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Photo Album: Thuxton Passing Loop Construction
Permanent Way
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Photo Album: Thuxton Passing Loop Construction
Permanent Way
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The permanent way has been the most resource-intensive part of the Thuxton passing loop project, requiring a quarter of a mile of track, 2,000 tonnes of granite ballast, three new turnouts and most of our available manpower for a year.
![Unloading Rails](javascript:toggle_image ("unloading.jpeg", 200, 150, 550, 412))
All the necessary parts for the crossover were taken to the work site in early January 2009, including two common crossings, two sets of switches, all the required rails, and some hardwood point timbers. We are seen here unloading the rails beside the line, close to where they will be used.
10th January 2009. Photo: Leslie Dale
![Craning out Track Panels](javascript:toggle_image ("crane.jpeg", 200, 150, 550, 412))
The first task, once we had possession of the line, was to remove the existing track, as it was in the way of the layout we were going to install. The removed panels were stacked up nearby. As they have concrete sleepers, we will be re-using them in the platforms, where replacing sleepers is difficult.
17th January 2009. Photo: Steve Tweed
![Removing Rails](javascript:toggle_image ("removal.jpeg", 200, 132, 550, 365))
At the south end of the site, we needed to remove part of a track panel. This required jacking the rails out of their chairs and using the digger to carry away a number of the heavy concrete sleepers.
17th January 2009. Photo: Barney Stratford
![Installing a Drain](javascript:toggle_image ("drain.jpeg", 200, 150, 550, 412))
The cutting to the south of Thuxton has been damp for a long time. It proved impossible to get drain rods through the cross-drain, and we soon found out why: the drain had been completely destroyed. Once the track was out of the way, we could dig a trench to install a replacement drain. Water immediately started flowing through the adjacent catch-pits for the first time anyone can remember, and a volunteer got wet feet!
17th January 2009. Photo: Steve Tweed
![A Hole](javascript:toggle_image ("hole.jpeg", 200, 132, 550, 365))
With the track removed and the ballast scraped away, all that remained of this part of the railway was a hole in the ground. It's always easier to destroy something than to re-build it, and railways are no exception. Now the hard part of the project begins: putting it all back together again. To the right of the image, the various track components can be seen, ready to be dragged into their final positions. Because the rail-mounted crane can no longer reach them, they have to be moved by hand, using lots of people with crowbars.
17th January 2009. Photo: Barney Stratford
![Snow](javascript:toggle_image ("snow.jpeg", 200, 132, 550, 365))
After two more weeks' work, the southernmost turnout is beginning to take shape. The main route has been aligned and screwed down, and the diverging route is nearing completion. On the day this photo was taken, we had been working in blizzard conditions that chill you to the bone!
1st February 2009. Photo: Owen Stratford
![Track Reconnected](javascript:toggle_image ("connected.jpeg", 200, 150, 550, 412))
With the final lifting and packing completed and the main line reconnected, the crane became the first vehicle to use the new turnout. Its first job was to lift into position the remaining components for the second set of switches.
23rd February 2009. Photo: Leslie Dale
![Service Train](javascript:toggle_image ("service.jpeg", 200, 132, 550, 365))
The first regular service train travelled over the newly-installed turnout during March, hauled by 31 438.
15th March 2009. Photo: Owen Stratford
![North Turnout](javascript:toggle_image ("north.jpeg", 200, 150, 550, 412))
The commissioning of the Thuxton passing loop grew much more pressing shortly after the project started. In a first for the MNR, we therefore hired a contractor to install the turnout at the north end of the loop. They installed the main route in a couple of days during the week, after which our volunteers installed the diverging route.
31st May 2009. Photo: Toby Rawlings
![Passing Trains](javascript:toggle_image ("trains.jpeg", 200, 150, 512, 384))
With the track installed, it is possible for trains to access the up line for the first time since the line was singled in 1965. The first loco to do so was 31 438.
5th June 2009. Photo: Paul Mobbs
![Dogfish](javascript:toggle_image ("dogfish.jpeg", 200, 150, 550, 412))
After installing the track, the next job was to lay the top ballast. This is accomplished by dropping it from our set of dogfish wagons. This requires some care, as the speed of the train has to be adjusted to allow the right amount of ballast to land on the track. Getting it wrong usually results in a lot of digging.
5th June 2009. Photo: Paul Mobbs
![Shark](javascript:toggle_image ("shark.jpeg", 200, 150, 550, 412))
With the ballast dropped, it must be placed into position. This is accomplished using a shark wagon, which is a kind of modified brake van with a ballast plough attached. This scoops up any excess ballast and places it where it is needed.
5th June 2009. Photo: Matt Goodrum
![Positioning Concrete Sleepers](javascript:toggle_image ("sleepers.jpeg", 200, 132, 550, 365))
The new platform would make it awkward to replace rotten wooden sleepers, so we are re-using concrete ones in this area. They weigh 300kg each, so the crane makes this job very much easier.
31st October 2009. Photo: Barney Stratford
![Coldest Winter for 30 Years](javascript:toggle_image ("cold.jpeg", 200, 132, 550, 365))
The winter of 2009 was reported to be the coldest for 30 years, with more snow than anyone can remember. The resulting winter wonderland was perfect for the children visiting Santa, but slowed the loop's progress considerably.
19th December 2009. Photo: Owen Stratford
![Shark in the Up Platform](javascript:toggle_image ("platform.jpeg", 200, 132, 550, 365))
With the concrete sleepers installed and the track lifted and aligned to the correct position, we could drop more ballast and spread it with the shark. At the end of a hard day's work, the team pose having just been the first people to board a train from here.
30th January 2010. Photo: Mark Hallett
![Tidy Cess](javascript:toggle_image ("cess.jpeg", 200, 152, 550, 418))
Once the shark has passed through, we like to tidy up the ballast to make it presentable. This requires shovelling any excess off the tops of the sleepers and removing it from the cess. Once this job is complete, the line looks much better.
5th June 2010. Photo: Toby Rawlings
![Gauging the Level Crossing Panel](javascript:toggle_image ("gauging.jpeg", 200, 132, 550, 365))
Attention now turned to the installation of the new level crossing. We built up the track panel in advance so that we could crane it into the road in one piece, thereby saving time. In this photo, we are using the track gauge to make sure that the spacing between the rails is the correct value of 1435mm. When it is too wide, as here, we use the gauge tie to pull the rails closer together, and then the chairs can be screwed to the sleepers, holding the rails in the right place.
1st May 2010. Photo: Owen Stratford
![The New Crossing Installed](javascript:toggle_image ("installed.jpeg", 200, 132, 550, 365))
The local authority had to close the road in Thuxton to fix the drains, so we took the opportunity to install the new crossing at the same time, minimising the disruption for the residents. Once the track had been placed in the road, we set about trimming the rails to the correct length to fit in the gap. Once this was complete, we could align, lift and pack the track to its final position. The first loco to use the new track was 31 438.
To the right of the picture, our volunteers are bedding in the gate post in its new position.
12th June 2010. Photo: Owen Stratford
![Freshly-Laid Tarmac](javascript:toggle_image ("tarmac.jpeg", 200, 132, 550, 365))
With the permanent way work completed, the tarmac contractors could move in to re-lay the roadway. The gates were re-hung in their new position and the ballast nearest to the road tidied up. This brought the biggest part of the trackwork to a conclusion. We still have to complete the signalling and building work before the September deadline.
14th June 2010. Photo: Owen Stratford