Work in Progress - 18th February

posted by Martyn de Young on Sun, 21/02/2010 - 11:11

Snow was falling all day at Woody Bay today. However it did not settle on the A39 and it was possible for the volunteers and the visitors to reach Woody Bay Station and enjoy steam trains in the snow!

Photos by Nigel Thompson, Dave Tooke (14, 15 & 17) and Tony Nicholson (16)

1. SID leaves Woody Bay with the first train of the day in falling snow.

2. SID leaving Woody Bay.

3. SID returns to Woody Bay.

4. SID at Woody Bay after arrival with a morning train.

5. SID about to run round.

Passenger numbers were quite favourable today with a steady stream of visitors braving the snow showers to enjoy their train ride and refreshments and souvenirs from the station building.

6. SID at a snowy Killington Lane ready for departure.

7. SID approaching Woody Bay.

8. SID and diesel HEDDON HALL during a run round.

9. HEDDON HALL shunting wagons on the transhipment siding.

10. HEDDON HALL with a works train in the loading dock.

11. HEDDON HALL at the loading dock buffer stop.

Very limited work was possible today. Most of the usual Thursday group were involved in actually running the train. Inside the shed some work was carried out on further wiring in the stock shed and the restoration of a platform seat.

12. Alistair and Nigel cleaning up the platform seat.

13. Dave wires up a new socket inside the stock shed.

Despite predictions that no members of the public would come to Woody Bay in such conditions, quite a few passengers were carried. The 11-15 train, running a few minutes late, carried 27 passengers, making it look rather busy with only the two carriages in operation.

Two families said that they had intended to visit the West Somerset Railway, but realised that they were not going to be able to get to Minehead, and came to us instead.