Upgrading Signage

 Tuesday 3rd Sept

A short trip to CRC today to replace some very tired warning signs. The first ones are at the crossing by the signal box:

John B and John P removing the very faded one:

And the bright new one (complying with current regulations) in place:

This one has much more of a visual impact

Then it's back to base at Winchcombe to do a bit of tidying up at the far end of the new workshop. It is planned to reposition the container which is presently opposite the C & W workshop at the side of the set of blue containers here. This to provide more secure and dry storage for our signal spares.

The whole of this area will be tidied up with a covering of stone/spent ballast

Note the drains here which we have surrounded with aprons of concrete.

This area will be used to tidy up the various  larger signalling items which currently are spread around Winchcombe yard.

That's all from me for a while - having a full knee replacement next week so no more clambering over ballast for some time!

Curly

 

And Finally at Gotherington

 Last Thursday George and I went to Gotherington for one last time, with the remaining parts for the ground signal and a tin of black paint.  We fitted the lamp case, balance weight and arm and the disc face and back blind and re-connected it.  We then touched up a few damaged and missed areas of paint on the new signal and ground signal and painted a few bolt heads.  Finally went to the box to correctly set up the signal wire for the new signal (the wire was just a bit too slack).  The adjuster on the lever tail was near the end of its travel and was also partly seized, so we removed the adjuster, placed it in the vice, freed it up and set it toward the longer end of its adjustment.  We then cut the signal wire outside of the box and re-jointed it using a short piece of wire and reducing its effective length by around 6" (we had to use an additional piece of wire and make two joints, as jointing a wire needs about 6-8" spare wire on each end to 'wrap' the joint, therefore to just cut and re-join a wire makes it around 12-16" shorter, which would have been too short).  Once we'd done this we set the adjuster correctly for a good off on the signal.  That completes the job replacing the old wooden post and refurbishing the disc, cabinet and associated connections around them.  The below photo shows the completed job, with the signal box in the background.

I'm off to Australia for most of October and some members of the gang will be absent for several weeks due to medical procedures.  Therefore there will be little to report for a while.  The good news is that our S&T Workshop is now almost complete, so November should see us moving in and setting up for winter maintenance.

More at Gotherington

 Tues 27th August 

A bit more work required at Gotherington today. The reconditioned ground signal which has now been cleaned and painted is ready for replacement on its new foundation block.

It's too heavy to transport fully assembled so today just the base casting is being bolted down. The fittings will be put on next week

The cables routed down the Cotswold side of the track here are in need of proper burial and the track circuit feed cables are being re-routed. So a bit more ballast digging required:

A lot tidier now for the cables between the signal and the lineside cabinet adjacent to the line crossing at the end of the platform. The cabinet has also had a coat of silver paint:

Neil C seen here drilling some new holes in the rails with the motorised drill for the repositioned track circuit connections 

Curly

Gotherington Signal Finished

 Yesterday a slightly depleted gang of Neil C, Peter B, John P and John B went to Gotherington with a truck loaded with signal parts.  We started at the top of Signal G3's new post, fitting the pivot casting and plunger casting, Neil and Peter on the scaffolding, John P fixing parts to the rope as required and John B keeping lookout and passing over parts when needed.  We then fitted the spec plate, lamp casing, lamp back blind, signal arm, and then hung the down rod from the spec plate, finally fitting the finial before moving to the bottom of the post.  At the bottom we offered up the balance weight casting and arm to the down rod and clamped that to the post, then fitted the signal wire angle crank and short connecting wire.  Finally we fitted a down rod guide half way up the down rod.  The operating part of the signal was now complete.  There then followed a quick partial dismantling of the scaffold and wait for the next train to pass, before we offered the ladder up through the scaffold.  The ladder turned out to be exactly the right length, so the ladder bracket and hoop were fitted just below the top fittings and the ladder foot buried in the ground.  We finally dismantled and cleared away the scaffold.  

Unfortunately the wooden post had a wheel and sling at the base rather than the angle crank now fitted and we didn't have enough signal wire with us, nor the correct thimble and shackle, to replace the sling and fully reconnect the signal to the box, therefore we temporarily fixed the signal off (Gotherington Box currently being switched out).  The signal wire and lamp cable will be fitted by Neil C in the near future, to bring the signal fully back into service.

Peter B takes a selfie as Neil C leans on the signal spec plate.

John B, John P and Neil C by the completed signal.

Gotherington Signal Update

 

Last Monday we enlisted the help of our colleagues in P-Way who came out with the Road Rail Vehicle and lifted a replacement post into the prepared hole in the concrete where the wooden post once lived.  We wedged the post near upright with timbers placed alongside it in the hole.

The RRV then picked up the rotten wooden post and headed back to Winchcombe.

On the Tuesday the gang went to Gotherington, and erected the scaffold around the new post.

Here we see the gang pausing whilst 7903 Foremarke Hall comes past, John B doing his lookout duties on the left of shot.

Once the train had passed we completed the erection of the scaffold and stood the post properly upright in the centre of the hole, tying it off at the top of the scaffold.  We then mixed and poured round the post a cement heavy and quite wet concrete mix, trowelling it up to the post to prevent water pooling against the post base.  Once that was completed we went back to Winchcombe to continue preparing fittings for the post.

The next visit will see us fitting out the post and possibly bringing it back into service.  once the scaffold is removed we will also fit the recently restored disc signal.

Gothering Signals

 Tuesday 23rd July

There have been several trips to Gotherington in recent weeks to replace the wooden signal post and to recondition the adjacent ground signal.

The wooden post has proved to be completely rotten. Having carefully removed the fittings using the scaffolding tower, nothing more than a gentle push sent it toppling down!  Here is the result:

Now the challenge to remove the remainder of the rotten wood from the concrete block. A replacement metal post will be concreted in here. Peter B  is tickling out the stubborn pieces of not quite so rotten pieces:

And John P up to his armpit to clear out the hole - 2ft deep about as far as we could get - should be sufficient to concrete in the metal replacement . 

On completion of the clearance of the hole a team photo as Dinmore Manor pulls out of Gotherington in the  background.

The ground signal and its also rotten mounting woodwork had already been removed and a new section of sleeper fitted to the two "submerged" concrete blocks . 

The signal has been dismantled back at Winchcombe and is in the process of being cleaned and painted.

Curly

Upgrading a Lineside Cabinet

 Previous work to replace some track circuit feed wires after P-Way had cut and shut a few rail joints in the area revealed that Cabinet L at Gotherington was not in the best of condition, a squirrel having apparently attempted to build a drey in it.

Plans were therefore put in train to refurbish the cabinet.  On closer inspection the cabinet was held down to some bricks in concrete by some bolts through the wooden floor, the floor was rotten and the bricks loose in the ground, so the decision was taken to replace the cabinet.

A slightly wider version was selected, refurbished by Andy, George and Neil and fitted with legs which spanned over the existing cabinet brick base and cable access.  Once ready the cabinet was taken to site, the old one rocked over backwards and the cabling carefully removed intact and still connected.  Two holes were dug, one either side, for the legs of the new cabinet and the new cabinet was stood up over the cabling (carefully inserted through the bottom) and concreted in place.  The cabinet floor was temporarily lodged in place and the track circuit battery box left disconnected for now.  

Peter, Richard, John, John and Peter pose by the newly installed cabinet.

The following day Neil returned to the cabinet, shovelled the ballast over the concrete and tidied up, then set about re-organising the cabling inside.  The two main cables (one from Gotherington and one from Cheltenham) were neatly clipped to the back board, spare unused cores dressed to either side, the through connections disconnected and re-crimped one by one, and finally the local connections made off to a connection block. Then the local track circuit feeds and the track circuit battery box were re-connected and finally the floor board was offered up and cut around the cables.  I hope you'll agree that the finished result is quite an improvement on the top photo.

More Cable Protection

 Tuesday 7th May

A bit more troughing required on the Evesham Road bridge at Broadway today. Three cables have been laying on top of the ballast here which need to be better protected.

On the station side of the bridge the cables disappear underground , and at the other end they go across the tracks in the yellow protective tube. This is on the platform 2 track side that we are working.

So a bit of ballast 'tickling' to give a level bedding for the troughs.

And then the laying of the troughs

Then the cables are lifted in

And the lids put on:

A tidy up of the ballast and the job is done.

Curly

Cable Covering

 Tuesday 16th April

Back again to the viaduct today to finish off. The large cable passing over the viaduct is not fully protected at the northern end, so some additional troughs need positioning into the ballast

We took the route via Stanton "yard" with the blue pickup and drove slowly and bumpily trackside up to the viaduct with a load of concrete cable troughs - before the first train of the day.

Plenty of hands to dig away the fresh ballast and set the troughs in position

Job done with cable now well protected. John P, John B, Neil C and Peter W surveying the Job!

No wasted return journeys so we retreived a pile of cut-off dipped rail ends destined for the skip

The roof struts for our new S & T workshop are now beginning to appear in position 

in the Winchcombe yard

Curly

Team Bonding

 Tuesday 26th March

A good team out today in the diesel railcar ( avoiding the service trains I have to add!) to complete the jobs on the viaduct to enable the line to Broadway to be re-opened on Friday.

So...... with Neil C with the two John's P & B  Peter B and myself we set off to the viaduct.

 The main objective was to re-install the bonding wires at the  rail joints (made easier now that there are several welded joints of 120ft lengths on this section).

First the drilling of the pairs of holes each side of the fish plates for the bonding wires with the motorised drill

Then a bit of ballast shovelling to create a channel to fit the protective yellow tubing for the connecting cables for the track circuits. 

Then feeding the existing cables from the linesde cabinet in the background into the yellow tubes going under the track.

and then out through radial holes drilled into tubes

and then connected to posts on the rails - Neil spannering them up!

We heard the relay in the cabinet operating as the connections were made -so all is well!

Couldn't resist taking a shot of the track over the viaduct as we left - it is quite a site with the pristine ballast, etc

Have to say we are missing Malcolm W following his retirement from the railway - his many recollections of his experiences with our railway were legion!

Curly

Cheltenham Bracket Signal Completed

 After a lot of work by the team and the intervention of Covid we have at last replaced the bracket signal at Cheltenham.  The new bracket and dolls was erected in February, as per Curly's previous post, and then Malcolm and Neil scaffolded around the whole structure and working from the top down applied all the fittings.  The bracket finally being completed and tested on Thursday 22nd February. The completion of this project was quite a fitting 'last job' for Malcolm, our leader for many years, who retired on 1st March.  We wish Malcolm a long and happy retirement.  Below is a photo of Malcolm posing on the finished bracket.

Cheltenham Signal Renewal

 Tuesday 30th Jan

The bracket signal at Cheltenhan RC has succumbed to the ravages of the weather,  so the time to replace it has now arrived.  We have been preparing a complete replacement for it over many months in Winchcombe yard ( well documented in previous blogs).

The CRC signal has had all its fittings removed a fortnight ago and was lifted off its concrete block last week ( unfortunately no pics). Now been offloaded in Winchcombe yard with only its dolls and upper ladders attached 

There is a huge number of fittings on one of these bracket signals - about 150 individual pieces (including split pins!) - here's a selection

Cleaning these up for possible future use will keep us busy for a while!

Thursday 8th Feb 

The replacement bracket signal was taken from Winchcombe yard and offloaded onto its concrete base at Cheltenham.

Scaffolding now to be erected and all fittings to be attached. 

The flanged base of this post is quite a bit larger than the old one and overhangs the concrete block so some shuttering was required to infil the void underneath.

Neil C levelling off:

Curly