Opening Weekend

Finally it is time to show the world the fruits of the many hours of volunteer labour that has gone into the railway.

Book through the CHR website to travel this weekend on one of the many trains running between Oswestry and Weston.

Motive power will be Barclay Henry Ellison.

Here Dave has captured the locomotive at Weston.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Job Done

And now that the railway is open I think that the blog has run it's course. Many thanks for joining us on the journey to Weston.

Come along and take a ride on our new railway.  We hope to see you soon.

A new blog will be along when it is time to renew another part of the railway.

Best Regards

Adrian 

Ongoing Work

The CHR website now has details of the first trains and places can be booked. We look forward to welcoming you.

Meanwhile work is ongoing along the line in preparation for public services.

The running line at Oswestry has seen some spot re-sleepering. Andy G sent some pictures.

We start with the RVV moving the replacement sleepers into position.

It's time to take out the sleepers no longer suitable for the running line.

Keep checking to make sure that all is aligned.

With lots of wiggling and jiggling the new sleepers are placed in position under the rails.

The all important check to ensure that everything is to gauge.

Time to fill with ballast.

Then it's packing time to fill the gaps around the sleepers and to ensure support.

Time to assess the job and fill in any gaps.

Job done and time to pack up and drink tea.

In parallel other work is in hand with lineside furniture and signage. The mile posts are being prepared for the planting season.

Thanks to all who have lent a hand and to Andy G for the pictures.

Until next time.

Plans For The Reopening Day

Friday 1st of April 2022 is the day that CHR will reopen the line between Oswestry and Weston.

The official opening of Weston station will be performed by Helen Morgan MP and the special train will leave at 2pm being given the right away by Vince Hunt of Shropshire County Council.

There is still plenty to do before we can run trains, not least the retubing of the Barclay's boiler.

Keep an eye out for more news of the reopening.

Until next time.

The Chips Are Down

The New Year has seen a further push to get ready for April, when it's planned to open the extension to Weston. 

There are many jobs that need to be completed and the volunteers are working flat out in multiple locations.  Andy G has been busy with his camera catching up with progress.

We start at Black Meadow Crossing where the fencing and cattle grids need to be finalised. In the first picture the northern grids are in place and the fencing is in progress.

The view looking north at the end of the day shows that the work is almost complete.

Down at Weston it's time to work on the platform surface and large quantities of chippings have been laid and rolled.

Starting from the north of the platform we can see the view of the bay platform and refreshment coach.

The area beside the refreshment coach, which will be known as Snacks On The Tracks, is shown in the next photo.

The access way to the coach is looking good.

On the side facing the road further chippings are being spread and rolled.

Just a few more loads and the entrance will be complete.

Work is ongoing on the fence next to the brewery.

The piles of chips are gradually being reduced as the platform surface grows.

The stones need to be layered and rolled.

Elsewhere work continues on the details that will add to the atmosphere at the stations. Steve and Phil show their latest projects.

Many thanks to Andy G for the pictures.

Until next time.

Reopening News and Keeping Up To Date

The official opening of the extension to Weston is planned for the end of March 2022 with public services starting from Easter.

We look forward to welcoming you onboard one of our services.

As the major jobs have been completed on the Extension the blog will slow down for a while.

Please keep up to date with the latest developments on the CHR by signing up to the newsletter or visiting us on Facebook.

To sign up for the Newsletter click on the link at the top of the page for the CHR homepage.

The Coach Now Arriving

After three years of work by the team at Oswestry the Mk 1 Suburban Coach was rolled out to join the passenger carrying fleet.  This restoration has included repairs to the bodywork and internal woodwork.

The following views of the coach are courtesy of CHR Facebook.

Well done to all of the volunteers who have put hundreds of hours into the restoration of this coach.

Until next time.

Droning On

 

Last Saturday Les brought along his drone and flew over Weston so that now you can see the latest progress and the impact the tamper has had on the track alignment.

There are lots of photos and they are grouped by location so I will not caption each one.

We start at the north end of the station with views of the tamper running along the siding

Next we fly towards the station with the class 73 in the platform and the Pacers in the bay.

Now we head to the south of the station and take a view towards the A483 level crossing before coming back for a closer look at progress.

The fence and gates have been erected between the station and the brewery, this is to keep the hoards of thirsty volunteers out.

The track alignment is now looking good after tamping

You can see there are still some features to complete such as the water column.

We finish with some overall views of Weston Station and Stonehouse Brewery.

Finally an aerial view of the team walking back to the station and hatching a plan to open the brewery gates.

Many thanks to Les for flying the drone and for sharing these pictures.

Until next time.

Pressing On

With the arrival of the tamper a lot of work has been done on the alignment and making sure that the line is brought up to passenger carrying standards. Andy G was on hand with his camera to catch some of the action.

We start with a ride on the works train as fresh ballast is brought along to back up where the tamper has moved the stones under the sleepers.

Once the ballast has been spread out it's time to pack the voids left by the tamper and ensure that the sleeper tops are clear, for the moment this is being done manually. Here we see the team on the rise up from Gasworks Bridge working on each sleeper.

Now looking up towards the crossing the works are moving along nicely.

And on the other side of the bridge alongside the footpath the line is receiving more attention.

At Weston the white line along the platform edge is progressing.

And just a few minutes later James has almost completed the white line.

Meanwhile the tamper is seen approaching Black Meadow Crossing, working it's magic on the alignment.

Alan, after his training, is testing the recently delivered guards chair. All that's missing is the mug of tea.

The tamper has now reached Weston and is receiving some love and admiration from the team. Hand packing the extension would have been hard work!

Continuing with the station signage further cast signs have been erected. Here is the right of way notice at the entrance.

The passageway which leads to the platform across the goods shed siding.

Under a changing sky the tamper takes a rest. Look at the track now it has been aligned. 

Another nice touch is the wooden fence and gates to our neighbours, Stonehouse Brewery.

Thanks to Andy G and Phil B for the photos.

Until next time.