Work in Progress: 3rd January

posted by Nigel Thompson on Fri, 04/01/2013 - 21:35

After a Happy New Year to all, it's time to prepare the railway for its short winter shutdown period. The "Santa" and "Mince Pie" Specials with LILLA working the passenger train went well. Despite the heavy downpours in the run up to Christmas, the railway seemed to survive well - without the need for major drainage repairs experienced a year ago.

Santa's Grotto was dismantled - the decorations were stored away earlier in the week. The panels that make up the grotto were moved to the shed for storage. Inside the station building, the shop and catering staff carried out various duties such as removing the decorations, tidying and packing away in the kitchen, defrosting the fridge and freezer and clearing out old/unwanted stock. Open again in six weeks!

In the main shed, the Thursday Gang Volunteers began the periodic clearing out and tidying up.

1. A stack of surplus wood was cut up for steam locomotive fire-lighting duties. Dave Bloomfield, John O'Dell and John Heys tidy and cut old pallets and odd wood sections into small lengths.

2. Clearing out a large section of the shed.

3. Dave Bloomfield with the refurbished gates, formerly from Pilton Road Crossing. Recently restored, these are also kept in the shed awaiting installation at Woody Bay in the near future.

4. Outside, Graham Bendell and John Villers clear out mud that had accumulated along the surface drains in the goods yard.

5. AXE undergoing its winter overhaul. (Photo - Tony Nicholson)

Other work underway today included more maintenance on AXE, cleaning and painting signalling equipment, and tidying-up the paint store. During the lunch and tea breaks, the volunteers enjoyed consuming some left-over buns and cakes.

Please remember that anyone is welcome to join the Thursday Gang at Woody Bay this year. No skills are necessary - just enthusiasm for the railway.

There is always a tremendous variety of tasks on offer each week. For example, later this winter there will be more platform work at Killington Lane (in preparation for the heritage carriages), hedge-laying along the Woody Bay Station car park, more fencing and drainage along the recently acquired trackbed sections from Rowley Cross, further rolling stock maintenance, refurbishment and repainting, and several other maintenance and enhancement projects. The ongoing signalling equipment refurbishing tasks continue to provide a stock of restored items for the future extension to the railway.

Words and pictures by Nigel Thompson