Park Hall Halt

A very brief update to say thank you to the volunteer(s) that turned up to clear the platform at Park Hall Halt.
So far about half of the platform area has been cleared and under the years of growth the original oak tree and the crab apple have been found.  These trees always appeared in the photos of the halt in steam days so it will be nice one day to see our trains parked under the same trees.

Park Hall Halt served the army camp close by and could one day allow services to stop there for the hospital.

Guy called by during the week and took the following pictures showing some of the original items left behind after closure.

Thanks to Guy for the pictures.

Until next time

Summer Activities

Things will slow down for a month whilst we concentrate on our Summer season of operations.

The many operating days put a strain on our running staff as we have to deal with holidays and time off for the volunteers.

If you fancy trying your hand in operations we are looking for more volunteers. How about being a guard or even training to become a driver?  There are lots of possibilities and even if you can only come infrequently you will be made very welcome.  Pop along and have a chat when we are open.

In addition to the operating roles we have opportunities in restoration and reconstruction, the Tuesday and Thursday groups are an ideal way to fill in time during the week and still have weekends free.  Whatever time you have available we can usually find something to do!

The picture shows the results of our efforts and you could be part of the next milestone event.

Thanks to CHR Facebook for the picture.

Work continues on many fronts and the team will shortly work at Park Hall Halt to remove excess vegetation.

The clearance work at Weston continues.

Until next time.

Weston Progress

The CHR Facebook page has published a couple of pictures showing the clearance work underway at Weston.

Years of waste and growth have been removed to allow investigation work to proceed.

The screener has been in action again to prepare ballast for the next phase of permanent way work. This ballast will be used on the shoulders to box in the sleepers to prevent lateral movement.

The latest electronic newsletter contains more details. You can sign up to receive this on the CHR website.

Thanks to CHR Facebook for the pictures.

Until next time.

It Fits!

The first passenger trains ran under the bridge over the weekend and the good news is that everything now fits.

Guy was on hand to take some pictures of the first trains.

We start with the loco at rest at the new limit of operations. The stop board is in place and the loco prepares to run back to Oswestry station.

With a quick blast of the whistle the loco sets off.

And to prove that trains can now pass under the bridge here is an action shot of the train in motion. A very satisfying conclusion after all of the hard work.  Many thanks to Shropshire County Council for facilitating the work and to all who contributed in any way to the project.

In other news.  Wednesdays our favourite supermarket team return for their second appointment. A really big thank you to Sainsburys for supporting this initiative and to the employees who chose to support our project.  Various jobs were tackled around the site including work on the station name board.   Dave R took the picture.

Again it is good to see further steps forward with our project and once again thanks to all for your support.

Until next time.

Thursday and Tuesday Catch Up

Slightly later than usual here is a catch up on the latest work. Last week we were not able to lay the crossing so the team diverted to Oswestry to work on the long sleepers  that support the point lever by Oswestry South signal box. These were getting towards the end of their life so whilst there was still reasonable access these were replaced with fresher ones.  These timbers are over 12 feet long so threading them in was fun.
Colin was on hand to take the pictures.

We start with a view of the long timbers installed and the point lever in position. Although it looks a simple job there was a lot of team effort to complete this.

Further south the point lever and locking mechanism for the centre road was given an overhaul.

Another job was at the pedestrian crossing. The hole around the recently installed gate post was further filled to retain the post.

The Tuesday Gang had an away day at Weston working on site clearance. Andy G sent a quick picture of the sleepers that need to be recovered and sorted so that the track bed can be prepared.

Thanks to Colin and Andy for the pictures. When the issue with the accommodation crossing are sorted we will be able to complete the link up. For now we have to wait.

Until next time.

First Train South

Another historic moment for CHR. The first passenger service south of gasworks bridge since 1965.  Thanks to CHR Facebook for the picture.

Tuesday Gang

With the work coming up on the crossing it's time to bring the two parts closer together. The team spent the day preparing the trackbed and then assembling the two track panels. Andy G was on hand with the camera to take the pictures.

We start looking at the prepared ballast bed with one  track panel already laid out. Noel surveys the scene during mid morning tea break.

The next lot of sleepers have been laid out and the first rail installed.  This is the last full panel before the crossing and was left until now to allow access and turning space.

With the rails now in place and the rails for the crossing strategically placed we are ready for the next phase.

At the end of the day the track has arrived at the crossing and the site is being closed for the night.

We are now ready to start work at the crossing. Once the rails are connected there is still much to do before passenger trains can run along the extension. The track needs to be adjusted to the correct Alignment and topped up with ballast.

Thanks to all who came along to lend a hand and to Andy G for the pictures.

Until next time.

Preparations

There will be a longer than usual working period this week as we attempt to complete the accommodation crossing behind Travis Perkins.

Over the weekend the team spent time clearing the area and moving the ballast screener before it goes off to work further along the extension.  Guy N took the following pictures.

The first area to be tackled was the ballast loading area, all the remaining ballast was loaded in to the Dogfish wagon ready to be dropped as needed.

The area is now clear allowing access to the ballast screener.

With a few movements back and forth the access was prepared.

The waiting 'crowd' watches as we prepare to couple up.

A last minute check by Kevin that the towing hitch is clear and ready.

The convoy slowly moves down to the crossing where some work on the screens was carried out.

The whole area is now clear of ballast and obstructions, just some construction materials for the crossing which will be used over the following days.

A quick test that all is well.

The screens are checked from the strategically placed spoil pile.

Materials have been gathered ready for the crossing works.

There will be further updates as works progress.

Many thanks to all who risked sunburn and to Guy N for the pictures.

Until next time.

Llynclys Progress

In addition to the work at Oswestry the operating railway at Llynclys is constantly being maintained. 
Recent work has seen ongoing maintenance to woodwork and fencing. The team at Llynclys is looking to further develop the site and if you would like to be involved please make contact.

Thanks to CHR Facebook here are two pictures of recent activities.

We start with the overhauled and repainted platform sign at the Penygarreg Lane halt.

Back al Llynclys we have an enthusiastic team who are constantly watched over by Larry the station cat. Who is always ready to lend a paw.  Here the trolley gives an ideal means of transport to view the site.

The next working weekend will be cutting back the vegetation along the line.  A big thank you to all working on the project at Llynclys and to CHR for the photos.

Until next time.

Oswestry Food and Drink Festival

Next weekend, the 13/14 th of July sees the annual Oswestry Food Festival http://oswestryfoodfestival.co.uk/
Trains will be running from 11:30 to 15:30 so why not bring family and friends for a wander round the food festival and a train ride.

Tuesday Gang

Tuesday's track work activities were based around the accommodation crossing behind Travis Perkins.  The aim was to lay and roll the ballast bed in order to position the sleepers.

Thanks to Andy G here are some pictures of the day's activities.  We start with the manual movement of ballast to the required area.

Over lunch the team discussed the next steps and Glynn followed up with a further safety briefing. Noel, Steve, Norman, John and Dave are listening before the afternoon session.

The ballast has been moved into position and the area rolled. Sleepers are beginning to appear along the line.

At the end of the day the Heras fencing is replaced to secure the site.

The orange line marks the position of the soon to be laid rails coming from the south to the crossing.

Thanks to Andy for the pictures and to all who turned up.

Until next time.

Track Alignment

Over the last few days the team has been working on the alignment of the track through the bridge and onwards towards Weston.  This has allowed us to further develop skills with more sophisticated machinery.

Thanks to CHR for the following pictures which have also been shared on Facebook. The link to the Facebook pages is in the top right hand corner in the web version of this page.

We start the pictures with a view of the prime material for finishing the track, ballast.  Here the Dogfish hopper wagon is being loaded with fresh ballast prior to being moved in to position and dropped on the track. The mini digger is a great help with this.

Once the ballast has been dropped it's time to pack to the final alignment. The new jacker  packer will help with this. Here the recently arrived machine is starting to be put through its paces.  There is still much to sort out on the machine but this will become a key piece of equipment in our quest to restore and maintain our railway.

Under the bridge on the slabbed section the rails have been shimmed to give the correct vertical alignment, making sure that each support distributes the weight of the trains uniformly throughout the slab.

With the ballast in place the track takes on it's final form.  Here we can see also the low profile metal sleepers used where the line passes over the main sewer. These were used as they require less depth of ballast in this area.

Many thanks to CHR for the pictures and keep watching as we move forward.

Until next time.