Returning to Grantham

[61070]

Hello workev. Not being near enough to Grantham to check up on site I couldn't say what the building was. I've had a good look at google earth, but it's tough trying to spot a chimney when you're looking down it! My best guess is that it could be an old building near the road entrance to the former down side goods yard. There appears to be at least one building with a pitched roof in that area. Next time I'm in the viscinity of Grantham, or pasing through on the train, I'll keep my eyes open.

[workev]

Looking at Google Maps it might be the building that is south of Springfield Road with a line either side (can't see a chimney). It went past quite quick looked a bit grand for a platelayer's hut. I am pretty sure it was south of the green aggregate equipment north of Springfield Road.

I guess that it was at the entrance to the yard from the South.

Ian

[61070]

Another group of workers regularly seen attending to their never-ending duties on a busy high-speed main line with jointed track was the permanent way gang.

The first (in order of taking) of these three photographs shows D9013 The Black Watch passing through Grantham station in the up direction on 15th August 1963 hauling train 1A35, the up The Flying Scotsman which, of course, did not call at Grantham at that time. Its speed at this point was therefore probably 60 or 70mph and accelerating, following the speed restriction for the curve approaching the station from the north. Now, look along the down line to a point opposite the train’s third carriage and you will see three figures. They are two permanent way men accompanied by a lookout (the man on the left, wearing a jacket and a cap). The man on the right of the group is well into in the ‘six-foot’ and he is bending over with his head quite close to the train, attending to something. Although indistinct, there is a fourth figure further along the down line, towards Grantham North signal box.

For the second photograph my father has walked along the platform to where the men are working. You can see that, having cleared ballast from around some sleepers with their shovels, they've raised the right hand rail with a hydraulic jack to remove a dip. Nearby, in a galvanised ‘tin bath’ type of container, is what appears to be a finer grade of ballast material and this, presumably, will be packed into the void seen under the sleepers to maintain the correct level when the jack is released. Most likely the fourth man, nearer the ‘box, was sighting along the rail to indicate when the joint has been lifted sufficiently.

The short wooden posts, a pair of which is seen in front of the locomotive between the tracks, and a single one behind the man with the shovel, are reference points for track alignment, which is particularly critical between station platform edges.

In the third photograph, the men appear to be making ready to move onto the platform, perhaps because a train is expected; or, maybe, the job is largely finished with only the ballast to replace around the sleeper ends. It is apparent from this picture that the problem is a 'dipped joint', because the fishplated rail joint can be seen above the man's left hand. Dipped joints were common defects resulting from wear at the areas of contact between the rail ends and the fishplate. Today's main line track is formed of continuous welded rail and regular 'joint packing' is no longer needed.

Note no ‘hi-vis’ jackets are being worn, nor (apparently) steel-capped boots - but don't you just love that Fair Isle sleeveless pullover! Furthermore, there is no immediately available safe refuge clear of all traffic, except by jumping up onto the platform. I daresay, however, that the ‘bobbies’ in both Grantham North and the Yard ’boxes are keeping an eye on what’s going on. There aren’t nearly so many watchful pairs of eyes around on today’s railway.

[cambois]

Looks like "measured shovel packing" to me whereby the track line was maintained pre-tampers. I remember watching it being done as a youngster.

As an aside have enjoyed this thread having spent a few years living at Grantham and travelling through the station. Please keep it going

[60129 GUY MANNERING]

Ian,
on which side of the track was it please as I live locally and will have a look.
Regards.

[workev]

On the West side, south of the station.

Ian

[ROY@34F]

,

Anyway on to my question. On speeding through Grantham I noticed a remnant from 34F, a brick building with complete chimney, some way south from the station. I cannot recall whether it has been mentioned before (if it has I apologise), but what was it?

Ian

Hi Ian, I think the building you refer to is the old down side goods shunters cabin/office. There used to be a foreman and one or two shunters using it. It is certainly still there , very near to,and on the north side of Springfield Rd., and there is no other old railway building near by.....regards , Roy.

[Bryan]

Measured shovel packing still exists nowadays.
However it is normally carried out by a Stoneblower very similar to a tamper.
It calculates through its own passage along the track how much chippings to inject below the sleeper. http://www.ontrackplant.com/photo/80303
Previously this was worked out by use of Kelbus? gauges that recorded the amount of dip or depression of the rail by the passage of trains. This indicated on a scale how many canisters of chippings to place under each sleeper. The canister is the small tin in the bath in the photo.
On the NYMR we do something similar but slightly modernised. We jack a dipped joint up to a slight peak, crosslevel the track with another jack and then blow chippings in with an air powered chipping injector. The whole rig is the size of a large wheelbarrow. It works well just takes time and a lot of pre dumped chippings.

[PGBerrie]

Fascinating - is the "canister" an offical imperial measure? I spent some some time last year collecting odd industrial units for a standardisation project, but did not come across this one!

Photographs, as ever, out of this world,

Peter

[StevieG]

I once saw a B&W training film, "Measured Shovel Packing". Not sure if it's one that BTF made and/or that the BFI or others have preserved and ever made available for sale.

[61070]

Thanks gents. Following your leads I found this on YouTube. Fascinating detail. Voidmeters and Canisters (dual capacity for different width sleepers!) all explained and demonstrated with mathematical precision.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1MnK68Se-g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-v-5Uf1 ... re=related

If the sight of Jubilees, Coronations, Princess Royals, etc. upsets you, look away at occasional intervals!

[PGBerrie]

Wow!! Web training on track maintenance, and that 70 or 80 years before Internet was born. I seem to remember something similar for crossing the road - we were all herded into the Co-op cinema, and Coco the Clown (remember Bertram-Mills circus?) taught us - with the aid of a film, to look left, look right, then left again... I still do it today, although where I live now, the cars drive on the right!

Peter

[workev]

Roy,

Many thanks for confirmation of the building.

Ian

[61070]

Here are some shots of porters going about the business of the day.

Because there was no lift to give access for trolleys and barrows to the footbridge, all parcels and mail to or from the down platform had to be taken across the main lines. At the south end of the platforms, opposite the Yard Box, was a barrow crossing. The platform end ramps and the gaps in the wooden boards of the crossing, where the rails passed through, meant that plenty of muscle power was needed – normally three or four men. The trolleys had no brakes, so keeping them under control on the descent to track level was as strenuous as the haul up the other side. The barrow crossing remained in use at Grantham until a couple of years ago, when lifts were finally installed.

1. Towards the evening of our first ever visit, on 31st August 1961, these four very smartly turned out men are about to descend the ramp outside the Yard Box.

When I was digitally ‘tidying up’ this picture the other day I made the effort to try to read what is embossed into the metal containers. It turns out to be ‘BRITISH RAILWAYS COLLICO SERVICE’. I’m hoping that someone out there will be able to enlighten us as to what this service was. When I Googled the above this reference appeared, to a booklet in the Ken Hoole Collection (which, incidentally, demonstrates what a great job the people who manage and document that collection are doing):
BRITISH RAILWAYS - BRITISH RAILWAYS COLLICO SERVICE. INSTRUCTIONS RELATING TO THE HIRE, MOVEMENT, DOCUMENTATION, CHARGING AND ACCOUNTANCY OF COLLAPSIBLE CASES UNDER THE "BRITISH RAILWAYS COLLICO SERVICE" ARRANGEMENTS. 1963. KH.2733.
It helped a little - but not much!

2. These porters are at the south end of the down platform. They are probably waiting for a train to pass before taking the trolley across the main line to the parcels office. On the right is the shunting disc signal whose mechanical detector, at track level, was identified by StevieG in his post of Sept 14th 2010 (page 23).
The men are, left to right, Alf Woodward, Mr White and Bob Carpenter.
June 27th 1963

3. Pulling a trolley loaded with some Michelin tyres along platform 3, towards the barrow crossing at the south end of the station.
August 15th 1963

[v3man]

Re. BR COLLICO SERVICE there are currently two items shown on ebay (both ended) at:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BRITISH-RAIL-COLL ... 0540884754

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BR-COLLICO-SERVIC ... 0642686200

The Booklet is entitled British Railways Collico Service, Instructions relating to the Hire, Movement, Documentation, Charging and Accountancy of collapsible cases under the "British Railways Collico service" arrangements 1st January 1963 and ,of course, the usual 'PRIVATE and not for publication'