Work in Progress - Thursday 8th July

posted by Nigel Thompson on Fri, 09/07/2010 - 22:48

Today, work began on the latest track improvement project at Woody Bay. Back in summer 2002 the first track laid on the awakening L & B R was the transhipment siding from the car park down to the station. This track was laid by the volunteers using 40lb. weight rail spiked onto the sleepers.

Over the years the transhipment line has seen the passage of many different locomotives coming and going to and from the railway, including SNAPPER, STATFOLD, BRONLLWYD, JUSTINE, SID and AXE.

However the roughly graded formation with its unnatural hump and steep descent down the loading dock turnout is now thought unsuitable and too risky for the passage of heavier locomotives and the heritage carriages that are expected in the future including L&B Manning Wardle replica LYD which we are all hoping to see at Woody Bay in September.

General Manager, Martyn Budd has organised a permanent way project to regrade and relay the transhipment siding. Beginning on Thursday, the gang were tasked with the 'unusual' job of dismantling the railway!

1. The first task was to unbolt the fishplates and despike the rails.

2. Dorset based volunteers John Villers and Graham Bendell begin to move the rails out of the way.

3. Resting for a moment whilst AXE passes by.

4. By lunchtime all the rails had been removed.

5. The gang (John, Dave, Graham, Nigel and Brom) move the sleepers to a temporary store at the end of the headshunt siding.

6. Retired L&B Guard Len Howse, in bright clean yellow high-viz vest came along today to give us all some support.

7. Martyn Budd in the mini-digger began removing the ballast to store in the Hudson bogie open wagons.

8. The digger was able to scrape all the ballast away right down to the trackbed. This coming weekend the trackbed will be graded accurately to give a smooth uniform gradient down towards the station.

9. Diesel HEDDON HALL with the two Hudson bogie opens No's 53 & 54 on the headshunt as the digger loads the wagons with the track ballast from the transhipment siding.

This coming Sunday 11 July, after the completion of regrading the trackbed formation, the plan is to relay the track using mainly 40lb rail spiked to the sleepers and then to lay a final panel of 50lb weight rail where the line is connected to the loading dock turnout. Some slewing of the track will be needed to complete the upgrading of the transhipment siding.

All volunteers welcome this Sunday
to help us complete this project.

Also this week has seen the regauging of the 'new' brake van (see 1st July report). Temporary wheelsets were fitted to the van to enable its movement from the car park to the shed - the last vehicle to use the old transhipment siding.