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.