Infrastructure News

‘Minus 1’ road is the siding nearest to Horsted Keynes Platform 1. This was relaid prior to the Rail 200 exhibition. However, due to shortage of suitable rail at the time, the siding was shorter than required and also had a short panel of Brighton standard 96lb bullhead rail whereas the rest of the siding was the standard 95lb. With more rail available (as discussed below), the 96lb panel was replaced and another added. The result can be seen in the image below although the ballast is still to be applied.

‘Minus 2’ road (obviously the siding adjacent to ‘minus 1’ road) is in need of replacement as the sleepers are in poor condition. The siding is to be relaid using concrete bullhead sleepers recovered a few weeks ago from the Ketches relay and 95lb bullhead recovered from the late 2025 Black Hut relay. Note that the rail from Ketches is old 96lb Brighton bullhead and the wooden sleepers from the Black Hut relay are mostly scrap although better ones have been reserved to provide a stock to replace sleepers on the running line as required.

At the time of writing this, the track in ‘Minus 2’ road is being removed. The image below shows the rail cutter. The powerful hydraulic cutters snip the rails in seconds. The scrap rail needs to be in 15 ft sections for easy transportation. The money recovered from the scrap value of the metalwork will go towards ballast (the mountain of ballast donated by HS2 has already been used up).

 

Left: ‘Minus 1’ road completed except for ballast

Right: The rail cutter. The cutter is only used when scrapping rail, it gives a very rough edge as can be seen on the far rail.

Images: Bruce Healey

The image to the right, taken on Saturday 7th February during a track patrol, shows the south end of the relay. All of the sleepers are down with some rail remaining which would be put in on the following Monday.

The images below were taken on the following Wednesday.

With the track joined up, some ballasting has taken place. More ballast was added during the day both between the rails and to the shoulders. The ballast at the shoulders helps to keep the formation in place and reduces and tendency to slip sideways.

Later in the day, the tamper was in action. Tamping raises the track and vibrates ballast under the ends of the sleepers. Having done this, more ballast is required as the apparent level of the ballast has reduced.

Remaining tasks are to tidy up the site and to improve the drainage on the east side. Note that the bulk bags visible were used to transport the base layer of ballast to side and now hold rubbish and other empty bulk bags.

The images below show the various stages during the day.

 

Above and below: Side drop ballasting

 

  

Left: The tamper in action

Right: Close up of tamper lifting the track with the tines deployed and vibrating

All images: Bruce Healey

The Ketches 2026 relay will go down in Infrastructure history as one of the wettest ever. The often torrential rain was present on all except one day.

Taking place in a cutting, the usual terram, plastic. terram sandwich was required to ensure that the new formation would be dry. The cutting has long suffered from boggy conditions and an insufficient bed of good quality ballast which was why there was a long standing speed restriction on this section of the line which will soon be removed.

The images below were taken on the one dry day of the entire relay.

 

Left: At the south end of the relay, the terram, plastic, terram sandwich can be seen

Right: The new track bed. There is a new drain on the near (west) side which has already been covered up.

  

Left: Taken from the east side, the condition of the ground can be seen and the quantity of recent rain is evident. One of the last actions of the relay will be to put in a functioning drain on this side to complement the one put in on the west side.

Right: The first sleepers have been laid

  

Left: More sleepers are lifted into position

Right: The end of the day

All images: Bruce Healey

The Sheffield Park ground frame which controls access to the loco shed is being replaced by a motorised system. This requires extending some track circuits, replacing the timbers under the relevant points and adding the point motors. The opportunity is also being taken to replace some old 96lb bullhead rail with 95lb bullhead recovered from track relays. The replacement rail is worn but easily in good enough condition for use in a siding.

 

Left: The partly dismantled ground frame

Right: The dismantled ground frame indicators

 

Left: Point motor mounted but not yet connected. A terram, plastic, terram sandwich sits under the point timbers

Right: The 96lb rail has been removed to be replaced with 95lb

All image: Bruce Healey