Among the VGR’s trackwork skills is helping out other organisations with their trackwork.

In the week just gone we assisted Steamrail with some trackwork at their home in the old West Block of the Newport Railway Workshops.

The work largely involved replacing life expired turnout timbers and correcting areas of wide gauge in the plain track.

We mustered our usual kit of trucks, excavator and tools to tackle the job, with the job 90% complete, only not completed due to appallingly weather on the last day.

The works, although for Steamrail, did also include some trackwork for 707 operations and DERMPAV (other groups based at the workshop), which should now see them able to use the yard for several more years without hassle.

Below is a collection of pics from the week:

The team gauging and spiking a turnout after new timbers were installed.

The usual morning tea and lunch rituals are still followed even when working away!

There was generally only a few timbers required in each turnout, however the state of the timbers removed is clear by seeing how easily Malcolm was able to carry them around!

The trusty fleet.

Overall the works went very well, however due to weather we will we back to finish off an urgent job this coming Tuesday and then again in a fortnight’s time.

If you’re a Melbourne resident and would like to come and check out how we do things please feel free to come along, as always the more hands the easier the job.

Well we set another record today, by 11.15am we had the whole 27 lengths spiked in, without help from our prison workforce!!

These pics show the last few lengths being spiked in.

A few of the completed job, featuring our trusty gang truck.

After lunch we clipped up the steel sleepers, collected the old jewellery and sorted it accordingly. Here Trevor and Tony were placing the old jewellery into the bucket for sorting.

Our sights were then directed to preparing for re-railing the other leg.

Using the bucket as a blade allows ballast close to the track to be scrapped away from the work zone and provide an even surface to place the 80lb in before installation.

The next few pics are just to show off our hard work!

It was an enormous two days work, but the result is fantastic, the ride is already billiard table smooth by comparison!

Thanks again to everyone who was able to help out, and watch this space for details of our next re-railing job.

Today saw an incredible achievement, with 27 x 80lb rails installed, spiked 1 in 3, in the down leg of tangent 14-15 (near Muckleford Creek Bridge).

The start of works, showing unbolting of the first rail and power pack for spike pulling.

Here Bruce is pulling spikes with Clive further ahead removing screws.

Unfortunately there were are no completed pics as it seemed the rain was about to start (still hasn’t arrived!) and we made a dash for home, but tomorrow we will have the job completed and lots of pics to show off our hard work.

A lot of mid week preparation occurred to help with this achievement, bolting 2 out of 3 rails together, material distribution and steel sleeper inbolting, however it has really paid off!

We’ve even tamped all the sleepers to make tomorrow’s drilling job easier and quicker.

We’ll be out on site from around 8.30 tomorrow, so please join us as there’s still lots to do and the more hands the easier the job.