Sleep(er)ing in December

The Santa Season is in full swing and trains are running at both sites until Christmas, so check the web site and take a trip.

Another week of progress and more milestones passed, many thanks to all who turned up.

Glynn S took the pictures and posted the following report:

Thursday 6th December 2018
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Another day with John W and myself sorting out the pile of sleepers and putting them into place alongside the ballast. Meanwhile Andy G used a hired roller to compact the ballast already laid between the 19 mile post and the cattle creep. By the end of a damp and windy day we had a total of 100 sleepers sorted and adjacent to where they are to be laid. Phil B also turned up to assist once he'd finished work
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Friday 7th December 2018
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Andy R, Pete McC and myself (an hour later) were down in the Gasworks Bridge area, alongside Malcolm (man & digger), and with a hired roller.
By the time I got there, Malcolm had set to moving more screened ballast onto the trackbed South of Travis Perkins, and almost immediately a couple of loads of fresh ballast arrived for North of the bridge. Malcolm headed off there to level it under Pete's and Andy's guidance while I set to compressing the screened ballast with the roller.
After a while it was about turn – Malcolm had finished in section #1 so came back to section #4 to lay some more screened ballast and I headed North to compress the ballast between end of running line and the bridge.
Once rolled levels were taken and in places an inch or two more ballast was needed so Malcolm was back to finish that off, again rolled and now we have it ready for laying sleepers – just a little to take out next to the slab once we have finished with the ramp for machine movements.
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By the time I had finished rolling section #1, Malcolm had completed laying screened ballast in section #4, he left and I carried on rolling, a job which Phil B joined in with once he’d finished work.
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The view looking along the rolled and ready ballast bed behind Travis Perkins

 Saturday 8th December 2018
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Last thing on Friday afternoon Pete McC, Andy R and I decided to do a few hours on Saturday morning making a start on laying sleepers. Again a damp and windy morning but this time I was inside the JCB 805B’s cab so well chuffed.
We made a start laying 10 sleepers then pulled the Cattle Creep rails through from the South side to lay them in the 4foot with the correct overhang from the bridge timbers (4½ metres, 15 feet, 7 sleepers).

I wasn't as dry as I'd imagined as once we started laying I had to turn the cab facing SW and the heavy rain, although only for 5 minutes, soaked my legs.
We then continued laying until it was time to leave. In 2 hours we had managed to lay, with the correct spacing, 52 sleepers. Next job is to use a string line to get them correctly lined up ready to accept the rails. 

Andy assesses the job and looks happy with the result.
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Many thanks to Glynn S for the pictures and report.

Until next time.