Scraping out the muck that has gathered over the last few months
It's an essential job
Looking much better, and far less chance of problems happening now
Drilling holes for the pins that will secure the rail
Spacing out the sleepers evenly
On the Nursery Line, the track has been lifted, the track bed dug out and a layer of ballast laid to allow plenty of drainage for the new track
Hammering the pins in - two in the outside and one on the inside of the rail
Greased fish plates join two rails together
Ensuring the correct gauge - this is the Nursery Line, so it's 2 feet between the rails here
Jacking up the rail so that the sleepers can be removed
Unbolting the fish plates to remove the old rail
The track has been lifted, the track bed will need to be dug out, levelled and re-laid with ballast before any sleepers can be put down
All aboard the maintenance wagon
Fetching new lengths of rail
More ballast arrives - this is the first of two 20 ton deliveries
Applying grease to the rails before the fish plates are bolted in place
Bolting the fish plates on - it's a messy job with all that grease
Ensuring that the sleeper is correctly positioned before the rail is fixed
Positioning the new rails
A bit of coaxing required
If not cleaned, the accumulation of leaves and dirt will cause problems with the points
Spreading the ballast
As the track is ballasted, a check on the level is kept and adjusted if necessary by jacking the track and tamping more ballast under the offending sleepers
More ballast required!
Loading 4 to 5 tons of ballast into the dumper - for spreading by hand
The track is now ballasted and just needs a sweep to tidy it up
Everything in place, joined up and fixed
Where the new 35lb/yd rail joins the older 20lb/yd stock a custom fish plate is used - the older rail will be replaced at a later date
This section of track runs through Peat Field 1 & 2 - this is why they are called Peat Field 1 & Peat Field 2!
This section just past the glasshouse (on the Nursery Line) needed attention too - the track has been lifted and the track bed dug out with a mini digger
Initial bed of ballast goes down for the sleepers to rest on - this allows any water to drain away so that the sleepers are not waterlogged - otherwise they will rot more quickly
Sleepers for the glasshouse section
Toby the maintenance diesel shunting the wagon with the sleepers
Whacking the bed of ballast ready for the sleepers
New rails loaded onto the maintenance wagon - these weigh just under 350lb (over 150kg) each
Finished track - see if you can spot it when you ride the Nursery Line
Further along this rail needs replacing - with still a few days before 2011 opening it's a priority
Dragging the rail into position
Positioning the final sleepers
Other than a quick sweep, this section of track is now finished
Drainage pipe installed to help the track last longer
