Thursday was an ideal time to do some tree trimming near Castlemaine, while our gang truck and track tools were still on their way home from Newport. With three chainsaws in action, our first job was to clear as much of the heavy growth inside the curve as we could reach from the track.
Once we cleared what we could from the trackside, we started near the crossing to clear as much as we could to improve the view of Rowe Street for train drivers heading toward Maldon.
We cleared between the street and the railway for about 50m so car and train drivers get a much better look at each other. What we cleared was both self-seeded poplars and blackberries and we’ve cleared it so that machinery can do it next time. Further clearing will need the use of a pole-saw because the bank was getting too steep for our sprightly gang of young retirees.
Friday saw more of the same but in a different place. Sorry there are no photos but we forgot to take any!
We started at Maldon Junction where we cleared some scrubby trees on the inside of the curve to allow people on the Gainsborough Street and Sheehan Street pedestrian crossings to see oncoming trains (and our train drivers to see them).
Then it was back towards Maclise Street where we cut down some peppercorn branches on the high side which were hanging over the track almost enough to scratch our carriages – and passengers with their heads out.
We finished off the day by trimming some oak and poplar trees on the inside of the curve between Rowe and Maclise Streets where visibility was poor. We now get a better view of the damaged whistle board for trains going towards Castlemaine. Time to fix it too!
VGR Civil Blog 