A Friday Report from Bob Stark
Dear Bill,
Mick, Tim and I had a very useful morning today resolving issues with the unsteady mini Anderson shelter that apparently is due to become a permanent feature at our station.
We also received an unexpected visit from the Chairman, Alan Bielby, and the Manager of the Racecourse, David Mackinnon, who were discussing our northern boundary fencing issues.
When the Anderson shelter first arrived at Cheltenham Racecourse Station a couple of years ago for our Cotswolds at War event, it was a 3 section structure and was rather intrusive at the top of the ramp. Subsequently David Miles reduced the size of the shelter to be erected at Cheltenham to 1 section, but now lacking the original mild steel ground frame the Shelter adopted a non conformist base outline (a definitely non military shape) and became somewhat unsteady.
Yesterday I constructed a base framework for the shelter (but ran out of suitable plywood) and this morning after raiding the wood pile in the compound Tim and Mick completed the base and we moved the shelter over to the ticket office canopy where we could continue to work if the promised rain arrived. Luckily it did not.
With the shape of the shelter now held firmly by the new wooden base we deconstructed the shelter removing the back and front and cut the vertical sheets of corrugated iron into a profile that allowed them to be slipped inside the roof corrugations. This makes the structure relatively weather tight. Needless to say this was an antisocial, noisy activity, but as can be seen appropriate PPE equipment was in evidence and we had been reinforced by cups of tea prepared by Tim.
After reassembly the shelter was returned to its intended location using traditional GWR techniques and equipment, except that in days of yore I doubt that the porters would have moved such large structures on sack barrows, or had access to hard hats!
The rebuilt, remodeled shelter is now awaiting the arrival of David Miles tomorrow armed with a tin of camouflage paint to ready the structure for its starring role in the Cotswolds at War weekend event in 1 weeks time.
Job Done!
Bob
