The BLH Tamper in operation at Swanpond Copse.

In two and a half shifts the 3-man P Way gang completed 500 metres of lifting and packing with lifts of up to 50mm (2 inches) being achieved. The initial survey work was completed ahead of the job by Dennis Rapley and Ian Wilcox, with a tamp sheet being produced detailing the required lifts every 5 metres. The gang worked in 8 hour shifts from 3pm till 11pm, setting out for the work site immediately after the last service train of each day had cleared the Smallbrook Single Line. After arriving at Swanpond Copse, on the straight section of track between Calloways Crossing and Smallbrook Curve, the work got underway with the gang managing up to six hours tamping on each shift. Significant progress was made, in the worst areas of formation the track was actually lifted out of the ballast and now sits on top requiring the operation of a ballast train to top the levels back up which will be done soon.

The Isle of Wight Steam Railway's Head of Permanent Way Dave Walker commented 'In two and a half days work with the new tamping equipment we have completed this project and brought the track back up to a very high standard. Without the tamper this job would have taken us weeks of hard graft using the Kango packing hammers with no guarantee that the same standard of finish could be achieved. The BLH Tamper worked perfectly and has fully justified the Railway's investment'.

A daylight view of the BLH Tamper in operation at Havenstreet in December 2007.

For more details of Permanant Way and Civil Engineering progress on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway vist Track Pack, the Civil Engineering Departments monthly on line newsletter.