Prototypical track?

[Ncarter2]

13 minutes ago, Trog said:

 

Unusual, I thought that WCRM were keener on replacing F40 and 5F40 sleepers as it was easier than relaying old 1960's track with mixed sleeper lengths and old dirty ballast.

 

As for the steels on the HNR if you are thinking of the lengths on the Up Fast/New either side of Castle Station that were previously 97 1/2 lb bullhead jointed, you got off lightly.

 

As Jarvis wanted to relay them as steel sleepered jointed track (a really bad idea as you can not pack the joints effectively without a tamper) until I had my boss stamp on them. Even then they did a section in serviceable 60'-0" rails off the Settle and Carlisle (I know this as one rail had a chalk mark on it saying load 4 Mallastang) and claimed it was as good as CWR as they had used tight jointed fishplates that have no rail gap. I was very popular with them when I pointed out that tight jointed plates had the letters TJ embossed on them and that the plates they had used did not, and to get some welders out there pronto.

Rugby was completely remodelled, but we had lengths on the RBS1 and LEC’s. Before we could get sign of to increase to 125, they had to be removed. When I left for the Wessex route, other that the slips in Rugby, Kilsby, Crick and Watford lodge were the only sizeable sections of wood sleepers. The road bridge at Long Buckby had about half a length per road. 
There was a section about a mile long between Watford Lodge and Long Buckby on the Up. It was sat on poor formation and when everyone finally realised that even after Stoneblowing, the top didn’t last, it was renewed in G44’s I believe. 
As for Jarvis, during the upgrade of rugby we constantly found issues, the most serious being when they left a rail out! Some good guys worked for them, but they also had a lot of incompetent and lazy staff who were frankly dangerous. We were not sorry to see the majority of them go. 

[Trog]

The road bridge at Long Buckby station is unusual as the bridge deck is a series of troughs each with a sleeper sitting on an inch or so of chippings in it. Probably one of the few places that on average has a negative ballast depth.

[jim.snowdon]

7 hours ago, Ncarter2 said:

Prior to the WCML modernisation, on my old patch (Rugby) we had miles of timber CWR. The HNR’s had sections that got changed for steels, what a pain of a sleeper! 
Down in Wessex, following renewals, I have added short ended woods as a snagging item for replacement to concrete, much to this dismay. 

Thanks, gentlemen. It's been a good 5 years since I had anything to do with track, and then, it was always new works.

 

 

[rodent279]

7 hours ago, Ncarter2 said:

Prior to the WCML modernisation, on my old patch (Rugby) we had miles of timber CWR. The HNR’s had sections that got changed for steels, what a pain of a sleeper! 
Down in Wessex, following renewals, I have added short ended woods as a snagging item for replacement to concrete, much to their dismay. 

Fascinating stuff. Am I right in rescaling y that back in the late 80's at least, Kilsby Tunnel had lengthy sections of jointed FB rail on wooden sleepers?

As an aside, what are HNR?

[Ncarter2]

8 minutes ago, rodent279 said:

Fascinating stuff. Am I right in rescaling y that back in the late 80's at least, Kilsby Tunnel had lengthy sections of jointed FB rail on wooden sleepers?

As an aside, what are HNR?

You would be correct, it sure did. There was a crossover at the Rugby end of the tunnel, about 2/3 hundred yards in front of the portal.  When I was still on the route, there were lengths of old jointed rails in the the two large ventilation shafts. The tunnel was littered with on materials, fish plates and chairs, both Flatbottom and Bullhead. 
The HNR’s are the Northampton loop lines. Hanslope Junction to Rugby via Northampton. Each line of route has a ELR, engineers line reference, the lines each have a track ID. As the HNR’s were mainly two lines, the Up, from Rugby to Hanslope and the Down, from Hanslope to Rugby, the track ID’s were 1100 for the up and 2100 for the down. Where more lines exist they had their own track ID. On the LEC’s, London Euston to Crewe, it was broken in sections. My patch had LEC1, this covered Euston to Rugby and the LEC2, Rugby to Stafford I believe. Prior to the the 4 tracking of the Trent Valley’s, the LEC2’s were three lines, Down Fast, Up Fast and Up Slow. The track ID’s were 2100, 3100 and 1200. The reason for the Up Fast being 3100 and not 1100 was because it was Bi Directional and used weekly as such. Sorry for the drift. 

[rodent279]

7 hours ago, Ncarter2 said:

You would be correct, it sure did. There was a crossover at the Rugby end of the tunnel, about 2/3 hundred yards in front of the portal.  When I was still on the route, there were lengths of old jointed rails in the the two large ventilation shafts. The tunnel was littered with on materials, fish plates and chairs, both Flatbottom and Bullhead. 
The HNR’s are the Northampton loop lines. Hanslope Junction to Rugby via Northampton. Each line of route has a ELR, engineers line reference, the lines each have a track ID. As the HNR’s were mainly two lines, the Up, from Rugby to Hanslope and the Down, from Hanslope to Rugby, the track ID’s were 1100 for the up and 2100 for the down. Where more lines exist they had their own track ID. On the LEC’s, London Euston to Crewe, it was broken in sections. My patch had LEC1, this covered Euston to Rugby and the LEC2, Rugby to Stafford I believe. Prior to the the 4 tracking of the Trent Valley’s, the LEC2’s were three lines, Down Fast, Up Fast and Up Slow. The track ID’s were 2100, 3100 and 1200. The reason for the Up Fast being 3100 and not 1100 was because it was Bi Directional and used weekly as such. Sorry for the drift. 

Thanks. I'd guessed that HNR might be an ELR, but couldn't relate it to the new line. Hanslope-Northampton-Rugby makes sense!

[Trog]

One cold winter when there were problems with ice building up in one of the big shafts at Kilsby. We had men stationed at the bottom of the shaft tending a coal fire 24/7, or at least for long enough for it to become evident that they were wasting their time. The left over coal stayed there for decades afterwards.

 

Can you imagine what elf and saferty would have to say these days about having men tend a fire admittedly at a slightly wide spot in a tunnel being used at 100 MPH. Mind you there was a board at the south end of the tunnel that told you to spread out as the tunnel refuges were only large enough for two men. However with the proper incentive four and their tools would fit quite easily. 

[JN]

This story gives me a smile!

[ess1uk]

What a good use of plastic waste