8 January 2003 Wednesday

I spent the day on exchange faults. Probably mostly cold related as there were several faults that came to light.

15 January 2003 Wednesday

I met Peter Woods at the DFR and we tested out the second junction to the minimaster. We had a fault in the exchange which turned out to be a contact on the IDF wiring. The MEB turned up and kept taking the power off, and when we restored the external extension working Peter forgot to put the busy link back and we had relay chatter on the junction. Eventually we got it all back working and we are ready to do a changeover when John Hatton has sorted out the new directory issue.

22 January 2003 Wednesday

Bernard and I got the DP into the museum along with a sub DP, and all the jumpering and records.

29 January 2003 Wednesday

We wiped up some old 300 type telephones and got them working on the 800 part of the exchange. We also helped pull in an electric cable under an observation coach.

5 February 2003 Wednesday

We spent the day at Parkend pulling in cable between two buildings. After lunch Bernard and I worked in the exchange and museum. I got the 5+20 properly installed.

12 February 2003 Wednesday

I sorted out the external cables for laying along the extension. We seem to have at least 3 Km of cable, probably OK to Whitecroft. During the afternoon we mostly spent the time testing the new junction arrangements with Peter Wood.

19 February 2003 Wednesday

A cold day at the DFR warmed up as we got some boarding down in the loft and moved a load of gear from the exchange to the loft. The exchange is pretty tidy now. We also found ten pairs or more spare to the Severn and Wye room for the Parkend cable and found a length of cable suitable to go across to the railway embankment.

26 February 2003 Wednesday

I spent the day at the DFR getting pairs out to the yard towards the Parkend cable route. Bernard and Peter Wood worked on the exchange most of the day trying to find out why some line circuits had apparently been modified and were messing up the Lydney Junction arrangements.

5 March 2003 Wednesday

I went to the DFR and laid duct and cable across the railway during the morning. After lunch I got very wet and gave up and went home early.

26 March 2003 Wednesday

I went to the DFR where we spent the day repairing a DP at the park after vandals had broken off the cover and cut off one of the cables.

2 April 2003 Wednesday

Bernard and I found and erected a cabinet for DP5A. It took all day by the time I had painted the outside.

9 April 2003 Wednesday

We had a hard day at the DFR. I painted the interior of the DP5A cabinet and then we straightened the duct across the tracks and repulled all the cables in. We also pulled in an electric cable. We fixed the cabinet to the wall with screwed rods as well to make a finished job of it.

16 April 2003 Wednesday

Bernard got on with terminating the power cable in the cabinet and then went home as he had a hospital appointment. I got the point of sale line extended to the booking office. I had to convert a cable into DP6 and I had to work in the loft. Later it got too hot to go back into the loft. The phone line is now working in the booking office. I did some more record checking so that I can go on updating records.

23 April 2003 Wednesday

We got some cables in the loft and then I spent the day cabling the Norchard Crossing hut for power, light and telephone. I also got some checking done on the dps on the station.

30 April 2003 Wednesday

Bernard and Ivor were there but John Hatton was off with pains in his chest. We got the electricity and phones working out as far the Crossing Box. We also cleared a couple of faults in the exchange.

7 May 2003 Wednesday

John Hatton is in hospital. Bernard and I got on with records and workshop tidying and cleared all the faults in the exchange.

14 May 2003 Wednesday

Ivor and Norman turned up. I had a look through our stores and then got on with clearing up the cable mess on the cable racking. It's starting to come together.

21 May 2003 Wednesday

The speakers on Bolley's Box were not working. We could not trace the cable so we ended up putting the speaker circuits via the telephone cabling. I also tied some more cables in. John Hatton has gone to Oxford for a heart op.

28 May 2003 Wednesday

It was Thomas the Tank day so the place was crowded. I proved the Lydney junctions OK so far as DP3E and finished tieing in the cables on the racking. The place is looking neater now but needs the clock and PA equipment sorted out.

18 June 2003 Wednesday

John Hatton turned up for a while, he has had his heart op and is recovering but he did go home at 12:30. I spent the day on odds and ends. I sorted some of the PA speaker wiring, went to get a key cut for the lineside cabinets only to find that it was the wrong key when I tried to open the cabinets at the town crossing. I did some more records and tidied a bit more in the exchange and found an old valve amplifier which we may be able to use at Lydney Junction.

25 June 2003 Wednesday

I helped Ivor at Park End and got a line box key cut during the morning. After lunch I sorted out a dis lamp in Bolley's Box, found a couple of horn loudspeakers, gave a chat to some schoolboys in a party led by Roger Woods and sorted some records. I also got the key cabinet up and labelled the majority of the keys. I took the keys to Lydney Junction but the "office" key didn't work so I could not sort out the PA proposals.

2 July 2003 Wednesday

Bernard and I got the PA installed at Lydney Junction.

16 July 2003 Wednesday

I worked at the DFR on the battery at the A48 crossing, pulling in cables in the workshop and faulting on the UAX where a couple of selectors were allowing CCBs to dial 5.

23 July 2003 Wednesday

I went to the DFR to sort the clocks out. It was a dry joint in the 20/8 block. I sorted that and got the clocks right again. I also fitted a second bulb in the A48 alarm feed to reduce the charging current. I then recabled the Christmas lights back to a proper fuse. I needed to sort out the earth connections already put in on the fuse block as they were dry joints.

30 July 2003 Wednesday

I worked changing over the oil store lights to the permanent cabling. I also cleared a couple of minor exchange faults.

6 August 2003 Wednesday

Bernard and I got the power supply to the PA amplifier at Lydney Junction installed.

13 August 2003 Wednesday

I spent the day stripping an old power unit and sorting out an electric trucks charger. I also checked the clock at the junction.

20 August 2003 Wednesday

We spent the day mostly on the charger etc for Ken and Sylvia's truck. We finally got it working and installed in the correct place. I also changed a handset on the signal box to box phone and put a notice on the Lydney Junction PA system.

3 September 2003 Wednesday

Bernard and I added DP3B at Dymock's Building and put a phone in there.

10 September 2003 Wednesday

I helped Bernard run an electric cable to the corner of the wrokshop and I cleared the long outstanding fault on the linefinder 8 of rack 1. It was a burn through the insulation between U2 and U4.

24 September 2003 Wednesday

We had a full complement. Bernard and I put a security light and sensor onto the Norchard Crossing Hut. After lunch we put up four temporary lights under gazebos for Ken the cafe man.

1 October 2003 Wednesday

I changed out the wiring to the clocks and got that tidied though I still have to get the relay set modified with adjustable armatures. Bernard and I also changed an 8 foot light fitting in the C&W workshop. I did go down to fix the phone at the Town station but couldn't get into the office.

15 October 2003 Wednesday

I spent the day mostly on the clock system. At last I have it sorted. We also met a guy from Glamorgan Telecom who was wanting to sell us a small system. After we showed him round he felt he needed to go away and have a chat with his engineers about the place. We never heard anything more.

22 October 2003 Wednesday

Bernard and I spent the day recovering the electrical and telephone equipment from the coach that has come from Southampton.

29 October 2003 Wednesday

I spent the day on the electronic timer for the PA system.

5 November 2003 Wednesday

I spent the morning sorting out the thermostat wiring in the dining coach. John Hatton did not want us to alter the wiring unless he was there so we had to abandon the wiring of the extra coach heater. I went on to change the numbers on the 10+50 to 800 numbers and after lunch I fitted a 50V bulb in the kiosk for John Metherall.

12 November 2003 Wednesday

We spent the day fitting the centre heater in the dining coach.

10 December 2003 Wednesday

Bernard and i changed a socket box in the dining car and did some adjustment of the clock pendulum.

17 December 2003 Wednesday

I carried bits for John Hatton, who was clearing up the workshop, and I fitted the clock extender to the wall and did most of the wiring up.

31 December 2003 Wednesday

We went to the DFR to check the exchange and clocks, all OK.

Page provided by John Bathgate This page was last updated on 9th August 2013