Dig, Eat, Sleep, Repeat...

No rest for the Moles.

We've been putting off digging for the next benches that require installation, owing to the need to get the box progressed with the frame, in readiness for the big gala...

Whilst the weather is good, we could no longer put off the digging, and set to with the largest excavation. Just outside the box, we squeeze a bench for most of the signal wires to run on flat wheels, carrying them underneath the 4 lines. In the same place, we have to get wire stakes in place for the other signal wires, ducts to feed on to the Junction box as well as leaving enough space for the drainage run.

We moved the bench so that it was adjacent to the hole, using a small trolley.
Timmy's help with the digging wasn't necessarily constuctive...

If that weren't enough, the ground we had to dig, to the levels required, had a few 'challenges' to overcome. Such as big rocks, cement leftovers from the building works and a mound of rubble!


Motivational encouragement was provided, at full volume, by Timmy, as Matt and I set to. The excavated material has been barrowed to suitable locations along the wire run to build up the banking around the stakes. This will require a little bit of dressing off and neatening up, but the end result will be very tidy.

By the end of the day, we had dropped the ducts into the trench, levelled the wire stakes for the run, and then planted the bench itself.


The next visit will see the bench levelled up, packed tightly and ready to receive the flat wheels we've been preparing. We will also fill in the next section of the trench, before turning our tools towards...

...yep, you've guessed it: more digging!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Big One

Image
We’ve just had a very busy 4 days, in conjunction with track modifications and with great support from Lampitt Rail Services. In that time, we have successfully planted 5 signal posts, dismantled a crossover and moved the components to their new locations, ready for reinstatement. Lots more has gone on at the same time, in the background, that will appear in future posts. This entry looks at the signal post planting… Teamwork with the spoons: making adjustments to the hole for No.4 signal Still more to dig out ... Battling the ground foe the fixed stop signal Trying to get the last bits out of the bottom Swallowed by the ground, or the mole returning home? (Don't worry - this was posed!) Well, you can’t plant a post without preparing the ground for it first. So the Moles of Kirkby Stephen were at it again! The locations for the posts and the depths of the holes depended upon a fair few factors, such as visibility of the signals, distances from the track and pointwork they are prote...
Read more

Fitting The NER Lever Frame

Image
Hello all! Today we're going to show how the unique North Eastern Railway Central Division level frame recovered from Pesspool Junction will be fitted into the S&DR signal box.  The 1861 box at the end of it's life. Note the additional window to the locking room, seen on the left hand wall in this picture. This is the operating floor plan showing aperture for frame and *indicative* joist locations to accommodate this. Dimensions: Apologies: all dimensions used here are imperial as the equipment and building itself looks to have been designed and built using these. They also work out very nicely! Front to back, the surviving box structure measures 10’ inside the walls. This has been used in this plan, and is assumed to be correct. The aperture for the frame to sit is drawn here as being 6” from the front wall. This is our datum, from which the other measurements are derived. This can be adjusted plus or minus 2”, but will then shuffle the rest of the aperture across. If it...
Read more

Frame installation: Day 1

Image
A slightly different set of blogs this time, so as to show 3 days' work to install the ex-Pesspool Junction frame. As detailed in previous posts, this is a North Eastern Railway, Central Division / I'Ansons frame which seems to (now) be unique, aside from several quadrants thought to still reside in the remains of Broomielaw box. Over the last year, we have been stripping down the various components for the frame, cleaning them thoroughly, and painting them as appropriate. Saturday morning saw all the separate pieces brought out from storage, and loaded onto the Pipe Wagon, for transport up to the box. Initially we placed the items in the best order for unloading, but when space became an issue, sadly we stacked the quadrants on top of some of the earlier pieces. Preparing the immaculate pipe wagon for the castings: the protection works to prevent damage to both the castings and the wagon The pipe wagon, complete with its load With the wagon loaded up with frame components, the...
Read more