Week ending 10th October

It is not very often I get news from the Gotherington gang, but a small leap in a forward direction was achieved at Gotherington signal box this week, when a new telecoms cable was brought into use connecting telephones, bells and tokens with Cheltenham Racecourse signal box. The installation of the equipment associated with this cable has been prepared by Ed Reily and his Wednesday gang prior to the final connection and testing by Neil Carr.

At Toddington, the scaffold tower around signal T32 at the southern end of the viaduct was dismantled, and re-erected around the 'down' distant signal at the northern end of the viaduct. As this will be of a 'fixed' aspect, only a few fittings were necessary, i.e. a finial, signal arm, lamp case and ladder bracket. A ladder will only be attached as and when maintenance is required. Whilst at the viaduct, a small cabinet was drilled and bolted to the west wall.

Returning to the route signal, a signal wire was rolled out from here towards signal T5. At approx. 7mtr intervals a stake was hammered into the ballast, a wheel cast bolted to the top and the signal wire passed through each wheel. By the end of the day a total of 30 of the 40 stakes needed, were in place. At the signal end the wire was then attached to one tail of a 90 deg. arm which takes movement of the wire up to the balance weight arm. At the other end it has been attached to a sling that moves around a horizontal wheel to take the wire under the running line. This was attached to another sling around a second horizontal wheel and then to another length of signal wire back to the signal box.

Other jobs attended to at Winchcombe included the cutting, drilling and painting of two 'shoebox' cabinet lids, manufacture of 'C' channel brackets for the banner repeater and loading the railcar with materials for next week.

Week ending 17th October

At the northern end of Toddington platform 1 will eventually be a banner repeater signal. This will indicate to the guard and station staff the position of signal T4 situated approx. 100 mtrs the other side of the Stow Road Bridge. We have three such signals in store, all in various states of disrepair. It has fallen to Neil Carr to dismantle each one and collate sufficient working or repairable parts to make one working example. Attention has been given to the rather large lamp case which has required the removal from its bracket to enable a new base plate to be fitted and a hole in the top of the casing to be patched with tin. A generous coat of red oxide was then applied and a piece of clear Perspex cut and fitted to its mount.

At Toddington the remaining 10 signal wire stakes were hammered in to the ground, and once the correct alignment and height was confirmed, all 40 were concreted in. The mechanical locking on the ground frame was removed and replaced by electrical locking, which also required the drilling and fitting of a base plate and the fitting of an electric point detector. Three more runs of signal wire were threaded through wheels fitted to stakes last week from the route signal to the bracket signal. These will control the two posts above the bracket platform and a ground signal at its base.

Two new speed restriction signs have been erected on chicken curve, an ongoing job to replace the original wooded signs along our line.

Week ending 24th October

A major task to complete this week was the installation under Toddington signal box of a sturdy shelf to support four wire adjuster gearbox housings and a large steel plate to accommodate twelve horizontal wheels. These will direct the signal wires from upstairs out through the side wall towards their respective signals. In very cramped conditions, trying to manhandle heavy materials and using power tools was very entertaining to say the least. Once the plate was bolted in position, the horizontal wheels were laid out on its face to ascertain the correct alignment and clearance for wires and chains. After trying numerous configurations, by lunchtime a final layout had been reached. The afternoon was then spent drilling the base plate and bolting the wheels to it.

At Winchcombe various parts of the banner repeater signal and a couple of 'shoebox' lids were given an application of undercoat. The letters on a new cast 'token' sign were picked out in white gloss. This sign will replace a wooden one south of Toddington.

Week ending 1st November

Under Toddington signal box the wire adjuster shelf was bolted to the front wall and the gearboxes offered up for alignment. After much tweaking, these were then bolted to the shelf and the final vertical wheels bolted to the steel plate on the floor.

With the aid of the 'Loadall', the rather heavy and cumbersome bracket signal which has lain behind Winchcombe signal box for many months was loaded onto the railcar trailers along with its ground signal. Friday morning this was moved to Toddington where the road/railer machine was used to lift the signal onto its concrete plinth. Once checked for levels, the base plate was bolted down and the scaffold tower erected. The road/railer was also utilised for lifting the bracket platform into position. Once this had been securely bolted down, one tall and one short post were lifted up and slotted into place. These will be signals T27 & T29. the remaining fittings will be attached next week.

The rest of the week was spent cutting, drilling and fitting tappet blades and couplings under Toddington signal box.