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Latest News: Archive
November 2002
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Latest News: Archive
November 2002
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By Owen Stratford.
We took out the works train on Saturday and went to attend to rail joints between Crownthorpe and the Sewage Works at Wymondham. Any joints that were showing signs of having dropped were lifted back to level and then ballast was packed under them using mechanical hammers. This results in a smoother ride for our customers and prolongs the life of the rails which would otherwise have become battered at the ends. It also helps out in the long term to reduce maintenance since there are more consistent forces on the track during the passage of trains.
Now that the winter is upon us, we have less daylight available. This affects the types of jobs that we can do, and a popular one is vegetation clearance. There was only a small team of us today and we went off to Garvestone to start on the winter clearance programme. We managed to get a fair amount done, but after the recent rain everything was far too wet to get a fire going. We stacked it up to burn in a fortnight when we return.
On arrival back in Dereham we felled several trees growing at the rear face of platform one that were resting on some buildings and had caused minor damage in the recent winds.
We went out to pack joints again, this time working from Kimberley through to Crownthorpe. The standard of the track was better through this section with only about 5% of joints requiring attention, and so the task was completed with some time to go and attend to a few remaining joints by the Wymondham Sewage Works. The difference is amazing. The ride quality is considerably improved just by lifting the joints by a few millimetres. On the way back home we transported a wagon load of logs to a point where they could be collected by a customer.
The weather was not very kind towards us and it rained steadily all day. We spent the time clearing up the removed sleepers from Yaxham into piles. Some are only fit for disposal but most can be sold on and so we sorted them as we went. A few were also placed on the embankment to aid in the retention of ballast. Once we had completed this, we went and steamed in the warmth of Yaxham box whilst waiting for the next train home!
The packing train went out for the last time for this year and completed the lifting of individual joints along the line. A short section around Crownthorpe required completion and then odd joints between Kimberley and Thuxton. Then some firewood was loaded onto a tractor at Yaxham, having been sold to a local farmer.
A good number in Sunday's party enabled a significant inroad into the Garvestone thickets to be made. We also managed to light a fire this time, keeping everyone warm and toastie. You can't beat it really.
Terry, Owen and Matt spent Monday tidying up the banks on the entrance to Toftwood Cutting near Westfield Lane. The bank was strimmed and several stands of saplings that had grown up since the last clearance here five years ago were cut down. For comparatively little effort, the area was tidied up no end and this will avoid a more major job in a few years.
With only a handful of people we could not pack the siding as we had anticipated so instead we amalgamated with the signalling team for the day. We achieved a fair amount however, with the lamps being fixed to Norwich Road gates and the steps being put onto Dereham Central signal box. These were very heavy and required three lifts, the first to see how much to cut off of the base to get them to fit, the second to drill holes in the right place and the third to fix them. This was because the steps had been recovered from a different box and so needed modifying in order to attach them.
We spent Sunday resleepering under where an accommodation crossing had been lifted a few months previously near Garvestone. The approach ramps were also dug away and fresh ballast placed around the track. We also re-established the cess. Whilst in the area, four damaged chairs were changed.
We took the works train out again on Saturday and changed nine sleepers over the span of the Sewage Works Bridge at Wymondham (1675). This operation involved taking out the rails however and so had to be carried out during a possession of the line when no trains were running. Although the sleepers were in reasonable condition, surface scarring was holding the water and they would not have lasted many years more. Prevention is better than cure and this work should keep the P Way in the area in tip top condition.
After having carried out this we attended to one dipped joint at crossing number 3 near Wymondham Abbey and also packed under sleepers to improve the top where we had carried out work near Garvestone a few weeks previously.
By Roy Malyon.
We have installed a new outfall pipe, 160 yards long, to get a better fall and therefore better flow into a nearby stream at North Elmham. The aim is to get and maintain the water level at its design level, and the whole new system has coped remarkably well with two recent days of torrential rain; the water level has fallen 22" at the catch-pits nearest North Elmham Level Crossing since we started. At present we have completed 70% of the anticipated work with 2 catch-pits and some additional drain-rodding to finish.
Frank Shaw and Roy Malyon rewired the fence beside the new footpath on adjacent farmland near Yaxham. On the other side of the line we inspected the new fence and drainage ditch, which was done in co-operation with the adjoining farmer. The Trust supplied 40 metres of pipe for this project and in return the ditch was dug and re-fenced to a very high standard by the farmer.
We have also gained some used fence posts, some for use on the Dereham Station site, and 10 for use at County School: grateful thanks to the person who carried them up the embankment and to the PW team for collecting them on the works train.
We continued to investigate and rod the drainage system just south of North Elmham Level Crossing. Three catch-pits, buried beneath soil and vegetation, were located and cleaned out as well as the pipes between. A partial blockage caused by soil and roots entering a broken pipe was cleared and the pipe break will be repaired during this week. The drainage system is very long and an open concrete trough, stretching south for a quarter of a mile, has been found; this needs vegetation flailed around it before it can be cleaned out. The catchment area of the North Elmham drainage system is vast and fields drain into it for all this length on the south side, so our new outfall pipe will be well used! The flow through the system is considerable, even when it is not raining. Our new 160 yard pipe, north of the crossing, was checked and soil placed round the second plastic catch-pit that we constructed.
Work has also begun to strim saplings from the track towards Worthing and we have assessed the vegetation clearance work needed in this area to be able to run a rail trolley easily from North Elmham south to Worthing Crossing.
The D&F team repaired the fence beside the road leading to CMC (near the Goods Shed). Two fence posts and wires were replaced within a fifty yard section.
A broken drainage pipe was repaired at North Elmham. Original catch-pits were cleared of silt again, and the original pipes were rodded under the B1145 road and along the 100 yard section before our new pipe takes over. The new outfall was checked and no problems were found.
Fencing work continued near to the Stable Block at the rear of Dereham Station. About 30 yards was cleared of vegetation and re-wired with a new end post beside the Stable Block itself.
By Roy Malyon.
Steve Tweed has been spraying weedkiller at North Elmham on both sides of the gates. He has worked wonders with his back-pack in so many places this year!
Seven volunteers continued clearance work between North Elmham and a point about 400 yards south of Worthing Crossing. Three habitat piles were constructed between 50 and 150 yards north of Worthing Level Crossing. This was a very worthwhile day and the plan is to progress towards Hoe during December and January to enable this section to be sprayed by a road/rail vehicle in early Spring.