First stage – find a section of good quality, unworn rail. This 30 foot section was part of a batch of rail recently donated by London Underground and was in use a couple of months ago on the District Line somewhere near Hornchurch. It was only made in 2008 and was virtually unworn before LU decided to renew the entire section. This section has a weld in the middle where LU eliminated the rail joints and we’ve decided to cut the weld out the middle and trim the two remaining sections to make 2 x 13 foot long check rails. Photo: Graham Peacock