Tuesday 30th - We're back !

A great day for us all as this was our official return to C&W. During lockdown small groups only had been in to do work essential to enable us to resume running on April 13th. We had twelve in which was a very good start.

The first thing that had to be seen was our "new" Workshop. While the opportunity was available a small team had completely reorganised it, making the most of the available space, and the results are pretty impressive. 

Access to each area is now so much better.

It was also very heartening, especially for Clive who owns the coach, to see CK 16221 in the Workshop after so long outside waiting to be restored. Some earlier work had been done about 10 or so years ago with the coach outside, and more recently when it was brought into the Barn for a short spell, before finally returning to the Barn last year where bodyside prep had been started and the vestibule floors were being reinstated. Occasionally it still had to go back out when other priorities came to the fore.

 Now who's foot is that?!

None other than Derrick resuming his work in the north vestibule of 16221 to prepare it for the new floor. 

During the lockdown, a small group from Painting and Prep came in for four days to finish off RMB 1808. This in turn enabled the coach to be put outside, and 34929 and 16221 to move up into the Paintshop and Workshop respectively. The Barn was then clear for essential winter maintenance of our running rakes where needed, again with small teams coming in specially for this important work.

1808 still needs to have its number transfers added. 

In addition to the Painting and Prep team white board in the Paintshop, a new one has been mounted there to detail specific non-painting jobs for when vehicles have been brought in. In this case some of the remaining work to be done with 34929. Add to this the tidying up and repainting of the guards compartment (where still needed) and the laying of new marmoleum through the remaining parts of the coach (only the newly created passenger area has been done so far), this all adds up to a considerable amount left to do.  Then of course there is the external painting to be finished off.

The next project was shunted into the barn for us to crack on with over the weekend, P'way's mess coach:

(Thanks Christine for the picture)

  

Moving on to BG 81049 in the Barn and the main task for the Painting and Prep team for the next few weeks.

 

Alex removing loose surface filler which in turn is helping to remove the old number transfer.

On the Malvern side Stu, Richard and Maurice were working hard giving the paintwork a general sanding down and digging out loose areas of filler. Many of these were later treated where rusty.

Maurice busy sanding down the north end on the Malvern side. Later Richard moved on to the north end where a considerable amount of loose filler was removed. A rusting area under one of the gutter ends has been cleared and will need close inspection before treated.

Later on the Cotswold side, Roger was cleaning up the south end, including the first set of double doors. As always there are things sent to try us, and in this case the left hand door handle decided to drop off - as if we haven't got enough to do!

Alex continued with his chipping away of loose filler, and was soon joined by George who was cleaning up the area directly in front (when I went to take the photo he had disappeared). 

On such a glorious spring day, where better than to have the 11-o-clock tea break. All we needed was a train to go by. Still not long now before the new season kicks off on Tuesday 13th April.

 Dave was back in sewing on a canvas base to another bench cushion.

Dave was in his coach SK 24006 working on one the doors, removing and greasing the lazy tongs. He was assisted during the morning by Phil, who has returned after a long absence - it was good to see him back.

So, we're back and in the running again. Let's hope we have a better season than last year.

Early photos at Winchcombe

 I've had a whole load more photos stashed away ready for another blog post, but what with my fellow bloggers doing an excellent job in keeping us all looking and various other things I've barely had a chance. So I thought I'd squeeze one more set in before we get back to normal-ish work next week (hurrah!).

So, this week we start off with some "brand new" views, I don't think I've ever seen any photos of the inside of Winchcombe goods shed, now our central workshop, as we found it when we first moved in before:

Here the photographer (sorry, I don't know who took any of these photos, if they're yours, or you know, please shout) is standing on the loading platform. Today they'd be standing in the metal-working area, looking towards the paintshop end. 

The outside view, I'd guess this is maybe 1986-ish? as the newly laid running line is there (Winchcombe station off to the right) but no sidings yet.

The building was in a bit of a state, I wonder who's up there repairing the roof!? Apparently it's Malcolm Tulloch, first head of C&W. I'm told he only had one arm, so it was quite an achievement replacing all the roof lights! 

Back inside again looking the other way, they look like they could be the original doors perhaps?

Behold, track has been laid! Looks like some internal painting has been done too.

The loading platform appears to have gone by this stage. I believe when those early volunteers removed it they found thousands of fruit stones/pips from workers of days gone by who presumably decided that traders wouldn't miss one or two pieces of fruit here or there. With the volume of fruit traffic our line handled, that's probably true.

Looking back towards what is now the paintshop end again, I hadn't noticed it'd all been bricked up at some stage before. Someone's camper van can just about be seen through the door, I wonder if it's the one that still makes regular visits?... I'm also a bit curious as to the construction of that track, it looks very, erm, primeval!

Behold, a coach! I'll take a punt and guess this was the first one in?

And the proud team after their hard work, it looks good. I'm puzzled by the number though, after a bit of detective work I think it ought to have been 34676, which left the railway in 2011 and is now at Strathspey, out of use.

Anyone pick out any names? Richard and Dan have identified Richard Unitt on the far left, one time head of C&W and long time head painter. Then after him left to right; John Elridge, Malcolm Tulloch, Ken Carpenter (?), unknown, Bob Unitt, George Standley, Phil Bateman, and on the far right we think maybe Kevin Bartolf. 

Another surprisingly early carriage in the works was "Santa's grotto", a converted SK.

Also in the background is probably the first wagon in the workshop, this LMS brake van:

This wagon has also left, a few years ago now, although we do have another, identical example recently restored.

Back-tracking a little bit now (quite literally) a couple of views as the track laying gang approached Winchcombe:

Here we're probably not far away from the road bridge behind us looking in the Toddington direction.

Track just coming round Chicken curve, must have felt amazing to finally have another railway building in sight for the track-laying gang.

I think the crossing here is in the same location as it is today, by the bracket signal. Of course these days Winchcombe has lots of sidings, and the following photos show how busy the yard was in those early days clearing the site and laying track to accommodate our accumulating stock:

It wouldn't be a proper C&W blog unless we ended with some steam, so here we are. I wonder if these photos are a little later than the previous ones in the same album, as we're now going through Greet tunnel.

The middle photo is now in the middle of the paintshop, the bottom one might have been taken from the newly erected signal box from Hall Green, the second platform at Winchcombe just an ambition at that point. Double heading though, a special occasion?

I wonder if this was a special occasion too, perhaps the first ex-mainline steam engine on the railway, GWR pannier 7752? Or maybe the first through Greet tunnel. Track looks fairly newly laid, no ballast, and just a single coach. We can't wander round the lineside like that any more either!

Hope that's been an interesting trip into the archive. Apologies for the less than perfect photo re-production, they're all in an old photo album and I didn't think whatever was sticking everything together would survive being unstuck and stuck again for proper scanning. With this year being the 40th anniversary of work starting at Toddington site, expect to see plenty more archive stuff this year, if space permits, on this blog, but certainly elsewhere.

Le Truffadou Steam Railway

 This time we are taking you over the pond to the Dordogne, Martel is the home of Le Truffadou. We were looking around for places to visit and this came up ...... a Railway, oh alright then!

The Truffadou used to run from Bordeaux to Aurillac and took from 1880 to 1884 to build, it came into use in 1889. In the early days it was used to transport Truffles ..... hence its name.

Today it is a very popular tourist attraction, it is out in the 'sticks' but when you get there its easy parking, and you are made most welcome.

It has to be borne in mind, it is a rather warm climate so open trucks are the order of the day.

Clearly they do not have an upholstery department.

As you leave the station, you go through a cutting and into a tunnel.

On exiting the tunnel you are rewarded with this view.

It is very popular.

The ride is an out and back, through tunnels and high up on the escarpment. It's very leisurely with a sight seeing/photo halt when ever they feel like it. I must relate an incident at this point, the carriages are open, the locomotive is coal fired and you go through tunnels. A French lady in our carriage was wearing a pink dress ( not a good idea ), it is a continuous gradient uphill on the return so the little loco is working hard. The tunnel becomes a funnel, and smuts are inevitable ..... on exiting the tunnel she looked like Mr Blobby , but with black blobs instead of yellow. I can confirm we all had a giggle at her expense.

This gives you an idea of the height the line is.

I just like this photo, they do not have PTS ( personal trackside safety).

In glorious technicolour.

And here we are back where we started, a good fun ride in spectacular countryside.

From a different perspective - the Churnet Valley Railway

This is third selection of Graham's photos. As before most are taken from a different perspective, hence the repeated title.

This time the Churnet Valley is featured with some lovely atmospheric scenes.

So once again, over to Graham from our Maintenance Team.

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While I was rummaging around in the Churnet Valley folder for pics of the Caley, I put together some of the other atmospheric ones I captured whilst there.

I don't think we actually rode a train that day, just made use of the catering facilities. We have visited CVR a few times, catching the Notty Train on one occasion and a trip up the branch to Ipstone on another. Whilst riding the Notty Train I was sat opposite one of the CVR volunteers/managers who was proudly telling me CVR had one of the longest tunnels on a preserved line as we rattled and bumped our way down to it. I trumped him with the one at Winchcombe though! 

 

I like the CVR. It is very pleasant and high on my list when we get out of lockdown and things are more back to normal.

A visit to the Churnet Valley for the February 2019 Gala

The excuse was to see the Caley Tank while it was south of the border (already featured in a previous article), but with the chilly conditions and light slowly changing from overcast to weak winter sun, I managed to get a few other atmospheric pics too.

 

 

I got bored waiting for the train to turn up so I turned the camera round the other way and had another go...

  ... and it did eventually arrive.

We walked from Froghall to Consall down the canal…

  …the canal boat was phutting out neat smoking rings. But it couldn’t compete.

 

While Consall was so atmospheric I blatted away.

The day did brighten up eventually…

…so there were a few shadows and reflections.

 

 We walked back to Froghall along the canal again…

...catching a glimpse of the Caley Tank through the trees.

I’d been waiting on a section where the path was right next to the track, but my mate got bored and of course almost as soon as I’d relented and we moved off, it turned up!

Almost back to Froghall.

The cylinder cover on the TKh was scuffed with white paint (or if it wasn’t on this occasion, it looking nice and shiny for the gala, it certainly was on a previous visit). Now that’s what you call a narrow platform gap!

 

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Thank you Graham for yet another set of excellent photos, again with some unusual angles and very atmospheric.