Building News

The recent freezing temperatures and snow have restricted what jobs we have been able to tackle around the Railway this last couple of weeks, and with a few people unable to get here. The building work on the water crane platform has of course had to be suspended as pouring concrete and laying blocks when it freezes is not a good idea, not least as our little fingers get very cold as well. You can spend more time warming your hands around a cup of tea than actually laying blocks- (no change there then perhaps).

We have however been able to get more building materials transported to the site ready for when we resume, which is probably this week as things are looking better weatherwise. Also the mid- week gangs have been able to clean off some of the blue edging bricks that came available after the recent repair work by contractors to the platform edge at Medstead. These bricks will be able to be used to edge the water crane platform around the sides and back, with the reclaimed bull nose bricks we have had stored being used on the front face.

However, the weather did not prevent work progressing on the water crane itself. More flanges and pipe work have been able ...

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A small gang of Paul, Pete, Dave, John ,Steve and Bob were blessed with a fine day on Sunday to continue building the blockwork at the water crane platform at Alresford. The blocks have to be moved from the cattle dock, where they were delivered, and down the line to the site by wheelbarrow, and they are heavy!. The blocks are high density concrete and one block is one good lift for a chap.

Where the reinforcing rods stick up the blocks have to be lifted up and over to drop, not literally, them onto the mortar. This is a two man job and keeps the pace of laying slower. The drink cans are not for decoration but a bit of protection from catching your head on them when working around the area. At this stage the holes in the blocks are left clear but will be back-filled with concrete when they are fully at the correct height.

In the centre of the walls the space left will house the pipe and valve to the crane column, and for future maintenance. A hole in the blockwork wall at one end will be left for the pipe itself to pass through and to facilitate the lowering in of that part of the arrangement. This will then be built up around the pipe locating it in position. Yo...

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No not a blunder but reinstatement of a fine piece of station accoutrement.

The platform clock at Alresford has undergone an off-site refurbishment and duly put back up under the canopy on platform 1. The finished article looks rather fine and just waiting for a dusting of soot and steam to make it look at home, but hope it gets a regular wipe over to keep it looking smart.

A little further up the line at the water crane platform the first stage of block work laying has started. This sets out the dimensions of the inner core and around which the brick cladding will be built. Once the first course was laid holes were then drilled into the reinforced concrete base at defined points and reinforcing rods were fixed in with resin. The block work will be built around these rods and when the blocks are filled with concrete will form very strong walls. The blocks will be laid to five rows high and then the backfill with concrete into the centres will be made. The brick facing will then bring the platform front up to the gauging distance. It's good to see something starting to take physical shape after all the preparation work.

Even further up the line at Ropley a...

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There has been a medley of jobs going on at Medstead these last few weeks apart from the water crane project. The mid-week teams have been busy digging out the old muddy path that led from the station gate on the downside down to the platform and waiting room. Even in summer this wasn't the best surface to negotiate but in winter when wet it was fairly treacherous. Now we have a new track between retaining boards and new wooden steps. It replicates the type of paths at country stations that were very common to see in the age of steam.

Also, we have had contractors on site at the station repairing a length of platform edging brickwork that was creeping outwards into the gauging space.  This was due to water ingress and disturbance by train traffic.

Unfortunately, due to being assigned to duties at other stations whilst this project was being carried out I didn't get chance to take any photos of the work in progress. About three rows of bricks had to be removed and the ground behind dealt with to make it more stable. Anyway, the end result shows a fine piece of brickwork and tarmac repair that should stand the test of time.

In the workshop the carpente...

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5^th & 6^th of January saw a small team busily engaged in erecting the first parts of our ex Kings Cross footbridge.  The work was led for the railway by John Wright, together with Dave Allam erstwhile project manager of the HLF workshop projects working now as a volunteer.  Dave had brought along a couple of very experienced steel erectors who made a very valuable contribution to a successful two days.

The columns and various brackets were already on site and the first section of balustrade had been collected from Eastleigh the previous afternoon.  Colin Chambers’ 45 ton crane had steam up by 9.30 and the first task was to erect a pair of columns, which together with their associated brackets weighed in at about 8 tons.  These were located on the north side of the line where the foundation pad had been marked out to show where the columns were to go in order to create the correct distance from the centre pair of columns which had to be placed in front of the north wall of the carriage & wagon workshop.  One of these 1st pair of columns was then bolted down with 500mm long studs.

The 2^nd pair o...

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More images of the bridge lift on Friday 6th January, taken by Dave Currie, Ropley Scribe.