Friday 3 February 2023

Routine Maintenance



 Tuesday 17th Jan

Started on some of the maintenance activity today required in Winchcombe signal box. 

Access to the cams, etc operated by the levers needs a removable section of the floor to be lifted. Malcolm W in the locking room below uses a broom handle to prise it up while 3 of us upstairs lift out. 


John B then sets to with an oil can to lubricate as many parts that he can reach .


And then give the levers a few off/normal movements to get the oil into the less accessible places. 

Tuesday 24 th Jan

Off to Cheltenham today for some more signal box maintenance. 

Here's  the gang ready to go.


The catch handle pivot pins on the levers are getting stiff with continued use so they need removing and lightly greasing. Some resisting split pins to remove first!


And a general clean up with emery paper to remove rust from the mating faces and a smearing of oil 



Malcolm busied himself in the locking room to do some oiling.  Unfortunately the floor in this box is not removable to gain access to the moving lever components, so a degree of contortion is required with the oil can.




Followed by a bit of outdoor activity. 

You may remember from a previous blog that we had prepared some lengths of rodding to provide some secure posts for point clips adjacent to motor points to save the signalman having to carry one in the event of a point malfunction. Must be a good quarter of a mile from the signal box to the motor point at the Cheltenham end of the station.

So John P and myself took a trolley loaded with a wheelbarrow plus aggregate and cement on this journey to the points. Good job we brought a pick axe to loosen the frozen ground . Anyway  a hole was dug and the post knocked in and concreted.




31st Jan

Whilst doing some work on the lineside cabinet at the Cheltenham motor point Neil C brought a point clip and locked it onto the post. 


The key now has a suitable ID which will be retained in the signal box should it ever be needed.  (let's hope not!)



Curly

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