Four of us sweating away at Broadway today.
A full load on the pickup readied for the days work, including a sizeable load of aggregate , the no. 14 dummy signal (under the barrow), and a few more lengths of rodding.
Not the best of days to transfer the aggregate by barrow to the top end of platform 2, but here's Carl S making a start:
Just as Steve appeared with the mini-digger to start excavating for the compensator positions:
Making a start with the first of two holes. To ensure that the compensators are well anchored we need a significant concrete block:
And eventually set it in the hole - this took quite a while to achieve - difficult to prevent loose ballast from falling back in - anyway the end result leaves us with approx half a cubic metre of concrete to mix (twice)
Note that we had to lop off the end of one sleeper to fit this in.
Sweat of the day award, however, must go to Neil C who has made a start in clearing the concrete cable troughs off platform 2. He has pulled the bogey flats out of the Broadway North siding into the station with the Class 37 to do this.
Here he is in action. Didn't get an end of day shot of the total load but he must have shifted about 60 troughs and lids all on his own - we were too busy to help!!
These will eventually be transported south of the station to be unloaded along the fence adjacent to the caravan site and up to Childswickham bridge
The final act of the day was to fit the ground signal onto its freshly cast base in the 6ft between the siding and headhunt. I got a ride in the 37's cab to get a shot of it on the way back from parking the troughs back in the siding. The signal will have its disc fitted later:
And a closer view with the shuttering removed looking back towards the station. Another concrete block will be needed just south of the signal to fit an angle crank which will guide a signal wire to the right under the rails.
The usual Tuesday gang will be in tomorrow and one of their tasks is to angle off the end of platform 2 ramp to allow us to continue with rodding stool installation.
Curly
Well done the team and to Neil C for the hard work loading the waggons, it must make quite a difference to the platforms appearance! Will it be next year before the signal box is in proper use? It is all starting to look like a proper station with all these parts being added, so well done the team!
ReplyDeleteRegards
Paul & Marion
Lot to do yet - hopefully next year.
DeleteHaving read some of the blogs from GWSR S&T, what impresses me is how you are able to create stools by the side of the track for the signal rodding and get the levels right. That is an achievement in itself.
ReplyDeleteWell done on the work, as you make steady progress to getting the signal box 'in action' and working properly. Your work is vitality important and when completed, IMHO, deserves the same amount of 'fanfare', as the initial opening of Broadway.
Yet when finished, it will probably be celebrated with a mug of tea and bacon sandwich on the day of the opening of Broadway Café, to coincide with official opening of the signal box... Maybe?
Levels are set with a rudimentary gauge (a 4 x 2 plank with screw and block) sitting on both rails so that a constant height is set relative to the track. NB plenty of tea being drunk as we progress!
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