Ballasting

Having taken a back seat of late due to other pressures of work, the new loop at Leyburn has moved a step forward with completion of ballasting of the track laid so far. A hired-in JCB was used to load the four serviceable "Dogfish" hopper wagons from the ballast stockpile at Redmire, with two trips completed on Friday afternoon. The train was propelled as far up the loop as we could go with no issues encountered, apart from the usual creaking and groaning from the wagons! A total of five and a half hoppers were discharged in the loop itself, with another hopper and a half used to top up the shoulders at a couple of heat- risk sites and the final hopper returned to Leeming Bar for another day.



Michael Metcalfe supervises the wagons getting loaded



The train propels back on the first run

First run complete, and setting back into the platform before returning to Redmire

Propelling as far back as we could on the second run

We also finished moving the flat bottom rails from the west end of Redmire to the access point at the old dairy building using the ironmen gantries. The JCB then loaded a pair of sixty foots to the "Salmon" bogie flat wagon ready for delivery to Ainderby, where we'll be renewing the track and deck at the level crossing in August.

Variety is the spice of life as they say, and Saturday saw us switch to vegetation control, or tree- bashing as we prefer to call it. We tackled the public footpath crossing at 14 miles 5 chains, just east of Constable Burton loop, and significantly improved sighting for both crossing users and train drivers. A couple of big bonfires consumed the brash, with the logs stacked ready for future collection (p.way staff don't go cold in winter).

At the start of the day

Big improvement

The Leyburn gang have been carrying on the endless task of spot- resleepering, concentrating on the section between Wensley LC and Westfield UWC. They also replaced the gate at Peter Blacks UWC, where we see them posing for the photographer:

A High Profile Visitor

The big news is that we've got a visitor for the weekend off the main line, in the shape of Merchant Navy Class 4-6-2 number 35018 "British India Line". She arrived safely today via Castle Hills and completed a gauging run along the line before she takes fare-paying passengers up to Redmire tomorrow morning.

Unfortunately her arrival created more unplanned work for the track gang, this time cutting back considerable vegetation growth on the Leeming Bar to Northallerton section, which hasn't seen a train  movement since the tamper back in February, and is effectively mothballed. Mother Nature has certainly been busy reclaiming things down there....

Having worked their way eastward all week, the gang reached Castle Hills today just in time to cadge a lift back to Leeming with 35018: how's that for timing!! Thanks to all the volunteers and staff who assisted with this task throughout the week: having chipped- in for three hours on Wednesday evening, your blogger can confirm it was hot work in this weather.

Ainderby before

Ainderby after

Andy C, proving he's just as destructive with a bow-saw

Taxi!!

Who stuck that on the back?

Oh well, must be one of those buy one get one free deals

High Summer

Apologies for the long wait for a new post, but your blogger has been off on holiday down in the West Country where it was hot, hot, hot like most of the UK. I had great respect for the steam loco crews on the West Somerset Railway (yes, we did manage to visit a heritage railway), driving and firing in that heat: kudos lads! The WSR just pips Wensleydale to the title of Britain's longest heritage line, and the scenery is every bit as good and varied, from the Quantock Hills to the coastal views across the Bristol Channel to South Wales. Its well worth a visit if you're in the area.


Crowcombe Heathfield on the WSR

Meanwhile, up t'other end of the country, the WR track gang has started swapping over more good quality 109lb flat bottom rails for sidings quality 98lb ones in Redmire loop, basically a continuation of what we did in Redmire MOD sidings in the early part of the year. A total of 14x rails have been generated for forthcoming projects, including the complete renewal of Ainderby Station level crossing planned for August. Here's a photo showing "Ironmen" gantries being used to physically swap the rails with minimum human effort!

Elsewhere on the railway, the Leyburn gang has been changing yet more sleepers east of Wensley, towards Westfield Farm UWC. Some encroaching trees have also been dealt with while the team was in the area.

TIMBER!!!

Last but not least, here are some photos of the new turnout and connection in Leeming Yard in use. Another job ticked off the list!!