Following the construction in the workshop of the new booking hall doors for Ropley station-those that face the staff car park and get all the weather- installation is now taking place. The old doors that were letting in water through rotten panels and frames were removed and the entrance boarded up to allow work inside to take place during the non-running period. The doors are made in the original style of the Southern railway and all the original door furniture was removed, refurbished and will be replaced.
At Alresford, we have replaced the train watering hose at the country end of the station building. The old hose was very leaky and used to spray visitors walking up and down the platform waiting for the first train service, but did provide some nice puddles for the children to splash in. A new heavy-duty hose was connected to the storage reel in the cabinet, and which is longer than the old hose to reach the carriage ends better to fill the water tanks. Another hose reel is being prepared to be fitted near the footbridge to store an extension length of hose that can be connected with the main length so that longer trains can be watered before the train service starts.
In the workshop some new wooden cabinets have been made to house the electrical junction boxes that feed power for outside use at Alresford station. These electrical boxes are essential to provide power for events held on the forecourt such as the Steam Illuminations cabins, Farmers Market, etc. The cabinets are to cover the utility look of the boxes so that they blend into the station scene in a more traditional manner.
At Medstead we have now installed the two new platform gates on the platforms following the changes to the token exchange operations at this station. The old signal box is currently decommissioned and the token exchange now takes place at the country end of the station requiring the signal staff to cross the line and go onto the platforms on a new route.
Further to the re-signalling works at this station, in conjunction with the PWay department, we have been involved with renewing the timbers on the barrow crossing at the London end of the platforms. The old crossing was taken up and the track re-ballasted and new support beams and walk boards were laid down, and this time they are covered with a non-slip material . The work was carried out mainly during the non-running period as the work was quite intrusive to the running line.
Bob Brooks
