July
At last we are coming out of some of the gloom of Covid, that’s not to say that it has all been doom and gloom with some very successful events the Railway has held in line with the various restrictions in place at the time. The same relates to the Building Department where we have managed to progress a number of new jobs as well as responding to maintenance and repairs along the line.
So, not to go too far back into some of past jobs that have been completed during lockdown restrictions and in accordance with guidelines, we can report on those jobs that are fairly up to date and show where our efforts have been concentrated more recently. At Medstead station for instance a new build door has been installed in the car park entrance to the booking hall, making things more secure and waterproof. The door itself was made to the same traditional construction and style as the original and hopefully will last over 100 years as the original did. This has been in a job undertaken in conjunction with the station maintenance team doing other work in the building where some replastering and re-painting has been done in the ladies waiting room to deal with some damp penetration problem. More replacement doors are on the way for the booking hall at Alresford and the West Country Buffet.
At Alresford work has been done by the department to compliment the re-modelling of the track and lineside layout by the PWay Department. A concrete base was laid earlier in the year to accommodate a new platform of steel construction to service the catering trains to be stabled in the extended siding. This platform structure has now been erected from the component parts and is accessed alongside the track by replacement pathways laid to facilitate safe level access for staff walking from the station. Also, the Building Department has made and installed a new traditional sleeper buffer stop at the station end of the extended siding from the running line. This siding will be used to hold the rolling stock that will house an exciting new display of museum artefacts of the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust.
In the picnic area at Ropley, in conjunction with the on-going re-modelling there, we have fabricated and installed new hooped top fencing on the slope leading to the communal toilet block at the adjoining Watercress Lodges camp site. This fencing is more in-keeping with the other fencing around the station and will provide better security and provide a longer lifespan than the previous wooden fences that were deteriorating. Also, we installed a new balustrade to the up platform side staircase of the footbridge to replace the one which was past its sell-by date. The balustrade was constructed in the workshop over several months, with Covid interruptions slowing manufacture and painting. It was good to finally get the unit out of the workshop to create space for new jobs. Also at Ropley we continued the improvements to the entrance area to the top car park with a new sign to indicate parking for the larger coaches when school groups attend- nice to see those starting again and the children excited about enjoying re-living past times.
Bob Brooks
