diff --git a/lib/services/block/index.js b/lib/services/block/index.js
index d1f87003..31b96111 100644
--- a/lib/services/block/index.js
+++ b/lib/services/block/index.js
@@ -103,6 +103,102 @@ BlockService.prototype.unsubscribe = function(name, emitter) {
 
 };
 
+// --- start private prototype functions
+BlockService.prototype._blockAlreadyProcessed = function(block) {
+
+  return this._blockHeaderQueue.get(block.hash) ? true : false;
+
+};
+
+BlockService.prototype._broadcast = function(subscribers, name, entity) {
+  for (var i = 0; i < subscribers.length; i++) {
+    subscribers[i].emit(name, entity);
+  }
+};
+
+BlockService.prototype._cacheHeader = function(header) {
+
+  // 1. save to in-memory cache first
+  this._blockHeaderQueue.set(header.hash, header.toObject());
+
+  // 2. get operations
+  return this._getHeaderOperations(header);
+
+
+};
+
+BlockService.prototype._cacheHeaders = function(headers) {
+
+  var self = this;
+  var operations = headers.map(self._cacheHeader.bind(self));
+  operations = _.flatten(operations);
+
+  log.debug('Saving: ' + headers.length + ' headers to the database.');
+  self._db.batch(operations);
+  self._syncHeaders();
+};
+
+BlockService.prototype._cacheBlock = function(block) {
+
+  log.debug('Setting block: "' + block.hash + '" in the block cache.');
+
+  // 1. set the block queue, which holds full blocks in memory
+  this._blockQueue.set(block.hash, block);
+
+  // 2. store the block in the database
+  var operations = this._getBlockOperations(block);
+
+  this._db.batch(operations, function(err) {
+
+    if(err) {
+      log.error('There was an error attempting to save block for hash: ' + block.hash);
+      this._db.emit('error', err);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    log.debug('Success saving block hash ' + block.hash);
+  });
+
+};
+
+BlockService.prototype._checkChain = function(tip) {
+
+  var _tip = tip;
+
+  for(var i = 0; i < this._maxLookback; i++) {
+    if (_tip === this._tip.hash) {
+       return true;
+    }
+    var prevHeader = this._blockHeaderQueue.get(_tip);
+    if (!prevHeader) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    _tip = prevHeader.prevHash;
+  }
+
+  return false;
+
+};
+
+BlockService.prototype._computeChainwork = function(bits, prev) {
+
+  var target = consensus.fromCompact(bits);
+
+  if (target.isNeg() || target.cmpn(0) === 0) {
+    return new BN(0);
+  }
+
+  var proof =  BlockService.MAX_CHAINWORK.div(target.iaddn(1));
+
+  if (!prev) {
+    return proof;
+  }
+
+  return proof.iadd(prev);
+
+};
+
+
 BlockService.prototype._startSyncHeaders = function() {
 
   var numHeadersNeeded = this._bestHeight - this._tip.height;
@@ -195,12 +291,6 @@ BlockService.prototype._onHeaders = function(headers) {
 
 };
 
-BlockService.prototype._blockAlreadyProcessed = function(block) {
-
-  return this._blockHeaderQueue.get(block.hash) ? true : false;
-
-};
-
 BlockService.prototype._updateChainTips = function(block, state) {
 
   var prevHash = utils.reverseBufferToString(block.header.prevHash);
@@ -314,24 +404,6 @@ BlockService.prototype._getChainwork = function(tipHash) {
   return chainwork;
 };
 
-BlockService.prototype._computeChainwork = function(bits, prev) {
-
-  var target = consensus.fromCompact(bits);
-
-  if (target.isNeg() || target.cmpn(0) === 0) {
-    return new BN(0);
-  }
-
-  var proof =  BlockService.MAX_CHAINWORK.div(target.iaddn(1));
-
-  if (!prev) {
-    return proof;
-  }
-
-  return proof.iadd(prev);
-
-};
-
 BlockService.prototype._getDelta = function(tip) {
 
   var blocks = [];
@@ -348,25 +420,6 @@ BlockService.prototype._getDelta = function(tip) {
 
 };
 
-BlockService.prototype._checkChain = function(tip) {
-
-  var _tip = tip;
-
-  for(var i = 0; i < this._maxLookback; i++) {
-    if (_tip === this._tip.hash) {
-       return true;
-    }
-    var prevHeader = this._blockHeaderQueue.get(_tip);
-    if (!prevHeader) {
-      return false;
-    }
-    _tip = prevHeader.prevHash;
-  }
-
-  return false;
-
-};
-
 BlockService.prototype._sendDelta = function() {
 
   // when this function is called, we know, for sure, that we have a complete chain of unsent block(s).
@@ -525,57 +578,6 @@ BlockService.prototype._isChainReorganizing = function(block) {
 
 };
 
-BlockService.prototype._broadcast = function(subscribers, name, entity) {
-  for (var i = 0; i < subscribers.length; i++) {
-    subscribers[i].emit(name, entity);
-  }
-};
-
-BlockService.prototype._cacheHeader = function(header) {
-
-  // 1. save to in-memory cache first
-  this._blockHeaderQueue.set(header.hash, header.toObject());
-
-  // 2. get operations
-  return this._getHeaderOperations(header);
-
-
-};
-
-BlockService.prototype._cacheHeaders = function(headers) {
-
-  var self = this;
-  var operations = headers.map(self._cacheHeader.bind(self));
-  operations = _.flatten(operations);
-
-  log.debug('Saving: ' + headers.length + ' headers to the database.');
-  self._db.batch(operations);
-  self._syncHeaders();
-};
-
-BlockService.prototype._cacheBlock = function(block) {
-
-  log.debug('Setting block: "' + block.hash + '" in the block cache.');
-
-  // 1. set the block queue, which holds full blocks in memory
-  this._blockQueue.set(block.hash, block);
-
-  // 2. store the block in the database
-  var operations = this._getBlockOperations(block);
-
-  this._db.batch(operations, function(err) {
-
-    if(err) {
-      log.error('There was an error attempting to save block for hash: ' + block.hash);
-      this._db.emit('error', err);
-      return;
-    }
-
-    log.debug('Success saving block hash ' + block.hash);
-  });
-
-};
-
 BlockService.prototype._getHeader = function(block) {
 
   return {