The bank holiday weekend provided an opportunity to make further progress with the Rutton station rebuild. The new timber trackbed now requires only one more coat of wood preservative to be complete. We found that the deck had risen slightly at the Box End end, so an extra fixing bracket was installed to anchor this end more firmly to the patio.
In my last post, I mentioned the need to install a new concrete block at the Rose Halt end of the timber deck to link the new construction to the original trackbed. Since then, CP has come up with a far more elegant solution to this problem!
In my last post, I mentioned the need to install a new concrete block at the Rose Halt end of the timber deck to link the new construction to the original trackbed. Since then, CP has come up with a far more elegant solution to this problem!
Believe it or not, this classic girder bridge was made using parts of an old gate! Ironically, the builder of the MVR, Paul Barnard, suggested installing a bridge when the railway was first built in 2004; however, the suggestion was declined in order to save costs. Ten years on, we have gained a lineside feature that certainly adds interest to the railway. The bridge will be named "Potter Bridge" in honour of its designer!
The station redevelopment work has also provided an opportunity to modify the track layout, in order to ease the tight curve at the Rose Halt end of the station. The picture below shows the track laid out temporarily in its new formation.
The station redevelopment work has also provided an opportunity to modify the track layout, in order to ease the tight curve at the Rose Halt end of the station. The picture below shows the track laid out temporarily in its new formation.
In order to achieve a more gentle curve at the Rose Halt end, the main line has been rerouted around the other side of the washing line, and the "main" and "loop" roads of the station have been reversed. A gentle S-bend has been introduced at the Box End end to reconnect the main line to the original trackbed. The curve has been made from old LGB radius 1 curves dating back to the days of our temporary garden railways before the MVR; however, in order to provide a more gentle curve, they have been straightened out to approximately radius 2, using a clever trick that CP showed me. LGB track sections comprise a one-piece plastic moulding in which the sleepers are held together by plastic webs running under the rails. Having forced the fishplates off with pliers, the rails can then be slid out of this moulding. Unlike some other brands of track, LGB rails are pliable enough to be bent by hand; we were able to use LGB R2 curves elsewhere on the MVR as a template. The sleeper moulding can then be adjusted to the same radius by cutting out alternate plastic webs from the inside of the curve. Thus, set-track can effectively be turned into flexi-track!
The loop has been shortened in order to accommodate these changes; this should not be a problem, since I cannot remember the MVR ever running a train long enough to require the full length of the old loop! Furthermore, the new arrangement provides space for two short sidings at each end of the loop; fortunately, I already had two spare LGB points in stock. These should provide extra operational interest and flexibility, particularly on gala days.
Unfortunately, my career has required me to move to several different parts of the country over the last few years: I have now left home again to take up a post in Herefordshire. Nevertheless, I am hoping that the track can be permanently laid on my next visit home...
The loop has been shortened in order to accommodate these changes; this should not be a problem, since I cannot remember the MVR ever running a train long enough to require the full length of the old loop! Furthermore, the new arrangement provides space for two short sidings at each end of the loop; fortunately, I already had two spare LGB points in stock. These should provide extra operational interest and flexibility, particularly on gala days.
Unfortunately, my career has required me to move to several different parts of the country over the last few years: I have now left home again to take up a post in Herefordshire. Nevertheless, I am hoping that the track can be permanently laid on my next visit home...