Work in Progress: 30th January

 Retaining wall restoration at Woody Bay

The Thursday Gang were once more in action at Woody Bay, as they are every week, come rain or shine (mainly, it has to be said, the former!)...

1. Today's main job was to continue stripping the stone from the headshunt retaining wall. Plenty of manpower was used to form human chains across the track to stack the stone for reuse.

2. Some of the base stones were quite large - Roger Bye manhandles one across the track.

3. Occasional volunteer and signalling engineer Rob Pym came up from South Devon to assist intoday's gang.

4. View from the down home signal post as the remaining stones are stacked.

5. The completed job. Next week there will be soil excavation, concrete pouring, and rebuilding the retaining wall. This repair is necessary following a landslip during the winter storms. The headshunt siding is used regularly for stock storage as well as the 'Driver-for-a-Fiver' runs during L&BRT Galas.

6. The two Hunslet diesels, D6652 and HEDDON HALL stabled outside the shed today. HEDDON HALL has returned to service following the fitting of a new set of brake blocks.

7. Six of our seven carriages currently stabled on the down platform road. A special mention and thanks to the 'Tuesday Gang' of Tony Cross, Bill Flecknoe and others who have been busy cleaning and repainting 'Thorpe Park' coaches Nos. 2 and 3.

8. After the tea break this afternoon, a bonfire was lit to begin clearing the cuttings from the recent working weekend. Everyone watches the fire burning trying to keep warm on this cold day.

9. The bonfire was slow to take off. The large piles will hopefully dry out further before subsequent burning next week.

Words and pictures by Nigel Thompson