An interesting if slightly late-coming post. a.k.a DFR to the rescue!

 Set the scene, a cold evening in January. The phone rings. It's Rob. "Whats your worst nightmare?" Having promptly listed about 8 worst nightmares, none of them being why he's calling, we get to the bottom of it.
Apparently the GM had received a call from DB Schenker. They had a crippled wagon in the middle of a train and it needed to be shunted out for repair. Running it along the mainline was a no-go so they have asked us if they could use the sidings and run-round loop at the junction via our mainline connection.

In theory this shouldn't pose an issue as we have had many a vehicle over it in the past, the heaviest being a diesel drag to pick up an engine from Dean Forest Diesels. However this will be the heaviest for a while and he wanted a couple of guys on the ground to watch things going through. The last thing we want to be learning to do is re-railing a 66! Step forward Sam and I, with our cameras naturally! Pictures below by E. Dyer.

 The groundframe is unlocked from Cardiff panel and the access from the loop is granted.

 In comes 66006 with the tankers.

 Crossing the pointwork dead slow.

 The wheel skate under the crippled wagon.

 Wagons in the entirety of the loop, while the 66 crosses the road into the headshunt.

 New delivery for the mess room! We are running low...

  

View from the box. 66 waits for the crossing.

And over we go.

Waiting for the crossing.

 Running back from the headshunt into the platform road.

the siding off the left is the connection to Dean Forest Diesels

Half the trains shunted out onto the loop, the crippled wagon is on the end. It was then

shunted back into the siding used by NR for their tampers etc. 

The train was then remade and went on its way.

Definitely an interesting couple of hours which passed off without a hitch, and not something you see everyday. The crippled wagon was left in the siding at the junction until DB arrived with a monstrous crane and a spare bogie to replace the one with the 100mm flats... This occurred about a week later and sadly nobody caught it on camera. 

Still once again our mainline connection proving its worth, and building bridges with the 'Big Railway' is never to be sniffed at.

That was the week that was.

Well that was quite possibly the coldest wettest week we could have chosen for a working week. Still, mustn't grumble.

Sadly we didn't manage to get the pointwork into the ground, although a large part of the pointwork is complete and the lifting that our brace of RRV's managed to achieve for us means that we can finish the construction with the kit we have, all ready for it to be craned into position in the near future.

 Cold morning start + diesel engines=Clag!

Hope we didn't wake the neighbours! (Pic - C.Lewis)

The RRV's once delivered were stabled within the station limits in platform 1. This was also shared by the bogie bolster the final parts arrived from the junction on and a very ex BR-brake van. Although an incredibly grotty bit of kit, the brakes worked perfectly and due to the overhang of the rail on the wagon, the unique shape of the brakevan prevented the rails from catching on the bodywork. Something that couldn't be achieved with our Midland or Toad brakevans.

Good view of the RRV's maneuvering the rails into position. Due the weight of these

bits of kit, heavy lifting capacity is a must! (Pic - C.Lewis) 

Lifting in the sun. (Pic - C.Lewis)

Aron on the drill. (Pic - S.Bolingbroke)
  

 RRV's having just laid the check rail in the 4 foot. (Pic - C.Lewis)

Once the last delivery was on-site, it was necessary to trim them down to size to fit between the stock rails and the point vee. The trimming was necessary as they came from a slightly longer D type point. This being a C. This worked out quite nicely as it resulted in cutting off the section that has the thermite weld. The upshot was had room to adjust.

And adjust we did! Our railsaw once again came to the fore and performed its hardest graft so far at the DFR. It turns out that more modern 113lb FB rails have a slightly harder steel compared to well worn 85 and 95lb BH rails. A fair few cutting blades were used.

 Yours truly receiving guidance from Courtney. (Pic-A.Stenning)

 Safe to go it alone! (Pic-C.Lewis)

Rail successfully cut. (Pic - C.Lewis)

 Lined up and ready to drill. Notice how wet everything except the cut rail. Bit warm!

(Pic - C.Lewis)

Once the main cutting of the check rails was done, the RRV chained up and lifted them onto the sleepers where they were bolted into position. Lifting proved an interesting task as it took place on the Wednesday that the Forest Flyer DMU service was running. This is one of the first running days of the new season so stopping at Whitecroft was a no-go. Luckily being the DMU it didn't require the second platform road so we were able to secure a signalman for the day and do our work within the timetable.

Looking on as the DMU passes. (Pic - C.Lewis)

The point as it stands. (Pic - R.Alpin)

As you can see the point is not quite where it needs to be, however work does continue every Thursday and Sunday if you would like to join us.

This lack of installation is a mixed blessing however as it was noticed by our friendly S&T gang that the point blades had indeed been drilled. However it had been drilled for the mounting of a point motor, whereas we shall be operating this by hand from Parkend box. It is far eaier for them to drill it in situ where it is at the moment rather than havingto do it once it is in the running line.

You might almost say we planned it to be like that.

Honest guv....

Due to this being a working week for p/way and not just a week on the pointwork, we also took full advantage of the RRV's and used them to fill the 8 Dogfish Rob, Courtney and the 08 retrieved from their sidings. We are expecting another visit from the Ballast Regulator in the near future for another training session, and it seemed prudent to give it some ballast to regulate!

 Ballast loading (Pic - A.Stenning)

And the other one. (Pic - A.Stenning)

Gladys in the High Level after what I was reliably informed a spirited effort to

propel the Dogfish up the bank. (Pic - C.Lewis)

Fiddling with the Shark in the approach to the Low Level. (Pic - C.Lewis)

One of the last jobs achieved was the recovery of some of the bags of ballast from Whitecroft and bring them up to Parkend for our Civil Engineering Dept and their ongoing battle with the culvert. Aron was dispatched with RRV and trailer for the purpose!

On the way to Parkend. (Pic - A.Stenning)

Returning to Parkend. (Pic A. Stenning)

Hope you enjoyed the update, more will arrive soon.

A quick status update.

On Thursday the weather held fine for us after what can be described as a seriously grotty week! The jobs achieved here were the final preparations for the working week starting on the 15th. We have our fingers crossed for the weather holding out!

The last few bits were loaded onto a bogie bolster at the junction ready for the 08 to shunt it up to Parkend now the rails over the culvert have been replaced.

 

Check-rails, acres of baseplates and oodles of screws and pandrol clips loaded and ready to roll. Mind your feet by the way... (Pic - E.Dyer) 

Some of the last few baseplates had to be 'borrowed' from a redundant 'F' point. We are not sure where we acquired such a long bit of kit, but safe to say it had what we needed so a bit of gentle persuasion was required...

'Give him a wrench, he's the spanner man!' With apologies to Billy Joel. (Pic - S. Carrick)

While this went on, a few of our gang did a bit of last minute checking of levels and length calculations before the job begins.

Higher mathematics underway. (Pic - E.Dyer)

After a bit of scratching of heads and the judicious application of a tape measure, the marks are all in place and standing by for the rail saw on Monday.

 Surveying with John Sharpe. (Pic - S.Bolingbroke)

As we were leaving for the day, our friends from Quattro arrived to deliver bother trailers for the RRV's and their tools ready for work to begin. Unfortunately my phone decided to die so I couldn't take a picture. However, I was passing the site this morning and manged to grab a couple of snaps on them, as well as the RRV's which had turned up as well!

 Trailers and associated goodies on site. (Pic E.Dyer)

I wish they would let us keep one... (Pic. E Dyer)

That is all for now, stay tuned for more updates. Working week starts tomorrow for anyone interested in lending a hand!

Spacing! And a new mine.

We had a moderate turn out today so we were able to split our forces and conquer all! Well not quite, but you get the idea.

This meant a few of us were able to do some final adjustments to the layout of the timbers at Parkend. They are all lined up correctly, and the spaces between are as the timbering diagrams demand of us. The judicious use of homemade gauges, tape measures and balls of fuzzy string were pressed into action here!

In order to keep everything in-situ before we can get the rails craned into position, we have started to nail strips of timber lengthways across the sleepers.

 As you can see, the sleepers are getting longer on this side, having been lined up on the right hand side.

 (Pic - C.Lewis)

Another view. This shows the sheer length of this pointwork as well as the curve off to the left quite well. You can also see the battening starting to take shape to hold everything in position.
I appear to be getting ready to clout the gaffer for some reason...

(Pic - C.Lewis)

Now this is done, all we have to do is gather the sundry item such as coach screws, mats and the like and get them up to Parkend in preparation for our working week. We also have to await the arrival of an RRV or two and a bogie bolster with the last bits of rail. Unfortunately we are limited by the reconstruction work on an old culvert a little way below Whitemead Crossing...

As you can see, its a deep old culvert! This stretches across the trackbed completely. Once the piping is installed, it'll be backfilled and the rails relaid.
(Pic - C.Lewis)

Its not all bad news though. In trying to locate the source of water, the Civil Engineering Dept. cut back into the bank above the track and discovered a thin coal seam! The Forest of Dean is renowned for its coal, and there are many thin seams quite close to the surface as well as deeper, thicker ones.

Hark! DFR Shallow navigation Co. Ltd...The seam can be seen to the left of the picture above the three plastic rings. (Pic - C. Lewis)

While this was occurring, two of our recruits Aron and Stuart were tasked with starting this months line walk, and luckily no new faults were found. Always a relief!

In addition we have had several RRV's at Lydney Junction for testing and training. These guys were supervised by our very own Courtney, who got them to crack on with tidying up the yard, testing ballast sweepers and generally keeping them busy. Sadly no pictures of this just yet but watch this space.