Chelfham in February

Another successful month at the L&BR's station at Chelfham. The few local volunteers of 'The Friends of Chelfham Station' group have continued the gradual restoration of the original L&BR station, as well as further ongoing trackbed clearance...

Volunteers are on site at Chelfham every Sunday and selected Wednesdays. Interested visitors and L&BR Trust members are always very welcome to come along and view the progress. The trackbed and woodland walks on offer are particularly appealling to all interests both railway and natural. We also would welcome any offers of help as we further the station's restoration this year.

Words and pictures by Nigel Thompson  

1. A good turnout of the usual regulars John Edmonds, Nigel Thompson, Frank Daff, John O'Dell, Dave Drayson and Martin Williams.

2. Distinguished visitors to Chelfham this month included Brenda Miles, L&B CIC Director Dave Blencowe, and L&B Trust and Company Chairman Peter Miles. As the work continues to restore the station this year, the interest and support from the L&B hierachy is most welcome.

3. Dave Drayson trims the laurel hedge behind the down platform.

4. As with all L&B projects, Health & Safety is taken seriously. John O'Dell 'models' all the personal protective equipment (PPE) available to carry out just some of the jobs on site.

5. Looking good in the winter sunshine. Chelfham station with the recently repainted post box.

6. Close up of the repainted post box. Another project on the list is to restore, repair and repaint the original window frame here... Any new volunteers interested?

7. The outside display board and original SR concrete down platform running-in board posts. We're still hoping that someone will be able to replicate the 'CHELFHAM' signs sometime...

8. Inside, John Edmonds made some wooden mouldings for a new window sill, after the original area was exposed last month.

9. Later in the month, John was able to cast a new concrete window sill in the same pattern as the surviving originals, and ...

10. ...then Jim Price came to measure the dimensions for the new frame.

11. Out on the trackbed, a large tree came down during a storm in late January.

12. . On this trackbed section, it was time to dispose of the piles of scrub and branches cut down last summer.

13. At last the dry weather enabled a bonfire to be lit. Dave Drayson assembles a pyramid of sticks to begin the bonfire.

14. Going well at last, this bonfire is on the L&B's trackbed north of Valley Cottage.

15. With the necessary accompaniments of Tea flask and radio, Nigel Thompson enjoys another solitary afternoon feeding a bonfire on the trackbed.

16. Almost clear now, the trackbed looking north to the fallen tree. This tree will be cut up later to free access through the trackbed at the extent of the L&B's land here.

17. Bonfire and trackbed view Feb 2013

18. On Sunday 23rd Nigel and Martin Williams managed two separate trackbed bonfires to complete the burning of all last year's cut down scrub and branches.