The guys have done a lot of work down at Winter Creek Junction.

Loading these photos tonight with a glass of wine in my Adelaide City Apartment and feeling rather homesick for a cuppa in the workshop and the smell of oil, coal and the sound of steam through green bush!

George and Noel finish cutting the bank back at the junction. The idea is to make sufficient room for people to move about their trains without fouling the other tracks. We have discovered trains like to gather here...

Bank cut back, ready for drainage, retaining and paving

Rod, George and Bill taking some satisfaction at all their hard work at the junction

Putting up the railing at the man-entrance end of the 1/2 scale signal box

Timber for ballast boards stacked at the signal box. The tram shows its nose on the extreme right. It was a throw-together, but it sure has earnt its keep building the railway. Must have done hundreds of Km hauling materials up and down the line.

Summer has been hot and dry. The bank at the south end of bridge 1 continues to move a bit several years after being built. A maintenance headache.

Peter is making good progress on the Baldwin.

Team have been busy putting the pickets up.

Peter tries out one of Georges chairs. Where's the hammocks?

Tags:

Here is an update on the last three weeks of effort from the team while I watch from Adelaide.

13 Jan 2013

Bill Parker has got the water pump working reliably on the Hunslet
Bill (Williams) and Jim did the weed spraying on the track
Rod lubricated all the turnouts and linkages
Jim finsihed off his concret junction box mold

20 Jan 2013

George painted the inside of the signal box
Rod measured up for the new loco shed (This will be located down near the signal box for members locos)
Jim worked on the concrete junction boxes for the signalling system
Peter dug a trench through the steaming bays for a compressed air line

26 & 27 Jan 2013 

Rod, Jim, Bill and Peter put a lot of effort into finishing the steaming bays. Only one left to do

Whew! - at this rate the railway will be in top-notch condition when I return from Adelaide!

Bill Parker takes Peter's Alice for a trail run after refitting the water pump

Rod cutting a paver for the steaming bay area

Jim is back in NZ for the summer, and knowing a thing or two about bricks gets the tricky job

Another shot of Jim working in the steaming bay area

Two bays complete!

Three bays done

Tags:

July has been a bit wet and cold to do much outside, but when the pot belly stove is fired up and food smells are wafting through the shed - we dont mind!

Chris welding sleepers onto one long rail using the short sleeper spacing jig.

George and Rod positioning the rail. This was a constantly changing radius curve so had to be welded in place.

Noel testing his completed signal bridge truss. Not bad for a first welding job!

George welding track sections for the sidings

Jul 22nd - Rod volunteered for cooking duties. A fry up of Eggs, Bacon, sausages, black pudding and bread went down very well!

Not my most photogenic shot ever! - Noel in the background working on his signal bridge legs

Peters new Baldwin Locomotive is coming along nicely

I cleaned out the Britannia's smokebox yesterday.

Peter squirting compressed air up each tube to clean the loose stuff from firebox cleaning. Rod and George in the background

Tags:

Been experimenting for some time with various designs for train detection. Given all our track is welded and we have dual guage, normal track circuits are not possible.

After talking through my latest design a couple of weeks ago, and lamenting the complexity of manufacture & installation - Bill had a brainwave and together with Peter and I - we soon came up with a vertical drill hole design that is both simple and quick to install shown here. we have installed one on a raised rail section for monitoring over the next couple of months to see how it copes with the weather and have a couple of potential modifications if rust in the hole becomes a problem.

The Jig Bill made for accurately locating the holes

Shows stepped holes and detectors - brass screws in plastic tube with a rubber washer and tail cable that goes right through the rail

Completed test detector. Screws are adjustable, and sit slightly proud of the rail. The rubber washer allows them to retract under each wheel

Tags:

Sunday 14th April - we had a full compliment of crew with Georges return from the Sth Island. Got stuck into getting Air and Water services down to the signalbox, and while the trench was open we took the opportunity to lay signal cables around the turntable leads area. Rod started work in the shed on the new Double Slip for the Signalbox area.

Rod working on the dual gauge double slip. Working out how it works makes your head spin!

Most of the team spent the day installing air, water and signal cables around the turntable area

Bill does the digging for an air line while James supervises. George and Peter work on signal cabling.

James temporarily labeling signal cables. Hope he's got it right!

Tags:

Winter Creek junction was built summer 2010 in the push toward finishing the mainline. It will be a focus point on the mainline as trains gather strength before tackling the heavy grade to the summit - where the Hillside branch joins the main.

Darryl using the trusty Gravely to level trackbed roughed in by Chris with the digger

This will be a busy place where trains rest before tackling the heavy grade.

This photo was taken from the deck of Bridge one.

Steve welding in the junction's pointwork

Pointwork took some time to construct

From the south looking toward bridge six (on the right) and big cutting (to the left of Peter)

Drivers eye view entering the junction

Bridge six is visible but we are taking the left fork through the cutting

Tags: Winter Creek Junction