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This fencing is alongside the old track bed of the Maiden Newton to Bridport Branch line at Wytherston Wood. This is one of the straining posts for tensioning the fence wires. Each fence wire ran round a spool located within the post and each wire was kept under tension by a ratchet. Most ratchets have a movable pawl to engage the teeth of the ratchet but these appear to have a fixed pawl (visible adjacent to the hole where the spool is missing). A metal bracing arm going into the ground at 45 degrees was used to increase stability. See also SY5397 : Railway Fencing on Bridport Branch Line (5),
SY5397 : Railway Fencing on Bridport Branch Line (4),
SY5397 : Railway Fencing on Bridport Branch Line (3),
SY5397 : Railway Fencing on Bridport Branch Line (2),
SY5397 : Railway Fencing on Bridport Branch Line (1).
The fencing was manufactured by Morton of Liverpool and examples of it can be found all over the UK for example see NS2071 : Cast iron gate posts.