Peak Rail at Matlock.

re bamford box at darley dale;

hi gents and ladies;

i think ive previously posted something on this forum re whats happening the box, its present and future etc.

when the box was relocated to darley dale, the plan was to bring it into immediate use once the ground frame was dismantled, however two problems were readily noted;

1; no gate drive gear at time of re-erection,its a long way from the top, walk to the gates,close em,go back up to clear signal, go back down to get staff, back up to put peg back,back down to open gates, and back up to collapse in the bobbys chair for an hour, so staff prefered the ground cabin instead, good box for where it was ,but as a gate box..nightmare!

2; the railway was expanding and as such the passing loop was not a priority then, or bringing the box into use,infrastructure bypassed the need for it there.

when the passing loop was started i realised that if we used the ex bamford box there would be a lot of operational problems especially for the staff involved, hence the box was not used for the passing loop, the plan was also put into play at the time that we need to undertake some structural work on the boxes structure/legs, and that due to its height it would be better used where its actually needed, eg rowsley.

when the line extends beyond rowsley south there are three ground frames at rowsley south which need economising,fpl-ing etc, the plan is to re-erect the box about where the picnic site is, put proper solid steel legs in place, with lead off steelwork and then change the pointwork from ground frames over to the shunt frame (it wont be manned all time) then the works are in place for any extension beyond rowsley south.

all depts are in agreement the work will take place,discussions with hmri already undertaken.

the work will be in four parts;
1. remove box from darley,take upto rowsley, sort out the structural works.
2. put new rodding/benches/etc in place.
3.swap over from gfs to shunt frame(the box).the runround remains unafected as the top ends a sprung trap,same as EVR had at wirksworth onto the loading dock road, the shed roads will go onto the shunt frame as a like for like change with no locking alterations.
4.extra works in place for any extension before we actually do it!

at some future point the rest of rowsley could easily then be signalled as a loop if needed, though if the line extends to bakwell it would be logical to equal the sections and have a loop at rowsley village station assuming trackworks can be accomodated with the bridge works etc. :-k

hope that helps, any questions let me know!

Dom,signal engineer,PR

 

Hi , I wish you could post this a warning to other RPS's to think very carefully before doing big jobs like signalboxes. When we got the Bamford box we cut through the legs halfway down. When we re - erected the box someone had the idea of inserting half inch thick pieces of plywood inbetween the joint.I pointed out to Mick Thomas that a half inch piece of plywood was nothing in terms of the weight of the upper portion of the box and that when the crane went home it would be virtually impossible to take the shims out.He was very tired and moaned about it but luckily had the plywood taken out.
Incidentally, would it not have been possible to fit electric motors to the gates as they did on BR(NE) "Boom" gates?

 

duly noted;;i like midland boxes, the fact that all the parts can be interchanged easily,but with all boxes the midland ones seem to suffer the rotten leg saga, when it gets reerected wel do what happened at church lane, put steel I section beams in, they can be cladded on the exposed side with timber so youve the strength of steel, theyl never rot and youl never find the locks going out of adjustment cos the box is moving.

there were many different ways to work the gates suggested, hand being the easiest, then mechanically driven,then boom driven off large vertical crank ala irish rail style, then motors etc, the motorised wheel idea is suitable but problematical, there are still a few installations in the north east where its used, but slowly being faded out!! [-(

 

Well the electric motor idea at least does away with the need for Gate Stops in the middle of the road and all that heavy rodding and so on.But at least if Darley Dale box is moved it would be possible to reinstate the footbridge if a suitable one can be found.The rationale for not having it on the site of the original box was that it would bar access to the goods yard for low loaders, but with hindsight it could have waited. ](*,)

 

gate stops dont neccessarily have to be in the middle of the road, if you had a qaudrant plate on the bottom of the gate, then you could provide them on the trackside bottom of the gate post, the lock couldnt be cleared until the gate and its assoc quadrant were clear of the rising arm of the stop, likewise a cut and adjustable hole in the stop could be used for the open position proving if needed, have put some basic designs in to HMRI regarding this idea, its in use on the buxton manchester line here at Norbury crossing,works very simple,have drawn some plans up for church lane operation including this, but this depends on future plans on the line asto what gets priority

there are plans to put something in place of the signalbox, a platform extension though would be no good as its beyond the starter ,proposals for something better for the telephone lads have been suggested as theyre exchange could be better accomodated than in the grounded van thats been used for the last twenty years, would also give public something to visit as well as the museum at darely dale....


hhhm footbridge...would be nice, shame the original darley one had worn beyond repair, believe that got stolen from midland rly centre over crimbo!, any more news on this!!!!

dom

 

News of the access to the old down platform at Matlock is in the Matlock Mercury
http://www.matlockmercury.co.uk/news/St ... 4969257.jp

Cheers
Dave

 

Crikey it's nearly a year since the last post on this subject! I understand that agreement to run into the down (?) platform at Matlock was reached in December 2009 with some work expected to start in February 2010. I am sure Dom will be able to give us a timeline. As a slight aside the District Council has given planning permission for approximately 400 homes on the old Cawdor Quarry workshop site - roughly opposite where the current "Riverside Station" is.

 

hi Woodster,forgot all about this forum blog till i saw ya update.

at the moment im just going through some paperwork for the carriage department,re matlock, as you said the agreement has been reached, and soon we would like to get on and start, apart from buisness related information which is best left to be provided through the in house mag/press releases etc which will be due out in the next month i believe!, the next stage will be to sort out the connection,so that incoming charters can start again, we can then get on with the 2nd part of the work and get the running operations into matlock town.

the following is a long winded write up i put both on the google groups forum as well as elsewhere on various forums to update the volunteers about the work..

noted about the housing estate,we knew this was going ahead anyway,if the credit crunch hadnt hit at the time it did,it would have started around the time of sainsburys store too,i notice the other buildings on the new island went ahead quite late on too in the end


Communications


External (to Matlock station) & internal


When the shunt frame at Riverside is operational there are signals
towards the Derwent bridge end of the layout which will require signal
post telephones, it is not proposed to use up all the available
telephone cable the department have trying to get a phone service into
Riverside ,from the nearest exchange at Darley Dale which will be in
essence for one phone only as this would be overly wasteful to the
departments future plans, instead a stand alone concentrator system
has been acquired which will work to the four signal post telephones
from the shunt frame, reducing the waste of valuable resources.


It has been agreed with NR that radio/mobile communications be used,
this can be suitably located within Riverside or better still at
Matlock station, where staff can ensure they are kept on charge.


Emergency communications with Matlock station can be applied over the
same method, as NR do not wish to have a dedicated telephone over
their infrastructure ,which PR would also have to pay to maintain,
fault and use, plus this is no different than most railway operations
countrywide.


Signalling relays


The signalling will use minimal relays as is needed, mostly shelf type
ones with a few polar relays for signal detection.


Signal detection relays will be in line with the repeater as is old
practice.


We have sufficient relays and indicators in store at Rowsley to
complete this.


Any outgoing circuits from the shunt frame will utilise double cutting
of relay circuits, any internal circuits to the shunt frame will use
single cutting where the circuits do not go outside the structure.


Electrical interlocking


The electrical interlocking closely resembles the first Darley dale
signal interlocking ,but with less relays, the diagrams for Riverside
have already been drawn up in this regard.


Mechanical interlocking


The mechanical signal interlocking will use standard tappet locking in
the locking trays behind the lever frame, a king lever will allow the
interlocking between the opposing moves in and out of Riverside
station to be so set that these signals can be cleared once the box
has closed.


Suitable spare key locks exist for conversion for the staff key
release of the shunt frame.


Signals


Signals will be all mechanical, upper quadrant types to meet relevant
standards,
three suitable signal posts from Darley dale pile will need restoring
and building up to allow easy installation by jcb.


The shunt signals at the derby end of the lever frame will utilise
floating wheel operation, allowing one signal lever to operate two
signals for ease of shunting, Phil, John and myself spent most of the
summer last year restoring enough of these to be used for
Riverside ,these are in store at Rowsley.


Signals will be illuminated by L.E.D lamps; the power supplies for the
signalling will be capable of being turned off when not in use (same
as Darley dale)
the signals at the Derwent end of the layout will be repeated to the
operator , except for the two signals leading towards Darley dale as
these can be seen from the shunt frame.

2

 

part 2 Supplies


Battery supplies will be located at the signalbox, utilising
maintenance free lead acid cells, while these have less charge than
conventional wet cells, they require no constant topping up, reducing
maintenance.


A mains supply cable will require to be installed for the signalling
supplies from a supplier to a fuse box in the shunt frame, the fuse
box will need separate parts for signalling and domestic supplies so
one does not affect the other.


The mains power to the external location cupboard will be fed to the
Derwent bridge location cupboard via a buried lineside cable, which
ideally should be run in some blue water pipe to reduce earths and
extend the cables life, elsewhere where weve run cables in blue pipes
the thieves have ignored them as they aren’t interested in water pipes
one bit!


The fuses for the signalling power will be so arranged that staff can
easily fault


Power on/off and failure indication circuits will be provided aside
from the track circuit indications as well, these will be repeated to
the operations floor of the shunt frame.


Track circuits


these will use standard dc feed set units, the points have sealed
releases to overcome track failures, the platform and loop tracks
failing will only hold the main signals ,which have telephones
provided , the risk of power failures are deemed minimal so this
should not affect operations much in the event of a failure.


Operational signage


operational signage requires to be located at Matlock riverside
boundary to Network Rail, this will require to be made outside the
railway , the railway will have to contact the Royal British Legion,
who manufacture Network Rails operational signage when the final
agreement on the wording of the signage is agreed upon by P.R/N.R


Walkways


the shunt frame needs to be located at the Matlock station end of the
platform, for various operational reasons, the location of the
structure will need to be planned as this affects the walkway from
riverside to the main access road.


Staff need to gain instant access from an arriving train to work the
shunt frame when not manned, an access gate will be mounted within the
fence at the rear of the cabin as previously mentioned.


all signalling will not hinder safe walking routes for staff on the
ground and will be clearly identified. (phase 2)


Timetable for the works/jobs list for main works to enable Riverside
to connect with NR,including point works and slewing of part of
Riverside platform. (phase 1)


1. Install new turnout at hand point end for final layout as per plan.
See note #1
2. install new switch in current layout at ground frame end (Derwent
bridge) due to the wear suffered by constant one way running in over
the years. See note #2


#1 All point work to be fully fitted with insulated rods from the
point blades for electrical point detectors as well as ,insulated sole
plates ,facing point locks, drive rods and insulations for same.


#1 The new point work for the hand point end of the layout will be
fitted with a new insulated soleplate and also at the same time a
facing point lock (which will be bolted out/unlocked) till such time
as the final layout comes under the control of the shunt frame.


3. All track work in the loop lines will be fitted at the same time
with track circuit insulated joints (IBJ`s) for the final track layout
so that all track works for phase 2 are done and in place at the end
of phase 1.
4. A slew of the hand point end of Riverside platform will be
necessary to allow for the full coaching stock of a train to be
matched to the platform for detraining of the public, the current
sections that make up the platform supports are mounted on what is
believed to be paving slabs, these will need slewing across, which can
be done in house by the railways own volunteers and staff outside
normal operating hours ,this will be a part slew only, not a full
platform as originally considered.
5. Alteration of platform access fencing and access egress to the
platform ramp are minor extra works which can be achieved at the same
time.


It is planned that the new point work at the hand point end and the
slewing of the track work and installation of the new point work there
will be achieved in one go, first as this is the bigger works to
enable phase 1, followed later by the replacement of the worn switch
on the ground frame end (Derwent bridge ) end of the layout and
insulated block joint installations at another time allowed by the
operating timetable, as the first portion of the works gets the
greater part of the work out of the way first.


Timetable for the works/jobs list for main works to enable Riverside
Shunt frame to be brought into use. (phase 2)


The following is a list of works required for the shunt frame in a
basic written form, not necessarily in the order to which they need to
be completed.


1. Repair structure of signalbox, (UNDERWAY)
2. Get new steelwork for legs ready (IDEAS UNDER CONSIDERATION
NOW),wants to be similar to Church Lane, but with about a foot extra
height to accommodate the locks in the right place.
3. Get steelwork for lead off bench ready (IN STORE)
4. Get lever frame and locking trays in box ready. (3/4 DONE)
5. Get new woodwork or brickwork for base part ready or (pre-cut) for
easy erecting.


Erect shunt frame


1. Build all necessary rodding benches up at Rowsley (on going now)
2. Put in rodding run for point work to Derwent bridge end of layout,
a ,lot of staff on the last resignalling works managed to put a much
larger run in about 7 days of work, so assuming use of machinery we
could do this in a couple of days full work.
3. Put in rodding to points outside of riverside shunt frame.


Signals


1. Restore three main signal posts from Darley pile, move to Rowsley,
fit with all components except arms and lamp cases from the Rowsley
pile.
2. Shunt signals pre-restored as of 1/1/09
3. Put pulleys in along platform edge


Location cupboards


1. Restore two location cupboards; put a back board and shelves in as
per the signalling plans.
2.possible pre-wiring of location cupboards, to facilitate faster job
completion as was done for Darley resignalling, this can be done in
the workshop at Rowsley.
3. Erect locations, the Derwent location cupboard needs a concrete
base.


Cables (lineside)


1. sort out cables and bury these lineside in place, a 20 core would
be good from the shunt frame to the Derwent location., a two core
mains power (armoured) needs to be run in blue pipe to the same
location as will some telephone cable.


Cables to signals and track circuits (tail cables)


These cannot be done till the signals are erected and location
cupboards erected, track cables are single cores/rubber sheathed,
signal detection cables are two cores and lamp cables two cores.


Track circuits


1. Change fishplates where necessary to insulated types
2. Change baseplates where necessary to insulated ones from Rowsley
pile.
3. Change stretcher rods to insulated ones
4. Pre-commision track circuits.

 

Shunt frame interlocking


1. Complete mechanical locking and pre-test (there are a lot of spare
locking rods in the green Rowsley container to look through and use
the bits off)
2. Wire electrical locking and pre-test with some functions simulated
where required.
3. Wire indications and block shelf, cable reels and all bits in
Rowsley container.


Telephones


Wire signal post telephones back to Protowire type concentrator.


Signage


1. Purchase signage
2. Erect signage (temporary covered over)


Final commissioning


1. Connect point work to points, set up and test
1b Put the arms on the main signals, uncover the ground signals.
2. Final commissioning tests.
3. Recover redundant ground frame.
4. Uncover signage.
5. Training etcetera.


and thats shortening it all so you dont die of boredom after an
hour!!! DOM

 

im sure ive missed somet out somewhere in there too, there is some repetition as well with the copy n paste mthod

dom

 

Two interesting items came out in a report on the AGM proceedings, read out as a summary at the recent Chesterfield Branch meeting:

Firstly once the connection to NR is in at Matlock, there are Tour Companies already expressing interest in Rowsley as a destination. ( I guess onward coach connections to Chatsworth are an obvious prospect).
Secondly the Peak Park people have expressed a future interest in reinstating the A6 rail over road bridge at Rowsley in relation to the continuation of either a walking route or a cycleway that they would like to extend South to Rowsley, a route incidentally that is said would not prejudice any future reinstatement of the railway.
Enthusiasm over this A6 bridge prospect though might in my opinion have to be tempered, in that there is a world of difference between a lightweight bridge for pedestrians/cyclists, and a heavy rail structure.

Still, does all rather do down the "end of a dream" article recently published in Steam Beano about Peak Rail.

 

That's interesting and quite positive news for the line. I wonder if Haddon Estates was mentioned, historically they have been against the railway.

Lordy

 

whilst i didnt get to the AGM, as i was down the lane doing maintenance on the signalling, ive been told by people at the meeting that what was mentioned was a bridge capable of carrying the single line with a bit on the side to carry the pedestrians,cycles etc.

in that respect the bridge is not that different from a heavy rail bridge, if you consider the new one built on the ashbourne line,whilst being lighter in weight as its not a rail bridge,the span it crosses certainly would add as much weight to the job as would say one at rowsley!!.

looking positive though!!!

 

The news on the cyclepath was positive on the whole. Fencing a path off from the railway has been on the agenda for a very long time; around1987 we built a token length of line at Millers Dale, fenced it at the regulation distance and the PPPB drove a landrover round it to prove it could be done, so they could continue to maintain the Monsal Trail. The arithmetic is fairly simple; width of double track formation, 26 feet. Minimum width for single track, 16 feet or thereabouts. If they will contribute towards major works it could be a huge saving. The problem for the cyclepath lobby will be to get out of Buxton and down to the start of the Monsal Trail at Blackwell Mill. The A6 is winding, narrow and heavily used. The railway is used by freight trains, which means the width from rail to fence goes up from 6'6" to 9'9", and the track has been slewed to ease the curves, so no room there. A cross country route would be "interesting" as so much of the local scenery is near vertical.

Also at the meeting, somebody mentioned a letter from Network Rail to the local MP. which sets out Network Rail's proposed legal framework for getting Peak Rail into Matlock. Dom, do you have a copy and how far has Peak Rail got in satisfying their requirements and /or estimating the cost involved?

Tim

 

ive heard of this letter!! whilst my primary role has been to get the operational side paperwork sorted for both the connection and from most of our side,there are aspects ive not been involved in as this was company /plc buisness,such as costs, i know there are moneys available from other parties via grants etc,but thats outside my remit,more the office there,the figure ive heard sounds plausible,remember most of these type costs come from paperwork,legal issues ,and the other half from the physical works itself,youl know more about that from the early days of the railway as you were involved in building the line/costings etc before i joined! so have a good idea of all thats entailed.

costs are always an interesting factor, it depends on what NR have costed for,remember things are usually gold plated and as usual will be passed to HMRI to ensure fair play is being maintained in the spirit of getting both sides into Matlock,as you may be aware we have had issues in the past on this, it also depends on who hs drawn up the costings,which contractor etc...

on our side,the proposals paperwork.signalling plans(our side),locking table (our side) etc,and including arthurs track layout on the ground and carriage paperwork have been done,plus other paperwork the office is progressing in line with land/lease issues etc, im currently engaged in carriage records and paperwork with NR on the connection.

noting your comments relating to a joint footway and the buxton to millers dale section of the proposed cycleway,i agree it will indeed be difficult to sort that end out to the benefit off the cycle lobby!!! with the current freight line, i think a new path in the valley bottom runs a better chance,but where to put it!!! with the road,stream etc/

dom

 

Dom - thanks for the update as always very technical and very interesting. Keep me posted about the box would like to get involved with a project like this. Incidentially (and i know that this is jumping the gun) are their any station buildings planned at Matlock and will the pedestrian / wheelchair access be via the "Sainsbury's" bridge (that a number people do not like) and through the Sainsbury's site?

 

as you say the footbridge isnt very much liked, its certainly cut off the true station frontage,and turned it into a cul-de-sac, such a shame and waste,but its there now

the footbridge isnt really any use for wheelchair/disabled access to the platform,the ramp with all the neccesary decents and flat spots would end up coming out half way along the loop, we do forsee the end of the sainsburys /platform end as being the main way onto the platform, which would suit many parties, this is obviously part of the plans of the platform works which are between the board and NR, as these are outside of my remit I dont know any more on the platform works other than that which affects the operations or signalling side of the project,but we are looking towards simpler access for the people wishing to access the platform for our service.

likewise any station infrastructure would be between the board and NR, I did make note of various required services such as electrics,station announcing,telephones and how these may/could interact/affect both NR/PR in my proposals,so that any problems that could occur dont affect either PR or NR, etc etc.

I would think that when the plans for the platform are announced they will be put for display as they affect public infrastructure and will most likely have to be put to the council etc for their perusal if they affect access etc.

hope that helps somewhat,sorry cant be more technical,but thats not my part of the project.

 

Is there a station plan of Matlock to be found online? Even if I look at Google maps max.mag., I find it hard to tell what's what.

 

I was parked in the car park just north of the Matlock NR station last week, opposite the new Sainsbury's store, so can give you a verbal idea of what is what. There is one track through the in-use platform at Matlock. The westernmost platform is out of use and has no track laid. The "in-use" track forks immediately to the North of the NR station to form a long loop that runs past Sainsburys and their car park, under the bridge constructed to give access to the store, and terminates almost alongside the Peak Rail Riverside station platform, but at present offset slightly to the west of their line. At this point the loop has become one track again. At the southern end of this loop, ie immediately to the north of the NR station both arms of the loop are protected by points leading to bufferstops, one of which on the western side, would presumably be removed if Peak Rail are to run into this currently disused platform, after track was laid. A small ground frame is in place to operate these two sets of points.
The loop is probably about a quarter of a mile in length.