Today saw some cutting and unbolting of a few of the old 60 lb turnouts at the north end of the yard.

This is to allow us to stack up the materials to save space, make it easier to keep the area clean and improve access during the upcoming works in the yard.

While we were there we broke up the last of the turnout in 5 siding, this will allow us to improve road access to the shed and beyond, as well as recovering a quite good 60lb turnout.

Over the next month we’ll be removing the rail and stacking suitably up the north end of the yard.

We took the opportunity of the short week to do a few of the odd jobs we’d been putting off in Maldon Yard.

We still had a few new point timbers to install, a rail to replace and a turnout that required some lifting and packing.

The dock road turnout was one, where one of the timbers we replaced had been a long timber to support the Annette lock, however given the extreme cost of long timbers we opted for a short timber joined to a sleeper to support the lock.

While we were there we also replaced a broken rail that had been plated up.

The 3/4rd turnout was in need of a good lift and tamp, we put a fair effort into lifting the blades to match the approach.

We also lifted a big dip which had developed at the end of the turnout leading into 4rd.

Last week saw the VGR out and about, still doing railway work but instead over at the Daylesford Spa Country Railway.

The DSCR received a new bridge over East Street in Daylesford, replacing the life expired and damaged old bridge. 

We transported our excavator over to help remove the old track and ballast, replace some point timbers and to build the new track.

The collection of pics below shows the works as they happened. 

It was a pleasure to help out another railway and we wish the DSCR all the best with their new bridge!

Today we stood more rails and distributed materials for our next re-railing jobs.

As part of the process we stand the new rails at the end of the sleepers using the excavator, ready to be rolled into place when we pull out the old 60lb rail.

One of the next sections to be done is between Woodlocks lane and Maldon Station.

This straight requires 23 x 14.5m lengths of 80lb rail in each leg.

Curve 9, on the down side of Sawmill Rd. (29 lengths required for the high leg of this curve)

Our next re-railing job will be curve 5 ( end of Winters Flat Bridge) this Thursday – 14th Sept.