The work goes on

Well, here we are back again. I  had better not say where I've been for the winter but in the meantime here are a few pics of the jolly gang doing S&T type jobs

  Toddington Box steps starting to get a  well earned spruce up ( Richard Collier and Richard Etherton)

  Richard E getting at the  south end window of Toddington box, is it really all filler Richard?

 Meanwhile back at the Yard, Keith was starting on  a Broadway jobbie for the customers to play trains with. I understand it will be linked up to the Bracket signal as a working item, it might have a little way to go yet

 But don't worry Keith, Mr Collier has now got 'ere with a bigger spanner

 Mmmm, me thinks still a way to go though. (Since these pictures were taken its been completely dismantled and is presently waiting for the paint to harden before re-assembly.)


And then as promised here's an update on the Broadway Bracket firstly  here's Andy and Carl putting together the framework for the bracket itself ( it now has its timber boards filled and handrails  as of 25th March)

 

And John P fiddling with his Finials!

 Stop Press- as at 25th March the base plate went away for cutting to size . Next job after that will be welding the webs and plate together


Almost forget to welcome our newest recruit  Len from Evesham. He and I spent a delicious morning rewiring the DC feed to the Toddington pax unit under Todd Box.

And a Get Well Soon message for Richard E, hurry back please the other side of Todd steps needs finishing!

In the afternoon Neil and I extended  the  cabling for Winchcombe 25 C&W and 26 the infamous S&T extension. One day soon the C&W building will be complete and all will work again. 

So that's about all for now I will see what I can conjure up for next week.

Buenos Nochas.

Sorry, I almost forgot I was back in England

Mike S

Well, here we go!

About two weeks ago I said to Malcolm  "Today will be my last  funday before I need to plan for our winter departure to sunnier climes"  I managed another day and then another one and of course the very useful Volunteer meeting last Saturday - and just a   few hours after that! .
So you might by now understand that my leave pass has been cancelled ufn by the Gov'nor.
We gotta be ready for the Ferry to Bilbao.

Happy to report that we now have a better understanding of the innards of the pax and I have  cleared 3 separate  faults  and got Todd 35 and 36 working, but not 42 the Steamy Coach.
Sorry chaps its dis outside so I've passed my report to Neil to deal.


For now its signing off time, I will be back when the swallows return in the Spring.

Merry Christmas to all our readers


Mike S

Sorted!

You might have sensed the frustration from my last visit.
Bit like horse riding when you fall off you just have to get back on and learn some more. I went back again today and altered the tagging as per discussions, you may remember"Those who Know"   and it worked!
Learnt quite a bit, I wish those who did it long ago had had the drawings that we now have - they could have wired it correctly first of all.
At least one extension is back and working 35 and probably 36 as well.
Next job Tie line 10 but that might have to wait a while


Mike S

Frustration!

Reported for duty nice and early, full plan.
Today I will clear up some of the problems with the pax at Todd, or so I thought.

Now that we have these units on trolleys it is possible to get to the innards properly.
The secrets are all on  a large tagstrip in the rear which has been pushed back to the wall for a lot of years- Don't tell Mr Almon B. Strowger because he will probably cancel the warranty! ( He invented the system in 1891, ours was built around 1959 so its a new one really).

First lets just check the faults are still there, then lets just change the jumpering  to use circuits that do work and then we can sort out the faulty ones in our own time.

Simple eh what?

Interesting,  The drawing number doesn't match the number on the tagblock and the tag strapping doesn't make sense. Hmm
And there I sat. Looking at it for another couple of hours.
I have learnt that its better to look and suss out before you make any changes.
Neil, I hope you are reading this. Get well soon!

Later, I spoke to Others Who Know, thanks Ian, and was talked through the logic of it. So now I think I know. Try again. All I need now is a pass out from 'er indoors and we will stand a good chance of sorting it.


The Oily Boys

Another dept of S&T is the Oiling gang, led by Bill Tyndall. It looks like they might be about to start Blogging their exploits, and get more recruits. "Oiling to Broadway" does it roll off the tongue?

He doesn't know yet but the reporter may well be Mr Roy Steel.
Don't forget Roy, you heard it here first!

Sorry about the boringness of todays Blog, here is a picture of the cat we co-share with next door

Binca

Mike S

A Wet, Wet, Wet Week in Winchcombe

When the weather is wet its time to look for an indoor job.
Richard E had gone off and hidden in Winchcombe box for the day- Signalling Duty I think he said so we must let him off then.
Richard C was nowhere to be found so it was all down to the me and the Protheroughs. Oh and a Visitor from the Far East, of Dean that is.

Ist job needed both Andy and John- you can tell the difference as John (dad) has got a lot more hair than son (Andy) Placing the Winchcombe exchange (PAX) unit  onto its new mobile trolley so that we can move it around a bit and get to work in the back of it.

We were also joined for the day by Paul Seward who very kindly came up to help us and take a look at the units.
 Paul usually works on the Dean Forest Railway.
Delighted to see you Paul and glad to be able to swop things back to you.
Sorry the Payphone was so dusty!

 Paul and I worked right through lunchtime "mobilising" the 3cwt unit at Toddington unit onto its trolley. He was able to give us a lot of tips re the internal arrangements.

They were built in Liverpool in the late 1950's when diodes were copper oxide stacks and chips were things you ate for tea.
Now we can work behind them we can start to get to grips with some of the faults ( Extension 35 and 36, you are not forgotten) and we rewired the winter heater to keep it drier internally, hopefully the wildlife will spend this winter somewhere else!

Meanwhile, back at base;
the new overhead display for Broadway signal box is taking shape.

 Here we see the redoubtable MW making sure that John holds it up properly for the camera.
I gather that really it is Carl Smarts project.
 I think he will be surprised at how its been transformed from the dustgatherer that lived under Winchcombe Box into what will eventually be a centre piece of the new signal box

Mike S

We all seem to have been a bit split up in the last couple of weeks. I missed a week during which the new cable into the new C&W building  was installed and terminated.
Last week your scribe was  in the bowels of the two automatic exchanges: working last week with Neil to sort a problem with one of the Winchcombe to Toddington tie lines. 
These are the bits that work when you dial 19 or 59 for the other system. The exchanges are based on the standard PO type selectors (2000 type for the nerds,) but are suffering from the cramped conditions in the signal box locking rooms. Still, soon we will have the trolley frames to enable work to be done in the back of the units, where all the interconnections are. Soon perhaps, the Flag and Whistle extensions will work properly again!

Just for a change today I had to attend to the unit at Todd which was stuck in the ON mode, at least it sounded that way as the signalman was getting fed up with the noise  coming from downstairs. It didn't help when I was asked to fill up the kettle  and used half his clear lemonade! Sorry Bob! If its any solace, my lemon coffee tasted 'orrid!

In the meantime, out in the daylight our pair of Richards, Etherton and Collier, have been painting away at the exterior of Toddington Signal Box. Soon the steps will glow in the winter sunshine as will the woodwork on the south end. Seriously, its an ongoing task like so much of the S & T work to keep it all working and looking right for our visitors and the paying customers.
I did catch a glance at the Protheroe's busily loading planks onto the pickup, probably to do with crows nests I should think. Unfortunately they were too quick for the camera but here are a couple of pics of  the two Richards beavering away with paintpots.

Mike

Another lovely Day, inc the Wildlife of Winchcombe

 

The fog steadily cleared to some lovely Tuesday sunshine. We started with a tidy up / clear out under the Signal Box at Winchcombe.

What did we re-discover?

Malcolm new this would come in handy, it will be the overhead board which will show the track circuit and signal positions  Broadway Signal Box. Carefully stored away.

Can see Carl S and Richard E,but where's Malcolm?

Ah there he is !

 

Meanwhile Keith and John Proth were  doing a bit of Undergrowth clearing and what did Keith  find?

As Richard E said " Its a good job we'ed got our toadtectors on"

 Not sure quite what happened after that as I left to go to Toddington with Roy to investigate the crackles on Extn 40 in the signal box and to replace the handset on the Barrow crossing phone as the curly cord was poorly. 

We eventually changed the phone and rewired the extension completely. 

Lets see how it goes now!

Also Roy  measured up for a small winter heater to go inside the pax unit.

When we got back to Winchcombe, Neil came down the yard with a drum of 20pr cable which he wants run through the ducting to feed the new C&W Building.  That'll be next week then.

Eventually we will all be be back on the  phone. Have also made a note to look at the Building Services extensions as well.

As a fitting end to the day I was let in to C&W to pick up the newly varnished boxes that they have tidied up for us. Very nice too, very many thanks. ( Will try for a pic later)

Now about that offer to make a steel frame to go under the pax?

Mike S