Saturday 10th July - Sunday 18th July - S&T Installation, Ian Martin

This week has seen phase 1 of the S&T installation completed. A large team spent all 8 days installing a vast array of signalling equipment, with many of the group working in excess of 12 hours each day! The first job was the laying of the multi core cables that connect up the various location cabinets, we have used a huge quantity of cable in this project and to lay all of them took a whole day (with the assistance of the works train). Once the cables were laid out we made a start on populating and connecting up A and B location cabinets (opposite the signal box); for those who are unfamiliar with the technical side of signalling, these are effectively the brains of the system, feeding back information to the interlocking; sending the commands of the signaller out to the equipment and ensuring that all equipment on the ground is functioning as it should be. The fitting out of these cabinets was a very time consuming job and once testing was taken into account took up the whole week.

Whilst the location cabinets were being fitted out the temporary ground frame was craned into position next to the level crossing (this is to control the layout until the signal box is ready to receive the permanent frame). As some of you may be aware, to save the need for long lenths of point rodding to control the points/FPL's and the long distance to the north end point we have opted to use HW point machines to control this layout, the job of fitting these proved to be a very tricky job as numerous minor adjustments were required to ensure that the point blades were detected in the correct position by the motors, in the end the installation of all three motors took 2 whole days (this was much longer than planned.)

Whilst all this was going on I was busy installating the track circuit disconnection boxes and track ends, these distribute the low voltage track circuit feeds onto and off the rails to provide continuous train detection on the layout, these took around 3 days to get fully installed and G track circuit (across the crossing on the down road) was powered up mid week to provide the first milestone of the S&T project. With the help of Alastair Larter and Trevor Brackpool we installed the small track feed units into the location cabinets at the far extremities of the layout and had all the track circuits powered up by the end of the week; on the passage of the final steam service on Sunday we all observed the relays picking as the train passed between the different track circuits; truly satisfying after a week of hard work!

This has now left the signal and detection/indication installations for phase B to be completed before the 37 gala in September! A massive thanks to all the people who were involed in the S&T installation, it would be unfair of me to name people here as so many people have worked so hard and I don't want to miss anyone out. I must however give many thanks to Richard, who without his knowledge and expertise this part of the project would not have been possible!

Photos to follow...

30h June 2010 - Further Progress, Bill Collins

The brickwork on the box is complete up to where the woodwork sits on it. Painting the wooden frame and windows is well under way at Dereham but we are continually being held up by damage caused to the frame in between our painting days which necessitates putting the damage right before painting restarts. We anticipate being in a position to assemble the frame onto the brickwork mid/end of August. However this will be difficult as the way the wooden superstructure has to be assembled, the cills being VERY heavy, they will have to be laid on their sides and the uprights slotted into place and screwed from the underneath then the top plates slotted and screwed from the top. We think that this will take 2 days, on non running days as the frame assembly will have to be done on the running tracks in front of the signal box then craned into position to be secured to the brickwork. Then, once the scaffolding arrives (whenever that is) for the roof timbers, slates etc the remainder of the back brickwork can be completed.

The bottom of the backwall in place, this will progress further once the Scaffolding Arrives. 26th June , Bill Collins

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11th - 14st June 2010 - Level Crossing works

This weekend a large team descended on Thuxton to install the upside track across the level crossing. Luckily the council had work planned nearby that necessitated the closure of the road, so we seized this oppertunity to complete this crucial work. On Friday the tarmac and upside gates were removed and a large hole excavated using a JCB for the new relocated gate post. Once this was completed the area was cleared of rubble and the new track panel we manoeuvred into place on the Saturday. This required a vast amount of packing and adjusting to ensure that the track geometry and cant was exactly to specification. Once the panel was connected up one of our locomotives passed over a few times to bed everything down...this all went without a hitch. Once this was complete the gate post was lowered into its new home and a temporary closure post erected as an interrim measure until the new gate is cut down to the correct size. Work over the next two days involved backfilling everything and assisting the tarmac contractors to relay the surface in time for the road closure deadline. It is really worth a trip to Thuxton now as it really gives the illusion that the line is double track throughout and certainly takes one back to the age when this was the reality!

The newly completed crossing. 14th June 2010, Owen Stratford

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10th May 2010 - Laying of the floor timbers commence, By Bill Collins + Ian Martin

Today proved to be somewhat of a landmark as the first of the floor timbers from East Winch were assembled onto the back portion of the box. This will ultimately form the operating room floor; the space that is left at the front of the box will be assembled over the next few weeks as this has to be specially fabricated to accomodate the frame. The East Winch box contained a Saxby and Farmer frame, whereas this box will house a traditional McKenzie and Holland pattern frame meaning the dimensions don't quite match up. The floor will be covered over until the roof is in place to protect it from the elements then the job of sanding down and varnishing the timbers can commence.

Gary Hall putting the operating floor timbers into place. 9th May 2010, Bill Collins

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May 2010 - Signal Box Update, Brickwork completion. By Ian Martin

With the arrival of May and a window of oppertunity in the weather we have finally completed the Brick work! There is about a days work to go to finish off and from then we can commence on the installation of the wood work.

The wooden fabric of the box is currently being primed during the week with 3 coats going on. This coming weekend we will be transporting the flooring from East Winch signal box to site and start assembling the operating floor joists...Watch this space.

The Signal box as it looked on 3rd May 2010. The brickwork is now effectively complete. (Bill Collins).