November 2005
WRG feat. Special guests Gavin, Ant and SSP, sponsored by Barclays Bank� splash out today!
Winter is icumen in, the Traeth is full, the European Swallows are migrating and the Greater and Lesser Jim Crow was spotted in Boston Lodge.
Anyway, general track fettling around Boston Lodge, putting in a new rail on the points for 13/14 road � the old one was knackered with Gauge Corner Cracking, even by Railtrack LNE Zone standards. Would have been easy, but for the fact that dismantling and rebuilding bull-head pointwork is more complicated than Sudoku. It rained as it can only rain in the top left hand corner of Wales � sheets pouring off the sea. Thanks to the person who sited wagon 99 on 12 road � makes a great windbreak. Gavin proved he's not to be argued with by lifting the smaller Jim Crow and Andy Carey found Gennys work better with fuel. Sunday dawned cloudy, but brightened up for the afternoon. Flushed with success we completed the pointwork, and requested the Argh to test it. In true Blodge confidence, we were loaned the Sh*tty instead as Harold is lighter and so easier to re-rail. Suffice to say the rail wsa to the usual WRG high standards and didn't even derail INA and the PW train when we parked up in 14 road.
During this time Sub-Group #2 were hard at work crowing the ex-MOD rails (Big Up the Glos. Group!) ready for laying this winter on Pen Cob Curve (very convenient for The Den). The RRMs are in position �all Fred needs now are people to lay them. Hydraulic Jim Crow (with stand) is another Fredtrack labour saving device, even if it does take the fun out of jumping with all your weight on a crowbar. D**n Health `n' Safety!! Matty was hard at work playing with coal-fired enchines and ended up looking like Al Jolson � or at least, Ross Kemp after a quiet evening in with the missus.
Blanche, Vale and Moelwyn were pottering around, wearing down the track, eating up all the lovely white space where we could have possessions or have paths for our works train. Users of the webcam will have already seen today's activity in Port no doubt. What wasn't recorded on the webcam was the interesting shunt at the Lodge on Saturday lunchtime, on the roadway by the tollgate � a Fiesta tried to get a short wheelbase conversion by using the boot of a Saxo. Would have been a write off if he had been insured. Watching Heddlu over lunch passed the time. If you're coming from Port to Minff, watch out for the traffic lights just after the curve � although they make accessing the Lodge a great deal easier.
As usual, Spooners excelled themselves, even Mr. Howes (cue: Raiders March by John Williams) putting in an appearance. It is requested that Purple Moose is drunk in moderation, as there was none left for me. Grr!!
And Finally. Fred has a Dalek, or at least he has converted 1111 into one. The new trespasser / amain alarm, complete with flashy roof lights was tested on Sunday afternoon. Turning on is easy, switching the b*gger off is harder. Should be effective on Blaenau youth.
Otherwise, Jolly Good Fun weekend when it wasn't raining, see you on the Winter Major Works Programme � installing the ex-MOD rails at Blodge and working the flatbottom flatbottom flatbottom down from Hafodyllyn to� well, that depends on how many people come!
Photos here