Bluebell Northern Extension - so what's occurring then?

For anyone that missed the article on the BBC website:

BBC News - Bluebell Railway memorial for founder Bernard Holden

Tom

 

Just a quick update: work on the cutting has been shut down for a (planned) break over Christmas and the New Year, but with the weather we have been having, it is arguable how much could have been achieved in the cutting even if work had continued.

In the meantime, various signals have appeared at Kingscote: the "up" starter on the "down" platform is now in place (adjacent to the signal box), but with a white cross to show it is not yet being used. There is scaffolding around the "up" starter on the "up" platform, which I assume will be completed next. There is also (largely out of sight to passengers at the moment) a position light signal controlling exit from the down lay-by siding.

The concrete loading gauge for the Kingscote Goods Yard Project has been erected on the down layby. I believe this is a temporary position; the loading gauge was getting damaged lying on its side and it helped protect it to erect it temporarily pending a final move over to the up sidings when the rest of the goods yard is laid in. (Just visible in the background of this photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluebellrailway/8315537506/in/set-72157632354952947/).

The gate across the track at the north end of Kingscote is now gone, as is the catch point that protected the station from trains running down the mainline (what was the engineers' siding!) towards Kingscote. The north end point is still hand operated, but the point motor is in situ ready for connection.

Work continues building the water tower at East Grinstead and preparing more track panels.

Photos from yesterday from John Sandys (not me...) here: NEP Photo Update, 27/12/12 - a set on Flickr

Tom

 

Great work by all concerned. The excitement of the anticipation of the re-opening is almost palpable, looking at the signals standing ready to despatch the first trains northwards. I think 2013 might be the year to venture to the deep south and break my Bluebell duck!

 

We have posted an up to date resume of the state of work at the cutting on railwaytrains.co.uk on 28th December 2012. Whilst still remaining hopeful a look on the ground does show there is a great deal of work still to do to get the line open in the next three months.

The area is totally completely waterlogged and unless there is a way to get machinery onto the work site I personally wonder if the job will be done in the previously announced time scan. For example just replacing the clay to make a base for the line would seem difficult as the clay looks to be presently almost liquid!

If the railway do get the line open by the end of March then I for one will take my hat off to them.

p.s. Normal weather is for windy dry weather in March this would be a great help.

 

News from higher up people suggests that engineers trains will begin operating on the Southern section to Imberhorne in the next week or so. Or at least the traction for it is turning up then.

Meanwhile, at Kingscote there is evidence of change, the new box diagram is working and the 2 arms on the north end starters are in or in the process thereof. Not connected yet though. The gate and trap have gone that give entrance to the Engineers section. Inside the box, all the signal operating switches are in, and powered.

 

There is hope Cashpot....The weather man on the BBC this morning made a rather surprising prediction that after rain on Monday we could enter a drier settled spell for up to a fortnight. They dont usually predict that far ahead, but looking at the Met Office website they do indead have the weather becoming drier and more settled, particularly in the south and east, quite positive in the 6 to 15 day outlook and a little more guarded in the 16-30 day outlook. Presumably they see a "blocking high" becoming established, which would stop the atlantic fronts coming in, and this might just give the Bluebell team the window of opportunity they require to make the break through and get the drainage in.

Fingers crossed...!

 

Fingers crossed indeed.

As I understand, the engineering trains for the first two weeks of January that Tom Waghorn mentions is a slight change of the original plan to lay track north to south, but has the advantage that it can take place regardless of the weather. Think of it as an insurance against further wet weather to let some work continue, albeit not to the optimal plan if everything worked out as originally planned.

Also worth remembering that the ground might look wet in Robert's photos, but the surface is clay, which is impermeable - so the water tends to sit on top rather than soak in. Thus even relatively light rain tends to make things look perhaps wetter than they are. The main problem is that while the surface is wet, it is inadvisable to have heavy machines on the surface as it gets very churned up; and also the residual rubbish needs to be kept dry so can't be uncovered unless there is a reasonable probability of prolonged dry weather. But on the plus side, if the weather does dry out for a couple of weeks, work should progress in the cutting quite quickly.

Meanwhile, as mentioned above, there is plenty of other, non weather-dependent, work going on, particularly with the signalling work at Kingscote.

Tom

 

New year, and work has resumed at the cutting with a vengeance. Hopefully the dry weather will continue.

A couple of interesting things to see in the photos below:

1) The colour light signal (the Kingscote down repeater) was tested for the first time.
2) For those interested, there is a clear view of the north (station runround) groundframe at East Grinstead, which should make the operation of the run round points clear. Remember, there is an entirely separate south ground frame that controls access to and from Network Rail (see about a million pages upthread for discussion).

Photos from John Sandys here: NEP Photo Update,Thurs, 03/01/13 - a set on Flickr

Tom

 

Ballast/P-Way trains booked to start on the South section on Monday 7th January for 2 weeks, no times as of yet.

 

Hauled by what Tom?

 

The Bluebell roster indicates the 08 shunter is running Engineers trains from Monday 7th to Friday 11th so presumably that.

 

Thanks Dan

 

Two updates from the regular Bluebell newsletter:

First, from Chris White, on progress with the project:

And then from Roger Kelly, Funding Director:

Tom

 

Thanks for the update Tom, looks like a good be quite a close thing to be complete by the end of March but fingers crossed we can do it. It brings one of Sir Alex Ferguson's famous phrases to mind "it's squeeky bum time".

 

The latest issue of Bluebell News gives the following updates - these were probably written before Christmas, so things will have moved on a bit since then.

Firstly, on the funding front, Roger Kelly notes that in 2012 we raised over £1million for the second year running (not all for the Northern Extension of course). That puts the current estimated funding gap at £150k - £175k (the opportunity was taken to bring in more machinery after the success of the Double Donation Dash, which means more expense). However, it looks likely that we will be able to open the extension this spring without having had to take out any bank loans. I wonder how many people thought that would be possible about 4 years ago when the scale of digging out the tip, and the looming Landfill Tax costs, were first starting to dawn on the general membership?

The weather has obviously delayed things severely. The railway is still confident that it can meet its March 18th date for handover from Infrastructure to Operations "unless something really horrible happens in January". However, a few (non critical-path) tasks that had been planned to be complete before opening day will now have to take place after that date; these are mostly in the nature of final landscaping of the cutting upper surfaces, tidying up the lineside and a few non-critical tasks at East Grinstead.

Some while pack (post 456) I quoted a list of tasks needed then to finish the extension. That list has been revisited by Chris White, with the latest status as listed below:

Construction tasks
(*) Complete construction of the trackbed through the cutting, about 100m remains but this is very weather-dependent Railhead is now 120metres into the cutting
(*) Install drainage and cable ducts through the cutting. At same stage as track laying as they happen concurrently
(*) Make good embankment surfaces through the cutting Trial completed, remainder will finish before opening
(*) Join up railheads between 16MP and 16 1/2 MP Marked out and preliminary work underway
(*) Install remaining S&T cables and equipment cases and
(*) Test and commission signalling system Due to complete in January
(*) Carry out minor repairs to accommodation bridge (I take this to mean Hill Place Farm bridge, i.e. the northern bridge at the cutting) Repairs will finish in January
(*) Complete repairs to the underside of the viaduct south arch Will be completed in December (presumably has been done by now, but I haven't seen confirmation, but that's an area that tends not to be visited by the "bridge magnets"!)
(*) Provide temporary customer facilities at EG Being prepared off site I think this probably refers to the BSK that was recently purchased for use at EG.
(*) Provide IT and telecoms services at EG Equipment and services on order
(*) Provide intra-station walkway at EG Planned for February
(*) Install signage throughout Planned for February

Post construction tasks
(*) Undertake safety verification of the completed works including any snagging thrown up during the inspection process Planned for February
(*) Obtain approval and issue of operating licence from the ORR Planned for March
(*) Complete the train planning and timetabling activity Well advanced and crew training trains now planned
(*) Update and brief staff in the rulebook, operating procedures and safety management system Revised documents being printed and briefings organised
(*) Undertake test runs and crew training Now scheduled

Tom

 

"Bridge Magnets"

 

Have to say, that one went straight over my forehead - and Google didn't help. Can anyone eludicate? Thanks!

Noel

 

It's a play on "Fridge Magnets" ;-)

 

Perhaps its a metaphor. Would "Bridge Magnate" make any more sense?

 

A playful nickname given to the small band of photographers who have documented the NEP work, especially from vantage points on the two bridges at either end of the cutting. Between them they have done a sterling job, but because most of the NEP is rather remote from public access, some bits of work - such as clearing the cutting - have been quite well documented for instant consumption, but other bits - such as the work to repair the viaduct, or the S&T work, have not been.

Tom