During February, we welcomed back our friends from the CMR Signals Branch who travelled from the far corners of the state to continue the restoration work on the Signals and Interlocking System in the Cooma Station precinct.

The primary focus for this trip was the replacement of a number of structural timbers that support the steel linkage connecting the components of the interlocking system with the Signal Box, many of which have since rotted away or were no longer strong enough to support the load. These are substantial timbers as they need to be able to support the huge amount of force exerted through the linkage and are critical to the smooth operation of the system.

Another important component of the interlocking system are the depression bars. A depression bar is a fixed steel bar that sits along the inside of the rail and when depressed by flanges of the wheel, it prevents the associated points being changed. The depression bar on the through road, north of the platform has now been re-installed on brand new sleepers and re-connected to the system.

In addition to the structural work, some of our signals also received some cosmetic work as the team started repainting the signals in the yard. With the new lenses already installed, these beautiful signals are starting to look as good as the day they went into the ground.

This latest round of work means that we now have one section of the signal and interlocking system that is fully operational from the Signal Box and we are one step closer to restoring the entire system back to an operational state.

💁‍♀️ Did you know – While the Signal and Interlocking system is an important piece of history, it isn’t just for show. When restored, the system will be in full operational use when we re-commence heritage train operations and will continue to control operations in the yard for many years to come.

A huge thank you to John, Wazza, Jerry and Plucker from the CMR Signals Branch team as well as our regular CMR volunteers for all their hard work. A special thank you to all those who have contributed towards this project through supply of goods, services and the kind donations from the public. Without your continued support, work like this would not be possible.

We look forward to welcoming our signalling friends back later in the year to continue bringing this amazing piece of engineering back to life for everyone to enjoy.