Work in Progress: 19th June

 Bad and Good news this week ...

Although England are already out of the World Cup - the Good news is that the L&BR is seeing increasing numbers of visitors - and that the sun is out!

1. ISAAC with the heritage carriages passing today's Thursday Gang as they worked on the headshunt.

2. Today's job is to jack, level and pack some low points along this siding. General Manager Martyn Budd with his dog, Fred, look along the rails to determine which areas to jack up and repack the ballast.

3. The gang reach the siding's end to repack surplus ballast from around the buffer stop.

4. ISAAC departs again, while the gang tidy surplus ballast from the headshunt.

5. Other jobs today included Nigel Spencer painting some of the platform seats ...

6. ...whilst Jim Price and Dave Evans repaired others.

7. Alex Pickersgill was smartly uniformed to meet and greet today's visitors, especially the coach parties.

8. A distinguished guest today - travelling First Class - L&B artist Eric Leslie.

9. Outside the shed today was Bagnall 4-4-0 CHARLES WYTOCK.

10. A line-up of engines, with PILTON, AXE and CHARLES WYTOCK on show.

11. A series of afternoon shunting movements between the headshunt and the transhipment siding saw PILTON (D2393) with the SR liveried wagons.

12. The shunting included moving the newly re-gauged ex-MoD Box Van.

13. This unrestored van has been in store off-site in recent years, now seen alongside the other "SR" Box Vans.

14. Once fitted with re-gauged brakes, a new roof & internal flooring, and a new "SR" livery, this will become SR 47063.

15. A view of ISAAC in sunshine taken from the end of the headshunt.

Words and pictures by Nigel Thompson