KSE Signalling Project

With our multisize handmade bricks (Photo 1) leading us a merry dance, we persevered in the sweltering heat of a Stainmore summer, laying the inner and outer courses of the three-course-thick walls (Photo 2). The next task will be to fill in the middle course and then install the damp course. We have not yet been able to do any more work on the lead-out bench as we await the rails on which it will sit. These are due imminently and will then be cut to the required length and fitted. I am sure that once I get my head around laying a straight course of bricks with three different lengths, two widths and a variety of thicknesses, we will proceed apace. Thank you all for your contributions, and watch this space.

Yesterday saw the final stages of the reinforced footings unveiled as the team worked tirelessly in the rain to remove the shuttering. For those of you who doubted the veracity of the shuttering, I can tell you that it did not move one millimetre, and not one additional prop or wedge was required during the entire pour, so well done to the installation team! The footprint of the new building is now plain to see, with everything cleared and ready for the corners to be marked out and the blockwork foundations to be installed, which, all being well, should begin this coming weekend. With 20,000 bricks to buy and lay, please be patient; we will progress as quickly as money and time allow. And a big thank you for all your donations; our enthusiasm is as boundless as your generosity.

Shh!! Don't tell Patty and Hutch we've been moonlighting as P-Way, and 'liberating' ballast for our nefarious purposes! Our lightfingeredness has two purposes: making sure we can leave the areas around the rodding stools and benches dressed and tidy; as well as clearing out the bays where point rodding and signal wires need to run. Whilst Will was busy assembling the point rodding, I set to, digging out a couple of bays near the end of the shed, where wires for numbers 10 and 16 signals run. Theft is never easy, and digging granite ballast takes more effort than seems reasonable. However, two bays' worth of ballast nicely sat on one trolley, and filled in around the compensator bench (as detailed in the previous post...). However, as can be seen from the photos herein, there is more digging required to get right the way across to the main wire run. Having the bays cleared out means the wires experience less friction, which in turn makes the levers easier to pull! An...

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.

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..

Following on from the previous two posts concerning Central Division signals, we now have Part 3.. This concerns a trip Matt and I made, up to Fighting Cocks Station, near Darlington, to meet up with Norman Hugill. The original (Central Division!) signal from the station has been returned there, to (hopefully) be re-erected as a reminder of the line. However, for the time being, it lies in its component parts, and includes various parts we have not seen anywhere else! Particularly of note is the landing and the balance lever arrangement. Both of which we need to duplicate in order to complete our signals at KSE! We duly headed up, armed with tape measures, pens and a clipboard. The arm. First of all, we discovered the original wooden arm was only 4' in length (which would give 3'6" beyond the post), although it does look shorter than most from the photos in situ. Secondly, the edges were all rounded off, which answered a question I'd had rumbling around in the back of ...

Following on from the previous blog post, dealing with the problems we found with the CD signals and the research, we set to, and trimmed a main arm down by 6", with the ability to take off another 6" if need be, later*. Having chopped it down, a test was in order, which necessitated the removal of the arm we'd fitted to the Fixed Stop signal at the top of the site. This should have been very simple, but we found the paint had stuck the washer plate onto the arm. We just left it attached, deciding that we could attack it on the ground, later if need be! Shortened arm in place, and looking better-proportioned than the 'technically correct' version! The shortened arm (measuring at 4' projecting beyond the post) was slotted in and secured with a single bolt. And it returned to the horizontal position perfectly, on its own! Success!! Sadly we couldn't just leave it like this, and took it back indoors so that it could be fully painted. The opportunity was taken...

Looking back over recent work and previous blog posts, there is more to report on the North Eastern Railway, Central Division signals. A lot of research and a lot of physical work has been taking place in order to get the arms themselves sorted. As you may remember, or have noted from previous entries, the Central Division was unusual on the NER in NOT having slotted posts, with the arms inside. Very few bits of CD signals remain, and we were lucky enough to have a complete set of castings for the masthead.  When it came to the length of the arms, however, things got a little trickier, since initially we did not have any drawings or specifications. Fortunately, at Kew, there are various documents and drawings. We were given a photograph of one of these drawings, which contained what we thought was a definitive answer: the arms are shown as being 4'6" long, beyond the end of the arm weight casting. Having tried to source these in Cedar without any success (they are rather large...

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 p...

Well, it would seem there's plenty of scope for confusion! Hopefully this post will deal with some of the oddities, rule out the absurd, and maybe even share a bit of the history; all coupled to recent progress. Kirkby Stephen East. Well, that's obvious, isn't it? The most easterly-located station in Kirkby Stephen. Meaning the other station (on the Settle - Carlisle) was called Kirkby Stephen West.  But for many years, such a distinction was unnecessary: it was either the North Eastern station or the Midland station, according to the operators of the lines in question. Even after the Grouping, the two stations were run by different companies, so the distinction between the stations fell in line with this: either LNER or LMS!  The issue only really arose after Nationalisation, when both stations serving Kirkby Stephen came under the control of BR, albeit different regions initially. In order to try and make it easier for their customers, the use of East and West came about,...