Tuesday 26 September 2017

Ballast between the platforms

Yes, but it's a long job. A serious start on this was made today, even as the scaffolding still stands on the trackbed. But the trackbed side of it will be removed shortly, giving the PWay full access at last.

As the two turnouts at Broadway north near completion, we are starting to prepare for the next stage, laying track between the platforms. The area between the ends of the turnouts and the start of the platforms has already been prepared with new ballast, and a few panels could be laid already. Now starts the serious work of scraping off all the contaminated ballast between the 200m of platforms, and replacing it with fresh.

This is a reasonably good bit of trackbed between the platforms, but still shows the gist of the problem. Grass is growing, clay has been run into two tracks, and in the midle is the remains of a pile of builder's sand.



Work started first thing this morning, and by lunch time a couple of dozen yards had been cleared, being the stretches between three catch pits.

The spoilt ballast was stored in the area of the original signal box by the bridge, and will be used a little further on to fill a void that exists there. So it will still be useful.




One load was taken down to Peasebrook to fill a hole next to the trackbed - job done.

By the Childswickham Road bridge one of the WARFLATs has been loaded with surplus pallets of recovered imperials from Broadway. At first they were going to be taken to Winchcombe by road, then we thought, hang on, we have a railway line now! On the return journey the flats will be loaded with the SH bullhead rail from Stanton. No empty stock movements here!



Just before Peasebrook you can see the track laid in April this year, now covered in a first drop of ballast. Before doing so, it was 'tweaked' into place, and now looks pretty good already, don't you think? The tamper, coming next, will make it perfect.
Can you see a 9F hacking down here at 60mph with an iron ore train? That's what they used to do.

Back in the car park, the dumper was being loaded with fresh ballast by Stevie, on top of the pile.

The ballast was taken here, into the first few yards of trackbed between the platforms. It still needs spreading out, probably a job for Thursday, when a similar drop will be made.

Our friends from the S&T department were not idle either, and we see them here preparing the shuttering for a concrete base opposite the signal box tunnel. On it will be located the wheels for the signal wires going off left and right under the platform wall.

At the end of the day the ballasting had reached this point, just beyond the first catch pit, opposite the running in board.


13 comments:

  1. Now that IS what I call knocking on the station team's door! Wonderful to see fresh ballast going down in the platform area. Well done to all. Regards, Paul.

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  2. Will the drainage in the 6ft be cleared out after the relay or has it been done already?

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    1. The drainage in the centre was cleared out a long time ago, and it's running well now.
      We still need to raise the rings, as the ballast is tipped around them.

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  3. P/way REALLY breathing down the necks of the Broadway gang now! Fabulous.
    Is it my eyes, or will the tracks have to take a very sharp kink to the west in order to align with the platforms? The original alignment was on a slight curve, wasn't it?
    Mark

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    Replies
    1. I think you've answered your own question. Toddington Ted.

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    2. The curve starts in the two closure rails in the western turnout.
      There is in deed a long curve right through the station, starting at Pry Lane bridge.

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  4. Will the scrapings from between the platforms be enough to fill the gap in Platform 1?

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    1. Easily, but they're not yet ready for us.

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  5. It's good to see ballast being put down,between the platforms!. Track through the station,by Christmas?. Anthony.

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  6. Oh wow! we can already see Foremark Hall running into the station in our minds eye! Just a thought, when the station is finished and the last track laid, will you be taking on the HS2 build? (LOL!) we think you could do it cheaper and quicker than them! great work by you all.
    Regards
    Paul & Marion

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    Replies
    1. It's 7903 FOREMARKE HALL. Toddington Ted.

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