OCD Corner

As Phil Parker has commented on his blog, there's a prototype for everything. Catching a few moments on the South Devon Railway, I spotted this from the carriage as we stood at Buckfastleigh.

Common Crossing at Buckfastleigh, SDR

When I make track, I'm careful to ensure that the fishplate bolts are placed with the bolts on the running face, and the nuts on the outer face of the rail joins. The theory goes that the nuts will interfere with wheel flanges. Well I'm not going to be the one to square up to a member of SDR's PW gang and tell them they've got it wrong. From now on, I'll be happy to point to this photograph as proof that my track isn't badly built but based on actual practice.

On closer inspection, the photo in Phil's post shows a similar arrangement!