Work in Progress: 4th April

Our apologies for the lateness of this posting - somehow it got lost in the transfer from the temporary site.

After the very busy and successful Easter weekend at Woody Bay and the working parties at Rowley Cross/ Holwell Wood trackbed and also at Chelfham, it was more laid back work today for the volunteers of the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway.

The Thursday Gang returned to the Rowley Cross site to tidy and sort through all the concrete fence posts deemed surplus after the refencing programme adjacent to the A39. Several good posts are able to be re-used and these were taken back along the trackbed by Martyn Budd in the excavator. In due course the other side of the trackbed will be stock proof fenced from the neighbouring farmland.

LILLA was working the passenger train today, with a special ceremony in the afternoon for the late Martin Andrews (regular Thursday gang and enthusiastic L&B volunteer who sadly passed away last summer) prior to his ashes being consumed in LILLA's firebox as the train filled with Martin's family as well as many of his friends returned to Woody Bay .

1. After sorting through the good fenceposts, the excavator is ready to take another load down onto the trackbed.

2. The excavator drives off the trackbed with the job complete here.

3. LILLA with the passenger train at Woody Bay.

4. LILLA attracts interest from the photographers at Woody Bay.

5. LILLA and Woody Bay Station.

6. The ceremony for Martin Andrews ashes gather around LILLA at Killington Lane.

7. The Rev. Nigel Jackson-Stevens conducted the ceremony before the ashes were spread into the firebox on the way back to Woody Bay.

Words and pictures by Nigel Thompson