Ballast Drop

Today was relatively exciting, with the first real rail vehicles over the recently refurbished pit, the first in-fact being Daylesford’s Ballast Plough, generously on loan to us.

It was a ballast train, dropping rock for the new track into the shed. We had planned on using gravel, but given how saturated the ground and the gravel piles have become, it was just never going to happen until summer, unless we brought in the big guns.

We’ve even completed the lifting and tamping to final height, however given how wet everything is, we know we’ll be back to lift again once everything dries out and site is draining properly.

While we were in the swing of things, half a wagon of rock was dropped on 5 siding, as it still needs jacking and tamping to it’s final height.

These ballast drops also marks the first real use of recently recommissioned Y157. An ideal machine for this work as it’s fitted with hump control, enabling very controllable speeds when ballast dropping in these more delicate areas.

Believe it or not all that took all day, with two drops needed by the shed doors, given the lift required with lots of jacking and tamping required.

We have of course stabled the loco in the loco shed, because why wouldn’t you!

In other news, things are all a go at Bendigo Road, with final commission expected for this Thursday!

Last Friday didn’t make the blog… mainly as the camera was only remembered once! A lot of cleaning up the site was undertaken and a start made on the 2nd pit, with the temporary rails and sleepers removed.

This Thursday we’ll be starting at Maldon at 8am, we’ll then be working in the vicinity of Bendigo Road Crossing, so we’re on hand for the commissioning and we’ll tidy up all the jewellery, lengths of rail etc etc… left over from all the recent works there. We’ve also got a good list of outstanding jobs around Maldon we should tend to.