Cambrian Heritage Railways Blog

Bricklayers steaming ahead!

Luke — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:13:04 +0000

As you can see below, the bricklayers from J.R Pickstock have steamed ahead this week and the brickwork is already near completion.

So here is a selection of photos showing the work that has been done so far.

(click to enlarge each photo)

Keep checking back for more updates!

The brickwork begins!

Luke — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:01:57 +0000

A great moment in the Cambrian Railways project has finally arrived. The brickwork on the Oswestry station platform has begun! After a couple of months of hard work and patience we are edging ever to closer to having a restored and useable platform for the station.

This large task is being undertaken by two bricklayers (Tom Rodgers and Paul Sperring) whose time has been kindly donated to the railway by J.R Pickstock. They began on Wednesday and hope that the work will only take between 1 and 2 two weeks to complete.

As you can see in the photos below, they are completing the work to the same high standards we saw on the 1 metre test section that was built.

Tom Rodgers

Paul Sperring

With the Oswestry town green now open, the regeneration of the whole area is really starting to come together.

Platform regeneration

Oswestry town green

Signal Post

Luke — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:38:47 +0000

We have recently uncovered the base of a signal post at Oswestry station. What appeared to be a standard looking pile of bricks has been dug out to reveal the inner cogs and pulley systems of the original signal post. When the station was partly demolished in 1966, we assume that the signal stack went with it. However we have a signal stack stored at Weston wharf which may well fit the hole, fingers crossed!

(click on the pictures to enlarge them)

The next photo is the only clear picture of the signal stack that i could dig up, which i believe sadly only shows it when it was probably out of action. So, if anyone out there has or can find any more photos of this we would be grateful!

Brickwork passed!

Luke — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:33:17 +0000

We are happy to inform you that the 1 metre test section of brickwork for facing the blockwall has passed the County Conservation Officers strict examination!

The test section was completed by a bricklayer from Pickstock Homes of Oswestry and the company have also made available a number of brickies to put the brick face along the whole length of the platform – and that’s a lot of bricks!

Now that we have the go ahead, this job will be completed in around a week or so, which will bring a huge boost to the Cambrian Railways Project and the site in general. We very much look forward to seeing the platform begin to take shape once again.

We would like to thank Pickstock for their support so far and in the future of this Project.

We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support with the ‘Sponsor A Brick’ campaign and remind you that we still need as much support as is possible on this matter. So please follow the link below if you wish to make a donation to the campaign, or if you like pop into the office or the museum at the station building to fill out a form.

http://cambrianrailways.com/html/sponsor_a_brick.html

Thanks.

Progress Continues

Luke — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:52:23 +0000

In the photo below you can see a block of red bricks. This was once the footings that held a signal post in place. We are hoping that a signal post that is being kept down at Weston Wharf will fit the placement when it is restored.

Also another point of interest in this photo is the black line you may see on the bank that runs down to the left. This where the original platform sloped off the ground!

Above you can also see the block wall creeping into shot on the left, this is currently being built alongside the fishdock and will meet the already completed section of platform wall.

Here’s a slightly more detailed shot of said wall!

Check back soon for an update on some more historical items that have been unearthed!