A smaller team than usual today, just the 5 of us. And - oh no - the digger and dumper had gone off hire, just as we had scalpings to transport. Better get down to the tried and trusted method - everything by hand, and get digging!

This pile, move it !

Several barrowloads of these scalpings were wheeled down to the platform and spread out, to get a +/- level surface, ready for the final layer.

There's a bit more needed right behind you!

There were two jobs doing today. Job 1 was to level the platform surface, after the mini digger had roughly leveled it. This took pretty much all day, but we ended with a pleasing result. Now to let it settle some more. The final level will be about 4ins higher; the height of the slabs still to go.

The second job was to finish off positioning the lamp posts. Before we did this ,we had to replace one of the ducting inspection hatches, which got crushed by the mini digger last week. This took a lot of head scratching, as well as digging out:

Broken... not the ducting, me !

Luckily we had a spare inspection hatch (how is not at all clear to me, but we don't look a gift horse in the mouth) so we managed to 'plumb' this one in and seat it in a bit of weak mix for extra strength:

Putting on the KY jelly

Then a quick trip to the DIY store became necessary, because it turned out that the 50mm pipe bends that lead the string line up into each lamp post, carefully counted for the job, were not enough (?). Where were the missing two?

Finally, all the ducting was repaired and we were ready to cement in the last of the 6 GWR lamp posts. All the aggregate, bags of cement and water had to be wheelbarrowed down the platform. But the last lamp post is now in ! And are they straight, all in line?

Erm, left a bit Bernie, right a bit...

Brian volunteered to check this. They looked fine, we did a professional job. They still need a last layer of weak mix on top, but they are all in and upright, ready for the next stage.

This pretty much completes the job on CRC2A, and the next activity will be on CRC2B, the last 110m up to the signal box. To start with, we will have to do the setting out for the next 10m length, then brick laying can resume. Due to holidays, there will be a gap of 3 weeks, so brick laying looks to resume early September. Next Monday's session is therefore likely to be transferred to the signal box at Broadway.  

In other good news, B & S confirmed today that the manufacture of the new running in board was under way. Posts have also been ordered form a friendly fabricator in Malmesbury, and the finials are on order from a foundry in Leeds specialising in heritage castings. It will be fun putting this kit of parts back together.