Track works took place over the past weekend on the up local line around Glenferrie Station.  From my limited inspection, it looks like extra ballast has been laid on the existing formation and concrete sleepers installed using the side insertion method in the pit at the station, and on the Henry St and William St road over-bridges.  Further concrete sleepers are also waiting to be laid on the up side of Glenferrie Station between the Glenferrie Rd and Power Street road over-bridges.

Doesn't look like any track has been replaced (at least that I could see) and there are pandrol clips missing here and there.  Interestingly, a short section of rail (about 8 sleepers long) which has been in the pit for a long time, and I had always thought was a 'temporary' replacement for a broken rail, has been left in place.  The joins at both ends are badly worn (one end appears to have a larger than normal expansion gap) and the platform shudders at that point when trains are passing.  Travelling on the train tonight, the ride over this rail actually seemed worse than before the re-sleepering was done.  Bit surprised this section wasn't re-railed, especially given the unyielding base provided by concrete sleepers, which will surely exacerbate the forces on the rail at that point and any corresponding wheel damage?

Does anyone know when the works team will be back to install the remaining sleepers? (or will they remain on the side of the track to gather weeds, as per the piles of sleepers between Richmond and Flinders St?)  Also, will the express and down local lines also be re-sleepered?

Doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason about which track has been re-sleepered - plenty of other sections in the area that appear as bad, or worse, than the section that has been re-done.  But then perhaps that section had persistent track circuit faults, or some other problem that is not apparent to the naked eye?

Regards
DMU Dave

Don't hold your breath ... There have been lots of spare sleepers resting along the sides of the Glen Waverley line since the major track works were done over two weeks in the middle of last year.  Some are disappearing under the long grass. New stockpiles seem to be growing near East Malvern and Heyington stations.  The latter pile I hope will soon be deployed on the track section between Heyington and Burnley, where a 30kph restriction has been in place for a month or so. This section was not touched in last year's revamp.
I have also been wondering if they are going to build some new stables at East Malvern?

Ferals are putting the concrete sleepers across the track without a thought for the consequences of their actions simply because, for them, there are no consequences even if they are caught.

Doesn't look like any track has been replaced (at least that I could see) and there are pandrol clips missing here and there.  Interestingly, a short section of rail (about 8 sleepers long) which has been in the pit for a long time, and I had always thought was a 'temporary' replacement for a broken rail, has been left in place.  The joins at both ends are badly worn (one end appears to have a larger than normal expansion gap) and the platform shudders at that point when trains are passing.  Travelling on the train tonight, the ride over this rail actually seemed worse than before the re-sleepering was done.  Bit surprised this section wasn't re-railed, especially given the unyielding base provided by concrete sleepers, which will surely exacerbate the forces on the rail at that point and any corresponding wheel damage?

Did you really expect them to replace the rails... on non-RFR, suburban rail lines? The only time they seem to replace rails is during a multi-million dollar grade separation project or whenever the track machine says so.

Apparently, people didn't come up with the term "Australian conditions" for nothing. So, places like platform 1 at Glenferrie will remain at the volume of a jackhammer when a train goes past, the stretch between Mooroolbark and Lilydale will still be like riding on a trampoline, and the up track (e.g. the rails themselves) out of Heatherdale will remain rough as guts for the next 30 years while somewhere out in Whoop Whoop with a population of 9 will have brand new 160km/h track if it dares rain on the rails overnight. The curve just before Heathmont is another example of new sleepers and old, worn out rails.

Did you really expect them to replace the rails... on non-RFR, suburban rail lines? The only time they seem to replace rails is during a multi-million dollar grade separation project or whenever the track machine says so.

Apparently, people didn't come up with the term "Australian conditions" for nothing. So, places like platform 1 at Glenferrie will remain at the volume of a jackhammer when a train goes past, the stretch between Mooroolbark and Lilydale will still be like riding on a trampoline, and the up track (e.g. the rails themselves) out of Heatherdale will remain rough as guts for the next 30 years while somewhere out in Whoop Whoop with a population of 9 will have brand new 160km/h track if it dares rain on the rails overnight. The curve just before Heathmont is another example of new sleepers and old, worn out rails.

Yes I do.

For exampleSouth Yarra to at least Malvern- all new sleepers and track except thru some platforms.

The stretch between Mooroolbark and Lilydale will still be like riding on a trampoline, and the up track (e.g. the rails themselves) out of Heatherdale will remain rough as guts for the next 30 years.

I was just thinking those same things yesterday going through those sections, and the squealing that the wheels do while going on the tracks from Mooroolbark to Lilydale is almost unbearable, I would have thought the X-Traps would have atleast been soundproofed or something, it was almost as if I was riding on a Hitachi with all the windows open it was that loud.

Absolutely Terrible, they will probably never fix those areas unless a Hitachi is kind enough to derail on those sections and then force them to fix it up. I would just like to take this moment to thank the Hitachi that derailed at Croydon for helping them to fix that section of track. P

Did you really expect them to replace the rails... on non-RFR, suburban rail lines?

Yes, I did - but I see now that I was sadly deluded!....  

More work going on last night.  Didn't get a complete look, but I think the track through platform 1 at Auburn was re-sleepered overnight, with some spot sleeper replacement taking place at points between Auburn and Burnley.  Various road-rail machines parked this morning on the road next to Auburn station, in the small fenced-off yard next to the substation near the Power Street road overbridge, and on the waste ground at Burnley adjacent to the Hawthorn railway bridge over the Yarra.

Also noted sleeper replacement - both spot and short sections - taking place over last weekened at various points between Chatham station and Box Hill station.

It will be interesting to see how long it takes for mudholes to start appearing, given the side insertion method has been used and the underlying base only topped up with small amounts of ballast, rather than rebuilt.

Speaking of half-ars*d work practices, the underpass at Glenferrie has been re-asphalted - but only across about half its area.  While this has removed some uneveness and one or two trip hazards, the remaining old asphalt is just as cr*p as that which was resurfaced.  I held off posting about this for a few weeks because I assumed the contractors would be back soon to finish the job - another deluded assumption of mine!  Given the machinery and labour was already onsite, how much more would it really have cost to do the job properly???  

And as for Glenferrie being a 'Premium' station - Pffttt!  Stains all over the brickwork in the underpass, water leaking all over the place, toilets not fit for a third world country, cleaning contract obviously doesn't extend to any actual cleaning, just emptying the bins, etc, etc...

I don't know if anyone currently posting on these pages works for Metro Trains, but it would be interesting to hear their rationale for the way these projects are undertaken.  Call me old-fashioned, but I think there's a lot to be said for the old adage that, if a job is worth doing, it's worth doing properly.  

Regards
DMU Dave

Same with re-painting of white platform edges. Remove old flaked paint, grit and dirt before spraying? Hell no! Just spray right over the top of the old crap so the new stuff immediately peels away.

This boys and girls is how you stay in the money with any government railway contract work. Stuff up any job you win the contract for and you'll have more money thrown at you to do it again and again.

Had a closer look at the work this morning - the track through platform 1 at Auburn has been re-sleepered, as per my earlier post.

There are also half a dozen or so long lengths of rail sitting in the cess between the up local and express tracks, between Auburn and Glenferrie stations - so it looks like at least some sections of rail will be replaced after all.

Road-rail machines all stored in the same places as previously described, so further work is presuambly scheduled for this evening.

Regards
DMU Dave

I had another look last night, and again this morning - the up local line has now been completely resleepered between the up side of Camberwell station and the Hawthorn railway bridge (bridge over the Yarra).  The track on the bridge itself has also been resleepered (up local line only), and it appears from the stacks of sleepers by the track that further resleepering is planned between the Yarra bridge and the Swan Street road overbridge.

Resleepering has also taken place along large sections of the up local line between Box Hill and Camberwell.  I was not able to inspect the entire length over the weekend, but resleepering has taken place either side of Mont Albert station, either side of Surrey Hills station (though not through the station pit), and either side of Chatham station (though also not through the pit).

There has been some selective rail replacement as well.  The rails through the pit at Auburn station have been replaced, and I think some rail between Auburn station and Glenferrie station has been replaced (there may have been more rail replaced than this, but is is difficult to get a proper look at the sections of track that are on raised embankment and/or not visible from overbridges or pedestrain vantage points).  The poor quality rail in the pit at Glenferrie had not been replaced as of yesterday morning, but may be next (?).  A significant number of road-rail machines were parked again this morning at various points along the line, so work is no doubt ongoing.

On a seperate note, I noticed yesterday morning a shocking mud-hole between Richmond station and the Burnley loop portal, roughly underneath the Richmond flyover.  Anyone know how long it has been there and whether there are plans to fix it?  Surprisingly, riding over the section in the train this morning I couldn't detect any deteroriation in the ride.

Regards
DMU Dave

Speaking of mud holes or similar phenomena, you now get a bit of a bump when leaving Nunawading on the up, as soon as you leave the platform.

Minor correction - I noticed from the train tonight that on the up side of the Hawthorn (Yarra River) rail bridge only about 3 in every 6 sleepers have been replaced (i.e. 3 concrete, followed by 3 old timber, followed by 3 concrete, etc.).  However, there are further concrete sleepers lying to the side of the track no doubt waiting for insertion.

Regards
DMU Dave

A further update this morning - new rail has been installed through the pit at Glenferrie (up local line), eliminating the temporary section of rail that was causing patrons at the nearby cafe to jump in their seats every time a train "jackhammered" over the rail gaps.

Also, the majority of sleepers between the up side of the Hawthorn (Yarra) rail bridge and the junction before Burnley station have now been replaced.

All I need now is for the other two tracks to be resleepered and rerailed, and for the same to be undertaken on the tracks from Burnley station to the Burnley loop portal, and my ride home will be perfect!

Regards
DMU Dave

On further inspection from the window of a late night train last night, and again from the platform this morning, the work seems to have been carried out with more care and attention than I had originally credited.  A number of tamping / shaping / edging machines (sorry - not an expert on track maintenance, so my terminology might be a bit askew) were operating between Hawthorn station and Burnley station last night, and some care appears to have been taken to rebuild and pack the ballast, despite the side insertion method being used for the new sleepers.

Also, yesterday morning I noticed that although the two poor rail joins in the pit at Glenferrie had disappared and been replaced by welded rail, providing much needed relief from the noise and vibration previously generated at that spot, a new track join and fishplates had appeared on the down side of the station during the rerailing process.  At the time I thought this was something of a false economy - however, upon inpsection this morning I see that join has now disappeared too, having been thermit-welded overnight.  So it looks like temporary rail joins are applied when the necessary welding cannot be completed in a single shift, but the crews return on subsequent nights to complete the job.

A noticeably smoother ride from Glenferrie to Burnley this morning - well done to the track maintenance team!

Regards
DMU Dave

Works on the up local line appear to have ceased, at least for the time being (no noisy scraping, grinding or beeping during the last few nights!).  Some of the old timber sleepers have been collected from the lineside for disposal - I saw a tractor with forklift attachment stacking timber sleepers on to a low-loader near Hawthorn railway bridge this morning.  However, there is still a lot of detritus by the lineside - not just timber sleepers, but old fasteners, sundry containers, boxes, and bits of plywood used to keep ballast in place at various points.  Either the clean-up is slow, or perhaps more work is sheduled in the near future and the clean-up will be done afterwards in one hit?

I note that there will be bustitution after 8.30pm from 26 - 28 August, between Camberwell and Box Hill.  I presume this is to allow renewal of the station pits on the up local line that were not done during the recent upgrade (e.g. Chatham; Surrey Hills).

Regards
DMU Dave

I noticed both new sleepers and rail at Auburn station yesterday. The rail was date stamped 2012. Does anyone know what the rail weight per metre is? For example at Canterbury the rail is 53kg per metre (107 lb per yard).

I noticed both new sleepers and rail at Auburn station yesterday. The rail was date stamped 2012. Does anyone know what the rail weight per metre is? For example at Canterbury the rail is 53kg per metre (107 lb per yard).

The new(ish) track in the pit at Hawthorn station is 60kg.

I haven't checked the markings on the new track at Auburn or Glenferrie - I will endeavour to do so in the next day or two and report back.

Regards
DMU Dave

Thanks Dave
I expect you will find that all the new rail will be 60kg.

Duncs

Just spotted the infrastructure evaulation train on the express line between Auburn and Glenferrie.  It did two passes back and forth.

Regards
DMU Dave

Large stacks of new timber sleepers have been placed on the waste ground at Burnley adjacent to the Hawthorn railway bridge.  I suspect they will be used to resleeper the express and down local lines over the bridge.  The up local line was resleepered using concrete sleepers, but this line is on a separate (newer?) bridge span, whereas the other two lines are on what I presume are older spans with lower weight limits, thereby precluding use of concrete sleepers (?)

Anyway, no doubt all will be revealed soon.

Work took place last night between Camberwell and Box Hill but I have not had a chance to inspect it yet.

Regards
DMU Dave

Large stacks of new timber sleepers have been placed on the waste ground at Burnley adjacent to the Hawthorn railway bridge.  I suspect they will be used to resleeper the express and down local lines over the bridge.  The up local line was resleepered using concrete sleepers, but this line is on a separate (newer?) bridge span, whereas the other two lines are on what I presume are older spans with lower weight limits, thereby precluding use of concrete sleepers (?)

Anyway, no doubt all will be revealed soon.

Work took place last night between Camberwell and Box Hill but I have not had a chance to inspect it yet.

Regards
DMU Dave

Dunno if concrete would make much difference to the bridge. Diesel and steam locos go through there and they're a fair bit heavier than an EMU.

Dunno if concrete would make much difference to the bridge. Diesel and steam locos go through there and they're a fair bit heavier than an EMU.

The use of timber may be as a shock absorber to reduce excessive vibration on the bridge when a train goes through.

I can now confirm the timber sleepers at Burnley are for decking for the Burnley flyover. I can also confirm that all the new rail for the line is 60kg.

I can now confirm the timber sleepers at Burnley are for decking for the Burnley flyover. I can also confirm that all the new rail for the line is 60kg.

Thanks, Duncs - very interesting.

So I wonder if the other two tracks over the Hawthorn rail bridge will be resleepered or rerailed any time soon?

Regards
DMU Dave

I am under the impression that re railing will occur progressively as the older rail wears out.