Second Pea Gravel day ! And the pea gravel transport has been solved in a convincing way:

Step aside now, Derek...

No more messing about with buckets and wheelbarrows.

Joking aside, we finished off the pea gravel transport in the traditional way, with just a stretch of 5 planks to go, in suspense while we wait for the bricklaying to finish. Here the planks are being brought down in a pea gravel 'train' and laid on top ready for next time.

Four more scaffolding planks go in.

Last week we carried down a number of plastic drainage pipes. They come ready with a  number of cuts in them, to allow the water to seep in. As I was walking along with one such pipe, quite long and heavy, on my shoulder, I heard a crash and an 'oops' behind me. This turned out to be Keith, who had dropped his pipe, whereupon it promptly broke into three pieces! Some plastic.

Luckily john has a perfect tool for this job, a German pipe cutter which also chamfers the end. Neat piece of kit. In this way we were able to save about half of the broken pipe.

The brick layers had another dry day, despite the forecast of heavy showers, which we didn't see. They worked on the 90m and 100m sections, the last two before the mid point. The 90m section had two rows of reds put on, and a row of corbelling - one last row to go, and it is complete.

Tony backing up the penultimate layer on the 90m section.

The two Johns, and a Pete, laid two rows of reds and blues on the 100m section - still 3 rows to go here, before the last bit of corbelling starts. We did the pea gravel filling, so what we are waiting for now is the crushed concrete, for which a small dumper and a digger will be hired, as soon as the concrete turns up.

There were no trains today, or is this a train?

Beep-beep...

The guys watching the level crossing for Kier eyed the line very carefully before each lorry was allowed to cross and eventually, Yes, a train was seen to approach, with four strong headlights. This metamorphosed into a small golf cart with rail wheels and a large tank filled with weedkiller.

It was a neat piece of kit. You wind down a jack and as it rises into the air, you can then store the rail wheels, and turn it through 90 degrees, after which you drive off. It came on that trailer in the distance.

In the foreground, Derek and Brian have been loading corbelling blues for John to lay.

All day, heavy lorries from the contractors Kier shuttled backwards and forwards between the stand they are excavating, and the field behind the signal box. There's a lot more excavated spoil to come...

Finally, I'm sorry to report the crew were somewhat disgruntled today, because someone forgot to bring the milk. Last week's milk was still there, but had set solid. It was black coffee and black tea all day, not at all right. Yes, guilt is indeed written all over your blogger's face. Must remember stuff !