We were still slaving away at Broadway today to complete the installation of the point rodding up to the south pointwork. But I have to report that we have not got there yet.
We have been having a bit of a problem with our lengths of point rodding some of which are not particularly straight - so there has been a bit of juggling with rodding selection and stool positioning to get the layout looking presentable and functioning properly. On top of which we had to get the two sets of compensators re-aligned - a bit of a jigsaw.
Anyway, at last all is OK. Here are a few pictures of the day's work starting with Malcolm on the end of a crowbar - this is quite an effective way of "wriggling" a buried concrete stool to make a small adjustment :
While Jim P and Len W connect the rodding to the compensators. The blocks on which they have been mounted have had the ballast shovelled back in so the system should be nice and stable. NB the wooden height gauge which is used to keep a constant height relative to the track.
And here are the compensators all connected up and looking a lot tidier :
We were "double-headed" today. Another group of two stalwarts from the S & T Oiling Gang turned up for some greasing and oiling. They are responsible for lubricating all the moving parts of signals, pulleys, cranks, etc on the railway- now becoming a major task to keep everything in good working order :
You will also see in the above picture one of the holes for the concrete blocks.
A grease gun poised to inject grease into an angle crank leading to the fpl.
And as if we hadn't had enough excitement for one day we were alerted to the approach of the Gala Visitor 5197 pulling into Broadway Station. It certainly has a unique whistle and a certain presence.
It probably startled people standing close to it on the platform when it's safety valves lifted - guite a noisy blast!
I think it will be a star at the gala.
Curly
Getting there, isn't it? The rodding looks the biz!
ReplyDeleteYes, the S160 is quite a beast! ALL American things are loud!
Regards, Paul.
Thanks for the update, Curly. Now, let me see if I've understood this thermal compensation business! You have a run of I guess 45m from the signal box to the crossover, so that will compensate for a further 45m across the bridge. So the compensators you have just put in will correct the last 40m or so to the points. Are they located about 20m from the points so that they are in the mid point of that excess length over the bridge? Have I got that right?
ReplyDeleteYes you are correct. I can't remember the exact measurements but the distance from the box to the crossover is compensated by an equivalent distance over the bridge. The two compensators are in the mid position of the remainder up to the points as you say. We had a pull on the two levers when everything was bedded in - all moved pretty smoothly, but will be a bit more of a grunt when connected to the points! The total weight of rodding in one of the runs I am guessing will be somewhere near a tonne but it moves well because the shafts of the rollers roll in their slotted housings - they do not pivot about their axis - much less friction. Hope this info helpful.
DeleteWell Curly, what a great deal of work your gang have taken on, but it all looks so good, keep up the good work. In answer to the above comment:- If Curly and the gang have done their sums right it will work! Peter, like us you are trying to understand the wizardry of the S&T gang, they must keep some of their secrets mustn't they? Trust them to get it working correctly and just enjoy going to Broadway and seeing this all work when the signal box opens fully!
ReplyDeleteRegards
Paul & Marion