Work in Progress - 19 August

It's been a very busy time at Woody Bay this week mainly due to the poorer weather keeping the visitors off the beaches and therefore having to sample the other attractions of North Devon and West Exmoor. The staff and volunteers on site have coped well with over 300 passengers each day and over 400 on Wednesday. Thanks to all those who have continued to provide the quality tourist attraction for the visitors at Woody Bay.
 
The usual Thursday gang were tasked with a couple of tasks today and even assisted by a potential new volunteer called "Young Robin".

1. "Young Robin" seen on the platform by the signal cabin perhaps aspiring to be a trainee signalman!

2. "Young Robin" resting on a seat before sighting further food scraps to eat.

3. Guard Dave Tooke flags off the first departure of the day.

This is to replace an old marquee roof tarpaulin which has been used until recently. The stage itself is used during the Galas and other special events to assist the catering such as housing the Barbeque under cover particularly in the unpredictable traditional summer weather.

4. Brian Pullen removes the temporary planks off the roof which had supported the old tarpaulin.

5. Richard Willey placing new wooden batons across the stage roof.

6. Richard & Brian fix the first of the corrugated roof sections in place.

7. The top of the completed roof is coloured green to lessen the visual impact from above. Brians empty coffee cup awaits collection!

8. The completed stage roof with the barbeques ready for their next use.

After lunch it began to rain steadily. A major shunt around of wagons between the transhipment siding and headshunt siding took place before Martyn, Nigel and Richard began another pre Gala preparation task.
 
At the Gala there will be the opportunity to drive steam loco SID for a fiver up and down the loading dock to the headshunt. However the last panel of track with the buffer stop on the headshunt had missed out on levelling and ballasting after its 2008 installation. Small works diesel loco TITCH has stood on this panel until recently but with TITCH moved to the car park awaiting despatch (see separate report), the bare track needed some ballast support for a heavier steam locomotive likely to run up to the buffers during the Gala event.

9. The digger on the well wagon grabs bucket fulls of ballast from the ballast hopper located on the headshunt.

10. Martyn driving the digger carefully reaches across towards the ballast hopper......

11. .....and drops ballast with precision in various places on the track panel.

12. AXE with an afternoon train passes the activity on the sidings.

13. Martyn & Richard pack ballast under the buffer stop on the headshunt.

14. Almost completed the buffer stop panel now levelled and ballasted.