Network Rail's track renewal train was replacing the rails and sleepers on the up Great Western Main Line between Uphill Junction and Worle Junction in Weston-super-Mare, the south and north ends of the Weston-super-Mare Loop respectively. This photograph was taken from the footbridge that crosses the railway between the the Old Mixon crescent industrial estate and the Old Mixon playing fields, about a third of a mile north of Uphill Junction.
<p>
This photograph shows the southern (rear) end of the train, in the bottom right of the picture is the rearmost of 28 YXA sleeper wagons. The wagon following contains equiptment that allows operators to unclip the old rails from the sleepers; next in line is a wagon with operators who remove the clips from the sleepers which are then taken by a conveyor belt to a hopper where they are collected; a ballast plough on the front of this wagon keeps this clear of the rails being swapped. The next wagon is the operating area for the crane that supplies the new sleepers to the conveyor on the wagon behind that lays them, and collates the old sleepers for the transport crane to convey forwards. The wagon behind this swaps the sleepers and rails, while the wagon behind that secures the new rails to the new sleepers. The penultimate wagon appears primarily to be a staff support vehicle, and I was unable to work out a purpose for the rearmost wagon - although I'm sure there must be one!

<p>
Photo by <a href="mailto:cmckenna@sucs.org?subject=rail-photo at railfaneurope.net">Chris McKenna</a> 20/11/2006.<br>
Larger, higher quality copies of my photos are available, <a href="http://www.sucs.org/~cmckenna/rfephotos.html">click here for details</a>.<br>
If you wish to use this, or any other of my photographs, under a different license see <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User%3AThryduulf/Relicensing">my relicensing policy</a>.<br>
Feedback on my pictures is always welcome.