Seven of us at Broadway today to continue with the installation of signal wire stakes and to make a start with the threading of the wires.
A couple of barrow loads of tools loaded ready for action.
The roller blocks have now been fitted to the stakes all the way north on platform 2 side so wires can now be fitted. Here is a close up of one of the four roller sets on its stake (now concreted in). These rollers are brand new:
Now comes the tricky bit. These coils of signal wire are notoriously difficult to un-reel and can end up in a serious tangle if care is not taken.
Carl approaches cautiously with the first coil!
And then it is a three man job to uncoil. One to feed through the rollers, one to guide the wire off the coil and one to slowly rotate the coil. So John P will gradually work his way back from the signal at the North end of platform 2 threading back to the signal box while Carl S and Peter W man the unwinding:
Malcolm W then connects the end of the wire to the sling that will go round the pulley to take another piece of wire across the tracks to the platform 1 starter signal. This requires some splicing of the wires after passing round a bushing to ensure a joint that won't pull undone (needs strong fingers and two pairs of pliers - not shown! ) :
Across the tracks a start is made with fitting the stakes which will take four wires up to the direction indicator and ground signals. Again we are making a 3 man job of this - the piece of wood on top of the stake to protect the nice shiny zinc coating as it is hammered in:
Neil C is finishing off the securing of the fpl (at the siding) with the mag drill Four new holes for M20 bolts required in the mounting plate. Contrary to what I said last week, it does not now appear necessary to slice a piece of the base of the fpl - so full steam ahead:
Curly
Super job chaps with the weather on the change
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update, Curly. I see that one of the stakes pictured has 5 pulleys on it, rather than 4. What's the extra pulley for?
ReplyDeleteThe single pulley on the top will be a "swinger" which will angle the wire down to the lower pulley wheel on the concrete block to take the wire across the tracks. One of the set of four down below will not be used.
DeleteAh, I think I understand. So the wire will go over the high pulley and under the lower one, and then round the large horizontal pulley to turn 90 degrees across the tracks?
Delete