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Auger Appeal

posted by Martyn de Young on Wed, 09/02/2011 - 22:05

A belated thank you to Shaun Pearce MD of PEARCE HIRE Peterborough (www.pearcehire.co.uk) for his much appreciated donation.

Martin Swainson Hon Treasurer L&B Trust

Auger Report: UPDATE - The Auger at work

Here is some video footage of the auger at work taken by Julia Snashall.

 Julia also took some stills


 


Auger Report: It's brilliant says Martyn Budd, L&B General Manager

The new auger attachment saw use for the first time today, erecting SR concrete fence posts along our boundary at Cricket Field Lane, on the edge of Parracombe. The work went extremely smoothly, all of the holes being dug, and all posts erected before the team of workers departed this evening. Everyone was very impressed at the ease and speed with which it was possible to proceed, even in ground which contained some large rocks and tree roots. The gang of volunteers wish to give a hearty vote of thanks to all those members (and non-members) who gave so generously, and made possible the purchase of this superb piece of equipment. Well done!

For those who may not know this area well, the land at Cricket Field Lane was the first section of trackbed to be purchased by the L&B (in those days it was the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Association), way back in 1981. It is about 250 yards long, running from Parracombe Lane to the rough track which is Cricket Field Lane, just above Heddon Hall.

Auger Update:A few facts from our Hon Treasurer

So far there has been 51 contributors, 5 of which are not currently members and 1 new member who has yet to have a membership number issued. L&B Membership numbers are as follows:

A042, A083, A086, B319, B332, B359, B370, C104, C173, C186, C189, C190, C236, D002, E074, F016, F101, F110, G036, G070, H046, H223, H232, J055, L115, L131, M170, M176, N003, P033, P021, P042, P122, P143, R003, R139, S018, S094, S250, T027, W006 ,W096, W105, Y003 and Y010.

L&B Membership Pending - SR.

Non Members - GG, GNH JMR, JMW and SW.

Martin Swainson Hon Treasurer L&B Trust

Auger Update: We've Done it!

Thanks to the magnificent support from you, the L&B members who visit this website, we have succeeded in raising the purchase price of the auger attachment to fit our digger. The new equipment was delivered to Woody Bay this afternoon, Friday 21st, and quickly attached to the digger. Although we did not have time to dig any holes today, a brief test-run showed that all is working as intended.

We plan to start work with the new machinery next week, on our section of trackbed at Cricket Field Lane, Parracombe. Over the weekend 28th to 30th January, we are running an extended work party in this area, carrying out fencing, drainage and other tasks. We are expecting a team of our friends from the Isle of Wight, and any other willing volunteers will be made most welcome. Bring wellies, the ground is very wet!

 
 
 
  
 
You will note from the photos that we have purchased a set of parts, which comprise the hydraulic motor to drive the auger-bit, plus two bits which do the drilling. Theses are in two sizes: 225mm for the standard SR concrete fence posts, and 450mm for the larger straining posts. In the future, if we need to drill holes to any other size, it is relatively cheap to purchase different size bits, as required.
Our thanks, once again, for the generous support of individual members and Area Support Groups which has made this possible. For example, I have been advised today of a donation of £150 from the Thames Valley Group. Rest assured, we will put this auger to good use, and photos of it in action will be posted here by the end of the month.

Dave Tooke

 Auger Appeal latest: 17 January

Thanks to the fantastic support of our members, we have now placed the order for the new auger attachment, with delivery expected later this week.

The purchase price has almost been raised from this appeal, and the L&B Trust has kindly agreed to cover any small shortfall in funds. However, if anyone still wishes to make a donation, it would be gratefully received!

Everyone has been amazed at the brilliant response to this appeal, which has been run exclusively on the internet, a first for the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway.

As soon as the new equipment arrives at Woody Bay, photos will be posted here. Weather permitting, it will be put to very good use before the end of the month.

Our thanks, once again, to all those who have contributed.

Dave Tooke.

Auger Appeal Update 13th January -

We are so close now with two days to go, please send what you can even if its just a £1. In the words of that well known supermarket "Every little helps"
WOW - what a fantastic response!  Donations have come in from all over the world - so a big thank you to the following members: A042 , A083 , B319 , C186 , C189 , C236, F110 , J055, M176 , P033 , P143 , R003 , R139 , S018 , T027.  This list is not exhaustive and rest assured if you have donated your membership number will appear as soon as the donation has been processed by our hard working Finance Officers, Ian and Martin.
We are still accepting donations for the auger and we hope to place the order this week, so please, if  you can, do send an amount no matter how much as all will be welcome. 

 Auger Appeal: an update from Dave Tooke, 6 January:

We have had an excellent response to our appeal for funds to buy an auger attachment, in order to help our volunteers in erecting fence posts along the trackbed. Several have now made very generous donations, for which everyone, especially the Track Gang, is most grateful.

However, we are still about £500 short of our target. Ideally we would like to place the order for the auger by the end of next week, 14th January.  So if you are still thinking about helping with this, I would ask to please act as quickly as possible. If you can spare even £5 or £10, it will help us hit our target, which is now so tantalisingly within reach.

Thanks for your support.

Donations can be made online by clicking here or by PayPal by clicking here.

Remember to add "Auger Appeal" in the comments section.

If you prefer to use a cheque, please make it payable to “Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust”, and send to:

Mr M. Swainson, Amberwood, The  Vallance, Lynsted, Kent, ME9 0RP.

Please mark the envelope “Auger Appeal” or AA. 

An appeal from Dave Tooke, on behalf of the working volunteers at Woody Bay:

An auger of the type required for the L&B Excavator 
“As a member of the Track Gang, one of the hardest and slowest jobs which we have to carry out is the digging of holes to receive the concrete fence posts which have to line both sides of the railway track. The Thursday Gang recently spent a very unpleasant morning digging just 6 of these holes at Woody Bay.
 
Early in the New Year, at least 40 more holes need to be dug in order to complete the fencing of our land at Cricket Field Lane, Parracombe. There is also the prospect, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, of fencing the 560 yards of trackbed between Killington Lane and Parracombe Lane. To dig these holes by hand will require a massive effort, and considerable time.
 
However, for the price of £1,800 we can purchase an attachment to fit on our digger, an auger, which will make light work of this task. It also means that all holes can be dug at the right angle, and to the right depth, first time, every time.
I know that this is an expensive time of year, but I would like to ask you to consider if you can help with this purchase. This piece of equipment would make a great difference to our hard-working volunteers at Woody Bay.
 
We have already received the kind offer of three donations, of £50 each, toward this purchase as well as several other donations from online well wishers  With your help, I hope that we can quickly reach our target.

If you are a UK taxpayer, please complete the Gift Aid option as this enables the L&B Trust to receive 28 pence (25p from 5th April 2011) for every pound of your subscription or donation at no extra cost to you.  For example, the Trust can receive an additional £14.10 for every £50 donated.

If you are unsure if you have done this previously, please do it now as it helps us to keep our records up to date. If this is your first Gift Aid declaration please read the Additional Information about Gift Aid section before selecting the Gift Aid option.
 

 
 

Corporate Supporters - Where to Stay

The Denes Fox and Goose Highfield House Lynton Cottage Moorlands North Cliff Sinai House