KSE Signalling Project

On Wednesday 7th, Paul Thompson and his team, together with a large group of SRC  volunteers, gathered at the site of the Junction signal box to make an assault on the 25 tons of  concrete needed to bring the foundations up to full strength. With the flat wagon, completely covered with all the necessary materials, marshalled  nearby, the various tasks were allotted to those most able to perform them. A trio of cement  mixers, each manned by its own team, began producing concrete which was tipped straight  into waiting wheelbarrows and transported to a predetermined site in the footings. It was then  manhandled, interleaved with steel mesh and tamped into its required position. A relentless 6 hours followed, by which time, we had completely emptied the wagon of  materials. Approx. three quarters of the job had been finished and everyone was exhausted!  Fresh supplies will be loaded and we should see the job completed next week when  building p...

After the initial rush to progress the frame installation ready for the S&D 200 celebrations at Kirkby Stephen East (an excellent event held over the August Bank Holiday in 2025), it was now time to paint and ‘fettle’ the levers in readiness for their operational role. I n most cases, it was just a case of building up layers of paint, in various colours to suit their intended function… Demonstration Section However, after painting, lever No. 9 (facing point lock for No. 8 points, at the station end of the headshunt crossover) had developed a problem with its catch-block deciding to stick in the raised position! Catch-blocks are heavy and designed to drop into a notch when the lever is in either the normal or reverse position and prevent the lever from accidently moving. If the block doesn’t drop by gravity, then there is a risk of the lever being left in mid stroke. Since painting, lever No. 9 had developed a sticking point whereby its catch-block wouldn’t drop back down. ...

 With the wet weather having receded (a little!), we could no longer avoid, the next round of work to finish off some more benches. BENCH NO.1 The first bench to tackle was the one that sits between the Tebay and Eden Valley lines, near the footbridge. This takes 2 rods from the box (levers 8 and 9 to access the shed headshunt from the Tebay line), as well as 2 from the ground frame (to access the Turntable road from the Eden Valley line), through 90° to the main rodding run. We had previously dug the legs into place for this, so 'just' needed to dig out a bit and fit the top...   And that's where things got more complicated! We needed to drop the top of the bench down by 1" to get everything to line up at the correct height (the hardwood sleepers we use for bench tops vary in thickness...). This was fixed very quickly, using a circular saw and chisel to take out an inch from underneath the sleepers, where they sit on the concrete legs. The digging out involved moving ...

Today saw us complete the installation of five heavy steel bars into the base of what will become the low internal wall of the signal box maintenance pit. This wall will support the ends of pairs of redundant rails, which in turn hold the large timbers that make up the lead-out bench. A suitably drilled steel ‘strongback’ will be fitted over the threaded bars and bolted tightly onto the rail ends, securing them firmly in place. This will allow our signalling team to attach the fascinatingly complex array of signalling paraphernalia when the time comes. In the meantime, we will begin assembling all our own paraphernalia on site in readiness for the pour of 25 tons of concrete into the assembled formwork - along with all the backbreaking effort that will accompany it. Watch this space.

 Work on our latest project recommenced today as we began cutting and laying the steel mats that will further reinforce the concrete cap. Two layers of the mat are required – one at the base of the trench and another just under the surface of the cap. Liquid concrete will flood all around and under these binding the whole of the base together into one big solid mass. We have some finishing touches to apply yet before we concrete and I will report on these with some explanatory photos in the next post. If any of you are planning to visit our imminent Easter event for a train ride, you will have an excellent view of the emergent ‘box as the train rolls by.

Today saw us make further progress on the shuttering for the signal box foundations—pinning, bracing, and stiffening the timbers that will resist the tremendous force exerted by 25 tons of wet concrete. We are almost ready, but not quite, as we still need to lay the steel reinforcing mesh that will further bind and strengthen the concrete. Only then can we begin laying the first courses of blockwork, marking the gradual, phoenix-like rise of this building from the rubble of yesteryear and the dead hand of British Railways. And the story of its return is only just beginning..