Wednesday 28th October a clear but cooler start and luckily the rain held off so outside it is.

                                                               

The fence needs finishing now new post have been brought they are too long and the tops need cutting to suit so they have the same angles as the original GWR post we have. After shortening the bottom were painted with old engine oil to preserve them under ground.

            

Then it was time for hole number 1 18" deep to get the correct height at the top wire only to find an old fence wire about 8" down so bolt cutters in solved a problem

The fist two posts in their holes and secured by the top two wires so we have movement available when they are all in to get it looking correct as the end post leans to the left and the straining post leans to the right and neither will move without some serious work. 

                                                

post 3 went in easily as the wire strand pulled out however the hole for the 4th had 2 fencing wires crossing it about 14" down so awkward to get the cutters in but now done.

The approach from platform 2 steps now looks more inviting rather than a wilderness.

The windows on the south facing end of the workshop are well weathered and starting to rot so scrape the loose paint off and brush on a lanolin and white spirit mix to soak in and feed the timber.

The first aluminium cast GWR sunken wires warning sign has had the final coat of black ready for the white lettering and border to be done.

It has been a busy day with a good amount of visitors for  the half term break before the railway closes apart from special events.

                                                

                Not long after completing the few jobs it started raining so great timing.

 Wednesday 21st October a wet Autumnal day at 12 degrees C but feeling colder with the damp.

                                                

A quick look in the shop shows we are steadily shifting stock and adding to the Trusts funds.

                                                

                                         

                               It is raining but we need to get the fencing done and tidy up a bit.

The wire anchors on the end post are rusty and nuts seized so getting them red hot with the gas torch then wire brushing the threads got them free luckily we got all 8 easier than thought it was going to be.

The last couple of old posts got the ivy freed from them so they would lift out and after a raking the last bit of wire was removed it was then possible to run the mower over the rough stuff.

The 5 Kg roll of wire gives us plenty of spare as the fence is about 50ft long with 8 strands originally but if we leave the lower one off the mower will have access any foliage growing.

So the first 2 are on and stretched.

The wires wind on to a pin with a hole through for wire location and there is a ratchet and pawl one end to retain the tension after it is set using the winding handle some pawls were sized and needed heat to free them. However a few pawls were broken or missing so new ones had to be made.

As we had no thick metal plate a trip to the skips was required so time to load the car with rubbish as we continue to tidy the area up.

On our way to Winchcombe we stopped off at the Honeybourne signal box as it had flooding around the path and thus required some action with the drain rods to remove a blockage or two.

A success at Winchcombe waste metal skip some 6 mm thick stuff which looked ideal so back to the workshops and out with the angle grinder using a 1mm cutting disc to shape 2 new ones.

After cutting and drilling that went very easily one needed a slight bend on, so in the vice for a quick tap with  a hammer and it snapped off luckily in the right place ( what we had was a smooth finished piece of cast iron)

So time for digging a post hole as we have one original GWR post but need another 6 setting the 6' 2" post centers using tape on the top wire.

There was time to add another 5 wires to the job and then using staples fix them to the post.

Walking up the steps off platform 2 it now looks more like a railway boundary rather than a jungle.

It was then time to get dried out and admire the tidy looking area all we need now is 6 more GWR wooden fence posts, hopefully the GWSR may supply these as it is their boundary fence.

 

 

 

 

 Wednesday 14th October a lovely warmer than usual Autumn day and the sun is rising later.

                                            

                                 Nature  has been busy again dropping leaves so a quick tidy up.

Then it was time to get on with ivy removal so the final fence posts and wire anchor points could be accessed.

Once the staples were cut the stock wire fencing was removed, folded the best it can be and put in the skip we also decided to remove the original wires as they were rusty and any bending caused it to break.

Most of the old half round post are now out ivy stumps removed or cut off at ground level so now we need some original GWR wooden posts if we can source them along with a new role of wire so we can install a fence as GWR would have done in the day.

Mike has been busy in the new shed gluing down carpet tiles so it is ready for filling with books and photos that are in the archive office and house.

As the weather is warm and dry some more time on the museum mail coach body work is needed before the weather changes, the hot dry summer has caused shrinkage in some parts and expansion with other materials thus paint is peeling and screws are popping out. So a complete rubbing down with orbital sander and knock out any filler that has moved or cracked.

The West facing side has been sanded and painted so looking good above the waist line.

Greg is busy with the sign writers paint and brushes doing the yellow line, the brown needs some paint coloured to match so it can be patch painted rather than a full repaint.

                                                            And plenty left to do for another day.

 Wednesday 7th October the heat has gone and steady rain appeared with a cold front as I pulled in today I spotted two visitors sat quietly in the car park.

                                          

The new forge has been put to use with clean aluminium to cast the first GWR warning sign, There is a bit of flashing to remove and tidying to be done but not bad for casting novices..

After an attack with a hacksaw, file, dremmel grinder and a large flap wheel it looks fine.

The wire brush finished the job off removing any residue before using and etching primer and black paint.

Mother nature has been flourishing there are brambles growing into the buildings and the ivy is on growth overtime.

After a few hours in the rain using the hedge cutter, secateurs and scrapers we have a tidier area with 2 rotten fence posts removed.

The Beckford building paint is showing it's age so a sand down and repaint is in progress.

A sweep around the workshop floor resulted in a rather large pile of debris to sort through as sometime important little things get dropped on the floor and lost.

Last week Mike dug up a rusty tap holder this has been shot blasted and painted to go on display in the tool shed.

At the end of the day it now looks more presentable and welcoming for visitors and we are hoping the plant growth will slow until the spring.