Saturday 4th April

The Easter weekend also corresponded with the start of Thomas Week on the Railway. A much smaller gang of 5 assembled at M&FM for the day's activities, and they were also joined by a new member, Matt, who had attended the Welcome Day the previous Sunday. Welcome Matt. Following the usual catch up and refreshments, Eddie, Keith H, and Martin W set off on the line inspection to Alresford, with Tony, Matt, and Adrian Alton bound. The latter were joined at Alton by Neil and Paul who had arrived by train, boosting the man power for the planned afternoon's work.

With the gang re-assembled at M&FM, they received a report of a broken section of fence down the line at Wanders Curve on the Ropley section. Keith and Martin gathered together fencing materials and left to investigate, with Eddie and Tony to join them after they had dropped off tools and materials at Chawton with the Company transport, to allow Neil, Matt, Paul, and Adrian to continue with the construction of the Chawton Heights hut.

The reported broken fence turned out to be a loose top wire, which was duly re-tensioned, the lower wires all being intact albeit a little rusty (the source of the report clearly needs to go to Specsavers!-Ed). A couple of holes were found however between Grosvenor Road bridge and Wanders farm crossing, which were re-wired.

The hut construction team managed to trim the edges of the roof sleepers at the rear in readiness for felting (on Monday), excavated and cast a short section of foundation for a course of brickwork to be laid below the door threshold, cut and fitted infill timbers above the door frame, and started to excavate the ground inside the hut down to formation level for the laying of the concrete floor slabs.

Neil, Paul, and new gang member Matt reduce the ground
levels in front of the door and excavate the foundation trench
for the single course of bricks to be laid below the door threshold

Neil casts the foundation

The ground level inside is reduced
in readiness for the laying of the
concrete floor slabs. Infill timbers
fitted above the door.