Work in Progress - Thursday 22nd January

This Thursday was the first day of another major working track weekend on the L&B, with many of the regular local volunteers joined by groups from the Isle of Wight Railway and the Talyllyn Railway. The weekends main task will be to re-rail both up and down platform roads at Woody Bay with 30 foot long rails to replace the 15 foot rails laid in 2003.

Other work going on this week included further door and frames painting in new toilet block and also further work on the regauging of the turnouts in the car park. 

 Nigel Thompson has provided photographs highlighting all three activities;

Fitting out the toilets

1, 2. Jim Price painting the doors in Southern Railway Green

Regauging turnouts

3. Work on the turnouts, with works train providing power for drilling sleepers

4. Screwing down regauged rail plates in the car park

Re-railing in the platforms

5. John Villers and Dave Blencowe unscrewing the 'heritage' fixings

6. The gang spread out along the down platform dismantling the old track

7. Recovering the old rail, the gang prepare a lift onto the works train

8. Lifting up and along to the wagon

9. Lifting up onto the wagon

10. and the next one....

11. 'Heddon Hall' and bogie flat wagon reposition to collect more rail

12. Lifting by the barrow crossing....

13. ...to complete the first layer of rail

14. Unusual view of some of the gang lurking behind the wagon during the lifts

15. The old rails now lifted from the down platform, ready to go into storage