After what feels like an age (in fact, only a few weeks) we returned to HH this Saturday, with the primary aim of trial-fitting the northern door upstairs.
This is somewhat easier said than done, as the door is heavy steel, and barely fits in the van. It also only just fits around the bend in the stairs on the signalbox, but with four of us present, we got it into place, and were delighted to discover that it fits perfectly. When we started out, it was bent and twisted in at least three places, so this was something of a relief!
We then took the door down again, and back to Ruddington, where it can be painted over the winter. Before heading back though, we stopped to see how the building is coping with the weather. The interior is drying out nicely, save for one corner of the relay room, which is still dripping. The most likely explanation for this is that the newly-waterproofed roof terrace is channeling water over the edge towards a drain, but without a downpipe fitted, this water is running back under the lip, and through the wall. That is easily fixed with a hopper and pipe, as soon as we can find something suitable for display on the front of the building.
We also checked on the ditch at the back, which as Cutting 'Edge reported, is doing well, with only minor settling of the bank. This has, of course, revealed another milk bottle. We shouldn't have been surprised.
Back at base, we spent some time discussing winter-appropriate plans for the box, and got on with the small task of cleaning up the brass hinge-pins for the door. These are nicely-engineered to have oiling points, but had been filled with paint at least two times in the past (once white, once blue), and needed scraping-out.
Among the many jobs for next week is removing the old steel conduit that once carried power wires from the box up to the nearby pole. Apart from being badly decayed and redundant, it is an obvious (if unsafe) way to climb up onto the building, and our nocturnal visitors hardly need encouragement!
