Work in Progress: 22nd November

Some preliminary work in advance of the working weekend at Rowley Cross was undertaken today by Martyn Budd, Dave Bloomfield and Nigel Thompson.

1. Martyn in the excavator creates a route through the trees to access the area proposed to be fenced.

2. With the L & B R trackbed just below Martyn manages to clear access to the first strainer-posts of the original fence line.

3. Next job for the digger was to clear some cut down trees away from the trackbed cutting. These will be burnt in the bonfires over the weekend.

4. To remove the water and mud from the flooded cutting, Martyn dug a channel out of the end of the cutting for the water to run away.

5. Success as the water flows away and out of the trackbed down a field to the stream below.

6. The trackbed here is grassy just below the A39. The fence line on the right will be renewed this weekend.

7. Whilst Martyn was away operating the excavator, Nigel and Dave prepared a route past the original fence posts and cut and collected the old scrap wire.

8. Back at Woody Bay, Jim Price has just put on a coat of primer to the cleaned up window frame on the platform.

9. John O'Dell with the other gang worked on building a wooden canopy for the bogie open wagon. This will enable some stored railway equipment to be kept dry in the wagon under cover.

10. Restoration of the signal frame continues with these sections now painted almost ready for reassembly.

11. Recently painted levers laid out on the wagon. 

12. AXE is now out of service, water drained and prepared for its winter maintenance. With the lettering and plates removed already, AXE will also be rubbed down ready for a repaint during this winter's shutdown.

13. LILLA is on loan from the Ffestiniog Railway and will be operating the Santa and 'Mince Pie'  Specials during December.