Today we begun the turnout construction.

First by sorting and precisely placing the timber in accordance with the old VR diagram.

After which the turnout components were prepared for installation.

Tony and Wally replacing damaged point chairs.

While Rolf and Ian attend to freeing up seized bolts on the other side.

The old spanner is often required in turnouts, as there is not enough space for the rattle guns. Here Tony tightens the bolts for the point chairs.

Last off was to place those bits and pieces onto the point timbers. It was certainly a good moment when the timbers lined up almost perfectly with the turnout itself. The string line here is the reference line for which everything is placed.

Here we are using two tapes to triangulate the distance of the two blade ends (toes), to ensure they are completely square.

Unfortunately the turnout bits available to us had been slightly bent at some point in their life, so the ‘BUDA’ or rail bender was needed to correct the bends. Here Will is closely monitoring the bending while Rolf bends the rail using the jack. This takes a bit of effort and judgement to get the angles right, but you’ll be pleased to know we ended up with perfect results.

The string line showing the location of the V crossing in relation to the other components. Getting this correct is the most critical part in the turnout construction and much fine tuning and double checking was done to reach this point.

We didn’t just tackle the turnout today, we also bolted up some rails for the next section.

As we were joining rails of different heights, we found we didn’t have our levels exactly correct, but that was quickly remedied by removing some sleepers and digging out.

After correcting the heights the bolting up occurred. Once the turnout is in, we’ll be putting in the missing rail and connecting it up.

After a very successful day, the job is really starting to take shape.

Well be back there tomorrow and all of next week if you’re interesting in coming along and helping out.

More action at Bendigo, mainly in the rain unfortunately! But it’s staring to look like a real railway.

By lunch we’d laid out the rest of the rail, cutting and drilling as required. We had spiked one leg and were in the middle of fixing down the other when the drill jammed and we decided we needed lunch!

The rain really set in after lunch, here the gang is jacking the new track ready for tamping, normally a simple task but made rather uncomfortable by the pouring rain.

As a reasonable lift was required, lots of rock was needed during the tamping process. The gang is busily shovelling in rock as the tamper fills and compacts the void below.

Tomorrow will see a bit more rock material added and levelled, then we’ll be onto building a new turnout. It should be a very interesting day.

After today’s efforts the track at the north end of the job is largely complete, with some minor levelling of rock required to finish off.

The track from yesterday now fastened down with crush rock applied, ready to be lifted to the required hight.

The same piece lifted and tamped to the required hight. The rail lying across the track in the foreground was our datum to start the incline up to the shed, which now has a floor much higher than in the Victorian Railway days. From here to the next small shed will be level with the surrounds for vehicle access.

We even dug out our temporary crossing and have the timbers laid out for the rail. Hopefully by the end of tomorrow we will have this section done, with the concreters due to place a cap over this whole section later in the week.

There’s still plenty to do, so please feel free to come and help for a day. Contact Will via email at ganger@vgr.com.au

Back at Bendigo today, we’ve made good progress, with most of the sleepers now laid out and rails starting to go on at the north end of the job.

In the foreground of the pic shows the obstacles you come across in old railway yards! A pipe of some description. Thankfully it isn’t at all in the way, it fits perfectly between the sleepers.

This section was very fiddly and time consuming, working around several storm water pipes.

We’ve still got a small section to excavate here, at the moment it’s our only access down the yard so that’ll happen once we can fill some of the track nearby.

At the end of play today we have the rail positioned basically in place and to gauge, with the drilling and spiking to occur tomorrow.