Monday 27th January 2025

Other commitments have meant diary-problems for a couple of weeks, but we needed a 'fix' so yes, a Monday session. 

While reviewing the previous weeks work, Geoff noted that the new point on the main board would require full point control including rodding (argh!), but the point on the extension could be manual (phew!).

Geoff was also adamant that an alignment pin was required to guarantee track alignment for the extension trackwork. However, as there wasn't a spare fitting available, the first job was to make a new one. A hole was drilled through to the adjacent board and the alignment pin components fitted.

End station board: The ground levels and road profile were given some thought. Rather than the new trackwork being a very long siding right through to the road, could it have originally been a redundant extension to another quarry? A track curve guide was laid in place, giving an idea of what it might have been, and it worked well. The final curve position is TBC.

As the remaining plywood strips had developed curves, they were orientated so as to counter-balance each other before being glued and screwed together. A lot of clamps were needed!

We'll see how it turns out next week.

Wednesday 15th January 2025

Worklist:

Fettle the two new front frames.

Trim the upstand of the second board.

Discuss the point position.

The additional frames had set well and now needed some fine tuning to sit solidly-square against the main boards. Thin packing strips were taped to the appropriate faces and the units run through the electric plane/thicknesser to finely adjust the meeting face angles. Belt sanders, sandpaper and elbow grease got the interfaces as close as possible.

The fence was removed from the bridge board to enable marking of the ground level profile on the extension upstand. However, being over 50 years old in parts and a mish-mash of construction, it broke into multiple pieces. We had considered keeping the front extension optional, but the fence was a major issue and its removal confirmed that the front extensions would now be permanent, with a new fence.

Fence removed and upstand cut to shape. 

The point position was next to be discussed. To maintain a reasonable siding running down to the bridge, the point needed to go into the cross-over. This also provided a reasonable length of mainline track before the bridge which would prevent long trains suddenly appearing in Edwards yard while shunting into the new siding. However, although Geoff was happy with the buildability, it just looked like an over-complicated area of trackwork un befitting the railway.

Positioning the point just before the cross-over meant a longer siding up to the coaling stage/road, but made the trackwork far more visually comfortable. This point position was agreed.

Note the point tie bar adjacent the existing signal.

A brief discussion on options for the bridge end took place. Piers on the current end of the parapet walls were an option, but how to finish the new siding? 

Wednesday 8th January 2025

Happy New Year to all of our readers!

The first job of 2025 was to mark the ground level on the front extension board and cut down the inner plywood upstand to a few millimetres lower than ground level to allow for the ground materials.

Three 8mm holes were drilled along the edge for the usual M8 bolts that will hold the extension to the main board. This was then set aside and the components for the next board extension assembled. 

Next frame:

Holes were drilled and countersunk in the inner strip for the block fixing screws. The blocks were glued and screwed in place and the part frame was clamped in place.

The 8mm bolt holes were drilled before assembling the framework, which made things a lot easier!

The outer frame side was prepared, glued and screwed to the inner panel blocks. The assembly was put back on the storage rack to dry.

We had discussed the option of tapering the board end and also whether to finish before the bridge structure, but finally decided on the maximum size possible. Adjustments can always be made at a later date.

The first framework was retrieved from the racking and the base strip dropped into place. This was cut to length, screw holes drilled and the strip fixed in place. Along this section, the track is level, so no additional packing was required. A standard cork track bed will be built up. The inner upstand will be cut down in due course.