Three gangs made excellent progress in the S&T department this Saturday. The first took a p-way trolley and our petrol rail drill to fit new bonding from Ruddington to Fifty steps. 'Bonds' being the wires which ensure good electrical continuity through rail joints. Needless to say there are a lot of these, so getting 2/3rds of the way there with a small team is a solid achievement.
Down at Hotchley Hill, we fitted a new door for the 'Ash Stash' under the stairs. As illustrated, this is a very small opening, so we assembled a new plate steel door during the week to appropriate dimensions. As if there had never been any doubt, it fitted well, and was then disassembled for priming and painting.
In the relay room, we finished painting the walls. As well as looking clean, this makes the space far brighter - much needed in the absence of windows. Outside, we gave the bank and the ditch its first proper mow of the year.
The third group stayed at Ruddington, and was pleased to report that the new CCTV system at the signalbox there is now on-line. There has been a great deal of work behind the scenes to install everything required that we can't really publicise, and it isn't finished yet, but this is a big step forward.
