S & T at Toddington 26th May

Today's task was to install the levers and connect the demonstration signals
for the ex Wotton Under Edge box on the west side of Toddington car park.

John P with much cursing and scraped knuckles assembled the levers shackles

and signal wires to the frame which then took a 4 man lift to lower the assembly

Into position

Andy P, John P, Carl S, Malcolm W, Keith L & Mike S surveying a job well done - well

almost - still need to connect the ground signal once the concrete fixing block for the

pulley wheels has set. 

Great to see magnificent P & O glide past back to base while we were grafting!

Curly

Lets get the Terminology right!

All the way through the last post I referred to the uprights as poles. That reflects my Post Office background  .
On re-reading my Cornishman I realise that i should have referred to them as Post's .  
Apologies to Malcolm, I guess it will cost me chocolate biscuits on Tuesday!


   Mike S

Apologies, has your scribe been AWOL?

Tuesday 28th April, I've only been away 5 weeks and it seems the Blog has been missed. Before I went I sent invites to several of the depts computer buffs  so that the Word could continue to spread but somehow Google and Blogger just didn't click but  now,,, it can be announced that "Curly" has been admitted to the dizzy heights of blog author along with me Mike S, and Oily Roy.

Whilst I have been away general work has continued. I omitted to show a picture of the raw material that we work with, the descalers were too quick, but here is a general shot of the outside storage area.

You can see that it takes a lot of work to get these bare poles up to this standard ready for the castings to be added. Each item is stripped back to bare metal, primed, undercoated and glossed.
In the end they will look like these ones below which are, of course destined for Broadway, apparently we need another 9 poles in total as well as the bracket that is already in place.

The bracket main pole is on the right. Dollies on the left foreground 

The one on the ground looks forlorn!

In addition, each pole needs a ladder and a hoop

Here we see Richard C and "new Jim" getting on with it. Its all work that has to be done but sadly we can only do it when the weather allows so that's why you can see the smiley faces today.


I cant say too much about it but I understand that "Curly" will be out and about in future with his camera  helping to keep this Blog a bit more up to date especially when I am locked in the depths of signal Box concentrators and strowger telephone systems or just plain on holiday!.

Mike S

More Oil

My apologies for the longer than planned break in providing an update on the routine maintenance that our small group undertakes.  I believe the last blog made reference to Sunday 6th April being our third workday in 2014 and since then 2 further cycles were completed during the year with each cycle covering Toddington (1 day), Winchcombe (1 day) and Cheltenham RC + Gotherington (1 day).   Just to make sure we know what we are doing it has been arranged for this to start all over again on Wednesday 11th February, weather permitting.

As well as finding time to drink tea the following photos do show part of the group in action during the 2014 year.

  x

I'm not sure what was being discussed at the time but as can be seen it was

certainly a case of oil cans at the ready.

  x

Bill ensuring that the tube clamp that carries the signal arm pivot is secure

on the Up Advance Starter at Winchcombe.

  x

Bill at ground level giving the signal

balance lever pivot some attention.

 x
Me up above giving some loving care and attention to the Down Inner Home
 bracket signal at Winchcombe.

Roy S (Me) and Peter Hughes (Camera)