Work in Progress - 14 July

posted by Nigel Thompson on Tue, 19/07/2011 - 02:00

With plenty of visitors about now as we begin to enter the 'peak' tourist season here in North Devon, the L & B R at Woody Bay enjoyed another busy Thursday. The usual Brend coach party at lunchtime, Shearings in the afternoon and another minibus of interested visitors all helped to swell the numbers today.

1. AXE with a busy train arrives back at Woody Bay.

2. On the platform Alex Pickersgill helps to assist the passengers to available compartments on the train.

3. The footplate crew today included trainee fireman Olly Seaton (left) and regular driver Eddie Mills.

4. Assisting with the lever pulling at the signal cabin was John Berry.

5. Serving excellent Devon Cream Teas to the visitors were Lucy Poole (left) and Judy Williams.

The 'Thursday' gang of volunteers worked on the usual variety of projects both in the shed and around the station site.

6. Continuing the derusting, clean up and repainting of the fence railings along the up platform.

7. Alex Colborn painting undercoat green onto a fence panel.

8. The volunteers at work on this project attract interest from a younger visitor as well as fireman, Jim Price.

9. Later on the end panel had been cleaned up and painted primer/undercoat as AXE leaves with the 1545 train.

10. Plenty of tea breaks today as the shed team of Richard, John and Tim relax by the stage.

11. Brom Bromidge too was busy today working in the old portable cabin office clearing away space for some shelving storage.

12. After a shunt move, Andy Foster drives HEDDON HALL through the up platform towards the shed.

In the last week the engineering team of Chris Carder, John Uphill and Ollie Jurer with assistance from Martyn Budd have successfully carried out the boiler repairs and reassembled Maffei 0-4-0T locomotive SID which is owned by four of the L&B's Trustees. Having being out of traffic since last autumn these repairs have now returned SID to service so we will always have a steam loco available even when AXE undergoes a boiler wash out.