Transportation of Turnouts and Crossings to Possession Sites?

[Dungrange]

How are/were new turnouts transported to a work site at the start of this century and what wagons are/were most commonly used for this?

 

I'm interested in the post-privatisation period but prior to the introduction of the IFA tilting deck switch and crossing carriers, which I think Network Rail acquired around 2009.  Plain track panels can obviously be conveyed ready assembled on 'Salmon' type wagons, but for a turnout, if this is conveyed flat it would be out of gauge, so it must either be carried at an angle or in it's component parts - ie each timber loaded into a wagon and the switch rails, stock rails, closure rails and common crossing all conveyed separately.

 

I'm looking for pictures, but if I know what type of wagons to look for, that would be a help.

 

[JeremyC]

A much earlier period than you're asking about (LMS period),but in this video the whole unit is preassembled off site, then rebuilt in place.

https://youtu.be/CjraY7L9Jig

Unfortunately there is very little about how the parts were transported to the site, but there are some bolster and flat wagons shown being unloaded at about 11 minutes into the film.

Edited December 28, 2017 by JeremyC

[The Bigbee Line]

As mentioned the assemblies were carefully marked up and assembled as a kit on site.  The narrow end of the turnout could move as a exceptional load up to a certain width that may have saved time in the possession.  There were also sites where the parts could be assembled next to the line and craned into position on the day.  It would all depend on the nature of the job. 

 

There were also PADs (Pre Assembly Depots) scattered about the system so the distances moved were not horrendous.  With big jobs, where the layout was being altered as opposed to just renewals.  New point work would be installed and left 'clipped and padlocked' until the day of the change/  Likewise redundant point work would be clipped out of use and then removed later.  Sometimes elements being 'plain lined'.

 

It wasn't just point work that could be a problem.  I was on a job where a siding at Orpington was being renewed.  The plan being to lift the panels and take them away on Salmon.  The problems started when on the first lift the sleepers were so long that they were out of gauge....  Then other panels fell apart when being lifted and couldn't be safely stacked on the Salmons.....  Happy days

[Colin_McLeod]

A very interesting video of a different aspect of railways.

[jonhall]

Timbers and rails would probably been the domain of sturgeons. They would have been pre-built elsewhere then numbered and returned to kit form for transport.

 

Its only really the arrival of the big 125T Kirow cranes to the UK that made transporting points whole worthwhile - you don't need 125T of lift, but they can traverse with 8T 'free on rail' which makes picking up a point straight off a wagon and moving it to where it will finally sit possible.

 

Jon

[Trog]

Timbers, cast crossings and laths in Bass or Pike wagons, rails on flat or bolster wagons. Switch panel made up with just the 8'-6" and perhaps 9'-0" timbers on a salmon, the longer timbers from the belly end and for the point motor being in a Bass. An old short timber might be used under the rails at the belly end to hold them firm to allow that end of the panel to be strapped. Straps over the panels every 10'-0" with the end straps being looped around the load in a strangle wrap.

Edited December 28, 2017 by Trog

[Davexoc]

The following images don't show the transportation, but a partially completed kit. When Lincoln was revamped in 2007 a crossing was installed between the High Street and East Holmes. You can see it had been assembled off site then broken down and installed over several possessions. In the station area there was room for reassembly alongside the existing track, but here the line runs between buildings and a multi-storey car park.

 

 

 

 

Dave

[Simon Bendall]

Also worth mentioning the three FZA wagons, which are used to carry pre-assembled switch and crossing sections with runner wagons if required, eg http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianews/7593137956

 

First of these was the experimental air-braked Salmon built in 1983 and it was joined by two converted Perch in the early 2000s.

[Dungrange]

Thanks all - I think I can happily conclude that point and crossing work would be transported to sites as a 'kit' in the same way as its been done for the last century.  I've seen a few pictures of OBA 'Bass' wagons loaded with sleepers, but I haven't yet found any with point timbers.  However, I have found a couple of photographs of SPA wagons (courtesy of Martyn Read) which appear to be loaded with point timbers, as there are a range of base plates that look as though they sit under the switch and closure rails.  There also seems to only be three sets along the length of the wagon, as opposed to the four sleepers that seem to fit along the length of an OBA.

 

https://ukrailwaypics.smugmug.com/UKRailRollingstock/S-Tops-codes/SPA-steel-carriers/i-6KJHM5C/A

 

https://ukrailwaypics.smugmug.com/UKRailRollingstock/S-Tops-codes/SPA-steel-carriers/i-P6ZwrKR/A

 

Simon - thanks for posting the photograph of the FZA wagons, which shows a pair of switches sitting on top of what I assume are stock and closure rails.  Interestingly, the switch blade and corresponding stock rail are an item in the same way as they appear to be in the LMS video that Jeremy posted.

 

I've also found a catalogue of Network Rail Standards (https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Catalogue-of-Network-Rail-standards-1.pdf) which refers to a network rail document NR/L3/NDS/308 The Loading Manual for Infrastructure Traffic (page 96 if anyone is interested), which seems to suggest that both YLA 'Mullet' and FZA 'Super Salmon' are used for S&C.  That is, there seems to be specific loading instructions for these wagon types.  Therefore I just need to find some pictures of a Mullet with S&C parts on the back (since at least Cambrian make a kit for these).

[Lyddrail]

I've also found a catalogue of Network Rail Standards (https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Catalogue-of-Network-Rail-standards-1.pdf) which refers to a network rail document NR/L3/NDS/308 The Loading Manual for Infrastructure Traffic (page 96 if anyone is interested), which seems to suggest that both YLA 'Mullet' and FZA 'Super Salmon' are used for S&C.  That is, there seems to be specific loading instructions for these wagon types.  Therefore I just need to find some pictures of a Mullet with S&C parts on the back (since at least Cambrian make a kit for these).

 

Here are a few pics from the 1990s. These might be too early for you but show how Mullets could be loaded.

Cheers.