Ballasting

Well we’ve now officially run our first proper ballast train in many years.

The section between Midland Hwy and Winters Flat Bridge has received a much needed top up after recent re-sleepering.

The ballast plough clears the pandrol fittings on the concrete sleepers, just! Not something this old plough would have encountered before.

A light drop to fill voids and build a shoulder was undertaken over most of the length, with a heavier drop down near the bridge to allow for lifting out some settlement.

The end result looks pretty snazzy, with the whole job being lucky if it took 10mins. The concrete sleeper weights on the plough proved to be ideal with no hint of any lift.

The afternoon was spent jacking and packing 4 siding in the carriage shed, which is now greatly improved, it’ll settle a little no doubt and we’ll complete a final lift next year some time once it’s bedded in. We did well until the digger sprung another leak, but we should be back in action by the morning.

We also replaced what is probably close to the worst peice of 80lb rail in existance. We used it to make up 5 siding when we were hard up for rail, but before burying it we’ve replaced it with this much nicer piece, an easy thing to do on clipped up steel sleeper track.

Castlemaine is the site tomorrow, from 8.15am connecting up 4 siding.