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Latest News: Archive
November 2007
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Latest News: Archive
November 2007
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By Owen Stratford, Trevor Brackpool and Paul Mobbs.
Today was the first Saturday where trains were not running at this end of the year. We took possession of the line to start on our program of bi-annual fishplate greasing. We started off at Yaxham Road and worked south, removing, cleaning and then re-greasing every other pair of fishplates. Unfortunately we did not have sufficient people to make an efficient rolling production line and so we had to keep going back and forth to double up on jobs. Despite this we made admirable progress thanks to everyone's dedication to the task and we made it to Whinburgh, reaching just past the 8 1/4 mile post (a total of 2 3/4 miles).
A rather aching Trevor, Barry and Owen set off to Thuxton. Earlier in the year, a lot of our neighbour's trees had fallen down across the track. They had just abandoned all of this mess alongside the track, so we set out to burn it all up. Whilst there, having got a healthy bonfire going, we thinned out the scrub along the disused up formation to the fence line, and took out some of the forwards leaning trunks of the trees. This has tidied and opened up the area north of the platforms and should let in a bit more airflow in to keep the track in better condition. We also got an early finish on site into the bargain.
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Installing elbow connectors. 6th November 2007. Photo: Alan Cooper |
Owen spent today in the locking room under Dereham Central. The remaining elbow connectors were fitted up to the last of the 5 lever tails that will control the first phase of the transfer of point control to the box. Once this was completed, three vertical bell cranks were cleaned off and the bearing surfaces de-rusted. The end connectors were then fitted onto them and some channel section temporarily bolted between the levers and the cranks in order to prove the alignment. These will be replaced with sections specifically cut to the right length in the future. One of the levers has a connection that clashes with part of the frame-supporting pedestal. This had a 3 inch set placed into the down rod and when combined with the 1 inch joggle previously installed into the lever tail, moved the bell crank clear of the support.
We had a respectable sized gang of 13 thanks to a few people who turned out from other departments to help the P Way team tackle the fishplate greasing. Unfortunately the class 47 failed at Dereham as we were about to set off to site and the only replacement immediately available was the class 08. We eventually made it to Whinburgh by 10:00 and started off with the greasing. The weather was a bit of a problem and we were enduring intermittent showers and drizzle. The temperature was a little low too, which meant that some of the plates would not go back on. This happened five times which meant that we had to unkey and pull up a rail each time that it happened - a lot of extra work and slightly frustrating. Despite the frustrations we completed three miles and stopped half way up Danemoor Bank at 4pm when the light started to go. We then had a very slow trip back to Dereham at 7 mph with the 08 which was not playing ball either!!!
After another highly irritating start, when the 47 failed for a second week running (this time with a flat battery), we eventually made it to site in the DMU over an hour late. The day started off at Danemoor, where the rails change to 40ft lengths. This has the effect of introducing 50% extra work because of the extra joints. We set a revised target of reaching the main road at Crownthorpe - 2 1/4 miles away. There were the usual niggles throughout the day where joints were tight due to the cold weather. Again some un-keying and moving up of rails was required. In the end the team of 12 reached the target before finishing off at 4pm and heading home.
P Way popped on their S&T hats today to continue with the point rodding run back towards the signal box. We fabricated a bench which will have cranks fitted on to it, to turn the rodding under the track. We then dug the hole at the point where the rodding turns and reassembled the bench in its final location. The lack of daylight got the better of us before we could bed it in - a job that will have to wait for another day.
P Way continued with the fishplate greasing today. We returned to where we left off at Crownthorpe. It was bitterly cold and to start off with, we were worried that the plates would not come off with the rails being so cold. However, after a few tricky ones at the start we managed to get into a rhythm again and achieved the target of reaching Lady's Lane, at the south end of the Wymondham Loop. The remaining plates will be completed in the spring around April, both down to the junction and also in the Dereham area.
By Gary Hall.
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Tidying the orchard. 11th November 2007. Photo: Gary Hall |
The County School station and area group have been working hard to tidy up the area around the station. The removal of dead branches from along the drive, as well as some brush cutting, has definitely improved this area. Work has also been going on in the orchard area. We have completed some long-needed trimming and burning of old cuttings that were discarded in the undergrowth and had became a haven for the rats. Work is continuing to attempt to regain a hedgerow along our fence, making the site look a little more loved.
The County School working party made good headway on clearing the west bank towards bridge 1707. We should be meeting our goal of clearing this area soon. We also had another group working at the signal box making preparation to run cable from the P-Way hut to the Signal box. This involved relocating and installing some additional ducting. We have a volunteer that has consented to building a pit and installing the lids in order to complete the area beside the signal box and in turn make this a much safer area. Work has also continued in front of the station to remove a dead tree.
By Ian Martin.
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Base of Dereham North Box. 3rd November 2007. Photo: Ian Martin |
With the brickwork finished, Ian Nugent has been hard at work preparing the woodwork for Dereham North box. The chamfered timber plinth that will soon support the uprights has already been bolted into place. The ultimate aim is to build a locking room that raises the box around 19" above the top course of bricks, and it is hoped that this will be completed by early December allowing the crane to lift the box into position. While Ian was busy with this, Ian number two was painstakingly trying to scrape off the many layers of paint from the exterior of the box. However, this proved a lot more difficult than first imagined and progress was slow!