Cables In and Cables Out

Tuesday 14th Jan

Not a day to be working outside but we need to get some jobs under our belts. A good turnout with 9 of us (plus Mike S and Paul D on comms work).

So first of all its off to Toddington in the diesel railcar to lay all the cables required for the new southern point machines, ground signal and trackside phone.

Some shallow trenches need digging in the ballast to route the cables from the yellow tubes under the track to their appropriate connection points.

And then the removal of the concrete lids from the cable troughs

And then the threading of the cables through the yellow plastic tubes under the track. All the cables are routed from the troughing which runs down the Cotswold side of the track

Cables then fed into the troughs

All the cables have been previously cut to length leaving a generous allowance at each end for connection - none were too short!!

Then all cables are  buried and  the troughing lids are replaced again--no sign of anyone having been here!

So, an explanation of the cables of which there are seven
 Two go to the ground signal for its lamp and its detector. One goes to the phone situated next to the ground signal and two go to the  adjacent point machine - one cable serves the motor for normal and reverse position and one serves detection for normal and reverse positions.
The final two cables serve the other point machine.

This picture shows the layout looking towards Toddington signal box

Having fed the cables through the troughing they will terminate at the adjacent lineside cabinets from where  cables ready feed back to the signal box.
All connections here still to be made but now far too wet and windy for further work - lunch beckons!

I may have regaled you with these shots before but just in case here are the two point machines now fitted with all their detection bars and stretchers

So, that's all of "cables in" - now for "cables out". The job we didn't finish last week was the removal of three remaining lengths of redundant 30 pair cable along the southern stretch from Greet tunnel. We used the railcar to assist using Malcolm W's new fixture to clamp this rather unwieldy cable to the trailer

And then dragged it out to deposit it back in Winchcombe yard. This shot taken  out of a rather wet railcar window (warped the track a bit!) Three trips via the tunnel 

 Carriage and Wagon have agreed to weld the baseplate to the CRC bracket post for us on Wednesday, so the final act today was to manoeuvre it into their workshop. Tele handler to the rescue

And position it on a pair of pedestals - important that the baseplate is in the correct orientation relative to the two holes at the top which locate the clamping blocks - Malcolm W will be on hand to advise. 

Curly