Work in Progress: 12th September

A misty autumnal day on the railway at Woody Bay, so no chance of a location shot of the train in action on the line. The volunteers all worked in the shed on a variety of projects.

1. AXE simmers gently by the coal stage.

2. Andy Foster and Pete Williams were todays footplate crew for AXE.

3. Martyn Budd supervises the clearing of an area within the shed to enable the addition of an extension to the 'paint shop' making it long enough to accommodate the heritage carriages for varnishing or painting. The gang ready themselves to carry out the woodworking necessary for this job.

4. Martyn still supervising whilst the restored lever frame continues to take shape. In the foreground, Dave Bloomfield cleans up some fabricated steelwork as a base for this frame.

5. Later Dave and Don Newnham paint this bracket with rust proof paint.

6. Dick Gunn using the pillar drill to make greasing points on some cleaned-up point crank bases.

7. Jim Price who has been busy this week volunteering for several days on the train as a fireman or guard, today he re-joined the Thursday gang to help fix the wood for the paint shop extension.

8. By the afternoon the wooden supports for the curtain flaps had been erected. The gang discuss how to secure these in place.

9. The engineers were also busy, fabricating a new lower coupling bracket so that the 'mines couplings' as fitted to AXE or SID can couple to the goods rolling stock. Enabling them to haul demonstration freight trains for photo charters or Galas. The one shown here is fitted to Brake Van 56042.

Words and pictures by Nigel Thompson