Wednesday 8 May 2019

Bonding

Tuesday 7th May

A good team gathered today at Broadway with two main objectives. One, to clear the signal box locking room from all the "stuff" that has accumulated since we moved in. This will pave the way for all the electrical installation work now required.
Four of us spent most of the morning sorting it all out.
Here is the before:


At the end of all this platform 2 also looks a great deal tidier.


Most of the stuff removed will be taken back to Winchcombe for a good sort out and probably a lot of binning. John P made many trips with barrow loads down platform 2, over the barrow crossing and up platform 1 to the blue pickup parked on station drive. Similarly George B made innumerable trips up and down the locking room steps :


Platform 2 now also looks a lot tidier.

The second team of four took themselves south to start some track bonding required for the track circuits. They worked back towards the station from the breather joint at the end of the continuously welded rail section south of the home signal.

This requires the drilling of a pair of holes in the rails each side of a fishplate using our motorised twin drilling machine - here's Neil C in action with it:



A pair of bonding wires are then threaded behind the fishplate and bent through the holes.in Pegs are then hammered in to secure the wires and thus provide a good electrical circuit.


It seemed a good place to finish work as the 15.00 train with 4270 approached half way along the caravan site fence. Four weary workers Peter B, Carl S, Keith L and Neil C glad of a rest.


The same train returns from Broadway hauled by Freightliner with 4270 on the rear to be de-coupled at Toddington


Bonding still to be completed up to and through the station.

Not terribly clear here but this picture shows the two pegs which have been hammered in secure the wires. The pegs have a slot which sits on the wire and a  taper to allow entry into the drilled hole followed by several good clouts from a lump hammer.


Must remember to bring kneeling pads next time - ballast plays havoc with your knees!

Curly

7 comments:

  1. Did you bond the Adjustment switch splice rails?
    If yes, did you introduce a spiral in the wire to allow for movement?

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    Replies
    1. Yes. The bonding wires are fitted with a bit of a "swan neck" where they are bent 90deg into the holes in the rails. This is plenty to allow for expansion/contraction even at the breather joint.

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  2. Thanks for the insight into how you bond the track sections, Curly. I wondered how it was done. Do you use steel wire to avoid any electrolytic action?

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  3. Will the drill press be living in the locking room, or will that eventually move elsewhere too?

    And, as always, thanks for the informative and interesting blog. (And for putting up with all our questions! :-)

    Noel

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No. It will remain there until all the bonding at Broadway is completed then back to store at Winchcombe.

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