Signalling & Telegraph progress April 2015

Visitors to Speyside Signal Cabin will notice the addition of three S&T cabinets at the foot of the steps. They may be ‘new’ to Aviemore Speyside but they actually date from the 1950’s and were recovered from Perth Yard a number of years ago. They are therefore just as much part of the 1950’s railway scene as our Class 2 Ivatt 46512 and the BR Mk1 Coaches

 

The work started in earnest in early March with the usual precursor to most S&T work – digging holes!  Cable ducts had also to be diverted to pass through the bases of the new cabinets. The original plan had been to install two cabinets, one for signal lighting / signal box circuits associated with the Key Token instruments and one for the associated batteries. However on checking the length of the previously installed power feeder cable from the Roy Hamilton Carriage Shed it was realised that the power case would need to be further away from the signal box than was originally intended in the S&T Plan. This problem was solved by installing the third cabinet, which although not needed now, can be regarded as advance works for the eventual re-instatement on the Speyside Passing Loop. The power cabinet is the one with the “oven” on the side to house the 230/110V transformer.

 

While the ground preparation was underway a trip to Boat with the Association Ivor Williams Trailer rescued another cabinet using the JCB for the lifting operation. Back in Aviemore, once the ground preparation had been done the cases were lifted into place using the O&K 360 machine. As usual with any civil engineering work there was a degree of “adjustments on site” to get the cases to “line and level”……P-way jacks have many uses!

 

 

 

 

Volunteers and staff who contributed to this endeavor were : - D. Dow, S. Muirhead, G Ritchie (above) G. Sutherland with G. McNair and S. Vaughan as machine operators.

Thanks to Graham Sutherland for photos and Stephen Muirhead for the words.