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Eridge Extension News - Renewal of Groombridge Point

The project to replace the point at the Tunbridge Wells end of Groombridge run round loop is viewed as an important piece in the Eridge extension jigsaw for a number of reasons. Firstly it will enable a platform extension to brought into use which means that the use of 4 coach trains can become a regular occurrence, rather than at just special events and with additional brake compartments in the formation. The platform extension will also mean that train crews get a better view of the train as it departs the platform towards Eridge. Finally the completion of the trackwork means that the signals for the passing loop can be sited, constructed and installed. 

What is a BV point?? The B stands for the type of angle of the turnout road. The higher the letter, the slower the turnout radius and in theory, the higher the speed a train can travel over it. The V stands for vertical, meaning the rails stand vertically rather than inclined towards the middle of the track like plain line flat bottom rails.

Latest Eridge Extension News
BV Point Installation - Winter 2009
2008 Eridge News
2009 Eridge News
'Return to Eridge' Project Home Page
Eridge Project Requirements
Read the Steam Railway Magazine Article "Great Eridge-pectations" outlining the project

9th January - BV INSTALLATION BEGINS

Saturday 3rd January marked the beginning of this winter's biggest project. Whilst the railway is closed, the Permanent Way gang have planned and are now hard at work to replace a turnout at the end of Groombridge station, to enable the run round loop to be converted into a passing loop, in preparation for the opening of Eridge. This project has been on the cards for a number of years but problems in sourcing a suitable turnout has meant that it was placed on the back-burner. It now also means that the platform extension at Groombridge can be brought into use, as well as allowing the erection of signals to take place in readiness for commissioning the passing loop.

The pictures below are a photo diary of the progress made over the last seven days. A lot of people in the track gang have taken a lot of time out of their lives to progress this job which would have otherwise taken around 2 months to install. As can be seen right at the bottom, great progress has been made in this huge project, with nearly half the new point already installed. Other work will see the run round loop connected up to the point once its installation is complete.

SATURDAY JANUARY 3RD

The team assembled early on Saturday 3rd and after some shunting to get the final pieces of stock in the right places and unloading the digger which has been hired in for this project, attention turned to breaking the point down into its component parts, ready for removal. Once the point had been removed the two track panels leading into the point from Groombridge station were also removed and a start made on clearing some of the spoil and ballast that the old point once sat in.

Above Left: The Class 12 15224 makes one of the last passes over the old point - Photo M. Dives
Above Right:- Project Leader Paul McKinnel swings into action with the Bance machine, dismantling the point by removing the fishplates - Photo M. Dives
Below Left:- The new BV point stacked opposite the station at Groombridge awaiting installation - Photo M. Dives
Below Right:- The bed left by the first part of the old point revealing one of the reasons for the point's replacement - ballast containing mud and water. The entire sub-base will be replaced and extra drainage added - Photo S. Pay

Below Left:- End of Day 1 and the extent of the work is beginning to become evident. The digger sits below Back Lane Bridge. Where its caterpillar tracks stand is where the former point started. The alignment of the new point will be where the bucket is - Photo V. Skinner
Below Right:- Beyond the bridge shows the untouched track of the run-round loop - Photo V. Skinner

Above Left:- A view from the platform looking towards the worksite - Photo V. Skinner
Above Right:- Looking back towards Groombridge from the run-round loop - Photo V. Skinner
Below Left:- The former point now in its component form awaiting collection at a later date for use elsewhere - Photo V. Skinner
Below Right:- An overall view of the worksite, showing the extent of the trackworks being undertaken. The digger is sitting at around the halfway point - Photo V. Skinner

Above:- At the end of Day 1, it's as if a railway was never here. 24 hours previously, passengers had been travelling over this area on the last day of the 2008 operating season - Photo V. Skinner

SUNDAY 4TH JANUARY

Work commenced on scraping the old ballast into one big pile and preparing the base for laying the new ballast for the point. In the platform the two rails that will lead into the new point were replaced with twist rails which will line up with the new switches and provide the transition from plain rail to the turnout. Whilst this work is underway, the opportunity is being taken to give the metalwork under Station Road bridge a fresh coat of paint.

Above Left and Right:- Day 2 saw the digger scrape the former trackbed out from the platform, back towards the run round loop in readiness for removal - Photos R. Sharpe
Below Left:- The digger at work gathering all the spoil into one heap, ready for removal - Photo R. Sharpe
Below Right:- A general overview of Groombridge station. The point will start roughly where the two orange coats are in the middle of the picture

Above Left:- Work on installing the twist rails in Groombridge platform. These will form the transition from the plain track into the BV point - Photo R. Sharpe
Above Right:- Whilst work is apace on the new point, work is also being carried out on the underside of Station Road bridge, to give the metalwork a fresh coat of paint - Photo R. Sharpe

MONDAY 5TH JANUARY

Work was concentrated on removing the spoil that has been cleared from the former formation of the point. This is being transported to Birchden Bank where it is being used to stabilise and carry out urgent repairs to the embankment which has been undermined by rabbits. The spoil was loaded on to the London Transport flat wagon, which with sides fitted, enabled to spoil to be moved without the risk of any falling off. Once on site, the mini digger, which had been loaded on to the flat a week before removed the spoil from the flat wagon and deposited it on the bank.

       

Above Left and Right:- The bigger digger loads the spoil on the the LT flat wagon ready for removal - Photos R. Sharpe
Below Left and Right:- The mini digger is the used to unload the wagon - Photos R. Sharpe

       

       

Above Left:- The spoil was then spread out by the Pway gang and graded along the embankment - Photo R. Sharpe
Above Right:- The site at Groombridge after the bed had been cleared and graded - Photo R. Sharpe

TUESDAY 6TH JANUARY

The removal of spoil continued from Groombridge to Birchden. At the same time, some of the former cable troughing was repaired which had suffered from the subsidence. By the end of the day in Groombridge platform, the first roles of Terram (A mat which acts as a membrane between the ballast and the earth below, and prevents the ballast from becoming contaminated) were laid out, and then fresh ballast from the Rudd wagons was unloaded and spread on top. This will enable the point to be laid out and assembled.

Above Left:- The mini digger continues unloading the spoil to stabilise the embankment at Birchden - Photo R. Sharpe
Above Right:- The digger continues loading the large pile of spoil onto the LT flat wagon - Photo R. Sharpe
Below Left:- By the end of the day, the first of the Terram matting (black carpet from the centre of the picture to the bottom left hand corner) had been laid out in the platform and fresh ballast was being spread out over it - Photo B. Halford
Below Right:- A view of the site beyond the Terram. This is where the rails to into the loop lines will start - Photo R. Sharpe

Above Left:- A view of the freshly laid ballast on the Terram - Photo R. Sharpe
Above Right:- A general view of the site from the Eridge side - The loop lines have been cut back and will be remodelled to fit the new point - Photo B. Halford
Below:- A view on Birchden bank showing the work to rectify the collapsed cable troughing - Photo R. Sharpe

WEDNESDAY 7TH JANUARY

The digger removed the last of the spoil from the worksite today and was then transported down to Birchden Junction to dig the hole for the Up Distant signal. With the right machine the job took all of 12 minutes!! Something that would have taken an hour or two with our own mini digger. The hire digger is certainly proving its worth, showing how versatile it is. The spoil on Birchden was graded to tidy up the site.

Above Left and Right:- The digger clears the last of the spoil from the site before being loaded on to the Flatrol for transport to Birchden where it was used to dig the hole for the up Birchden distant signal (Below Left) - Photos R.Sharpe
Below Right:- The last of the spoil is graded on Birchden bank - Photo R. Sharpe

Above:- Another view of the new trackbed on which the new point will sit - Photo S. Pay

THURSDAY 8TH JANUARY

Work turned to building drains today. The previous point had suffered from sitting in what railwaymen call a "Wetbed". This is where water cannot flow away from the railway and mud is allowed to build up in the track. This means that the ballast becomes ineffective and does not support the track as well as it should. At Groombridge, the problem was that when the new platform was built, the original drain that ran alongside that side of the track was destroyed and so water had nowhere to flow to except for into the track. Therefore a new drain which will flow across the track will now take water into another drain and hopefully away from the new point. At the same time, an interceptor channel has been built halfway up the cutting side to try and take some of the water that flows down the bank, away from the site of the point. This is mainly to avoid the point which will sit near to the bank side and stop water and mud flowing down and straight into the new ballast. The new channel should direct the water into the drain further down the run round loop.

Above Left:- The digger starts digging the cross channel under the trackbed for the new drain. The interceptor can be seen up the bank where the worker is standing - Photo R. Sharpe
Above Right:- The drainage pipes are laid into the newly dug channel and then surrounded with Pea Shingle (Below Left) - Photo R. Sharpe
Below Right:- A view of the site showing the drain digging well underway - Photo R. Sharpe

Above:- An overall view of the BV point worksite from Groombridge platform, showing where the drain is sitting - Photo R. Sharpe

FRIDAY 9TH JANUARY

A big day for the project. Today the first components of the point were craned into position and bolted together. By the end of the day, the point was resembling its true form and showing exactly how the new layout at Groombridge will appear. Just a couple of additional lifts were outstanding by the end of the day.

Above Left:- The ballast bed levels are checked before the tips of the points are lifted into position (Above Right) - Photos R. Sharpe
Below Left:- A second view of the switches for the point laid in position - Photo R. Sharpe
Below Right:- The closure panel was then lifted into position - Photo R. Sharpe

Above:- The next job was to lift the remaining point timbers into position ready for the rails and crossing to be placed on top. At the same time, ballast was dropped into the formation ready for jacking and packing - Photo R. Sharpe

SATURDAY 10TH JANUARY

The day was spent placing the final parts on to the point and doing some rough jacking and packing on the turnout. Work also continued on the drains which will need to be completed before the point can be connected up to the run round loop lines. 

Above Left:- A view of the BV point on the morning of Saturday 10th January - Photo M. Dives
Above Right:- A view from the railhead on the right hand track off the point shows that a gentle curve is required to join up with the track in the run-round loop - Photo M. Dives
Below Left:- A view on the left hand line shows that it is completely lined up for the left hand track in the loop - Photo M. Dives
Below Right:- A view back towards Groombridge station of the BV point. The newly dug drainage channel can be seen in the foreground - Photo R. Sharpe

Above Left:- A view of the crossing which has only just been lifted into position - Photo S. Pay
Above Right:- The P. Way gang begin fitting the rails to the sleepers - Photo S. Pay
Below Left:- A view of the point with all the major components now lifted into place - Photo R. Sharpe
Below Right:- Another view of the completed point. Note the fresh ballast that has been dropped into the beds between the sleepers - Photo R. Sharpe

Above Left and Right:- Two further views of the assembled point with some ballast now in place - Photos R. Sharpe

SUNDAY 11TH JANUARY

The latest day on the project was spent attacking the project on a number of fronts. The majority of the Permanent Way gang spent the day jacking and packing the new point into the correct alignment, whilst a few members continued work on the drains. Part of the open ditch that runs along the bottom of the cutting will require covering over to enable the track formation to pass above. Therefore the day was spent breaking into the existing catchpits to fit the new drainage pipe, both along the embankment and across the trackbed. The day was wrapped up by the departure of the digger which was to be off-hired on Monday morning.

The Signalling department were also on site today to start marking up and fitting the point operating equipment. It is hoped that the signal box will be at an advanced state in March to enable the point to be operated directly from the lever frame, rather than a tempoary groundframe. 

Above Left:- A view of the BV point on Day 9 of the project shows all the major components in place - Photo R. Sharpe
Above Right:- The digger gets to grips with digging more drains - Photo C. Fitzjohn
Below Left:- Volunteer Clive Fitzjohn hard at work with fitting the new drains into the catchpits - Photo R. Sharpe
Below Right:- The P Way gang were hard at work jacking and packing the point and getting it level - Photo R. Sharpe

Above Left:- Another view of the jacking and packing work underway on the point - Photo R. Sharpe
Above Right:- A significant moment in the BV project as the Class 12 becomes the first engine to travel over the point. Project leader Paul McKinnel, is at the controls - Photo R. Sharpe
Below:- This was done so that the digger could be loaded on to the HAP wagon to return it to Tunbridge Wells to be collected - Photo R. Sharpe

SATURDAY 17TH & SUNDAY 18TH JANUARY

The digger was back to carry out further works on the site. Further drains were laid across the formation before the Teram membrane was laid down and a ballast bed placed on top. The first panel was laid off the left hand side of the point and this enabled materials to be brought closer to the job the following week. 

Above Left:- The final drains are laid in the centre of the formation before the Teram membrane is laid - Photo R. Sharpe
Above Right:- With the Teram laid, ballasting of the formation commences - Photo R. Sharpe
Below Right:- The digger was scraping the ballast out of the recently acquired Rudd wagons and spreading it across the formation - Photo R. Sharpe
Below Right:- Shaun at the controls of the digger spreads the ballast out across the formation before grading it - Photo R. Sharpe

Above Left:- On Sunday 18th, the twist panel off the left hand road was laid on the ballast bed - Photo R. Sharpe
Above Right:- A view of the site after day 11 of the job - Photo R. Sharpe

SATURDAY 24TH JANUARY

The digger was once again back to help do a lot of the heavy work. The day culminated in the first of the loop lines being connected up to the point. More ballast was laid out, sleepers laid and rails cut before the loop was once again connected.

Above Left:- More ballast s spread out over the formation - Photo R.Sharpe
Above Right:- The formation prior to track laying commencing - Photo R. Sharpe
Below Left:- The first of the sleepers are laid out - Photo R. Sharpe
Below Right:- The digger is employed to lift the sleepers into position - Photo R. Sharpe

Above Left:- With the sleepers laid out, the rail was slid into position, measured and cut to length - Photo R. Sharpe
Above Right:- A general view of the site with one of the Rudd wagons at the head of steel. The wagon in the background marks where the rails have to go - Photo R. Sharpe
Below:- Completion. By the end of the day this line had been connected to the track beyond with only final adjustments to be made before movement could be made over it - Photo R. Sharpe

SUNDAY 25TH JANUARY

Having completed one road to a point where trains could run over at slow speed, attention then turned to laying the other road and connecting this up to form a complete run round loop once again. The digger was deployed to load all the ballast wagons again. Something in the region of 200+ tons of ballast has now gone into the project, with topping off still to be completed. Once done the project will have used around double the amount originally envisaged. This is mainly down to a deeper ballast bed being laid under the sleepers. 

Once back on site, the digger made final adjustments to the trackbed before another length of Teram was laid out and ballasting commence. Once this was done, the twist panel was laid from the point which was closely followed by another panel. 

Following its three week sojourn at Groombridge, the Drewry also made a return to Tunbridge Wells on the Sunday evening.

Above Left:- The commencement of work on Day 13 of the BV point showing the left hand road all connected up - Photo R. Sharpe
Above Right:- The Teram membrane all laid out ready for ballasting - Photo R. Sharpe
Below Left and Right:- With the digger and the freshly loaded ballast wagons back on site, the former gets to work unloading and spreading the ballast out - Photos R. Sharpe

Above and Below:- General view throughout the extent of the renewal. Note the point lock and new stretcher bar (above left) which will be used to operate the point, and the two newly laid panels (below) - Photos R. Sharpe 

Above Left: A view of the track work on the 28th January showing the newly installed panels - Photo S. Pay
Above Right:- A close up view of the facing point lock described above. The lock itself still requires final securing. The new stretcher bar is the shiny part attached to the two point blades - Photo S. Pay

2ND FEBRUARY

The second loop line was put together on Friday 30th January with minor tweaks being undertaken before the rails were cut to length. These were then clipped up to the sleepers and readied for rail drilling. Sunday 2nd saw the final rails drilled and fishplated which enabled the first use of this road and once again signalled the full completion of the run round loop. Groombridge was a hive of activity with work going on on the signal box, bridge painting and drains, as well as the trackwork.

Above Left:- The Pway gang unload ballast for the trackwork from one of the Rudd wagons - Photo R. Sharpe
Above Right:- The join between old and new. The new track meets up with the old loop line with the rail drill in place, ready to drill holes for the fishplates - Photo R. Sharpe
Below Left and Right:- Two general views of the worksite on 2nd February showing what a hive of activity Groombridge station was - Photos B. Halford

Above:- A view back towards Groombridge station showing the work underway on the point tips. The signal box stands high, itself being prepared to operate the point - Photo B. Halford

8TH FEBRUARY

Jacking and packing continued on the point and its associated track work. More fishplate holes were drilled as the final parts were fitted. The day was rounded off when the hopper wagons were used to distribute further more track ballast across the trackbed of the worksite.

Above Left:- The Dogfish hopper wagons are unloaded across the new trackbed of the BV point - Photo R. Sharpe
Above Right:- A view of the re-modelled run-round loop at Groombridge a couple of days later - Photo M. Dives
Below Left and Right:- Two views of the new point from the Groombridge station end with one view from the floor level of the new signal box (right) - Photos M. Dives

Above Left and Right and Below:- Three views of the point from the Eridge end showing both lines coming off the point (above left and right) and the extent of the track renewal in the up loop (below) - Photos M. Dives

THE BV RE-VISITED

The BV point has almost come to the end of its first season in use and the project has proven a success. A number of projects have progressed as a result of its completion. The platform extension is complete, all but the final surfacing. The bracket signal base is cast and the post erected, and other signal bases are being cast in preparation for the erection of their associated signals in the passing loop. 

Below are a few photos showing the completed job after the final ballasting and alignment changes. Further details on the other projects can be found on the News pages.

Above Left:- A view of Groombridge station from the Eridge end in early March showing the signal box under construction and the signal post for the bracket signal laying at the side awaiting erection - Photo D. Hayward 
Above Right:- A view of the newly installed BV point showing the new track layout at the end of Groombridge station - Photo D. Hayward
Below Left:- A view of Groombridge run-round loop and the new track formation which has extended the length of the loop - Photo D. Hayward
Below Right:- A final view of the 'BV' from the Queen Mary brake van in early April 2009, shortly after the project completion - Photo R. Sharpe

This is possibly one of the most exciting times to get involved with volunteering at the railway. For more details on how to join the railway, click here.

Other Eridge Extension News

Last Updated 11th November 2009. ©M. Dives