Tuesday At Weston

The team of volunteers was back in action at Weston working on multiple jobs. Parts were painted, wood preservative was applied, sleepers were positioned and rails installed. Andy G was on hand with his camera to capture the action during the day.

We start at the southern end where sleepers and point components have been moved into position. You can see the general alignment has been marked out and the sleepers are being placed in position. Just in front of this section the point will be laid out using the switches already alongside the timbers. The point will be loosely assembled and adjusted before the chairs are finally screwed down.

Meanwhile Noel was getting to grips with the lamp posts, he was busy chipping away at old paint.

At the end of the day two rails were placed into the sleepers just before the bridge.  The alignment will need to be adjusted once the rest of the track has been completed.

Another good day of work by the volunteers. Thanks to Andy G for the pictures.

Until next time.

Rails Over (Mordor) Morda

The Thursday gang were back in action at Weston installing the chairs on the new waybeams over the River Morda.

The chairs were placed in position and lined up with rails. The final screwing down still needs to be done once the connecting rails are in place so that the alignment can be confirmed.

Numerous other small jobs around the site were undertaken by the volunteers.  Many thanks to them and Andy G who took a quick picture of the rails heading over the Morda and onwards towards Middle Earth.

Until next time.

Clearing The Middle(ton) Section

The team of John, Paul, Nick and Norman were hard at work clearing the vegetation from the Middleton Road bridge section. About two thirds of the section was trimmed back and now presents a much tidier image to the users of the footpath alongside the railway.

Norman took a few pictures during the day showing the progress. We start at the northern end of the section next to Middleton Road road bridge.

The team worked along the line dealing with the vegetation and here they are approaching the halfway point between the two bridges.

The clearance is progressing well.

By the end of the day the view along the line had been opened up.

The work will continue over the weekend.

Thanks to the green fingered crew and to Norman for the pictures.

Until next time.

A Weston Thursday

After the rapid progress last week it was back to a normal working Thursday at Weston. Andy G took the following pictures of work that went on during the day.

We start at Oswestry where the Lomac was loaded with material that will be used at Weston. This picture is actually from Tuesday and hidden amongst the load are the lighting columns which will be located at Weston. Phil, Steve and Ian take a short breather from loading.  The Tuesday team also continued with painting the River bridge before tracklaying.

On Thursday down at Weston Steve watches as the JCB landscapes what will one day be platform 2. This will be seeded like the rest of the earthworks, Steve has done a quality job on the first part of the bank.

We have now moved to screwing down the northern point of the run round loop. Glyn drives in the screws as John and Dave give moral support.

As each screw goes in the team offers even more advice.

Glyn followed along the siding tidying up the ballast.

The station is now taking shape but there is still plenty of work to complete the first phase.

A thank you to Andy for the pictures and to the volunteers who are driving the project forward.

Until next time.

Post Lockdown Haircut

Over the next few weekends there will be a concentrated effort to tackle the vegetation that has grown over the lockdown period.

This weekend is the turn of the section south from the Middleton Road bridge. Today Norman and the Thursday volunteers got a head start.

Norman took the following pictures showing the vegetation before work started and after the first day.  We start with a view looking north with the Middleton Road bridge and footbridge in the distance.

Looking the other way to Gasworks bridge you can see how much vegetation has grown along the track.

After the first day the area around the footbridge has had it's first trim.

The track is now visible. A lot better.

The work will continue over the weekend and will be followed up at various points along the line.

Thanks to all who braved the heat and to Norman for the pictures.

Until next time.

Rubbing For Victory

The work on the Cl 101 DMU continues with the rubbing down of the bodywork and the stripping of the roof. Many hours of work have gone in to creating a flat surface for the primer and base coats of paint. After the team had left Guy managed to take a picture of the whole side showing just how much surface area there is and the current state of play.

Until next time.

CHR DMU Team

The team at Llynclys are proceeding withe the restoration of the bodywork of the vehicles. 

Under the good weather a start has been made of stripping the roof.  Until you stand up on the roof you don't appreciate just how much surface area there is. If the choice is between cutting the lawn or stripping a roof I might even be tempted to cut the lawn as it's only half of a carriage roof.

Whilst the weather permits it's a good chance to sand back an re primer to ensure the right surface finish.

Sanding away reveals other clues as to the units past life.

Many thanks to CHR for the pictures. There is still plenty of preparation work before the exterior can be painted. The work will carry on so that we can return these units to pristine condition to welcome our passengers.

Many thanks for the donations to assist with the restoration.

Until next time.

Here's One We Took Earlier.

The view of the prepared trackbed under the bridge. This is the area where the southern point of the run round loop is being installed.

Thanks to CHR for the picture.

Until next time

Working Week (4)

The week-long working party drew to a close with more work preparing the track bed and assembling track panels.

Andy G took the following photos.

In the first picture further sleepers are laid out for the run round loop. Ian is making sure the spacing is correct.  We are just about to reach the Weston Road bridge.

A short while later and the rails are in position and another panel is assembled.

At the north end the point has been screwed down and the groundframe to control the points has been installed, though more work is needed before these levers become operational.

The view from under the road bridge shows the materials being moved into position for further tracklaying.

It is fitting that the first smoke to drift past the platform should be a reward for the volunteers who have given up their time to make such progress at the Weston site. Not everyone could be there but those who were enjoyed a barbecue.

The PWay trolley made an excellent base as top quality fayre was dished up along with top quality liquid refreshment from next door.

The view north from the bridge shows how much has been achieved during the week with both lines having passed the platform.

Looking south you can see the point timbers have have been moved close to where they will be positioned. A start has been made on laying out the point. In the background is the recently painted bridge over the river Morda waiting for the track to reach it. This will form the southern part of the track beyond the point to allow the locomotive to run round.

A special thank you to all who helped and supported the work at Weston during the week. Thanks to Andy G for the pictures.

Until next time.

Working Week (3)

Andy G has taken a few shots of the latest activities at Weston with the team now at day 4 of the working week.

We start with the rails being moved into position on the first track panel of the day.

With the two rails in place the second panel was prepared to receive the rails. With the installation of the pads we are almost ready for the second pair of rails to be moved into position.

Once in position the rails are clipped in place and we now have track throughout the platform length.

The view from the north of the site shows the platform road and the runround loop now past the platform.

In addition to the station construction we are also beautifying the station to enhance the heritage aspect. Here the enamel sign makes an appearance reminding us of the past use of the wharf sidings.

Weather permitting work will continue at the site with much work still to do before the track is complete.

Many thanks to Andy and the team for the progress made.

Until next time.

Working Week (2)

Tuesday saw two track panels clipped up, the trackbed under the road bridge prepared and the start of laying out of timbers for the south point of the run round loop.

We start with a view of the last clips going onto the rails of the second panel.

Further south the trackbed under the bridge was levelled out and prepared to receive the sleepers.

The dumper and mini excavator worked in harmony to fill the hollows and create a level base.

To the rear of the platform the last of the fence posts were bolted to the platform supports.

Here we see the first two lengths of rail installed alongside the platform.

South of the Weston road bridge the prepared base received the first timbers for the point.

At the river bridge the remaining steelwork was prepared and painted. Next step is to install the drains. In the background is the existing track running towards the level crossing.

Looking back from the river bridge we see the first sleepers for the point and the trackbed now ready for the approaching track.

The team achieved a great deal working under the blue sky. A big thank you to those who helped today and to Andy G for the pictures.

Until next time.

Working Week.(1)

Day One of the working week at Weston saw activity on two fronts. The installation of the longitudinal timbers on the Morda bridge and the start of track laying alongside the platform.  Andy G was on hand to capture the work in progress.

The river bridge has the timber inside the bridge beams. This view shows the four timbers in the installed position.

The starting point for the day was the freshly painted steel bridge beams awaiting the installation of the timbers.

Very carefully, inch by inch, these were threaded between the steel beams. Each span required two timbers and these were installed during the day. Dave and Phil watch as the beam makes progress.

Meanwhile at the station work started on laying out the sleepers infront of the platform. The team of John, Phil, Charlie, Jules and Andy worked to move and space out the sleepers ready for the rail to be installed.

First job is to sort out the useable sleepers and move them to the railhead. Then the lifting chains are attached.

The group of sleepers is swung into position where the team space them out at the correct distance. Note also that the fence posts along the rear are advancing towards the end of the platform.

Work will carry on during the week and we will update you on the progress.

Thank you to all for your donations and support for the project. You can see the physical progress that we are making with your donations. If you would like to help further the donations page on the CHR website is still open and a link can be found at the top right of this page.

Many thanks to the team who are beavering away at Weston this week and to Andy G for the pictures.

Until next time.

Llynclys Activity

The team including new volunteer Nick were at work around Llynclys, mostly working on fencing and signage.

Norman and his trusty camera were on hand to record progress during the day.  What better way than to start off at the entrance. Over the years the sign has become tired and a new entrance sign has been prepared.  The first job was to remove the old sign, seen here still in position.

Meanwhile Dave R gets on with installing the gate post and making sure that everything is vertical.

Luckily the site inspector is never far away and keeps an eye on Dave to make sure the job is done correctly.

Nick makes the new locking pad installation for the gates.

Whilst Colin and James work on the new access gate for volunteers.
On the tramway bridge a safety fence was installed.

Here you can see the closing panel across the tramway track.

The entrance sign was removed, awaiting the installation of the replacement.

After the rain had come and gone the new sign was installed and Dave R took the following picture.

A very big thank you to all who took part and to Norman and Dave for the pictures. Not all planned jobs were finished due to the weather so there will be a follow up session.

Until next time.