Work in Progress: 29th November

posted by keith vingoe on Sat, 01/12/2012 - 11:52

Lots of odd jobs on offer today for the Thursday Gang on this very clear but cold day.

1. More work on dismantling the recently acquired point rod runners from broken concrete bases by Graham Bendell and John Heys.

2. Close up as the rod runners are unscrewed from the bases.

3. The path to the public toilets has been damaged during the year's heavy rain and localised floods. The manhole has been repaired and a new layer of bricks will raise the cover to become flush with the path surface.

4. Martin Williams finishes off cementing-in the manhole cover's frame at the new raised height.

5. Jim McFarlane and Mike Corner mix up the cement whilst on-loan Quarry Hunslet LILLA runs out on test.

6. Another job on today was constructing a wooden cover to fit over a bogie open wagon. Martin, Jim, Dave, John & Dave look on whilst they decide on the next stage.

7. Back on the path, the excavator was used to back fill the stone around the manhole cover.

8. The excavator making light work of this job.

9. Mike and Martin finish off by levelling the path.

10. LILLA had her annual boiler and steam test today and was passed "fit" by the insurers.

11. LILLA with the carriages in the down platform - basking in the winter sunshine.

12. LILLA will be used on the Santa Special trains which begin 9th December.

13. LILLA worked a test train to Killington Lane. Here LILLA ran round past the frozen flooded trackbed which will become a cutting as the line descends towards Parracombe.

14. LILLA at Killington Lane.

15. Side on view as LILLA backs on to the train at Killington Lane.

16. LILLA on the train ready to depart.

17. LILLA at Killington Lane in the low afternoon winter sunshine on this very cold day.

18. LILLA with the test train from the lineside after a restart on the 1 in 50 gradient.

Today's test train on the L&BR was one of the few trains operating successfully over the whole length of Devons railways. Last weekend's flooding, washouts, and landslips have severely curtailed the National Rail services, particularly around Exeter, as the TV news pictures graphically portray.

Words and pictures by Nigel Thompson