Work in Progress: 11th February

Preparing for the half-term week trains.

The brief winter shutdown is almost over. The L&BR is one of the few tourist attractions in the area which will be open to visitors and locals over the February Half-Term week. The work today for the Thursday gang was to clean, tidy and prepare Woody Bay Station ready for the first trains operating from this Sunday...

Carriage Cleaning Gang

1. Roger Bye washes down the sides of Carriage No. 17.

2. Andy Embling soaps down the first class end of No.17.

3. Dave Evans hoses down Carriage No.11. The half-term week trains will be formed of these two carriages.

4. Jim Price alongside Carriage No.16, under wraps after its recent refresh and repaint in the shed.

5. Carriage No.7 is now in the Paint Shop awaiting a light overhaul and paint touchup.

6. Another odd job for the volunteers today was to fill in the pot holes in the drive.

7. A view of the point rodding where it runs under the lowered tracks. This required several adjustments this week.

8. Woody Bay Station from the Up Starter signal post platform.

9. The two P-Way trolleys gratefully on loan from the Exeter & Teign Valley Railway at Christow, Devon. These proved useful during the recent permanent way work.

10. A special train ran at lunchtime. Hunslet Diesel HEDDON HALL with the brake van was dispatched to Killington Lane to collect two hungry and thirsty volunteers…

11. ...Signalling engineers Dick Gunn and Don Newnham had been down the line greasing and adjusting all the point rodding and signals at Killington Lane in advance of next week's trains. Dick (in dark glasses) especially enjoyed his ‘inspection saloon’ ride!

12. In the shed, Martin Williams is painting a new poster board frame.

13. Engineers Pete Williams and Nick Slade working on lowering the cab of Baguley Diesel PILTON so that the loco will fit the L&BR’s loading gauge.

14. The L&BR’s Engineering Director John Heys trying out the latest locomotive in the fleet? D2393's cab temporarily located on an ex-MoD flat wagon.

15. Earlier in the week, Storm ‘Imogen’ hit the South West. The only damage at Woody Bay was the Up Starter signal arm. General Manager Martyn Budd holds the snapped off wooden arm.

Chelfham Station Down Platform progress.

16. Thanks to a recent generous donation to the Chelfham Station Funds, we were able to purchase the timber required to reinstate the post and rail fence (as seen in old black and white photos) along the back of the down platform. The volunteers at Chelfham are hoping to begin this project soon.

17. Dave Drayson came along to Chelfham today to assist with removing the turf and topsoil which had accumulated from leaf mulch over the 80 years since the railway closed. Underneath, much of the original platform surface remains. Some levelling to the restored brick edge and more stone dressing should complete this project.

18. Your reporter Nigel Thompson in action, scraping off another section of turf near the Barnstaple end of the down platform.

Words and Photos: Nigel Thompson