Talk:Glanyrafon railway station

RETB Mast
The following text was included on this article, interesting as it is has little reference to the original subject. I have replaced the text.

Will, VoR  Willsmith3  (Talk) 18:58, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

In 1988, British Rail erected a 30m high mast (with an adjacent equipment room) at the east end of this station to provide part of the radio communications for the new RETB signalling system being introduced on the standard gauge line from Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury, including the long branch from Dovey Junction to Pwiheli. In 2011 the RETB system was taken out of use, following the installation of the UK's first full-scale application of ERTMS over these same lines. Telent Technology Services was contracted by Network Rail to remove nine redundant RETB masts, including the one here at Glanyrafon. On 25 May 2012, Network Rail (NR) and Telent were granted an eight hour possession of the VoR in the vicinity of Glanyrafon station with red flags erected in the 2ft. around 100 yards on either side of the pedestrian crossing at this location. Sub-contractor Ainscough then positioned a large road crane in the adjacent Cemex cement works' yard and extended its boom to 50m so that it could be used to swing away the three 10m sections of the mast. These were each unbolted by a gang of three Telent riggers who had climbed the mast using safety harnesses and couplings. Once the mast had been demolished, the crane then picked up the large equipment cabinet, leaving just a slab of concrete (scheduled to be dug up later in 2012) to mark the 24-year presence of the rather unsightly telecoms equipment on this heritage railway. The work was scheduled so that the VoR could run an early morning engineers' train from Aberystwth to Capel Bangor (where minor track repairs were being undertaken) and bring it back in the early afternoon. Everything was accomplished on time. This information has been provided by the NR Safety Manager for the 'RETB-mast Removal' project. He was on site at Glanyrafon throughout the execution of the work which was completed without mishap.