Following the shortage of staff on the previous Saturday, the gang were back with a slight improvement in numbers on the first day of the week long August Thomas event. After the usual catch ups the gangs divided.
Adrian C and Adrian N went up to Alton, and Brian Hi and Ian R went down to Alresford on the line inspections. Eddie, Martin W and young Matt went down to Grosvenor Bank to lubricate and free up the nuts on sleeper chairs, leaving Ian J to go down the line to do some strimming at the Pway huts (report below), and Corina to stay up in Medstead yard to do some sign writing on one of the brake vans for the Wagon Group..
Once the two walking parties had caught the various services back to base, they went down to The Grosvenor Hut where Adrian N had a bonfire.....
Adrian C fitted the door and lock (with Corina's help when she joined them)......
Brian painted the other side of the window shield, then helped Paul C start levelling the back of the hut.........
and Corina also creocoted the untreated timber. Ian R joined the oiling gang steadily moving towards Ropley.
It was also nice to see the recently outshopped Standard 4 Mogul on one of the service trains.
A supplement to the report today by Jes Mania...........
With a reasonable turnout today I was able to undertake a task that has been outstanding for some time. Strimming!! Having taken the bladed strimmer to Arleside, I realised that this was the wrong tool for the job. Returning to base to change over to a wire strimmed I returned and started the monumental task of reducing three foot of grass and brambles. Some three hours later the task was completed.
Having got into my swing I then went to North Side and an hours work on slightly easier material saw the immediate are around the hut cleared...........
Agreed – the Standard 4 looked and sounded fantastic. Nice to have the team working in the same location, albeit on different tasks. It was warm work on the track, so it was pleasant to retreat into the shade for lunch and as luck would have it someone's built a hut nearby.....
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