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Latest News: Archive
October 2011
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Latest News: Archive
October 2011
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By Trevor Brackpool, Owen Stratford and Roy Malyon.
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Cutting a metal pipe to form a duct for future signalling equipment. 1st October 2011. Photo: Barney Stratford |
Record breaking October temperatures continued today which made working very hard. We were back at Yaxham and reconstructed the permanent way across the level crossing. The new sleepers were laid out before we installed the two new running rails. These were cut to length and fishplated up. We then gauged and screwed down the track. Unfortunately we then noticed that we had inadvertently ended up with a hump in the track and so had to dig it down again. With this done, the new crossing was packed to level and the works train run over it to look for any soft spots. The train then went off to Thuxton to deliver stone for the platform whilst we installed the checkrails. Finally the tie ins to the crossing were fettled. These will require further work to sort out the alignment in the winter. The drains and fences gang were also out with us and installed a new drain under the road along with some signalling ducts. Whilst there we actually found an original drain which had long eluded us.
Again we were at Yaxham struggling with the heat. All of the timber edges for the road were cut and fitted into position. Around the crossing, the beds were cleaned and refilled with ballast where silt had washed off of the highway, damaging the crossing in the process and one of the reasons for us renewing it. The old track materials were also sorted and tidied, with spikes being removed and the sleepers graded ready for sale.
Owen and John were on site at Yaxham whilst the tarmac contractor relaid the road. They started off installing a base layer, before adding two layers of tarmac. The entire site was cleaned up and reopened to traffic at 18:30 after the tarmac had had a few hours to cool down. Owen then went to Dereham and painted gate metalwork ready for Tuesday at Kimberley.
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Left photo: Base of the new road. Right photo: Tarmaced surface of the level crossing. 3rd October 2011. Photos: Owen Stratford |
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The Wednesday crew assisted S&T today and went to Kimberley. We had a new level crossing gate delivered to replace the temporary one that was installed after a car ran into it. The gate makers were also there to fit the gate and we provided the muscle to move it into position. After traffic management was set up, the old gate was quickly removed before the new one was fitted and adjusted. All of the gate furniture was replaced and we also fitted a Black's Lock to the gate. This is a signalling lock that provides a more secure method of holding the gate closed. It is our first one on the line and will eventually be linked in to signalling.
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The rafters of the new roof. 7th October 2011. Photo: Toby Rawlings |
Three volunteers have made a start on installing a pitched roof on the new signal box at Thuxton with all the trusses being delivered to site, hauled up the side of the scaffold and nailed in place. Also today a number of old sleepers were moved from Danemoor Cutting to Kimberley Park Station ready to receive the former Soham signal box.
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Newly-installed drainage troughing. 15th October 2011. Photo: Owen Stratford |
A small P Way crew started off today at Yaxham. One of the jobs remaining after the renewal of the level crossing was to replace the drainage troughing that catches surface runoff water. We replaced this into the first bed off of the edge of the highway which required digging out the compacted bed. We then fitted troughs at either end of the pipe under the road so that the balancing drain can be brought into use.
Seven Northern Section members spent the day at the Summit between Swanton Road and Northall Green. We dug out, changed and backfilled nine odd sleepers which represent the last really bad examples up to the 13 milepost (Bridge 1697). After lunch we got the sighting boards out to jack and pack a dip in the six-foot rail which ironically enough is located at one of the highest points on the whole line.
With this year's vegetation clearance season well under way now, the Southern Section team have been making inroads into the scrub on the lifted side of Whinburgh Cutting.
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Slates on the new roof. 18th October 2011. Photo: Gary Hall |
A group of us spent the day collecting slates from Dereham and putting them on the roof of the signal box at Thuxton. There are only two more rows to add, but they will need trimming to fit along the ridge of the roof. All of the fascias have now also been installed. If all goes well, we hope to have the outside of the roof completed within another 2 or 3 visits.
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Cutting vegetation in Whinburgh Cutting. 29th October 2011. Photo: Owen Stratford |
P Way worked on two fronts today. Trevor and Arnold completed the last three panels worth of ballast work at Toller's Lane. Barry, Owen and Pete meanwhile were removing trees back in the cutting. A good bonfire was soon roaring away after only one match to light it and it was consuming the cuttings faster than we could clear up the trees! Once again it was unseasonably warm and we were working in shirt sleeves. An early finish saw Trevor and Owen take the train down to Kimberley to recover the PW trolleys back to Thuxton and the rest of the group had a well-earned rest.
We spent the day in Whinburgh cutting continuing with the ballast regulating today. With the end in sight, a further six chains were completed towards Toller's Lane.
Throughout October the Wednesday group have continued vegetation clearance just south of the Mustard Pot Bridge (1689) in Whinburgh Cutting. This lengthy project continues and has already produced benefits with a drier track-bed and better views for our passengers.
In addition, during the last two Wednesdays of the month we used the service trains to move materials to various places along the line so that they are located ready for use during the winter months. The redundant rails from Yaxham level crossing have been cut up to form catch-pit covers for Kimberley and, using the better bits, for lamp-posts for both Yaxham and Thuxton. The Wednesday group moved these about so that they can be prepared for erection.