PW Hand Tools

Some tools are required for almost every member of a gang and others are only needed one per gang. Examples of the latter are rail bender (jim crow), drills & bits, hack-saw, rail jacks (say 3 per gang) and wheel barrow.

Square ended shovels are used for digging and packing. Round ended shovels are better for moving ballast. Tamping picks have a flat end and are sometimes called beaters. Unlike on the standard gauge where rail tongs are used for moving rails, on the FR the lighter section and shorter length mean they are usually lifted without any aid.

Fish plates bolts can where necessary be cut off with a chisel and set (holder) and a sledge hammer. Rails are usually cut with a motorised hack saw unless they are going for scrap in which case they can be cut with an oxy-acetylene torch.

Many hammers are used in PW work. Double ended ones are useful but keying hammers with one end of the head designed to be slightly smaller than a key allow keys to be driven into or out of chairs as required. On the FR mattocks were in much demand in the early years of the FR revival for de-turfing. This is no longer required because the ballast is so much better and deeper that turf encroachment is rare. The pointed ends of mattocks were also sometimes used to work rail jacks but specially designed bars are much better.

Crow bars are essential equipment. They are particularly used to move track laterally to change the alignment. This is known by platelayers as "slewing" the track. A team works together as directed by a colleague or the ganger who stands at some distance with a good view along the rail and usually gets his eye close to rail level to improve his view of the alignment.

For a listing of the hand tools used by a small track maintenance gang of two in 1965 (Fred Howes and Will Jones) and later in 1969 (Fred Howes and John Babbage) see the article in Heritage Group Journal.

The 1965 Volunteers' Manual had the following to say about hand tools:

Tools

The tools which the volunteer is likely to be asked to use are the fishplate spanner, shovel, packing shovel (spade), keying hammer, pick, mattock (usually known as a pick), beater, chisel, scythe, small axe and hand turnkey. The trackman can be no more efficient than his tools, and time spent in cleaning tools after use, and ensuring they are not left behind when work is finished at a site, is well worth while. Shovels, picks and mattocks should be kept in fairly constant use - if, for example, a three man gang has two picks and two shovels, and they all want to use the picks at the same time, then their method of working is at fault. Do not use tools for a different purpose to that for which they were designed - you could break or damage the tools and possibly cause yourself injury. Shovels, in particular, must not be prized against rails to gain extra leverage. This warning cannot be too strongly emphasised; the dangers from the misuse of tools are often not apparent until it is too late."

Clothing

Not quite hand tools but essential for the platelayer is suitable clothing. The 1965 Volunteer's Manual says "If you are working on the track or around the Works adequate heavy footwear is essential; for maximum protection wear Industrial Safety Boots; never report for duty wearing plimsolls or light shoes. In wet weather rubber boots are advisable for Permanent Way work, the protective types are strongly recommended." PW workers were also encouraged but not required to have overalls. Nothing was mentioned about the need for waterproofs which was presumably regarded a matter of common sense. In practice, in the 1960s, volunteers turned up in quite a variety of clothing. A brief humorous article about volunteer dress was published in the FR Magazine in the sixties by a member of the PW Gang.

Yellow/orange high visibility vests were introduced into FR practice by John Wagstaff and David Josey around 1970 following then current BR practice and soon became obligatory for those working around the running lines.

This picture shows a volunteer platelayer at Tanygrisiau in 1978. He wears blue cotton overalls but no high visibility vest - this section of line was not under traffic yet. He has boots but without safety toe caps. On the ground is his waterproof jacket. The equipment he is using is a hydraulic jim crow for bending rails.

References

• Cunningham R B (Ed) (1965), The Volunteer's Manual, Festiniog Railway Society Limited, Harbour Station, Portmadoc, Carns.