Benches II - Sitting Around Idly?

Following on from the previous instalment on benches, we had a discrepancy in height to tackle on the first bench along from the Junction ground frame. This was due to the bench top being a thicker sleeper than we had anticipated. Fortunately, we were only 1" out, so it was a quick case of marking up where the concrete legs touched the timber (allowing a bit of leeway), then flipping the timber over to cut out enough to allow the whole lot to sit lower. The alternative would have been to dig out the legs completely, then dig out even more underneath, before levelling them up again. We didn't fancy that in the slightest!!


A battery circular saw was used to make multiple cuts across the timber, before the hammer and chisel were deployed to chisel out the excess timber.


Once both sides were suitably rebated, the timber was flipped back over, levels checked and attempts made to push the threaded bar back through the holes. This was a bit fiddly, but accomplished the moment additional hands appeared to shuffle the timber slightly to ensure the previously-drilled holes lined up once again!

Everything was fully tightened up, checked once more and then it was time for some "inverse mole activity" - filling in the holes using the material we had previously dug out. This material was carefully packed in around the legs to ensure they don't move! Finally, the ballast we had scraped back for safekeeping was spread over the top to make it all look tidy.

Next time, we ought to be able to connect up the turnout to the first crank on this bench.

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