LNERGE

I think we could share a rant for a while there t-b-g. I spend a fair bit of time lineside and the state of not only the railway's drainage but that of the surrounding land is awful. I was sharing another rant with someone yesterday regarding a road closure under a railway bridge due to flooding. Apparently his elderly neighbour used to keep the drains clear. Now he has departed no one does it. The water had rushed down the surrounding fields, overwhelmed the poorly maintained ditch, burst out onto the road carrying the sediment with it and dumping the whole lot under the bridge.

Looking at the latest aerial photo the top of the spoil heap has huge pools of water. I've seen anything to suggest the heap was profiled with drainage in mind. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BDFnKBoCMAE3N0a.jpg

I believe the Ferme Park - Croft will once again be worked by a 60 today. A rare chance to see one on the southern stretches of ECM1..

Penny Ha'penny?

They are definitely bridge beams.

The book is Crossing Fences by Henry Orbell ISBN 0-9531659-3-0 Available on Amazon for £93 or from March museum for £6

I've just finished reading a well written and interesting book that contained these passages.. Quote.. ''All the beams were brought in by rail from Lenwade, in Norfolk, on special bolster sets used for this traffic. There were 80 of these huge beams, about two feet square and forty feet long, carried on ten of these special wagon sets. The length of the train was equal to fifty wagons with a total weight, including the wagons, of something like 750 to 800 tons. We had it double headed with two steamers from Spital loco shed, not necessarily for hauling the load but for stopping the load. There was also shunting to do at Wansford to position the wagons for two large cranes to off-load the beams and place them in the proper sequence across the top of the abutments. The train had been assembled at Stangrough Yard, at Peterborough East, having come from Lenwade in two or three lots'' What type of wagons would have been used? Does anyone have a photographic record of this event at Wansford around two weeks after Sunday 19th July 1959 (when the signalling alterations came into force)?

A bit here.. http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/features/index6.shtml

Although not wishing to let the topic slip from the main subject too much i'd really like to ask a question regarding concrete beam wagons... How many were there available at any one time for the transport of concrete beams?

Super picture Andy. Here's a little more on this outpost..

I hair a fair sized collection of various bit and pieces but this is my favourite.. I describe it as probably the rarest key token instrument you will ever see. It needs two auxiliary key token instruments attached plus one ordinary instrument at the far end of the section.. The relays attached to this unit are LR 4 ohm neutral polar (GY)AR 250 ohm neutral polar (ST)AR 250 ohm neutral polar (GY)BR 1000 ohm 6F/B neutral (ST)BR 1000 ohm 6F/B neutral (GY)CR 1000 ohm 6F/B neutral (ST)CR 1000 ohm 6F/B neutral SYR 10 ohm biassed moving iron 35SR 1000 ohm 4 F/B (for starting signal release) For those who don't know what the relays are they are railway shelf type and take up a whole 10 foot shelf in my cabinet. There were no circuit diagrams available and it provided many happy hours of working out how it did it's business..

Bageney Road crossing was on the junction of the St Ives line, released by lever 47.. http://www.flickr.com/photos/pwayowen/7340930244/in/set-72157627782450647

A quiet moment at March East and the signalman is having a good chinwag on the 'bus..

As part of the works mentioned above this signal became redundant.. The gas axe has done it's business.. and gravity takes over with a little help from the gang.. and the gas axe finishes the job..

This is a special photo for me. Take a look at a few thing's. The most obvious is the two illuminated signalbox diagrams, also the door is off the relay cabinet and the chap is fiddling with a lock economizer contact. There are works in progress in connection the abolition of Horsemoor box with March South taking control of that section of line. This photo captures the very moment i decided i wanted to become a new works tester, with the biggest obstacle at the time was me not working for the railway. I am now a Signal Works Tester, specialising in mechanical signalling. It's been an interesting journey.

The trouble is you'll need to have everyone Network Rail approved. Despite the low loader for Spellbrook not actually being on the railway they insisted it had to be from one of their approved suppliers. The crane and low loader cost a king's ransom.

The Crescent Junction is just a little older than the model as it has more semaphores. The North and Spital Junction are about right. I don't have dates for them i'm afraid.

They are roughly about the same date. I do have some later ones. This one is about as late as you can get though...

I have most of the Peterborough box diagrams though a few still elude me.. What do you fancy next?

I've had these a while but not really looked at them... It is interesting to see who could talk to who etc.. Spital and Crescent are on the same circuit but North is not..

Spital Junction..

One thing to watch out for is the signalling regulations require the route set for 6/7/8 and clear for 1/4 beyond these signals before a train can be accepted onto the excursion line under regulation 4, or, the train will have to be accepted under regulation 5. It can all be a bit complicated. If you want i'll send you a copy of the signalmen's general instructions. I have a 1960 copy that will be almost right for you. The restrictions for accepting on other lines will be equally as complicated, especially as through the main lines the starting signal for PN(4) is also the home signal for SJ(12).

Yours truly demonstrating two alternative methods of moving a signalbox... Smash it up with a 360 and load it in a trailer.. Pick it up with a crane and place it on a low loader.. (recommended method)

A few from me.. The S&T heavy gang load the remains of an LNER welded steel bracket signal into their lorry at Bageney Road, March. The March lampman goes about his business.. I believe this is driver D Stock on the last northbound loco hauled train to King's Lynn..