground.

As the levels have been adjusted slightly is was necessary to raise the track with packing of another layer of sleepers, this raises up the rails to an ideal height to form a seat.

The connection has now been made and this will allow access for equipment for further work on the extension.

At the end of the day the raised rails made an ideal place to reflect on progress and discuss the next steps, the final picture shows the fine weather and the way to Weston.

Thanks to Colin for the pictures and to all who participated.

Until next time.

Straight Down The Middle

Oswestry station has a fairly unique layout.  In between the two platforms is a single through road which was used by trains in both directions to avoid platforms or to 'loop' waiting trains.  On heritage railways there are a few examples of centre release roads but these are terminal stations.  Brechin in Scotland dates back to BR days and Ruddington GCR(N) is of recent construction. Leicester North may well become another example.

It has long been a CHR ambition to recreate the three road layout between the platforms and with the availability of wooden sleepers and a track gang well 'run-in' the attention has turned to the centre road in Oswestry station. 

To avoid any confusion work on the extension will continue but we are waiting for confirmation of plans for the crossing behind Travis Perkins.  The connection of the two parts of the extension requires some excavation and relaying of drainage to avoid future problems at the crossing.  Once all is confirmed work will continue with the extension.

With hands and material on site it is time to continue with work at Oswestry station.  The centre road siding was previously only used for sleeper storage and was laid in lightweight mode with 2 in 3 sleepers missing.  Now that attention has turned to relaying the centre road it was time to take action.  Thanks to Noel E here are the pictures of the start of work on the centre road. 

First the keys are removed from the chairs and mechanical help arrives to dismantle the storage siding.

The CHR Line Dancing Team then spring in to action to move the rail.  The new sleepers are waiting in the foreground.

 The team move to the other rail to continue

Once the sleepers have been checked and laid at the correct spacing it is time to reposition the rails.  First a check that all is to plan and to check the correct position to lean on a crowbar.

Fishplate tickling can begin and the centre road has officially begun.

With help from the Iron Man and neat use of the bars the rail is dropped in to position.

 The keys are knocked in to place to an appreciative audience

Then it's swap sides and on to the next rail, the iron man again giving a helping hand.

With a bit of mechanical help the rail is nudged in to position and that is it, the first panel done.

Many thanks to Noel for the pictures and to all who took part at the birth of the centre road.

We now swap to pictures from Guy who took these after panel number three had gone in.  Here we are looking south towards the signal box from a point between the platform, well actually it is where the point used to be but for the moment we don't have a suitable point to lay here.  At first the single slip will give access only to the platform road.

You can see the position of the centre road, the alignment was set out by Glynn a few weeks ago.

Here we are at panel three with the space to the left for the down platform road once the renovation of the platform is complete.  The appeal for funds is still open by the way.

The final view is one from the yard access with the remains of the down platform on the right and the centre road just about to enter the gap between the platforms. 

Work will continue laying track through the station before switching back to the extension.

Many thanks to Guy and Noel for the pictures.

Until next time.

Tuesday And Thursday Gangs

Tuesday.

A light start to the day with only two sleepers to change.  Only two?  Ahh yes but they were two of the most difficult to get to.  In the first picture Colin sizes up the job and the access.  Maybe time for another cup of tea just to make sure.

After a fair bit of digging and jiggling around the sleepers have been removed. Dave, Noel and Colin are still standing whilst John checks and prays that getting the new sleepers in will be easier.

It's a wiggle and a squeeze and 'Jack' also comes to help as the last sleeper is coaxed in to position.  This photo shows how little space there was to manoeuvre the sleeper in to position.

And that's it, job done.  The two sleepers are in, rails clipped up and just some packing and minor adjustments to complete.

What's next then?  OK you need to shift that track panel built last week to the right.  After consulting the plans and setting out the alignment on the ground it was worked out that the first track panel of the centre road needed to be moved slightly.  Time for crowbars.  The yellow line on the ballast indicates the correct alignment of the centre road.  This is the before photo.

After some leverage with crowbars the alignment was declared good and time to move on.  Whilst we are here how about another panel of track?  I think that there is a rivalry between the teams as to who can find an excuse to lay track.  A very good thing as we have rather a lot still to do.  Here the sleepers have been laid and the iron men are about to help with the positioning of rails.

That's it, job done, another panel on the centre road, I shall have to have a count as to how many are still to go.  In the last Tuesday picture after a good days work the team head back to the shed to put everything away.

Thanks to all who came on Tuesday and to Andy G for the pictures.

Thursday

The regular Thursday sessions continue and a wide variety of jobs were tackled.  The (almost) Jones brothers and Alan took a trip to Llynclys to service a point ready for the operating season.

John continue in his 'workshop within a workshop' inside the suburban coach making replacement parts for the coach and finishing previously restored parts.  Here John is carefully preparing the next new piece.

Whilst the glue dries John continues with work on further panels.

Outside the Thursday Gang not to be outdone by the Tuesday Gang have to lay another panel of track on the centre road

That's number three by my counting and it takes us just to the end of the platform ramp, the next panel will take us between the platforms.  The first time that two lines grace the platforms at Oswestry since track in the station was lifted way back in the late 1960's.  Another success for CHR.

Alan P and Keith continued with the tamper/jacker packer.  Still a long way to go but progress is being made. 

Thanks to all who attended and to Andy G for the pictures.

Until next time

2019 Leaflet

The new leaflet is now available with brief details about the CHR and the sites at Oswestry and Llynclys, look out for these in the local area and in leaflet racks. 

The website will be updated shortly with the 2019 operating days, we look forward to seeing you on one of our trains.

Thursday Gang, Track in Their Blood

The Thursday Gang seem to have been suffering from withdrawl symptoms with having to take a temporary break from the linking up of the two sections at the accommodation crossing. 

Not to worry a further cunning plan has been devised and the team were soon leaping in to action for the transformation of Oswestry station.  The target was to get on with preparations for the relaying of the middle road.  The middle road will allow a run round loop to be installed and is part of the plan to relay all three roads through the station.  Will that make us the only standard gauge, ex national network line to have a centre road in a station? Answers please.

Further in the future the relaying of the down platform road will bring back the characteristic station layout. Tracklaying on the third road will not be undertaken until the platform wall has been rebuilt, relaying the track now would hinder access for the bricklaying team.  If you want to contribute to the appeal for fund for this work the donation button is on the website, we even take cheques and cash if you visit to see progress.  There are plenty of opportunities to become involved with restoration or operations if you so desire.

Apart from the work on the Permanent Way there were many other jobs going on around Oswestry station.  John continued in the shed with the woodwork on the suburban coach.  Outside Andy G took the following pictures of work in progress.

We start with Alan and Keith and their continued quest to bring the tamper back to life.  It might look like Keith is relaxing and soaking up the sun but some serious fault finding was going on.

The universal adjustment tool has been brought in to play and progress has been made.  Alan and Keith after some head scratching are making progress.

Another check and test to see if everything is now as it should be. 

More work is needed but progress is being made, with all of the work going on the tamper will be a great addition to the working fleet.  Keep up the good work chaps!

In the station it was time to do a bit of shuffling.  These stored sleepers needed to be removed to allow access to the temporary track which was due to be updated as part of the centre road.  Dave, Tom and Ryan offload the sleepers to their short term storage location.  

The weather kept us on our toes and between showers Tom and Dave take a break to review progress.

It's back to work moving sleepers up into the platform road (from where they will be moved across to the centre road as relaying continues).  Dave R observes the station speed limits as he pushes the trolley whilst in the background Tom, John and Dave D prepare another load

Dave and Tom unload the sleepers and to the right of the track is the space that will soon be occupied by the centre road.  If you look closely you will see the rainbow which appeared after every passing shower.

Once the sleepers were out of the way it was time to remove this piece of track, Whoever laid that needs shooting said someone... Guilty as charged as that is a bit of my handy work... Although it was only ever meant as a temporary siding for sleeper storage it's good to see it now being relayed as part of the new Oswestry track layout. Here the team of Tom, Colin, Noel, Glynn and Ryan in the front and Dave R, John W and Dave J behind decide who should pull the trigger.

With no Steve for the fishplates it was down to the two Daves and Colin to do the honours, here the first fishplate of the centre road is installed.

With the  correct number of sleepers now in position it was time to install the rails with the help of the long arm of the truck.  Once in place the rails and sleepers were adjusted in to position. The next picture from Glynn shows the team in action working as one.  A true team effort. 

 

Back to Andy's pictures for  a view along the first panel.  Now doesn't that look a lot better!

The final picture is the team heading back to a well earned cup of tea.

A very big thank you to all who turned up and it's so good to see another piece of the jigsaw coming together.  Thanks to Andy and Glynn for the pictures.

Until next time.