Time Off For Good Behaviour

As just about everywhere else there will not be much progress due to the current situation.

When it is safe to do so work will resume.

Until then keep safe.

Weston Ways

Thursday at Weston brought very visual progress with the first of the sleepers laid on the main line towards the station.

Andy G was on hand to capture events throughout the day.

With the rail to the left acting as a guide, Glyn in the JCB has swung the concrete sleepers into place so that John and Dave can set them in position using a spacer to set the correct distance. Once on a roll the sleepers go down fairly quickly, behind them you can see those already laid.

Looking south towards the station site at the end of the day you can see it's not much further until we reach the start of the prefabricated platform, just a little beyond where the JCB is parked.

Turning round and looking north we can see the great work done by the team during the day.

The last view is looking from the site of the loop point and you can see where the freshly laid sleepers start.

We will continue when possible with work on the project but in these uncertain times we do not know what will happen.

Thanks to all of the volunteers who came to help and to Andy G for the pictures.

Hoping the next time is soon!

Covid-19 Virus Update

The decision has been made by Cambrian Heritage Railways to  suspend all public operating until at least the end of April. This decision will be reviewed in line with the changing situation and advice from the government.

We hope that everyone continues to support the heritage railway movement during what is going to be a very challenging time.

Please take care and use the necessary precautions to limit the spread of the virus.

Block Working

Block working? Have we finished all of the track and are now working on the signalling? Not quite. Still a long way to go and in these days of uncertainty timings can change due to outside circumstances.  Inspite of the general mood the feeling at Weston is positive and we keep moving forward.
In the latest developments strange rumblings under the road bridge and cries of 'pouritin' have be heard as the volunteers mystically dance around with a wheelbarrow. Andy G was on hand with his camera to catch this strange ceremony.

The ceremony starts with the gathering around the cement mixer and the ritual cry of 'starterup', which can mean lots of wasted arm movements and leg pulling if you forget to open the fuel tap.  Once the beat of the machine is established it's time for the ingredients to be fed into the mixer. The photo shows the team in full swing preparing another mix.

Once ready the mix is transported in the wheelbarrow and poured into the waiting moulds. The concrete is then allowed to cure.

After setting the moulds are stripped and the finished product sees the light of day. What are they?  These are the foundation blocks for the precast platform sections. We need to make quite a few of these so the team will be busy for a while.

Another good week of progress at Weston with thanks to the volunteers who came along and to Andy G for the pictures.

Work continues at other sites as we prepare for the operating season.

Until next time.

Points Make Prizes

Work on the permanent way continues at Weston with the positioning of the components for the northernmost point.  Andy G was on hand with the camera to capture the assembly phase.

We start with Noel looking on to see what's missing. Can you spot the missing parts?

The final two sleepers have been moved into position and the parts are being tweaked into position. At this moment in time the chairs are not screwed into the sleepers until all parts have been lined up.

A few nudges here and there and things begin to line up.

At the end of the day the parts are in the right location and need to be finally gauged before being finally screwed into place.

Many thanks to all who helped and to Andy G for the pictures.

Until next time.

The Coach Now Arriving

Oswestry station received a new addition with the arrival of a grounded GWR coach body which will eventually be restored to provide additional display space.
This coach for many years rested alongside the Cambrian Coast line at Ynyslas and has been donated to CHR.

Many thanks for the generous donation and for the sponsorship of the transport, thanks also to CHR Facebook for the picture.

Until next time.

Ballasting At Weston.

Thanks to CHR Facebook here are some pictures of progress at Weston.  The team have been ballasting the goods sidings and working their way up to the point on the running line.

We start the picture survey at the north end of the site, at the point which connects the main line to the sidings. There is still some work left to complete the point but the materials are now in position. At this point the slight curve to the right to enter in to Weston station starts, the station site is just to the right of the centre of the picture.

After the first point we have a section of track alongside the remaining stable part of the original wharf. Over the years the original wall had been modified and extended with varying degrees of success. Some parts were stable and on suitable foundations and others were unstable and fell down over the years.  This view shows the recently ballasted track alongside the original wharf wall. This leads to the point for the two goods sidings.

The final picture shows the now ballasted point next to the new section of wall. The position of the platform and run round loop is in the cleared area on the left.

A very big thank you to all the volunteers who have been moving and ballasting the track by hand. Thanks to CHR for the pictures.

Until next time.

Return to Service

Sorry for the slight delay. I managed to drop my phone in the washing up which proved terminal. New phone and access regained.

With regards to the  CHR project it's a bit of a heads down time, lots of  planning and ground work but with no pictures to show.

At Llynclys the restoration of the diesel multiple units continues with both mechanical and body work.

One other item of news is the expression of interest to use government funds to investigate the reopening of the Gobowen to Oswestry link.

https://www.bordercountiesadvertizer.co.uk/news/18270567.oswestrys-expression-interest-lodged-government-restore-national-rail-links/


We shall see what happens.

Until next time.