Fishplate

Hopefully there is something more substantial holding the track to gauge on the other side of these rails😬

It's a real picture. The evidence shows there is often a break in the space time continuum when trains take the junction towards LM. . . . .😇

Thank you Jules @JZ. I've bookmarked your great illustrated description for future reference.

Sounds like Thunderbird 3 launch site.

Final coat on the Carriage cleaning platform puts it into 'fresh' concrete. I've used acrylic paints mixed to what I hope looks like an appropriate representation. It is darker than the pictures indicate. Needs dirtying up a bit to reflect foot activity off of ash ballast. I will set this into ballast on board 3 (buffer stop end) and leave the section on board 2 loose until the railway is in its final position. I don't want to put any stress into this if the boards flex as they move and the level is finally set. I can reach the area on board 2 quite easily. I've realised Track cleaning is going to be a bit of a challenge on the far road. Looking back to when I first posted about this, construction has taken over a month to complete amongst other things that take up time in life. It is still Jan 1st 2024 in the railway room. My (self imposed) deadline of having the railway reassembled was rather optimistic. Concentration now turns to the backscene.

As opposed to: https://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/news/north-yorkshire/news/news/2024/03-march/the-moment-we-found-an-11-year-old-boy-towing-a-caravan-along-the-m1/

Hang on a mo. It takes about a week to get one train from Endcombe to LM. Now we see multiple moves in less than 24hrs. On a Sunday!!! Not just before the pubs open, but the LM vicar can barely have put a foot in a sock. Have we entered a parallel universe???

I suspect that was an understatement! What a superb result you've achieved

A bit like knowing that the BR symbol had the top arrow pointing to the front / bow/ pointy end of Sealink ships, which meant it was right insofar as the corporate image book was concerned, but visually 'wrong'. Another useless pub quiz factoid 😂

Means 'limited clearance, no position of safety beyond this point' in my (railway) world. . .

Bothams are Mrs FP and my favourite. Currently forced to go in there and sit on the sofas on a Friday morning due to a series of appointments in town. It's tough, but someone's got to do it. . . .

Agreed. Please could you do some adjacent 'before & after' pics @KNP?

Presumably from zummerzet?

That last edition of the East Cleveland paper, in pristine condition, will be a collectors item before you know it. You did what with it . . . . . . ????

That chap on the roof shovelling snow looks awfully close to the OLE/ live parts of the pantograph ???? The contact wire seems to be hidden behind him, but the catenary passes the photographers side of his head and off to the top of the mast just out of shot on the left. Hopefully there was an isolation, or it is an optical illusion . . . .

The cleaning platform is now stuck together for its full length. Most of it has had two coats of primer. The final two sections that were not painted and joined now need to be done. Final coat to be added throughout. Moving 1200mm of this about with its three joints is quite a delicate operation. Particularly if you don't clear the landing site for it first. . . .

Nice to see 2776 getting some TLC on LM. As I mentioned in our PMs before you adopted her, she was clearly unloved by the owner I got her from.

Ooo. What's the plan @KNP ? Everyone has been distracted by the LM Express Autocoach.

Makes it sound a bit like Triggers broom. Thinking about it, it will be like anything else that is maintained, it will have parts and major components replaced. Which is what I find amusing about newspaper headlines of working locomotives 'being 100 years old'.

Seems to me (from what you have written) that you are already 90% of the way to making a decision? I agree with @JustinDean. There will be a little bit of work on the alignment of the RH siding to accommodate the point in its new position there, but you'll release enough plain line to infill on the LH siding. As you've had two replies, one like from @franciswilliamwebb, and an agree from @Enterprisingwestern . Let's say we've each contributed 1% towards your final decision. Does that help get you over the line ?🤔

At 4mm to the foot. . . .

😇 I woz robbed. . . .🤣

I really like your last picture looking towards the loco and the cutting. Very atmospheric. I also like the 'scotch mist' in the earlier post of 7D12.

Or. . . .you are three short to run an Up and a simultaneous Down service. . . .

Ouch 😔. Yes, you can see the flanges of the leading wheel set are exposed in the picture I've included in the quote. The middle and rear wheel sets are on the preceding gradient. Any change in horizontal alignment caused by any track movement could result in a derailment. The rail joint position between the leading and middle wheel set needs to be moved away from the underlying rising and falling triangles of the trackbed. Option 1: I'm assuming the ballast is all glued down. It may be possible to move the joint by (very carefully!) removing some of the rails on the right hand side of the summit gradient and replace with short lengths. Then pull the left hand rails over the summit, rethreading into the sleeper base so the centre of a yard of track sits at the summit and creates a vertical curve. Then infill so rail joints are on the gradients either side. Not sure how effective this might be as 1) I can't see how many of the 'baseplates' are removed either side of the joint to accommodate the fishplates and 2) not sure if the ballast can be removed to let the rails/ sleepers/ ballast follow a vertical curve. Option 2) would be, as you say, dig it up. Form a vertical curve in the track bed by cutting out sections of the top layer(s) of the two triangles. Then lay longer sections of cork that cover the joint in the lower sections of the trackbed that is under the leading wheel set. That should form a nice vertical curve that the track can follow. Then centre a yard of track or length you are happy with at the summit. You could get a feel for how either option would work by overlaying a yard on the track over the rails as they currently sit. You'll find a loose yard will form a natural vertical curve, which you can weigh down to at either end to get a better view. The thing is to get a gentle vertical curve to accommodate the unsprung three axle diesel bogies (or steam specials with six coupled wheels). Personally I think Option 2 is the only way to go. But you might want to try Option 1. If that doesn't work by fitting the rails back into the sleeper base, you are already part way to Option 2. Hope that helps ?