In the Victor Isle topic I have made reference to my volunteering on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in Cumbria. 2013 has been a very turbulent year for the line, with the workshops at Ravenglass destroyed by fire in March, destroying components for 3 locos, rendering two of them out of service until 2014 at the earliest and delaying the return of the 3rd until the end of July. This resulted in locos being hired in from the Bure Valley Railway and the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway. Throughout the year I've been videoing trains on the line (I volunteer on the track, and hence see plenty of train movements!) and I have put all of my footage into a video, together with some taken on occasions that I've managed to get on the footplate of locos, and casual visits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f97zTgNEG9w
A particular highlight in my eyes is the section taken from the footplate of Samson on a ride up the line back in June.
Enjoy everyone!
A year in the life of the R&ER 2013
A year in the life of the R&ER 2013
"What the hell is that?"
"It's a model icebreaker sir."
"It's a bit big isn't it?"
"It's a full scale model sir....."
"It's a model icebreaker sir."
"It's a bit big isn't it?"
"It's a full scale model sir....."
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Soar Valley Light
- Driver
- Posts: 1454
- Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 5:18 pm
- Location: North West Leicestershire
A very good little documentary Laalratty. It's far more years than I care to remember since I visited the line, I'd forgotten what character it has and how beautiful the scenery it runs through is.
The track looks well maintained, you're obviously doing a good job. I have laid 15" gauge track and know just how difficult it is, give me standard gauge any day of the week! I noticed a lot of exposed sleeper ends on some of your shots, do you get much trouble with lateral movement due to heat? On the big job we are obsessed with maintaining adequate shoulders to keep things firmly in place.
I'll finish off with a controversial comment! Is is just me that is disappointed by Traincrew on heritage lines who parade around in orange all day long, even when on board a train or miles from the open railway? I think it detracts from the character of many of our railways. If you make a risk based assessment of the matter there is very little danger to staff in these circumstances. Out on the open line yes, I'm all for it but on a station platform I think it is far more professional and smart for operating staff to be wearing a nice smart uniform.
Thanks again for the film. It's yet another thing that I've come across on here which has given me ideas and inspiriation fro the creation of my own railway (eventually!).
Andrew
The track looks well maintained, you're obviously doing a good job. I have laid 15" gauge track and know just how difficult it is, give me standard gauge any day of the week! I noticed a lot of exposed sleeper ends on some of your shots, do you get much trouble with lateral movement due to heat? On the big job we are obsessed with maintaining adequate shoulders to keep things firmly in place.
I'll finish off with a controversial comment! Is is just me that is disappointed by Traincrew on heritage lines who parade around in orange all day long, even when on board a train or miles from the open railway? I think it detracts from the character of many of our railways. If you make a risk based assessment of the matter there is very little danger to staff in these circumstances. Out on the open line yes, I'm all for it but on a station platform I think it is far more professional and smart for operating staff to be wearing a nice smart uniform.
Thanks again for the film. It's yet another thing that I've come across on here which has given me ideas and inspiriation fro the creation of my own railway (eventually!).
Andrew
"Smith! Why do you only come to work four days a week?
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"
We don't tend to have too much trouble with lateral movement, mainly due to a regular fishplate greasing, 1/3rd of the line is done each year. We've changed the ballast used in the last 3 years, we used to use 20mm limestone, called by our foreman "******* ball bearing ballast" because it tended to run away and expose the sleeper ends, no we use a larger size of granite which stays in place much better.Soar Valley Light:94730 wrote:
The track looks well maintained, you're obviously doing a good job. I have laid 15" gauge track and know just how difficult it is, give me standard gauge any day of the week! I noticed a lot of exposed sleeper ends on some of your shots, do you get much trouble with lateral movement due to heat? On the big job we are obsessed with maintaining adequate shoulders to keep things firmly in place.
I'll finish off with a controversial comment! Is is just me that is disappointed by Traincrew on heritage lines who parade around in orange all day long, even when on board a train or miles from the open railway? I think it detracts from the character of many of our railways. If you make a risk based assessment of the matter there is very little danger to staff in these circumstances. Out on the open line yes, I'm all for it but on a station platform I think it is far more professional and smart for operating staff to be wearing a nice smart uniform.
As for clothing, yes High-Vis does tend to ruin the atmosphere, thing is generally the only suitable work-wear waterproof you can get these days is High-Vis, and it is also very good for keeping you warm as well. When it is dry then 9 times out of 10 you will only see High-Vis on the PW gang, we do have to wear it whenever we are out on the track when trains are running. I must admit we're not the best for professional clothing at Ravenglass, saying that there is at least one driver who has been known to wear the full bib, brace, shirt and tie with greasetop for special events. One station master has a full uniform as well.
"What the hell is that?"
"It's a model icebreaker sir."
"It's a bit big isn't it?"
"It's a full scale model sir....."
"It's a model icebreaker sir."
"It's a bit big isn't it?"
"It's a full scale model sir....."
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Soar Valley Light
- Driver
- Posts: 1454
- Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 5:18 pm
- Location: North West Leicestershire
It sounds like a robust maintenance regime. Granite is probably slightly more angular than limestone and certainly more resistant to rounding off through attrition. It's why the national network adopted it exclusively many years ago.
Well done for wearing the high viz on the pway too. That's where it is important. I'm all for safety first. It was people like train crew (whilst on the train) and station staff (whilst on the station) that I was thinking of. I certainly wasn't suggesting that the Ratty had a particular problem in this direction. Based on your You Tube clip they are certainly no worse that the majority and probably better than some.
Well done for getting stuck into the less glamorous tasks. There are far too many people in heritage who just come along for the 'chocolate bit' of operating the railway. There are never enough of them prepared to eat the 'dry biscuit' of repairing the track, signalling, rolling stock or even loco's. When I started in preservation over thirty years ago you HAD to work for one of the engineering departments to even be considered for an operating job. Sadly we can't keep the job running without all the operating staff these days but it does mean the selfless few are left to fight the often loosing battle of maintaining the railway. It's a shame really, as I'm sure you'll agree, they are missing out on one of the more enjoyable and sociable aspects of volunteering. It's certainly a good way to learn how the railway fits together which can be very handy for building garden railways!
Do you find much of the original railway when you are poking about in the ballast? I think it was a fascinating railway.
Keep up the good work.
Andrew
Well done for wearing the high viz on the pway too. That's where it is important. I'm all for safety first. It was people like train crew (whilst on the train) and station staff (whilst on the station) that I was thinking of. I certainly wasn't suggesting that the Ratty had a particular problem in this direction. Based on your You Tube clip they are certainly no worse that the majority and probably better than some.
Well done for getting stuck into the less glamorous tasks. There are far too many people in heritage who just come along for the 'chocolate bit' of operating the railway. There are never enough of them prepared to eat the 'dry biscuit' of repairing the track, signalling, rolling stock or even loco's. When I started in preservation over thirty years ago you HAD to work for one of the engineering departments to even be considered for an operating job. Sadly we can't keep the job running without all the operating staff these days but it does mean the selfless few are left to fight the often loosing battle of maintaining the railway. It's a shame really, as I'm sure you'll agree, they are missing out on one of the more enjoyable and sociable aspects of volunteering. It's certainly a good way to learn how the railway fits together which can be very handy for building garden railways!
Do you find much of the original railway when you are poking about in the ballast? I think it was a fascinating railway.
Keep up the good work.
Andrew
"Smith! Why do you only come to work four days a week?
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"
The track has all be totally relaid, and some bits two or three times and many parts have had levels changed significantly over the years so we haven't dug up any old company relics since about the 1970's. Mill Wood and Wet cutting are also known to be on new alignments from the 1920's, but you can make out the old 3 foot gauge alignment at the top of Wet Cutting.
And yes, all the points you make about PW are very true, we are lucky at Ravenglass in that some of those who are passed out guards join us on the track, including many of the younger ones (although I'm only 24 myself), since the Foreman changed a couple of years ago standards and time spent on the track have shot up, to great benefit
And yes, all the points you make about PW are very true, we are lucky at Ravenglass in that some of those who are passed out guards join us on the track, including many of the younger ones (although I'm only 24 myself), since the Foreman changed a couple of years ago standards and time spent on the track have shot up, to great benefit
"What the hell is that?"
"It's a model icebreaker sir."
"It's a bit big isn't it?"
"It's a full scale model sir....."
"It's a model icebreaker sir."
"It's a bit big isn't it?"
"It's a full scale model sir....."
-
Soar Valley Light
- Driver
- Posts: 1454
- Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 5:18 pm
- Location: North West Leicestershire
It's good to hear you get some help mate. People say platelaying is a young mans game but that's often an excuse to avoid it. It's more about fitness and skill in use of tools. You will appreciate, I'm sure, that there is far more to digging than just driving a shovel into the ground. Even at my age (said he sounding like an old f*rt) and with a kn*ckered shoulder, I can still carry a standard gauge sleeper or turn out a check rail on my own. That said, I wouldn't last half a day crash packing, but it would stop me helping!
It's good to hear that there are still signs of the old railway traceable. Did any stock survive from it? I'm sure the loco's would be good candidates for live steam models. Is there much left of the formation up to the quarries? I mus try and find time for a visit up there before too much longer.
It's good to hear that there are still signs of the old railway traceable. Did any stock survive from it? I'm sure the loco's would be good candidates for live steam models. Is there much left of the formation up to the quarries? I mus try and find time for a visit up there before too much longer.
"Smith! Why do you only come to work four days a week?
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"
The only surviving stock is one end of the "big Saloon", which survived as a garden shed. The formation of the line to Boot is still fully traceable, it is a public footpath and nearly 100 years since its last use you can still see some of the depressions from where the sleepers used to be.
"What the hell is that?"
"It's a model icebreaker sir."
"It's a bit big isn't it?"
"It's a full scale model sir....."
"It's a model icebreaker sir."
"It's a bit big isn't it?"
"It's a full scale model sir....."
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