track and sleeper replacment in my town

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ive been saving this thread for a while, waiting for the last bit of work to be done. seems that is finally happening this weekend, so will update next week.

the initial work was done around the steamrail shed, a club i have close ties with but am yet to join fully. from there it moved a bit furthur out towards the industrial area on a reverse curve [S bend]. the final section for this year is out in the industrial section proper.

at steamrail, they replaced old wooden sleepers with new concrete ones, fully digging out the railbed that was contaminated from the flood in 2015. they relaid everything and replaced the ballast.

a little furthur up the line, they removed the threaded in new sleepers.

on the reverse curve, they replaced sleepers and laid a heavier grade track to allow the heavy freight trains to move. the job i held in 2015, building a milk drying tower, is the reason for the heavier trains. more product being produced for export.

the first batch of photos were taken 11th of march. i took over 200 photos that weekend, getting there before and after work to capture as much as i could.

an up high shot of the shed and yard. all of the rolling stock in the grassed area, the wagons in front of the big shed and two small yellow buildings all belong to steamrail.
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the dug out trackbed.
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digging out behind the shed.
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laying drainage and filter cloth. the cloth allows water to drain, and also prevents dirt from migrating up and contaminating the ballast.
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compacting the new ballast and measuring track placement.
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same spot, from the other side. sleepers laid.
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one of the two hi-rail diggers placing the new sleepers. these were masterful to watch.
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filter mat and mesh.
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placing the track back in position. they used the original track on this section
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teamwork.
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getting rid of the old sleepers. the ones that were ok were sold to garden centres and the likes.
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looking down the line.
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pouring in the new ballast.
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next post will be sundays photos, there will be less as i was photographing before and after work.

lining the tracks up perfectly, ready for clamping into place.
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let the clamping commence! the tower in the background is near where i took the aerial shot from. there is a smaller tower next to the big one.
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up on the hi-rail, dragging the ballast over and around the sleepers.
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the blade head making sure the tracks are clear of excess stones.
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the next batch was taken the next day from a bit furthur back up the line, re-threading new sleepers without touching the track.

the weather cleared for a little while.

removing the old sleeper. if you walked the tracks across the road, you would be at steamrail.
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tapping the new one into place.
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they would grip the middle of the sleeper and wiggle it back and forth to loosen it, and then slide it out the side. the new one would be slid in, and the ballast packed under both sides and the middle.
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the crew at work.
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i went back to steamrail just to fill in time while i waited for the shunt to come out. the weather packed in so i gave up.
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stop block at the end of a siding and various digger blades.
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from an overbridge up the road a bit.
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these were taken on the tuesday, when they moved to the reverse curve, unloading the new sleepers. i only took a few photos as not much happening and i got there just before their lunch break.

hi rail with goods "trolley"
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the crew scraping the ballast away from the old clamps so they could get to them quickly and easier.
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looking up the curve, towards the industrial area.
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from wednesday, the works train that delivered the heavier grade track. sadly, i missed its arrival, but was able to get a few photos when it was back in the yard and got to see the loco go on the turntable.

DC4692 being driven on the turntable so it could return to base facing the right way.
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i think the green wagon is for gear and crew to travel in. background shows assorted steamrail rolling stock includng boxcars. im not sure what the round wagon was for, will have to ask blair.
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on the turntable. the flatdecks in front carried the track. the blue covers protect a crane motor used to unload.
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more flatdeck, with cement carrier behind it.
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the full train, though hidden behind the dirt pile. that is what was dug out of the track bed earlier in the week.
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i had a break for a couple of days when they werent working, and went back on saturday for a while. i had family commitments so had to split my time between them and the tracks.

looking out towards the industrial area.
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looking back down the line towards steamrail.
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the table trolley. the crew uses this to hold clips and plates, ready to grab as each new sleeper gets placed.
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out with the old...
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and in with the new
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the crew watching and waiting their turn
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thats it for now. im caught up to the current work, and need to edit the photos i took on sunday due to them coming out a bit dark. i was shooting into the sun, and didnt have an option of moving without putting myself in danger.
i also was asked by a friend who works for kiwirail to send through a few photos to kiwirail themselves. i sent 5, and they will be used in a future staff newsletter! a dream come true, that!

the excess photos can be found here: http://sunstomyandfriends.weebly.com/tra...-2017.html
my website address has changed: https://sunscollections.weebly.com/
(This post was last modified: 04-12-2017, 07:11 AM by sunhuntin.)
[-] The following 6 users Like sunhuntin's post:
  • DalaGStanator, drewbenn, Off The Rails, Super, Ucwepn, WoodWheel92
Wow Sun, that is a fantastic pictorial. What exactly is this Steamrail Club? Are these tracks just for like restored trains and such and not part of the NZ railway system? You say "the job I held in 2015" was that building the Milk Tower? Great job Sun and looks like it took you a long time including the editing of all those pictures here and on your Web site.
[Image: super-smiley-emoticon.gif]
It's fascinating to see the methods used to lay tracks in different countries. Heck, here in the US, there's even a difference in how the Class 1 roads do it! Having watched a few upgrades and rebuilds of existing lines over the years, I don't think I've ever seen one this extensive. Thanks for taking the time to photograph it all and sharing it with us.
[-] The following 1 user Likes Off The Rails's post:
  • Super
cheers, super and OTR.
just marked up this map, thought it might be of interest and help show where work was done. this was the first of 3 major upgrades over three years.
[Image: map.jpg]

the tracks upgraded are part of the national system. steamrail leases/owns a couple of sidings that dont really connect up anymore, and can apply for use of one length of track to run the jiggers. it was formed in 89, and they operate as a preservation group, storing and repairing old rolling stock and early diesel locos, along with memorabilia like blue prints and signs.
http://steamrailwanganuiinc.weebly.com/

yes, the milk tower was my 2015 job. the rail runs right past the shed i was based in, and my friend that drives locos would sometimes toot at me as he went by.

what they did here doesnt happen often, certainly not in town, and may never happen in my lifetime again. the big flood in 2015 reached past the steamrail shed, and inside the shed itself was mid-calf deep. i was told that ballast is designed to lock together when compressed. with the flood, it left a lot of mud and silt behind, which affected the locking ability, thats why it was such an extensive job rather than just sleeper replacement.
my website address has changed: https://sunscollections.weebly.com/
(This post was last modified: 04-12-2017, 07:44 PM by sunhuntin.)
[-] The following 1 user Likes sunhuntin's post:
  • Super
Thanks Sun, very interesting. Is everything volunteers and paid for by donations? I really liked this slogan on the SteamRail's web site...


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yes, subs and donations cover the costs. i am not aware of them receiving help financially from any other organisation. donation of goods like paint maybe, but not cash. Smile

blair likes hunting down pics like that for the newsletters and websites.
my website address has changed: https://sunscollections.weebly.com/
[-] The following 1 user Likes sunhuntin's post:
  • Super



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