Carriage Shed Roads 2 & 3 upgrade.

Work has commenced on a major track upgrade in front of the Carriage Shed.
Roads 2 & 3 are to be re-laid with 70lb rail and TPR sleepers. Replacing 53/55lb rail and a large number of expired hardwood sleepers. A replacement left hand 70lb turnout is to be installed as well. The new turnout will sit further back than the present one, so as to increase the length of road 2 and to eliminate a sharp curve into the shed.
Prep work for road 3 will involve the building of three 70lb OB track sets and the replacement 70lb RB turnout on top of road 4. These will then be dropped into place when the existing track and ballast has been removed.
Road 2 will then be built on its new alignment.

The present layout into the Carriage Shed. The new turnout will start just off the lower edge of the photo. The replacement track sets for road 3 have started to take shape on road 4. Turnout parts to the right. Sat 3/3/07.

The Sunday afternoon shift saw a start made on gauging and screwing down the rails on the track sets. Sun 4/3/07.

The following Saturday had the track sets completed and a start made on building the turnout. The point rails in the foreground have had the old bolts removed from the plates and heel blocks. A new curved stock rail is to be used as the existing one was suffering from extreme rail head wear. Sat 10/3/07.

Another sunny Sunday afternoon had the turnout parts sitting in there rough positions on the sleepers. The new track has been built up opposite where it will eventually be located in road 3. When complete, road 2 will be about 40 feet longer than present. Sun 11/3/07.

Article & Photographs by Peter Jenkinson.