Work in Progress: 13th August

Shunting, sleepers and Southern Uniforms.

A bumper crop of photos from Nigel Thompson this week.

"The recent changeable weather continues to keep the visitors coming and coming. The numbers travelling on the L&B have regularly exceeded 500 per day this month."

1. & 2. Today’s locomotive Bagnall 4-4-0T CHARLES WYTOCK arrives at Woody Bay.

3. Locos on display outside the shed are AXE and ISAAC.

4. Two Bagnalls side-by-side as CHARLES WYTOCK is serviced during the run-round.

With the recently announced wagons from South Africa due to arrive next week, preparation for their accommodation has begun. As there will be a crane on site to lift the SA wagons, we have the opportunity for surplus rolling stock and other items to be moved to offsite storage. Before this can be done, a major "shunt" was required.

5. The first job was for ‘The bogiemen’ to move these spare bogies out of the way.

6. Hunslet Diesel HEDDON HALL draws out vehicles usually stored out of sight including the other Hunslet Diesel D6652.

7. This careworn MOD Box Van No.65 is one of the vehicles set to leave Woody Bay.

8. ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ characters? Here relaxing on the platform bench are Jim Price, Trevor Buck and Dave Bloomfield but who is Compo, Foggy and Clegg?

9. Meanwhile, Graham Varney was cleaning out AXE's boiler tubes today.

10. & 11. After lunch at Killington Lane, CHARLES WYTOCK runs round the train ...

12. ... ready to depart again under the watchful eye of Guard Bob Ayres …

13. … and run past the track gang engaged on the sleeper renewal programme.

14. Another new sleeper is slid into place.

15. Alistair Burgess raking up ballast to create a shoulder on this curve as the line heads uphill out of Killington Lane.

16. Good teamwork by everyone now well versed in this weekly work to maintain our track in excellent condition.

17. Tristan Burgess "drives" the trolley bringing more ‘new’ hardwood sleepers to site.

18. L&BR General Manager and Southern Railway aficionado, Martyn Budd was delighted this week to receive a replica SR Porters uniform hand-made by Kent Area Group Member Anne Belsey. The waistcoat is made to a very high standard and includes SR buttons.

Words and photos: Nigel Thompson