Saturday 11th July, BBQ Time!

It was the day of the annual PWay BBQ, and attendance was high for both the day's working party and the alternative dining experience that was to follow.

This enabled an early morning fishplate oiling team to be formed, with Eddie, John, Martin W, and Ian R heading off onto the Alton section to pick up where they had left off a few weeks before, at Brick Kiln Lane bridge. Ian J and Adrian N meanwhile undertook the line inspection to Alresford, with Pete and Keith H tackling the other direction, and Keith B and Adrian C taking on the most important task, that of visiting Tesco's to buy the food for the BBQ.

The late morning re-grouping at M&FM saw the gang boosted in numbers with Neil, Martin R, and Martin B jn attendance. The afternoon was very productive, with Ian J. Adrian N, and Martin R departing on the train for Alresford to strim around the wires serving the outer home signal, Neil, Keith H, and Martin B joined the oiling gang, and Adrian C and Keith B heading down to the BBQ site at Northside View hut, where they undertook some initial preparation work. By the close of the daytime play, the oiling gang had processed 64 pairs of fishplates, and around half of the total length of signal wire from the outer home signal into Sun Lane cutting towards the Station had been cleared of grass.

With some departing and others arriving (Bill and Shaun), the evening BBQ party left M&FM at around 5pm for Northside View, where an excellent time was had entertaining both themselves and the diners/ drinkers on the Watercress Belle and Real Ale Trains, who as usual were quite surprised by the sight of orange clad gents dining in the countryside, sat at a formally laid out table! Thanks go to Martin R, John, and Martin B for volunteering to be the chefs for the evening.