KSE Signalling Project

The previous post featured an LNER-pattern ground signal: this is an LMS-pattern variant. As mentioned quite a while ago, this is very in-keeping for Kirkby Stephen, as they were used here from the 1950s. The LNER-pattern are upper quadrant, as opposed to the lower quadrant LMS...  This signal (above) will control movements into the Bay platform or the Tebay platform, from the point ends, to allow greater flexibility with shunting. Standard convention dictates the uppermost disc refers to the left-hand-most route, therefore the top is for the Bay, and the bottom for the Tebay platform. This was another bench building, mole-digging type of affair. They're quite common throughout this part of the project!! Between Dave, Alex, Steve and I, the ground signal was planted and bolted down at one corner, just in time for the Open Weekend, complete with temporary discs attached. We will be getting a batch of new discs made a little later. This just left the rest of the bolting down to be co

Over the past week, we’ve made some incredible progress with the roof slating. The north face is now watertight, and we’re about halfway up the south face. As I mentioned in the last post, we’re pushing through regardless of the weather, and it’s paying off. A few nice days have also helped, and the progress is very pleasing. We’re using reclaimed Welsh slate, which varies in thickness and size, making it a bit challenging to achieve the professional finish we’re aiming for. However, with patience (and a few hiccups along the way), we’re very happy with the results so far. When we reach the top of the roof, I'll be sure to let you know.

 ...which also require benches, which need the Moles of Kirkby Stephen in order to plant them! The ground signal, or dolly, reading out of the bay platform was the first to be tackled, although not the first to be completed. We had been given an LNER ground signal that was seized up: we built a bench upon which to mount this, as well as carry some flat wheels to take wires for other signals underneath the adjacent track. The application of heat and brute force enabled the signal to be dismantled, cleaned up properly and painted. Jim, Sue and Mike P keep working the spindle in the casting, having already freed up the rest of the linkages Jim continued cleaning up the signal prior to painting Since the bench had been built up in advance, we knew the hole sizes required for planting. Or so we thought! Unfortunately, we discovered the water column feed pipe lay right where we'd planned to put one leg, so had to adjust and dig out even more "allsorts", contending all the while

Having previously discovered the remains of an original bench, right where we needed to place a new bench, we continued to dig, curse and plant! First leg set I place, second being levelled up to suit Both legs in situ, with the bench top placed, ready for marking (as to where the holes need to go), drilling and bolting together. This bench carries two compensators. Benches have also been made for the wire wheels and ground signals, but these have wooden legs. 

We have at last managed to get 4 coats of paint onto the fascia boarding of the signalbox and the attendant woodwork, leaving us free to commence slating the roof at last. We were keen to create a period look and therefore opted to use reclaimed welsh slates some of which I would guess have already seen many years of service, but were still good for many more. In the past as you will recall that rain has, on many occasions, brought work to a frustrating standstill and created havoc with work we thought was complete. That being said, slating is one job you can carry on with rain or not and so we did on Tuesday, ignoring the showers, getting wet, and revelling at being able to stick two fingers up at the weather. It is not going to improve much at this time of year so I suppose we will get several more soakings before the roof is watertight but I will tell you about them in due course.   

We were inactive on the signal box all last week due to the appalling weather, but Saturday saw us able to complete the fixing of the expensive sapele fascia boarding that had been dangling all week from a few hastily installed nails. A trial fit of the boarding was deemed necessary because the building is not absolutely square – with the rear wall being thicker at one end than the other and thus all of the rafters on the rear of the building gradually increase in length as they progress from one end of the building to the other. All of these variations need to be accommodated and manipulated in order to produce a neat finish which I think we have done. There are some inaccessible areas of timber that will need painting before we begin fitting the slates. We hope to get this done by the end of the week and commence slating immediately afterwards. I will keep you updated stage by stage.