Bluebell Northern Extension - so what's occurring then?

Tom,

Operation Undercover phase 4 the 24 coach shed at H K, why would this cost £1m pounds plus?, surely an insulated corrugated shed to keep the coaches dry will not cost that much surely?

Regards
Chris

 

Can't really imagine Horsted without the rows of coaches behind platform 1(?) Be interesting to see what it looks like when Phase 4 is done-presumably nobody has suggested a set of D Tanks and Stroudley Singles to store there unused and be really historically accurate? ;-)

 

Just a quick reminder that there are daily updates and many new videos on railwaytrains.co.uk. Work at the north is now visible from the southern bridge, this first time that this has been possible. Enjoy, Rob.

 

I think that the cost would also include trackwork, possible S+T involvement, earthworks, Power, Services and then the building itself.
A 2 road 45m shed on the NYMR has cost £75K to date since 1990 for the structure alone. No earthwork or trackwork costs taken into account. Latest expenditure was sprayed insulation to the roof at £15k.

 

As the NEP is steadily drawing to a close, I thought I'd start a new thread for [thread=39323]general Bluebell matters[/thread]. I'll continue to put things specifically about the northern extension in this thread, as well as use the Gala and motive power threads as appropriate, but will use the new thread for any other more general matters.

Dan and Chris - I've answered your questions about the OU4 carriage shed in the new thread.

Tom

 

So I'm trying to work out why they're removing rock from east side (I think I have that right - I keep getting turned around in my head, looking at the pictures) of the cutting.

My guess is that they need to widen the base of the (new) cutting a bit, and it's easier to do that on the 'rock' side (since the rock can be cut back until it's basically vertical), whereas on the 'rubbish' side they've have to take off a large slice, all the way to the top? (Plus to which the removed rock is probably good to grind into the muck underfoot, to try and firm it up to lay ballast on it... and it probably drains better than the clay.)

Anyone know for sure what the reasoning is?

Noel

 

Fire portection systems are a good idea too, especially if you're going to put wooden bodied stick in it.

 

I believe it is to create space for a conduit for S&T cables.

Incidentally, orientation: the higher side of the cutting, with geotex from top to bottom, is the west, or up, side. This is still domestic waste with a layer of clay on top. The lower side, with geotex only part way down, is the east, or down, side. This is mostly rock, but with a layer of domestic waste (and clay) at the top.

Tom

 

Made up a video of today's trains at the Bluebell and included some clips at the start of the view from both bridges as of this afternoon as my video today will be my last Bluebell video before the extention opens!

Bluebell Railway Saturday 16th February 2013 - YouTube

 

On the subject of videos, there is a new one linked from the main Bluebell website, with Nicholas Owen as the interviewer, including at the start an interesting speeded up run behind the rail-roader to the worksite from EG. Maybe sometime in the future we will see a similar video for the full length of the line? Not necessarily taken from the road-railer. ( or is it the other way round, anyway the machine with both sets of wheels!)

 

Ahem: http://railways.national-preservati...on-so-whats-occurring-then-74.html#post532475 :yo:

As for track videos - yes, that one is interesting showing the arangement of points and ground frames coming out of EG, and just how close the viaduct is to the station throat! There are one or two "whole line" videos on YouTube generally filmed either from the Obo or the Birdcage brake, though obviously only SP - KC. There is one particularly entertaining one that makes it look like the train is running one SPAD after another, but in fact it is filmed from the back of the Obo of the line slowly departing, and then played backwards making it look like all the signals are coming towards you at danger!

Tom

 

Sorry Tom, I should have looked!

Chris White displays what we might call a "calm determination" to see the project completed.

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That's very much his style. Sometimes if you ask him a direct question along the lines of "how on earth will we achieve such and such a thing?" he just answers "like this", as if digging 90,000 tons of domestic waste and 20,000 tons of rock and soil out of a cutting and relaying two miles of track and signals was the most natural thing in the world. My experience of him is that he exudes calm, even during what must be an incredibly taxing job. Don't forget, as the railway's Infrastructure Director, he has not only had this project to Project Manage, but has also had to be responsible to the board for all the other infrastructure tasks around the railway, both routine maintenance and larger projects such as the Woodpax carriage shed.

Tom

 

(Deleted - the forum tried to post twice for some reason)

 

I'm not a betting man, but...what's betting that track, or at the very least a complete line of ballast, is in place for the "track trek" ?

 

I'm not either ... but I'd have thought a complete layer of ballast end to end this weekend is very likely, and probably almost a pre-requisite of doing the track trek. Rails laid? Possibly - that can be done pretty quick once everything else is in place. However, I suspect that there will also be a desire to cover the "golden spike" ceremony with suitable PR, which probably means not doing it while also trying to marshall 800 track trekkers. So I'd wonder if maybe the last bit of track will go down next week.

OK, now the explanation of the cryptic comment: From the weekend, locos running round at KC have been taking the KC-EG token, running up past the starter and advance starter and through the "narrows" to the KC down home; then returning (fully signalled) to return the token to the signalman's agent and complete their run round. This is to provide experience in the signals for loco crew and signalmen, in addition to the more formal training courses currently taking place.

Photos from John Sandys which show developments in the cutting and also the token machine in Kingscote (North) Box: NEP Photo Update, Mon, 18/02/13 - a set on Flickr

And from Derek Hayward showing the token machine and signal box diagram in the North Box:

Kingscote Station and signal boxes - Derek Hayward's Photos

Tom

 

Taken from the Bluebell Facebook page:

NEWSFLASH: Our Northern Extension Team have today watched the lifting of the last bucket of rubbish from the tip. East Grinstead here we come!

 

I was about to ask if they were planning any ceremonial observance of the 'last spike', when the two sides are finally connected. It would seem a natural...

Noel

 

Think it will be "golden pandrol" rather than "golden spike" :smile: Unless the north and south teams can't agree on a meeting point and spend a few weeks furiously laying track in parallel in a desperate bid to control where the boundary is. That would never happen, would it?

Anyway, the John Sandys' photos from today: NEP Photo Update, Tues, 19/02/13 - a set on Flickr. The north end track is getting close to disappearing "round the corner" when viewed from the accommodation bridge.

Tom

 

Still a bit of work to do to open the way through the cutting for the walkers on Sunday, but the weather is looking dry for the next three days, so it looks achievable.

Strange though, just when you think there is no more waste to move out of the cutting, you see an image of some more waiting to be moved! I think it must get up at the dead of night and transport itself back down there when no-one is looking.....

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