Sunday 24th February

Not a great deal to report this week.  It looks as if the top ballast has gone down on the recently laid track.  Some of the last guard railing has been installed and a start on putting in the permanent perimeter fencing has been made.  Also some overhead cabling has been installed.  There was no obvious change to the viaduct so I didn't take any more pictures.

Apart from the first four sleepers after the end of the viaduct, ballast has been laid here.

Looking to the right, quarry behind.

Moving further along, a small gap can be seen in the ballasting.

 And further round still.  No that is not a train on the new line!  Just one passing on the existing Cambridge branch.

Now at the west side of the main line, the former Midland Railway bridge is getting security fencing after 156 years!

Access to the new line for maintenance being put in place.

Guardrails being installed on the ramps that lead up from the bridge to the start of the new line.

More guardrail work at the entrance to the scrapyard. 

 Overhead cable attached to the first gantry on the link between the junction and the viaduct.  I think this is the power feed for the contact wire that will be installed in the next month or so.

 The new cable can be seen gradually moving closer to the existing cables until it joins the nearest one just before the third gantry.  If my calculations are correct it is sixteen weeks to commissioning tomorrow unless there has been some slippage.  However I think it is still on schedule.  The recent bad weather does not seem to have affected the work.