Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

The concreting of the shed floor has progressed well during the week:

The pit on road 7, newly sealed

In road 8

Between roads 7 and 8

Tim sorting out the drainage in road 8

Installing shuttering on road 7

Levelling off between roads 7 and 8.

All the above photos courtesy of John Cruxon, who also sent in a report of the activities of the Wednesday gang:

"On Monday we received three loads of concrete which proved to be a bit of a challenge to get laid as it was so warm. The last lifting jack area took best part of two loads and the area in front of Foremarke’s tender was also progressed further. We managed to lay another apron area outside by roads 6 & 7, so all in all real progress. In addition the top coat of paint was applied to the internal pit walls and floor. It was a long and exhausting day for the team but a very satisfying one.

You would think that would be it but no, another load of concrete was delivered on Wednesday. The area in front of Foremarke’s tender was finally finished as well and we made a start on concreting the area between roads 7 & 8. The plan is, provided there is enough support from Volunteers this weekend to prepare two more areas for concreting next week, so please if you are around on Saturday give the floor team a hand. The faster we get it done the quicker these appeals will stop. We are planning two more pours, so yet more back breaking work, especially for the two Chris’s, Chris Blake and Chris Smith, hopefully next week

Can I just add a real thank you to the small team that appeared last Sunday, following my email appeal to apply the primer coat to the new internal pit, that effort helped us make serious progress this week, Thank You.

In between all that shed work, we have still repaired the red card defect on 2807 as well as the usual housekeeping jobs to it. We have chopped a load of wood and started a bit of a tidy up around the yard now that the barriers are not required. So all in all a busy week."

I have also received a few photos from Paul who was at Toddington a week ago Sunday, helping to renovate the inside of Foremarke Hall's tender:

Clearly there was a fair bit of rust & scale to be removed in the tender

John peering around one of the baffle plates in the tender

One bucket load of rust from inside the tender

The previous three photos courtesy of Paul Burnham.

2807 and 4270 were down as the service locos of the day on Saturday.  Steve did the lighting up of 2807 and decided that he wanted to use the dropping shovel to get some of the ash and clinker off of the grate.  The dropping shovel needed a bit of therapy first though.  Coal picks can serve many and varied purposes aside from just pulling forward coal, prising up fire bars off the grate, hammering shovels into shape and hospitalising people you don't like are just a few of them.

Steve beats the dropping shovel into submission

 I noticed that the oil store now contains a table specifically for cleaning and trimming the lamps. 

Lamp prep table.

 Further to the notes from John at the start of this blog, the preparation of the concrete floor was still ongoing on Saturday in anticipation of yet more concrete arriving on Monday.

Setting up the steel reinforcing for the next concrete pour between roads 7 and 8.

 Work is progressing well with Dinmore Manor's own tender, the horn tie bars are now largely fettled and ready for fitting and the wheel bearings are being profiled, ready for fitting.

Wheels nearly in place

Ian (l) trues up a bearing, Roger adds a second coat of paint inside the frames

Mark building up with weld the place where one of the horn ties will fit...

...and later on grinding it smooth.

Paul, adding an extra top coat to the outside of the tender frames

Part of the brake rigging fetched over from DMLL's own site.

The GWSR has been awarded the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.  An award  ceremony will have taken place place in a marquee in the car park at Toddington by the time that you read this.   35006 was to be wheeled out to make an interesting back drop.  To that end, the driver's side con rod was  refitted on Saturday, along with the name plates.  Dan and Donna had also spent some time during the week cleaning it until it sparkled.

Raising the con rod into position

Looking good

New starter, John, carries on with cleaning 35006

Dan, Cliff & Steve refitting the con rod.

Nameplates refitted

 Badges are being handed out to everybody who was a volunteer on the relevant date.

Here's one

Last week, as you may recollect, Ade passed out as a driver and James as a fireman.  On Sunday, they were rostered together as our most recently qualified crew, on  4270.

Ade (l) and James with 4270

 I was back again on Sunday for a day firing 2807.  Finding the loco with no water space in the glass, I was pleased to be informed by the guard that steam heat was required for the first trip.  Unfortunately as I discovered, turning on the steam heat on 2807 doesn't make as much of a difference as I'd have liked, the water level remained stubbornly high and the safety valves may possibly have seen a bit of action before we reached Winchcombe.

Steam heat on.

Ian was the driver...

... and having his biennial assessment from Chris.

Crossing Ade, James and 4270 at Winchcombe

 The "Friends of Toddington Station" aren't usually in attendance on a weekend, but on Sunday, they were out in force to spruce up the station in readiness for the Queen's award for voluntary service event on Monday.  

Chris digging out weeds whilst his wife, Frances engages a TTI in conversation.

 I dare say that Chris will use the above photo as ammunition.  Frances may never speak to me again.

Jack Boskett was out and about on the railway on Sunday, he was back again on Monday to act as the official photographer for the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service ceremony.  Here is my vengeance for the photo of me that he posted on Facebook earlier today.

Jack poses, Ellie runs away

 It's not at all uncommon to receive requests to come up and have a look around the footplate when we are sat in stations.  On Sunday, we had a much more unusual request.  A lady wanted us to wipe a paper napkin in grime from the footplate, so that she could take it home for her elderly uncle who was blind, but could at least smell the napkin to remind him of steam locomotives.  I had spent quite a while in the morning cleaning around the cab, so this wasn't as easy a task as it at first seemed.  Roger managed to get a bit of oil oil and grime off of the warming tray and the lubricator.

Roger presents the napkin to the lady who requested it.

 The 26 that was taking the third round trip of train 2.  According to the lamp code displayed, it is no longer on royal train duties and is now allegedly on a class 9, ballast or stopping freight service. 

The 26 approaching Winchcombe

 I'm  not sure whether they thought our passengers were ballast or freight however I am starting to suspect that they set these codes just to see what my reaction will be.

Ian had been roped into doing a yard tour on the Monday of the QVA award and had arranged for a shunt to take place to organise the yard to give him something to to talk about.  After disposal, 4270, 2807 and 2874, three of Churchward's finest were proudly on display.  I particularly like 2807 and 2874 being parked up next to each other as a 'before and after' exhibit.

L-r, 4270, 2807 and 2874

And finally, I strongly advise sitting down or standing well clear of fragile objects before reading any further.  The big news is that after a decade or so, George has finally remembered where his local barber shop is.  The news first broke on a certain well known social media site and was met with a certain degree of disbelief, he has cried wolf before.  Anyway, it's true, I have seen it with my own eyes:

Photo shamelessly nicked from George's Facebook page

The hair was sent off to be made into a wig for children with cancer.