Work in Progress: 20th March

 Heritage Train, in the rain...

Already the 2014 passenger trains have begun. ISAAC is now working with heritage carriages 7 and 17. A steady flow of visitors were about and pleased to find an attraction open even in March. It's a splendid sight seeing our award-winning train during the day, and I'll make no apologies for featuring ISAAC and the carriages each week in addition to the Thursday Gang at work around the railway.

1. Before the first passenger train today, ISAAC was in steam ready for an early works train to Killington Lane. ISAAC prepares to depart Woody Bay with the well wagon and brake van. (Photo: Roger Bye)

2. The task at Killington Lane was to recover the damaged waiting shelter sections. The gang carry these wooden sections onto the well wagon. (Photo: Roger Bye)

3. It was a severe storm last month that had blown away the shelter. The sections will be repaired or renewed and the shelter replaced at Killington Lane in due course. (Photo: Roger Bye)

4. ISAAC with the rare steam hauled works train back at Woody Bay.

5. After a tea break the next job was to recover the short length rails now surplus after the re-railing of the headshunt project completed recently.

6. The gang spread out in a line to lift these rails onto the bogie flat wagon.

7. The rails are stacked on the wagon. Some will be used to help anchor the rebuilt Killington Lane shelter, others will be sold, stored or scrapped

8. The first passenger train of the day with ISAAC passes the gang after loading the rails on the wagon.

9. Dick Gunn and Don Newnham have been busy in the shed working on a support bracket for the lever frame locking mechanism.

10. Dave Evans and Jim Price have been making new plywood body panels for the 'starboard' side of Baguley diesel PILTON.

11. In the marquee, the gang are busy rubbing down the wooden picnic tables for the tea room gardens.

12. Roger Bye sands down the bench seat ready for painting with preservative.

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13. Graham Bendell and John Villers tackle a table, rubbing down the surfaces ready for the season.

14. Your reporter, Nigel Thompson helped to redecorate inside the concrete stable. This year the stable is to be used for the photographic displays formerly held in Van 23 (which is currently undergoing restoration in Essex). Nigel usually maintains these and soon will be fixing boards, pictures and captions showing recent L&BR history, how Woody Bay was restored, and views of progress over the past few years.

15. The regular Thursday guard - Bob Ayres and his 'heritage' compartment by Coach 17.

16. Andy Foster, the regular Thursday fireman, shovels more coal into ISAAC's firebox.

17. ISAAC at Woody Bay with the passenger train in this afternoon's rain.

Words and pictures by Nigel Thompson and Roger Bye.