THE MESS VAN CHRONICLES

Sleepers and Baseplates, Baseplates and Sleepers

As we work through the year, work on the line can get more difficult as some of our volunteers take on operational roles and we operate on more days of the week – and indeed, some of our regular volunteers take on more track walking turns to ensure that the track remains safe and no other faults which might prejudice the safe passage of trains arise. As one of those volunteers, I’m pleased to say that there has been no such incident this year, and our track remains in good condition.

Work has continued at Broomhill loop, amongst other tasks. This period commenced with the first of the weed killing trains for the year, and by the time you read this, the 2nd and last weed killing train will have been run. Every year it seems to get more difficult to control the weeds, and we swear that the chemicals are nowhere near as effective as they used to be – largely because they aren’t, thanks to changes in permissible chemicals because of EU regulation aimed at the protection of wildlife. The flip side of this is that we find ourselves having to use additional species-specific chemicals to deal with weeds – at additional cost. We will probably end up paying over £2000 this year for weed control chemicals alone. In addition, because hand-spraying would take too long, we engaged a contractor to spray the non-track areas of our yards; this has had to be repeated as some areas were missed. Nonetheless, our line looks relatively weed-free compared to some other Heritage Railways at this time of the year, which is something else of which we can be proud.

Our main task this time has, however, still been the re-sleeping and rebase-plating of the passenger side of the Broomhill loop. Some of you may remember that a couple of years or so ago, about three-quarters of a mile west of our current work site, we undertook a similar exercise on the curve out of Broomhill Station towards Boat of Garten. Some of you might even remember why we needed to do it; for those who can’t (and I wouldn’t blame you), here is the explanation again.

When originally laid, flat-bottom rail was used and a variety of different rail fixings. Towards Boat of Garten, much of the track sits on concrete sleepers, and in this area, the rail is fixed down by a particular type of spring clip called a Pandrol E clip – from some directions, it looks a bit like a ‘&’. However, most of the track is laid on timber sleepers, fixed to the rails through baseplates for elastic spikes. None of us like these things, as they never keep a good grip on the wood once the sleeper ages, and yet they rust into the baseplate. Consequently, they can be the devil’s own job to remove. The issue with the sleepers is worse on curves than on straight track as lateral force on the rail from the passage of trains causes elongation of the holes drilled in the sleepers. This causes the track to become wider than the precise 4 ft 8½ inch gauge that it should be. To be perfectly accurate, there’s a degree of gauge widening on a curve to permit smooth riding and reduce friction, but it’s a matter of fractions of an inch - when it exceeds a certain tolerance, it can cause concern.

A similar risk was found with the track in Broomhill loop, coupled with the dilapidation of the sleepers in this area, and it was time to act. Coupled with a relatively heavy re-sleepering (the full number escapes me, but it is certainly more than 50), all the baseplates at rail joints were replaced with Pan 11 baseplates, which screw onto the timbers with good old-fashioned chair screws which take and keep a good grip. These then attach to the rail using a Pandrol ‘E’ clip, the same as those we use to fix down flat bottom rails on concrete sleepers. Between the baseplate and the rail, a resilient pad is added to cushion the impact of traffic on the joint. In between joints, every 3rd sleeper on the outside rail also gets a Pan 11 baseplate to reduce the pressure on the parts of the track that remain fixed by elastic spikes. (The rail on the outside of the curve is known as high in P Way terms because on a curve the track is canted, or slightly lifted, on the outside to give a comfortable ride and to manage rail wear. Therefore, the outside rail is higher than the inside rail – so they become the high and low rail, respectively). With the number of new sleepers in the area, this track will remain in good condition for many years to come. The job is still ongoing, but we are making good progress, and aim to complete all the works on Broomhill loop this year and potentially start on next year’s work, reorganising the access into Broomhill yard at the other end of the station in order that the platform might be extended so that we can run longer trains. The good news is that we have most of the ironwork required – the bad news is that the timbers required (and we believe that we ought to install hardwood at this location as a fit-and-forget activity) plus some sundries might cost in the region of £25,000. The good news is that we might be able to do most of the work from off the rail, as the plan is to lift the yard first so that we have a nice large space to work in, unencumbered by other railway ephemera.

That’s it for this quarter; the plan for the next quarter is to complete the works in Broomhill loop, hopefully have some external contractors in to do some rail welding, and perhaps start on the work in Broomhill yard. There may also be some work in Aviemore yard, but more of that next time.

- Ian Stanworth