Arrivals in May

I hope that you are all keeping well and busy during this difficult period.

The lockdown had curtailed activity on the ground but plenty has been going on behind the scenes.

The 22nd of May saw two class 144 Pacer units arrive at Gobowen for use on the line. These are numbers 144006 and 144007.

Here they are tucked up in the CHR compound at Gobowen

CHR has been fortunate to acquire the two operational Pacer multiple units which arrived under their own power as a special working from the storage location in Yorkshire. Many thanks to Porterbrook for their generosity in making these units available.

Yesterday there was another arrival at Oswestry of a Mark 3 sleeper car from the Caledonian set. This will be used for volunteer accommodation.

 Here is the coach resting in the station. Again thanks to Porterbrook for their assistance with this coach.

Our railway like other visitor attractions has suffered greatly with the restrictions on movement. We have an appeal open for funds and donations can be made through the website.

Thanks to CHR Facebook for the pictures.

Another Block In The (Platform) Wall

Before the lockdown started the team at Weston had managed to make 72 of the 86 support blocks required for the platform supports.  Well done.

Until better times...

A Cambrian Journey

I am not sure how long this link will stay valid for but here is a German language short film of a trip from Pwllheli finishing in Oswestry.

Cambrian Coast Journey

Whilst we are all keeping safe indoors it's nice to see the various heritage railways when they were operating.

Keep safe.

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.