Civil's Week 2002

Civil's Week 2002 saw the beginning of excavation and construction works on the Pont Croesor Extension, after a preliminary year of planning and ground clearance. The first phase is Pen-y-Mount to Traeth Mawr, near Portreuddyn. This is the view north from Pen-y-Mount station showing plant machinery starting work, framed by the magnificent mountains of Cnicht and the Moelwyns.

Rick Beton

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Recently delivered to site, a stack of point components in 75lb/yard flat-bottomed rail. There are five points here, mostly in good condition, along with associated baseplates and fixings.

Rick Beton

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A long shallow hole was needed. This is to take the sub-base below the new extension, consisting of 150mm slate waste and 150mm ballast. The hole had to be dug to accomodate the sub-base and also to lower the rail height to the level of Penmount lane crossing.

Rick Beton

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James Hewett, traditional signwriter of repute, also proves to be adept on the fun yellow machines. The soil pile also provided a handy training ground for James, myself and others to learn to drive the JCB 360 excavator, at the expert instruction of John "The Main" Mayne.

Rick Beton

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Meanwhile, the main gang was half a mile further south doing some essential maintenance. About a hundred old sleepers were to be replaced. The train is coming! Stand Aside everyone!

Rick Beton

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The gang takes a breather whilst Russell and the passenger train approach. Nigel's flag is really red, honest. Well, almost.

Rick Beton

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Some time later, the digging is finished and slate waste has been delivered for infill. It has to be levelled using wooden surveying posts (one is visible in front of Russell), then compacted hard using a vibrating roller. That kept me busy for an hour or two!

Rick Beton

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The sleeper replacement gang finally reach the northern end of the line. Whilst finishing this off, another activity kicks off - building a left hand point from one of the kits in the rail stack (seen earlier).

Rick Beton

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Busy busy busy! More parts are assembled together for the l.h. point, whilst ballast is arriving for the new section.

Rick Beton

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Ballast delivery. In heaps. It has to be spread into a two-metre wide base on the correct alignment. This is not so easy when it arrives by lorry because a lot of moving of ballast is called for. It will be easier when dumper trucks can be used to place it in smaller piles.

Rick Beton

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The ballast had to be laid two-meters wide - here's a useful measuring device, one chappie who happens to be exactly two-metres tall in his hat!

John Kerr

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We would need more ballast later, so Russell kindly brought up three of the Hudson ballast wagons full and ready to use.

Rick Beton

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More surveying, more digging. It saves work later if the top of the ballast is just the right height for the sleepers.

Rick Beton

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The project week aimed to build two points. Here is the second one, a 60lb/yd f.b. right hand point kind supplied by the WHLR (Ffestiniog Railway) from Dinas. The switch blade assembly is carefully pushed onto the new ballast base to be joined to the crossing assembly (lower left).

Rick Beton

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James and CJ enjoy the moment that the point is finally complete. Except of course for a tad more alignment, some more ballast, line & level, and signalling assemblages.

Rick Beton

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Just in case you thought we were'nt busy enough, other members of the gang set about improving the 'back road' where the steam locos go to ash out and coal up. This had been an increasingly poor stretch of line so some of the nice 75lb/yd track came into place.

Rick Beton

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By the time these photos were taken, much of the work had been completed. Here is the place where the last panel will go.

Rick Beton

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Pete and Nick take a moment to assess the work.

Rick Beton

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The left-hand point chappies have finally reached a significant milestone: the tail of the point is sufficiently well assembled, checked, lightly ballasted, and ready to be used as a run-around for Russell, at the hands of a very cautious driver!

Rick Beton

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About half done, the straight components of the left-hand point are finished. Then in will go the right-hand gut rail, joining the crossing to the right-hand switch blade. This allows the left-hand curve to be gauged off, thus completing the point. But first, attention will turn to the short closure between the two points.

The former headshunt under our feet on the right still has its crossing timbers, used for vehicle access to & from Gelert's Farm. I remember building it in 1992 (?) and we did too good a job! It took ages to disassemble!

Dave Allan

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Progress looking north is looking good. Most of the left-hand point is done and the panel of plain line connecting to the 60lb right-hand point is being assembled. The left-hand spur will be a headshunt in the final layout, avoiding possibly dangerous conflicting moves between trains at Pen-y-Mount station and other trains running through to/from the FR Harbour Station.

Rick Beton

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OK Russell, we're ready for that extra ballast now!

Rick Beton

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Russell and ballast wagons on the new trackwork. The footplate is manned by the Seale brothers and father - one of the brothers was at the time in a wheelchair after a serious car accident. It didn't keep him off the footplate, mind!

Rick Beton

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At the end of the week, a groupd of volunteers from the WHRS and other local people came to visit. They were given a guided tour that included the new works and the trackbed on past Penmount Farm and Cynfal Cottage, as well as an in-depth tour of Gelert's Farm Works. One of the visitors had himself been working with us a few days earlier and was back to inspect how we'd progressed. An increasing two-way flow of practical assistance is to the benefit of both WHRS and WHR Ltd (a.k.a. WHR(P)) alike.

Rick Beton

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