Brief Job Role: Our group is responsible for the upkeep of buildings, level crossings and peripheral fencing along the railway including:
- External and internal refurbishment of building and structures such as painting and decoration, domestic electrical works and drainage just to name a few.
- Inspection and maintenance of level crossings, weed and undergrowth control
- Replacement and new installation of fencing and gates
- Trimming and removal of lineside trees to improve visibility and safety
- Building and roofing of small structures such as waiting shelters and permanent way huts
- Maintenance and improvement of stations and stations platforms
The department has a responsibility for building and maintaining railway structures, both at Stations and on the line side. This includes Station buildings and fences, Signal Boxes, platforms, the miles of line side fencing, farmer’s crossings, and minor repairs to railway bridges and culverts. During slacker times, and during the winter, the team also keep the line side trees in check, pruning as necessary, and felling when all else fails.
Larger building projects are handled by contractors, but the team tackle smaller projects, such as wooden buildings and brick walls. This includes re-painting and replacing rotten parts of buildings and platforms.
There is also a small sub department who carry out regular bridge inspections and report on condition. Between inspections, they can often be found doing some of the tree felling that the main team haven’t yet managed to achieve, as well as other projects.
If you are reasonably fit and don’t mind getting dirty and wet, and feel that you would like to join the team, then why don't you contact us to find out more?
Projects Past and Present: Recent projects have been the refurbishment of the souvenir shop and the conversion of the former signal box at Froghall Station into a tearoom, and the recommissioning of the signal box at Cheddleton Station including full internal and external redecoration and electrical rewiring. Currently we are working to help build a new station building at Leek Brook.
From Autumn 2014 to Spring 2015 the civils team were mostly involved in jobs at Cheddleton Station area.
These included, refurbishing the supporting wall on Station Road, ready for the contractors to install a new steel fence, installing a secondary roof over the leaking training portacabin, re-fencing the back of platform two, and re-fencing along the road from the Tearoom building to the MPD portacabins. In between waiting for fencing supplies, an amount of essential tree cutting was carried out in the car park.
Spring 2015 saw a move to Froghall, where the jobs done to date include, clearing brambles from the lineside, installing a fence and gate at the bottom of the picnic area, in preparation for the new wildlife area planned for the adjoining field, and some much needed repairs to the trespass guards at the Whiston foot crossing.
If you would like to get involved then please fill in the attached document and send it back either by email or in the post or contact the office and we will be sure to help reach the department of our choice.