GWSR Lineside

 Three of us this week, Brummie Dave, Alex and me on a wet Saturday.  The primary tasks were the Manor Lane (35) and Granna Lane (34) bridges to be cleared ready for inspection. We started at Manor Lane and cleared the wings but not too much to do.  Pictures below are before and after.             We then moved down to Granna Lane but next to nothing was required other than clearing some high branches which needs a visit from the pole saw at a later date.  Pictures below:       Dave and I then went on via Dixton Yard to check out the remaining bridges down to 30 which the Wednesday team are due to hit later in the week.   Bridge 32 MC 14-4 (Bridge 30?)       On the way back we did a "drive by" of Mrs Ts.  Unfortunately Tom has completely closed off the bank on her side and the undergrowth is coming back quickly so we will need to access from the top to clear the remainder.  No chance of g...

  4 of us today at Winchcombe.   In hot and humid conditions we completed the tidying up of last week’s arising and also finished brushcutting alongside the siding on the Cotswold side. We then moved on to brushcutting the openings, on both sides, to ensure the views of River Isbourne remain visible. It is a feature mentioned in the Railway’s guide book! We also cleared around the steps and handrails that facilitate safe access down to the river.   A couple pictures courtesy of Brian.   David M   I now hand back the reins for organising Wednesdays to Nick, as we commence the winter programme of work from next week  

 Five in the team today with Brummie Dave on safety, Alex, Nick and Rachel on hand tools and me on brushcutter. The original task was to clear between Didbrook 1 and 2 but we were asked to also clear the bridge piers ready for inspection. As the track between the bridges was largely clear with no vegetation within 10' of the track on the Malvern side and very low on the Cotswold side we focussed on clearing the heavy growth on the bridges. Didbrook 1 was not too bad on the Cotswold side but heavy growth on Malvern south pier.  There was a similar challenge on Didbrook 2 with the added issue of a part felled tree which Alex enjoyed cutting up to allow the heavy brambles to be removed.  Nick and Rachel managed most of the undergrowth on the north piers. It seemed to be a busy day on the track with a lot of diesel activity and a quick pass by from a shunter. A great job from all on the team. Lawrence Before and after pictures from both bridges are shown below. Didbrook 1 Bef...

5 of us yesterday.   With 4 brushcutters we made good progress completing the ditch clearance at Winchcombe and then continuing northwards alongside the carriage sidings. We also partially cleared a further ditch that is slightly further east, starting just after the main ditch disappears into a pipe. There doesn’t seem to link to the main ditch and it appears to peter out as we cleared southwards and then drop steeply into a heavily wooded area northwards. We have probably cleared as much as we can without taking on a major task. Arisings were dealt with by raking up and then mulching using a brushcutter, with a mulching blade, to leave the cut areas tidy.   First thing in the morning two of us went to the southern end of Stanway Viaduct to improve visibility of the 25mph sign, which drivers had raised as a defect report. We partially cleared a small ash tree and also some bramble. Our efforts were to the satisfaction of a passing class 37 driver, so this defect report can be...

 There were a couple of urgent jobs required but not enough people available. We will add them to the list as high priority.

 Another one bites the dust! Steve B and I managed to get an old oak tree down just near the Toddington gateway to allow expansion of the entry road. It put up a bit of a fight but eventually succumbed to gravity.   

 Team otherwise committed

 Very hot and insufficient numbers

  4 of us today, including the welcome return of Robert.   With 3 brushcutters we made good progress clearing the drainage ditch that starts behind the new S&T building. Further sessions will be required to complete the job but this should be possible before we start the winter programme in September.   After the first break 2 of us went to Chicken Curve, as the landowner had reported that despite the recent clearance work there was still ragwort close to her donkey paddock. We spoke to the lady and she pointed out the ragwort. It was not an easy part of the bank to get to but we found a route. Ragwort is not always easy to distinguish from other plants but we used the fail safe method of pulling up anything with a yellow flower. Hopefully this additional clearance is to the lady’s satisfaction.   For future reference the lady lives in the bungalow, with the donkey paddock adjacent and fenced white. This means we need to clear the ragwort right to the road. We us...

Three of us today with Alex, Dick and me with a task to clear the north siding at Toddington.  After a fight with the undergrowth we managed to get the truck down to the distant signal and prepared for clearance when a team turned up to kindly remove the freight rake from the siding. Once the freight cars were mostly removed Dick and Alex set to clearing the brambles from the track bed and I brushcut the growth back approx 1.5m for the siding up to the start of the wall. Work finished about 1230 but it was still very hot.  Well done guys. Lawrence  Before    After