What seemed like a mammoth task now seems somewhat smaller, following today’s excellent progress.

Almost the whole down leg between Sawmill Rd and Boundary Track has been drilled and spikes started (we didn’t quite reach Boundary Track, as we ran out of spikes). Of that distance, approximately half has had the spikes driven.

It’s a horrid job. However, it does actually happen strangely quickly once we get into the swing of it. It certainly makes the rest of it look a bit less overwhelming.

We had another win today, with the first of hopefully many truck loads of full profile concrete sleepers arrive at Maldon.

These have been released through Victrack and RTHV, from a recent level crossing removal project in Melbourne.

We might have already put a lot of concrete in, however, we’ve still got many kms of track with no concrete, instead still, timber which is only going to remain safe for a couple of years given the average age of our timber sleepers (approx 15-20 years).

We’ve already established that the only feasible and sustainable way to maintain the track into the future is to make the move away from timber, both from a cost and ongoing labour perspective.

The reuse of these otherwise scrap concrete sleepers allows us to achieve this, at a price we could never do better than, this cost is around $20 per sleeper (all in the stacking, handling and transport getting them to us) and given we still need to acquire another 10,000 odd sleepers to ensure the future of the railway, we’ve still got a way to go.

We’re also very mindful that other T&H railways will be looking to bolster their suppliers of concrete sleepers, and while we have a pressing need for them now, our need will disappeared in the near future once we got them on hand and others can really make use of these valuable assets too.

We are really dipping into our savings to try to cover this, as if we don’t take them now, the supply is almost guaranteed to dry up and we’ll be back paying top dollar.

We could really use assistance in funding this massive acquisition of sleepers, with all donations over $2 tax deductible.

Please see our website at: https://www.vgr.com.au/donate if you’re able to help.

Thursday’s workday will be starting near Boundary Track, at 8.30am (Maldon at 8), where we’ll continue with the glorious task of spiking!

Friday was a very successful plating day, with sleeper plates inserted from Sawmill Rd through to Boundary Trk on the Down Leg. Plates were also dropped out for the UP leg. However, we’ll drill and spike these before moving onto that leg.

Tomorrow’s workday will be at Sawmill Rd from 8.30am, or leaving Maldon at 8am, drilling and spiking.

Today saw us actually undo a bit our previous hard work in at the depot in Castlemaine. A couple of short panels outside the east road of the locoshed needed lifting to allow some additional work to occur on the Triple Interceptor.

If was a nice straightforward task, with the rails, sleepers and ballast out in no time. It’s just a pity it doesn’t go back together quite so quickly! It’ll be a few weeks before the works are completed and dried out enough to allow us to restore the track.

This afternoon we loaded up another few pallets of sleeper plates, ready to take out to site (Sawmill Rd) tomorrow, for dropping out and insertion.

Tomorrow’s gang will be meeting at Maldon 8am (Mick, if you see this, a truck needs taking out from Maldon) or out by Sawmill Rd Crossing from 8.30am.

Slight change of plans for tomorrow’s workday, we’ll now be working in the loco depot at Castlemaine from 8.30am, meeting Maldon 8am for those who are joining us there.