Winter Working Weekend 2015 UPDATED 2nd December

Winter Work Weekend Sunday November 29th,  2015 - Photos & Captions by Nigel Thompson

1. After a successful Saturday laying the rails onto the newly-plated sleepers, on Sunday it was time to complete the top ballasting, levelling, and packing.

2. Comparison between the down road (left), with older sleepers and fixings, and the newly-laid up road (right), using new hardwood sleepers and Pandrol Clips.

3. The point rodding was protected by shuttering ply to avoid ballast dropping into the trench.

4. As vacuum is required to operate the ballast hopper's brakes, AXE was steamed as the works train loco.

5. As AXE arrives with the ballast hopper, the gang take a break from their shoveling.

6. 7. 8. 9. AXE ballasting with the new ballast hopper.

10. 11. The sleeper plating gang were busy fixing plates on another 110 sleepers ready for relaying the down platform road on the January 2016 working weekend.

12. The weather was appalling all day. Sheltering under the station canopy, the L&B's Orange Army begin to form an early queue for lunch.

13. L&BR Catering Manager Judy Williams and her team provided an excellent chicken/sausage/vegetable stew for lunch - which everyone enjoyed.

14. Julia Snashall, Sonia Oakey, Liz Tagart and Emma Kiddell AKA the ‘Grottettes’  - were busy assembling and decorating Santa’s Grotto ready for the festive season of Santa Specials.

15. After lunch, it was back to ballasting. A close-up view of the hopper in action.

16. With the Heritage Carriages shunted back into the station, Martin Steel demonstrates the now lower height, making it easier for our visitors to board the train.

17. AXE and the Heritage Carriages at Woody Bay at the end of a very successful working weekend. With the engineering works completed on time (no overruns here on the L&BR !!) Woody Bay Station is ready for next Tuesday's coach party trains, as well as the Santa Specials later his month.

Thank you to all those who attended the working weekend – see you all again in January! Nigel

Winter Work Weekend Nov. 2015 - Photos & Captions by Pete Nicholas:

Friday afternoon:

1.& 2. Preparing the track bed and laying sleepers onto the ballast.

 

3. Aligning the sleeper ends.

Saturday:

4.& 5. Rail placed on sleepers and clipped in.


 
5. Adding fresh ballast.

Sunday:

6. Track packed and levelled. & 7. Checking clearances with the passenger coaches.

"Blues Brother" Alistair Hall has already been busy surveying in preparation for the weekend using a laser level to ensure that the track will be both correct and level.

Further Working Weekend dates for your diary:

• 29 – 31 January
• 25 – 28 March

Pete Snashall