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A 30 ton hydraulic jack was used to
lift the van, while two 18 ton screw jacks were used to support the van
when the hydraulic jack was removed to add more packing.
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After a few hour's hard work a wheel
started to emerge from the earth. The rail end was still considerably higher
than the bottom of the wheel.
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Two of the youths hard at work, one
pumping the hydraulic jack, as another follows on the screw jack. One problem
they found is that the ground beneath the jacks had to be compressed before
the van started to lift!
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By the end of the first day of jacking
No.81 looked a lot straighter - compare
with this earlier picture. In particular look at the relationship
between the buffer of the van compared to the buffer of the match wagon.
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The work continued the next
Saturday. By lunchtime the van was jacked level. Two of the youngsters
are inserting a short length of bullhead rail for the derailed wheel to
sit on once the van is traversed to the right.
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Luckily a sleeper complete with bullhead
chairs was sitting only inches from the site of the derailment. it would
support one end of the bullhead rail section, while the other end could
be supported by fishplates attached to the end of the siding.
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A key was driven into the chair to
support the rail, and a point clip inserted to keep the two fishplates
together.
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The youngsters were not making this
up as they went along - advice and assistance was available from Whitehead's
engineering gurus. Here, to stop the van's tendency to move further from
the rail, they have set up a chain hoist attached to the near rail of the
adjacent siding.
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After much traversing of the screw
jacks, the rear of the van was moved 4" or so towards the rail. This procedure
involved taking a turn on the horizontal screw shown, and waiting for the
van to shift 1/4 or 1/2 an inch at a time.
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With the right hand wheel over the
rail, in theory the rail under the left hand wheel could be inserted.
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But the van is still lower at this
corner, and the axlebox is slightly lower due to the corroded and expanded
leaf spring. More jacking is needed before this rail can sit in both chairs.
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Another inch or so of height, and
the rail was be moved into place. Again, track keys hold the rail in place.
This time fishplates could not be used as the rail ended in the middle
of the chair!
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The van is lowered onto the track
with rail under each wheel. As someone said at the time, "If that rail
had been there in the first place then this brake van wouldn't have derailed!"
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After two day's hard work, the young
fellas had the brake van back on the rails.
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The next weekend, a shunt was carried
out to move the van nearer to electricity supplies and tools. Here RPSI
ex-GSWR J15 No.186 buffs up to the short train.
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And the brake van rolls for
the first time in years.
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One of the youngsters who helped rerail
the van directs the shunt.
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The initials "G N" can still be seen
on the side of the van. The side of wood is rotten and will have to be
replaced, but not before careful notes are made of the lettering.
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Salvaged parts sit in the Belfast
end verandah. This picture marks the end of the rerailing - but only the
beginning of the restoration project!
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