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.