More Rodding Notes

Tuesday 14th August

A good turnout today with 8 of us in action at Broadway and hopefully the last batch of rodding delivered (19 lengths transported - all we should need if we have calculated correctly) .
Again carried over the platform onto the PWay trolley for transportation to site:

The only other remaining heavy hardware required  are two large concrete blocks on which to mount the crank for the headhunt points connection. We borrowed a trolley from Winchcombe to wheel these up to the end of the platform to meet the PWay trolley - not easy to manhandle:

These two blocks will carry the crank which will connect with the headhunt point blade. Malcolm W and Jim P are digging out to level up the plate carrying the crank. To the right is the plate carrying the second, crank to connect to the fpl.

Note here that the connection to the headhunt point has to pass under the rails of the siding, so a bit more ballast removal required :

This connection requires four additional components - a drop link from the crank, a short piece of rodding, an adjustable turnbuckle and a connecting link to the blade:

Meanwhile a points length back towards the station, similar activity with the fpl connection for the siding points - fpl still to install:

And the adjustable crank connected to the point blade - this is now complete but will be left disconnected until D-day:

While all this was going on two of us continued with the setting of the twin roller stools  - these have all now been installed. We used a piece of rodding with chalk markings to set the distance from the track and with the rodding just touching the top of the roller frame to keep constant height :

So here we are, destination reached. Only one run of rodding set up so far - we ran out of time and temporary bolts at this stage. Still waiting for delivery of the proper t-bolts!

We have only part filled the holes round the stools yet in case we need to do a bit of crowbar tweaking to improve alignment when all rods are in and bolted up. However careful we are with setting these stools there is nothing as critical as the final visual test to get it all looking spot on! Doesn't look too bad so far though:

A couple more jobs completed since last week by Malcolm and George B. The angle crank which will carry the signal wires from ground signal 14 (in the 6ft between the head shunt and siding) under the siding tracks has been connected up ready for action:

This then passes round a trackside  pulley set on another plate on two small concrete blocks - now ready for the long run of signal wire back to the signal box - I can then start to bore you with pictures of signal wire pulleys!!

We still can't install the rodding compensators as we are still waiting delivery of the special connecting links. Without these in position we can't determine the lengths of rodding required to complete the joining up. So I thought a picture of the first two lonely compensators languishing by the signal box might cheer us up!!  (Don't ask me why they are different colours)

Curly