2 Storms in 2 Weeks for the Saturday team!

With the re-lay of Winchcombe north end completed, the department turned to other work which needs to be completed during the closed season.

With no trains running north of Toddington, the Saturday team have been taking full advantage of this and on Saturday 23rd November, in full view of Storm Bert, five hardy souls signed in, and after tea and cakes (compulsory, in case this wasn't made clear!), loaded up the vans to take 5 concrete sleepers to Broadway. Entering via the incline access track at the car park just south of the station, they dropped off the replacement Pandrol F27 and F19 SHC sleepers where the track walkers had identified existing sleepers which had become broken (or they might have been broken when they were put in during the push to get to Broadway, who knows). 

The following photos are courtesy of Jo R:

As there wasn't much else to do due to the storm closing in and wind speeds increasing, the opportunity was taken, whilst we had an empty van and a telehandler, to load up with some scrap metal uncovered by the lineside clearance contractor whilst moving the embankments last year. A tidy railway is a happy railway!

The week after, Saturday 30th November, a healthier-numbered team (10!) once again descended on Broadway to change out four of the five sleepers delivered last year.  

Whilst there can be a lot of shovelling to change out a 280kg concrete sleeper...

It's so much easier to use a mini-digger!

Here, you can see the cracking which runs right under the rail foot area of the sleeper.

All sleepers that were changed were returned to Winchcombe.

Not to be out-done by Storm Bert, the team faced Storm Darragh on Saturday 7th December! With just six of us out on a day when strong winds, heavy rain and thundering clouds were predicted, you would have thought we would opt for a nice warm place to work. No! Let's head back to Peasebrook, just south of Broadway, and work on an exposed embankment to install some crossing pads!

These pads are being positioned strategically along the Railway (at Peasebrook, Dixton and Manor Lane) to allow the Roboflail machine to safely cross the tracks to mow the embankments. 

Under a menacing sky, and with the biting wind blowing, we completed the task around lunchtime when Andy, our PIC, called it a day so we headed back to the mess coach for a warming cuppa...and more cakes! Good decision, boss!