S&T August Works Update

S&T August Works Update

By Robert Law

Once again it’s time for show and tell. With the school holidays now just passed. Progress has been slower, but still productive. With works centred around Boat of Garten. The lift bar is now completed and ready for use, once other components of the project have caught up. The yard points have had a make over. Now they comply fully with our specifications for switch openings, free wheel clearance and residual openings. Lots of time and effort has gone into this. Which looking at it, is hard to tell. Thanks must be given to all who have helped. But if you have time to spare, please get in contact. Come along, have a chat. A cup of tea and if you are able to, get involved.

LMS 5025 passing the top of our worksite, with the afternoon run back to Aviemore.

The yard points all striped down. Old stretcher bars removed. Lock bar placed, connected on one side. With the first of the new stretcher bars placed in the four foot ready to be lifted into place. Followed by being, measured, marked and removed to be drilled for fittings.

With the stretcher bar placed in the p-ways Rotabroach. With the first hole drilled and the second one ready to be drilled. A very simple job when you have good tools that are well maintained.

With work continuing on the lift bar. All the parts that make up the bar, have been fishplated together. Holes drilled and attached to the clips, mounted on the rails. At this point, it was time for a test! Which was very successful as you can see. Once oiled, greased and moved a few more time after this recording. It became very light and easy to operate.

As of the 21st of August, this is how the yard points are looking now. The points drive has been reconnected. Lock bar installed, with locks cut for both normal and revers directions. New stretcher bars fitted. All detection rods connected. Lift bar completed. Just the chanel rod to the bolt to be put in at commissioning.

Looking the opposite way from the points. With a full view of the newly finished 50ft lift bar.

That’s everything for now. Hopefully, next time I am writing this. I will be telling you about the signal wires being run. Connected up. And hopefully, some of the new signals being brought into use and old ones removed.

S&T Round Up

 A late S&T update.

By Rob Law

Lots of thing have been happening around the railway, but it’s about time I filled you in on some of ours.

At Aviemore station a small project was started to help with operational issues. I say issues but more enhancements to help ensure that good communications are available at all times. Our Omnibus phone system has been extended to add fixed phone points at both our ground frames. The handheld radios and written procedures for their use, works well. But what about when they don’t? This is why we have added these phones in to the system. It adds an extra layer to the safety for the timely running of the railway.

This phone, in its LNE style box is located at the North Ground frame at Aviemore. New cable had to be run out to joins onto the system at the platform phone. (By the office).

At the South ground frame, we have a typical Highland Railway phone box. Again connected into the system at the platform phone. New cable had to be run using existing ducting and cable routes.

At Boat of Garten South, work is still continuing with making the Up platform fully bi-directional for passenger trains. Work is progressing on the new signals. With more noticeably the ladder, back lamp and signal arm being added. At the signal base, lots of time has been spent working out the best way, and installing the chains. Connecting the signals to the points detectors. It doesn’t look much, but I suppose that means it was worth the extra work. But the main thing is that it works and preforms reliably for years to come.

A view of the new main signal with its shunt signals bagged until they are brought into service.

All chained up! There are probably lots of different ways the routing could have been done, but this is the way we have settled for.

Also at Boat of Garten work is progressing with the lift bar in front of the “North Yard points”. All the holes in the rail have now been drilled. With all the clips installed and lift bar added, the three sections of the bar are now placed and requiring to be fishplates together. Once this is done we will see about connecting it onto the rodding run and the lock bolt. Ready for when the locking changes under the box have been made.

Looking away from the points, with most components placed.

Looking towards the points, with 5025 waiting for the late running Royal Scotsman to arrive from Aviemore.

So once again steady progress is been made. With all this work been completed by our volunteers and supported by our paid staff. If you would like to help and learn new skills! There is lots of volunteering opportunities around the railway. Please make contact through the railways website and we look forward to seeing you in the future.

From ruin to signal

 From ruin to signal

By Robert Law

Over the last few years we have had a goal of making the Up platform bi-directional. We have a good few standard LMS round posts that could have been used. But we decided it would be great to have a more period fitting signal that echoes back to the highland railway days. There are still several signals on the railway which are of this age. Our south distant and home at Boat of Garten. Plus the distant signal at Aviemore.  With the approval of the department heads a refurbished lattice signal post has been installed and below you will find how this has been done.

We are very lucky on the railway to have so many assets available to us, in the yard we have several lattice posts from various modernization projects from the larger railway network. Luckily for us.  Not to sure of its origins but we have a suitable 15ft lattice post. This picture is from over a year  ago.

The signal post then found its way down to Aviemore, were it was sandblasted down to bare metal. Given a coat of rust protective paint, followed by a coverage of undercoat.

Once finished it was transported back to Boat of Garten in on of the P-way ballast trains.

Back at Boat of Garten, it was time to get the foundations in for the signal. We are very lucky to have the foundation casting that goes with the signal available. With a bit of mechanical help the hole was dug, leveled and the casting set. With attention being paid, ensuring that it was vertical, as no adjustments can be made once the signal is placed on top.

The next step was to drop the post on top, with the help of the p-way and the coalmar. Light work was made of dropping the post onto its foundations. Once on it is sercured with two hoops both of different sizes. With the base being tapered, as the hoops are hammered down they become tight onto the casting. 

And that’s it! The signal post is up and the table around it is in place ready to tack the new shunt signals. Still lots of work to do yet, which will take some time but it’s starting to look the part.

S&T Spring Report

S&T Spring Report

By Rob Law

Hello and welcome, to the Strathspey Railways S&T round up.

Sorry for the lengthy time since the last blog entry but we have been busy. There just hasn’t been a place in the work until now that tells the story. Around Aviemore the pre season maintenance and point testing has now been completed. With everything in good order. Also, Dalfaber ABCL has seen its first annual level crossing exam. With permission of Network Rail, Strathspey Railway has adopted there test LX71. During this testing, faults are applied to the crossing to ensure that the crossing responds in the correct way. And that the crossing will only give the driver a proceed indication when the road closure sequence has completed correctly.

Dalfaber ABCL under test.

At Boat of Garten, work is continuing on making the up platform bi-directional. The intermediate table on the wire run is in, with flat wheels installed. Wire run support posts are installed with pullie wheels fitted. ( but most likely will need to be adjusted as work goes on). And the signal bases are in but nothing is tied down yet. So things may change.

The new “main” signal will be a lattice post and this is the base of the lattice post. Sitting 1550mm in height/ depth. There is a good bit of digging to do to get it in the ground.

The signal was taken down to Aviemore shed were the staff and volunteers have sandblasted the structure to bare metal and have given it a coat of red oxide and its first coat of paint before sending it back to Boat. It will receiving a bit more attention before it is put onto its base.

Planning stage. As it is a short structure and is effectively on the wrong side of the track. Attention needs to be given to how the structure will affect the loading gauge. Any structure below 4640mm, must maintain a distance of 1364mm from the rail. In this case the signal arm is below this height so the post must be place out from the line to suite.

The lattice post base half dug in to the ground the new signals have been placed 1400mm forwards of the existing to allow for the new to be installed while the old are still in operation.

A bad picture, but gives you an idea of what work goes into base; Signal post base, stool with ladder base. Two cross members with three timbers on top to take the shunt signals and vertical wheel for the change in direction of the wire.

As the signals are moving over to allow for gauging. The detector base will have to move over to meet it. At first this was a bit irritating. Then we realized that with this, we will be able to keep the old signals in use up to the change over. So overall it’s not a bad thing.

Half way along between the signal box and the yard points detector there is a requirement for the wire run to change direction to line the start up to the destination. 

Completed with its flat wheels installed. This moves the wire run over by 1220mm to line up with the detectors and stops the wire run from running up the middle of the yard, creating a tripping hazard for our staff and volunteers. This also has the use of changing the order of the wires as they are received to what they leave allowing them to be positioned to the correct detector in the correct order without the wires crossing.

The wire run starting to be install with the use of fence posts still to be cut down to size.

A view from the signal box window with the wire run in place.

Still not finalized, but this is the general idea of how it will all look. Some adjustments still to be made, but the shunt signals will have to be removed to allow for the installation of the lattice post. Only once it is in, will any part be bolted/ tied down.

Other small jobs going on. Parts have been looked out and prepared for when we replace the two telegraph poles down the line. A date is still to be confirmed for this work to be done. But it is hoped to be done over the summer months.

The lock stretcher and stretcher bars are to be replaced on the yard point and a replacement lock stretcher is to be fitted to the crossover. Due to points gauging been required. Two lock stretchers have been refurbished by the team in Aviemore shed and are now whiting to be installed.

So once again that is you up to date with the ongoings of the S&T department. As always if you would like to get involved, in any department of the railway pease make contact via the railways website.