The forecast said it would reach 32°C this afternoon. I'm not sure if it got quite that high, but it was certainly on the warm side for shoveling ballast. Still, two of us spent the morning and early afternoon at Hotchley Hill, doing what we could.
On arrival, we found that the cracked and rusted cast-iron stovepipe, which we'd been thinking about removing, was scattered around in little pieces. This seems to have been the work of some uninvited visitors, who accidentally made themselves useful. All we had to do was tidy the bits into a bucket!
After that, we finished chipping all the rust off the rails over the concrete pit at the front of the building. Underneath the flakes, they're still in good condition, and should easily last for another seventy years.
At the same time, we carried on clearing away the bottom of the embankment. This has been vastly improved by the efforts of Cutting 'Edge, so we're now down to dead branches and spoil. As always, the miscellany of broken items came to the surface. This time among the shattered glass, a ruined battery, three green British Rail teacups, and a mystery electrical box, badly corroded.
To round out the photos this week, a photo from the south-east wing wall of the bridge at Ruddington station. Two concrete posts to support a wooden equipment cabinet, and what looks like the foot of a long-lost telegraph pole. Posts like them can be seen all down the line, but are mostly likely to stay disused, as the wooden boxes are far less resistant to attack than their modern steel counterparts.
