Work in Progress: 6th October

posted by Martyn de Young on Sat, 08/10/2011 - 11:02

Volunteer hours for Woody Bay in 2011 have been up on previous years and the attendance on Thursdays recently has reflected this. So now during the autumn the gang are to be tasked with a variety of jobs to continue to improve, maintain, and enhance the station and rolling stock.

Last week's 'Indian Summer' weather was definitely over as we faced more traditional autumnal weather, with windy showers and the leaf-fall season well underway.

In October the railway remains open to visitors, with steam operation on Thursdays usually with AXE, helping to please late-season visitors who are happy to find at least one attraction still open in the area.

1. AXE awaits to depart with a morning train.

2. Today's train crew are: Pete Williams; driver, Jim Price; fireman, and Dave Blencowe; guard.

3. The brown tourist sign on the A39 by the entrance has become obsured by foliage. Dave Bloomfield and Jim McFarlane cut down overhanging bushes to reveal the sign for the beneft of passing motorists.

4. Another little job today was to repack under the barrow crossing at Woody Bay after some sleepers had become loose.

5. Richard Willey and Dave Drayson remove fallen leaves from around the sleepers by the crossing.

6. Another job this autumn is to repaint the station's window frames. Don Brereton, Jim and Dave burn and scrape off the old paint from the tea room (formerly the parlour) window frame on the platform.

7. Dave Bloomfield works on the small windows above the kitchen.

8. More paint removal on the parlour window, with many hands making lighter work here.

In the shed work continues on the rolling stock projects. The doors are now fitted on the Brake Van No.56042, and final fixings are being completed and painted. One of the ex-MoD bogie flats - recently regauged and featured in the Gala goods train - has been stripped of the floor planks ready for cleaning and painting the underfame. Meanwhile the Hunslet diesel D6652 is almost ready to receive its repainted body panels.

9. With Boston Lodge soon to build a new underframe to the same design as Coach 17 for Coach 7, the now redundant underframe has returned to Woody Bay for use in a future project.

Words and pictures by Nigel Thompson