Mid Hants Railway Signals & Telegraph

aka S&T

Santas are a busy time for all; locos are sent off shed earlier than normal so any planned work has to be completed prior to service. So early Sunday morning 11th December 2005 off we set on one of the air conditioned Wickham trollies to the worksite at the summit of the Alton bank to install the second of two boxes to house the joint in the cable that was laid near the end of November. The Possession was taken about 07.30 and we started off to the first site near the cycle track to 'plant' a post and secure the box on it. The frost was hard and the morning crisp, so crisp in fact that it prompted our leader to don suitable headwear (nice one Pat.) With the second box completed the possession was lifted (09.20) in time for Bodmin and the Class 33 to pass to Alton to commence the day's Santa Trains. Another step forward to the connection of token machines between Medstead and Alton. Thanks go the Medstead Platform staff for the welcome cup of tea to thaw us out. Tony Hathaway S&T

Photo (11th December 2005): Tony Hathaway, S&T

From: Chris Hall Sent: 04 December 2005 15:18 Subject: end of the line Tony Removal from site of the remaining Strowger exchange from Medstead station: although taken out of service at the end of last year it is the last to be dismantled and disposed of. This type of equipment was used by the Mid Hants for nearly 30 years. Shows the always helpful Sunday PWay gang doing the hard work.

by Tony Hathaway (MHR S&T); photos by John F Moody (MHR PWay)

During a week-long planned possession from 12^th November 2005 on the Medstead to Alton portion of the railway, Members of the S&T, Saturday and Sunday PWay Gangs and other contributors, embarked on the mammoth task of laying 7600m of cable, the majority of which was a combined telecom/ signalling cable connecting Alton and Medstead sites.

The logistics were an enormous task. Cable drums and cradles were loaded onto the Atlas; the cable laying train consisting of the Class12, the Atlas and Toad brake was marshalled into Bennett’s siding in the week leading up to the start of works.  The Toad brake was used as a mess van and shelter in case the weather were unkind to us. The first and most worrying part of the scheme was to lay the first 500m into the subterranean pipe running from Borobridge to Mount Pleasant: using the rodding wire, drawing ropes were pulled through, increasing in size to 12mm then finally attaching the main cable to the rope, then a gentle tug from the diesel at 1 mph gently eased the wire through each manhole in turn.

By the end of the second day all but 100m of underground stuff had been done, which allowed the slightly quicker process of laying into the empty troughing to start Day 3 off. 

The weather was kind to us throughout the weekend and the mess van was a great benefit: limited catering facilities were provided by the brake van stove and a camping stove; each day started with sausage in a roll and a cup of tea. Armies march best on a full stomach, so it was felt that the guys deserved a little sustenance as they were all volunteers. 

Many people may think what is all the fuss about, just roll a bit of cable off the drum and drop it into the troughing, the team consisted of about 10 to 12 people each day, driver, boss, cable layers, and the poor guys following up laying the troughing lids. For the uninitiated, these are concrete coverings to the u-section concrete sections along the side of the track, the lids are approx 3 foot long and once you’ve carried them from a palette placed on the cess and put them down you know you have done it.

The end of the third day found us 300m short of Medstead; a comment was made that if we had walked faster we would have finished, but it was more a matter of how many drums we could get on the wagon, so back to depot to relinquish the empties, and to collect some more drums and ‘hardware’ for the next day. Pat Butler IC Works was understandably over the moon, with the luck that we had with the buried ducting and the weather he had to think of more for us to do for day 4 and the 2^nd weekend. 

Day Four arrived dismal and drizzly, last 300m dropped in, and off to Alton to lay some power cables for the point motors and some other services; we were joined by Bob Deeth and Paul Hawley; cables were run from the location boxes opposite the Platform up to the brewery, just a short run; and by the way guys its got to go in the troughing; more lids up! 

By the time the day had finished a whole load of additional tasks had been completed: recovery of old drums, sleepers and redundant hardware; recovery and relocation of troughing and lids; and the groundwork laid out for the next weekend’s work; but as way of a reward Pat B announced for those who had indicated that they were available for Saturday 19^th, we could have the day off! Go Christmas shopping or something, - don’t know what is more pressured: shopping or S&T work.

Article by Tony Hathaway(S&T); photos by John F Moody (PWay)

See also: 

Laying the concrete channel (includes web-movies)

Jointing this Alton to M4M cable