Endings

Thursday 30^th October

Today was the last planned work day this year for us when scheduled passenger trains are running. So from next week we do have a little more flexibility in choice of work sites, and won’t have regular timetabled pauses to let a train pass. The disadvantage is that the Coffee Pot on Winchcombe station will not be open – so we will have to brew our own tea in the Churchward House mess for our end of day tea break. Another ‘ending’ was that this was one of the last days that the Merchant Navy loco 35006 Peninsular & Orient S. N. Co. was running before withdrawal for it’s 10 year overhaul. So quite a few of the gang were keen to get some photos.

P&O heads towards Cheltenham over Prestcott Road Bridge (32).

A few minutes earlier, 6880 Bretton Grange, hauled the first Broadway bound train passing us by cross drain 31A. 

Ten of the team were in attendance. Jonathan in his role as Vehicle mechanic spent the morning working on the new (to us) white Ford Ranger personnel carrier. This included fitting red and yellow warning chevrons at the rear, and determining the correct replacement for the door handle which was broken last Friday. He later joined the rest of the team in Dixton cutting.

Ian and Polly formed the minor brick work repair team. They attended to several jobs, mainly re-pointing, of structures between Working Lane, Gretton and Stanley Pontlarge. They then joined the party in Dixton cutting.

Roger, Martin, and Dee took on the clearance of culvert 31B at Prestcott Road bridge; then cross drain 33A and culvert 33B at Gotherington Yard. Even with some rain in the past two months, the water levels in all of these are still way below normal autumn level. This enabled some quite serious silt clearance, particularly on the inlet of 33A.

Cleaned and cleared inlet of 33A, removed silt on the side. [Photo by Roger]

Cleared inlet ditch of 33B running from under the road in the background to the inlet headwall to go under the railway in the foreground. [Photo by Roger]

Nigel, Dave and Andrew were also tackling culvert and cross drain clearance; plus some trimming around some cess chambers. First port of call was at the top of the haul road opposite the Royal Oak at Gretton to clear the saplings and vegetation that had grown where we in-filled near culvert 24A earlier this year. Next was the down (Cotswold) side at culvert 24C – something that had been overlooked a couple of weeks ago.

Top of the haul road cleared of vegetation - apart from the small clump of old man beard which we left to mark the safe extent of the vehicle turning circle. [Photo by Dave]

Nigel making a clean job at culvert 24C inlet.

After a brief pause to let the first Cheltenham bound train pass, the three then collected some lengths of old cast iron guttering which some of our less sociable neighbours had deposited at Gretton. Then on to cross drain 31A for its clearance and inspection. Very noticeable here how little vegetation had grown in the dry summer – this autumn we are dealing with far less stinging nettles and grass; but still quite a bit of bramble. Also noted for the first time was some patches of bind weed. Dave and Nigel then went on to Dixton cutting; to work on up side exit of the Tirle Brook flume, culvert 32A. Jonathan and Ian took on the down side inlet there. Whilst Polly joined Andrew to undertaken the visual inspections of 31B, and after lunch 32A, 33A and 33B. The tree team members wearing wellingtons recovered some large rocks from downstream of the brook and repositioned them as anti-scouring material where the high mileage bank is being undercut. 

Jonathan, Ian and Polly attending to the flume inlet of Tirle Brook culvert 32A in Dixton cutting.

Dave and Nigel take a breather after brush cutting the outlet ditch (down or Malvern side) of Tirle Brook.

Repositioned rocks in Tirle Brook to prevent under cutting of the bank. [Photo by Dave]

A slightly warmer day than last week – but not warm enough to deploy deckchairs for the al-fresco lunch. At least the only rain was a very brief and light shower as we made our way along the platform at Winchcombe for the well earned cup of tea.

Dee, Polly, Roger, Jonathan, Martin, Dave enjoying their cups of tea on the platform at Winchcombe.

 

Hopefully it won't be too long before we see 35006 back in action.

 

Wildlife report: We spotted a considerable number of pheasants lineside. Also numerous were flocks of finches (we think). The resident robin at the Tirle Brook put in an appearance; whilst overhead the usual three species of raptor (Red Kite, Buzzard and Kestrel) were noted. A less pleasant site was the headless carcass of a deer in Dixton cutting. It was not obvious how this unfortunate creature had met it end, or whether it was a muntjac or a roe.