A big morning of towing, using both excavators, cleared the backlog of rail from Yapeen. They’re now up at Godfrey’s Ln.
We even got so excited we dragged out the sled and started more destruction. We’re getting very skilled with the sled, in the afternoon we managed to lift and drag about 400m of track (800m rail).
Some of it’s still to be dragged up, but we’re getting there. The sled has certainly sped up the game.
We’ll be meeting at the location pictured above tomorrow, from around 8.15am (it’s about 400m on the Castlemaine side of Yapeen).
VGR Civil Blog 
Well done team. Hopefully this allowance of rail gets you well on the way to 80lb track for the entirety of the main line.
I would imagine (based on these pics) that this allocated rail has been thermite welded as opposed to using fish plates. If so, hopefully the lack of rail joints assists with a better ride enhanced by the resleepering and tamping efforts you’ve made along the railway previously?
Good work
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Hi David,
Yes it will see our whole main line upgraded to 80 or 94lb rail.
The allocated rail has actually been “Flash Butt Welded” rather than Thermite welded (There are a very small number of Thermite welds but not many). The Flash Butt method was either done on site with a portable machine or in the VR workshops at Spotswood and then railed out to site – hence the length of 270′ (that’s the length they generally worked in with that process).
The lack of joints will be very noticeable and will provide a much greater ride along the railway.
Thanks for the comment!
Cheers,
Will
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