Spring Maintenance on the MDLR................
Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2010 11:14 pm
Had a busy day today............ and not a train in sight (apart from the full-size ones one field away)
First job was to finally finish relaying the track which had been ripped up last year. There was only a yard-and-a-bit to do, and that was in the siding at Alport Junction, but it needed doing, so today it got done. I had actually got a short length made up in the workshop, so only had to make up one length (the curved bit) from scratch.
Once that was done - platform repairs. The MDLR's station platforms (apart from one which was going to be ripped up and replaced last year until Other Things got in the way) are all made of wood, so they (and the wooden bridge) get a dose of Real Creosote™ most years. The one at Alport Junction was fine, but one piece of the one at Lathkill Dale needed replacing.
In addition, when I relaid the loop at Haddon, I made the curve rather more generous than it had been in an attempt to get rid of a problem section of track, so the platform didn't come up to the track like it should. Building this was an absolute SWINE - straight platforms are a doddle, platforms with one curved face are a bit of a so-and-so, but platforms with both faces curved should be avoided if at all possible!
I also built and installed the shuttering for the new base for the windmill - needs a bit of fill on two sides as the ground wasn't level, but that's an evening job.
So - all in all a most constructive day!
Finally, all was done to my satisfaction and I came up to do computery things still smelling of creosote!
First job was to finally finish relaying the track which had been ripped up last year. There was only a yard-and-a-bit to do, and that was in the siding at Alport Junction, but it needed doing, so today it got done. I had actually got a short length made up in the workshop, so only had to make up one length (the curved bit) from scratch.
Once that was done - platform repairs. The MDLR's station platforms (apart from one which was going to be ripped up and replaced last year until Other Things got in the way) are all made of wood, so they (and the wooden bridge) get a dose of Real Creosote™ most years. The one at Alport Junction was fine, but one piece of the one at Lathkill Dale needed replacing.
In addition, when I relaid the loop at Haddon, I made the curve rather more generous than it had been in an attempt to get rid of a problem section of track, so the platform didn't come up to the track like it should. Building this was an absolute SWINE - straight platforms are a doddle, platforms with one curved face are a bit of a so-and-so, but platforms with both faces curved should be avoided if at all possible!
I also built and installed the shuttering for the new base for the windmill - needs a bit of fill on two sides as the ground wasn't level, but that's an evening job.
So - all in all a most constructive day!
Finally, all was done to my satisfaction and I came up to do computery things still smelling of creosote!
