A quick run through with the flail mower again today.
After last weeks mow by the contractor, this clean up should hopefully see our this season.
The main areas today were Muckleford Creek, Walmer Road and Farmers Bridges, around the built up areas of Castlemaine and lastly a bit along the signal cables and point rodding at Castlemaine.
Tomorrow will see the bottom of the embankments around Castlemaine done, as well as a bit under Winters Flat Bridge.
Well it’s 2018 and we’re back into it!
We’ve already had our slashing contractors back for a second cut this season – unseasonal rains to thank for that.
We’ve undertaken lots of much needed maintenance and servicing on our civil equipment.
We’ve even completed what we think might be a first… installing a steel sleeper on 60lb rails using pandrol clips!
Rolf is pictured here with the sleeper and our new e clip applicator and pan setter (for holding up the sleeper in the correct position)
As 60lb rail (in our case 60D) has a narrower foot than the 80lb these clips are designed for, a ‘biscuit’ was required on the outside of the rail to hold the rails to correct gauge.
Biscuits are used on Concrete sleeper applications, so are very obtainable, cheap and work perfectly to hold the correct gauge!
This immediately provides us with much more opportunity to use our steel sleepers as the old style fittings are cumbersome and in very short supply.
After a massive day yesterday and again the morning, we successfully replace 54 life expired timber sleepers with concretes.
It was a mammoth job, as it turned out! The sleeper extraction and insertion took no time at all but clipping up the concretes took far longer than expected.
We had big issues with ‘under gauge’ track requiring pushing out, it was only generally 2 or 3 mm and well within any tolerance except that of the absolute 0 tolerance concrete sleepers!!
A bit of tamping and regulating the ballast saw the job completed around 10am this morning.
An enormous thank you to everyone who helped, we couldn’t have even thought about it without your help.
A big shout out to V/Line for all their assistance in protecting the worksite and for organising our permit to foul.
A couple of true action shots from Thursday’s re-railing.
Here we’ve got Rolf on the spike driver, while Clive and Bruce look on.
And really track work days are all about morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea with a bit of work in between! Here is a typical lunch ritual, with Will, Clive and Bruce all propped up in the comfy chairs enjoy a bit of shade.
(Pics Norm Mauger)
