Work in Progress: 13th February

 The white stuff at Woody Bay today...

There was some snow about on Exmoor during the night, which made driving conditions difficult for the volunteers who came early. This did not deter most people and a good attendance was recorded as usual.

The main gang was tasked with further work around the headshunt retaining wall, whilst the others remained in the shed on their various projects.

1. The block wall had been constructed by the contractors this week, so it was time to drop the ballast between the wall and the running line.

2. General Manager Martyn Budd supervising the ballast flowing from the hopper as Graham Varney carefully drives Hunslet diesel D6652.

3. Snow all around as the gang dig the drainage channel for a pipe laid behind the new block wall.

4. The contractors were busy laying capping blocks onto the block wall. Their base was another works train, using the well wagon for cement mixing.

5. Meanwhile new ballast was loaded into the ballast hopper by Martyn in the excavator.

6. The drainage trench across the track with the pipe installed ready for fresh ballast. The block wall will be faced reusing the stone recovered from the original.

7. D6652 with the hopper ballasting along the running line.

8. Signal engineer Dick Gunn was on hand today to grease and lubricate the point mechanisms ready for the half term week passenger trains.

9. Tony Cross came along to clean the exterior of Coach No.1 which will be used next week.

10. Jim Pounds in the shed cleaning the handles on the restored lever frame. These polished handles are ground and wire-brushed before being treated with a lacquer coat to prevent rusting.

Words and pictures by Nigel Thompson