Work in Progress: 9th October

Autumn has arrived!

Nigel is back from his travels and has sent us this report.

1. With LYD having left North Devon, AXE was back on the train and is shown here approaching Woody Bay as autumn colours start to appear lineside.

2. The heritage carriages look good in the autumn sunshine as Guard Bob Ayres waves off another departure.

3. Partially repainted HEDDON HALL shunts bogie flat No.28321 with the restored Pilton Level Crossing Gates. The gates have been stored in the shed, but are now to be moved to one of the barns at Rowley Moor Farm.

4. There was more work being carried out on Bagnall 4-4-0 CHARLES WYTOCK today. Owner John Heys was on hand to assist the engineers in fine tuning the work on the pistons and motion.

5. Dave Blencowe has organised a cleaning and repairs programme for the marquee sections. The first clear roof section was swapped over with a temporary white one to enable the green/clear one to be taken away for cleaning and repairs to one or two holes. Dave wraps up the roof section into a bag ready for transporting away.

6. Another section needing cleaning was removed, shown here draped over the concrete signal hut and running-in board.

7. This second roof section was also packed into a bag ready for Dave to take away for cleaning.

There was also a variety of un-photographed work completed today.

Firstly the Thursday gang cleared piles of post-Gala loco ash from outside the shed to be used as 'ballast' on the miniature railway.

Jim Price was carrying out woodwork repairs to the signal cabin, another pile of redundant pallets were cut up for fire lighting, and there was more work on the ex-MoD Box Van.

After lunch the gang relocated to Rowley Moor Farm to store away a few items such as the Gala signs and the  Pilton Crossing Gates and and also to put some scrap fencing and gates into a skip.

Others in the gang carried out some 'gardening' at the farm; cutting down small overgrown trees and bushes as part of the tidy-up programme at the L&BR Trust's farm.

Words and pictures by Nigel Thompson (not much space left on the camera card after my recent holiday up north!)