Work in Progress: 2nd May

Our Thursday Gang Roving Reporter Nigel Returns:

The Spring Gala with LYD & the Heritage Carriages is quickly approaching. More running in of the carriages with LILLA hauling coaches Nos. 7 & 17 in the morning before giving way later to the 'usual' Thorpe Park 4 carriage passenger train, today hauled by Hunslet diesel HEDDON HALL.

Several Gala preparations jobs for the volunteers too, with more work on the re-fencing by the driveway above the toilet block, creocoting the waiting shelter at Killington Lane and some of the wooden fence alongside the toilet block path.

1. LILLA leaves Woody Bay with the 1130 service to Killington Lane.

2. Head on shot as LILLA departs Woody Bay Station.

3. LILLA shunts the heritage carriages along the down platform.

4. Re-fencing by the driveway. The old wooden posts are pulled out.

5. Some SR concrete fence posts are installed along this fence line. Martyn Budd checks the alignment of these posts.

6. Wire is attached to the posts and tensioned.

7. The small gate to the left is the now the access for staff and volunteers to walk down to the mess room.

8. Nigel Spencer with a Kango hammer chopping the concrete off from the large concrete gate post.

9. Dick Gunn begins to strip off the signal pivots and other seized parts from the recently acquired SR type lattice signal post.

10. LILLA arrives back at Woody Bay past the stabled locomotives in the loading dock - SID, D6652 and PILTON.

11. John Villers paints creocote on the gate with the recently delivered Baguley diesel PILTON behind.

12. Locos galore as HEDDON HALL arrives with the afternoon passenger train past the stabled loading dock locomotives.

13. Graham Bendell assists with the creocoting with Maffei steam locomotive SID behind.

14. HEDDON HALL returns to Woody Bay with the 4 carriage passenger train.

Words and pictures by Nigel Thompson