Tuesday 24th - It's all coming along very well

Having viewed the blog every day while enjoying a lovely week in my "second home", I was amazed at the amount of effort being put in to get our gala freight up and running. Well done all, an excellent effort! It was also a treat to see our first visiting loco arrive in Roger's posting. As such I really looked forward to getting back to the Works to see it all first hand and I wasn't disappointed.

Good progress had been made with the Bubblecar and it was good to see lining out tape on at last and top coating underway. Ian was concentrating on the cream undercoating of the windows on the door backs. This is as far as we will be going with these as the CDR group want to add their own top coat.

Richard had a good vac round and then restarted the top coating on the Malvern side.

Most of the Door Team have now transferred from Wednesdays to Tuesdays as the Woodwork/Doors shop was becoming somewhat crowded on the former day. Ben carefully sharpens the blade from the plane he is about to use.

At the far end of the shop Robert is making some new door bases for CK 16221.

The top one is completed while the bottom one awaits attention.

Ainsley assesses the working of the First Class central door on the Malvern side of 16221.

The completed Second Class central door.

Ben adds the bottom panel to the south end Second Class door.

Alan was back on rack cleaning again. It's a tedious job but the results of this activity prove that it is a very worthwhile job and they will look good when reinstated in 16221.

Activity in TK 24006 is gradually winding down as most of the work that can feasibly be done at this stage has been completed. Robert finishes sanding down the veneer panelling in the north vestibule. This will now be varnished as much as anything to provide protection. At the moment the coach is not scheduled to come into the Works to complete its restoration until 2026, such is the amount of work we already have lined up; however the schedule isn't set in stone and could very easily change.

Keith was once again busy with a number of jobs, and no surprise that there were more chairs from RBr 1675 to lightly sand and varnish. Besides these two, there were another four lined up against the Paintshop wall. I think they really are coming to an end - honest!

Following the Bubblecar into the Paintshop will be the Santa coach for a quick repaint. Bob does some preparatory work on the roof side. With no windows and just the doors on the Malvern side it really will be a quick job.

Now onto the goods vehicles. Firstly the Mink is coming along very rapidly, with Alex already adding top coat GW Grey on the Malvern side.

The Cotswold side is already two-thirds undercoated. Clive makes a small repair prior to doing the final third.

[Photo : Alex]   As I was out there taking photos, Alex ask if I would pop back into the Works for some red oxide to quickly coat a couple of cleaned up bits that had been derusted. And while I was doing that he promptly captured me in the act.

The weather was a constant threat and rained on and off during the morning, so on returning later I found the van had been pushed into the Barn. Alex by now had moved onto the north end.

[Photo : Paul E.]  Paul captured Clive when he had almost completed undercoating the Cotswold side.

Towards the end of the day and he was well on the way to completing the south end. Absolutely brilliant progress overall. There's still top coating to finish and then Alex will do the numbers and lettering.

As for the Toad, the end must be in sight with excellent progress here too. Maurice is busy top coating the south end.

At the north end Paul is also top coating.

[Photo : Paul E.]  The south end finished.

[Photo : Paul E.]  I hadn't seen much of Stu during the day and then realised he had been busy with the interior. With the cream top section completed, he applies GW Brown to the lower half.

A final photo just prior to leaving for the day, and what an excellent job!

Just over a week to go now before the Gala and our preparations for opening up the works to our travelling public are also well underway.

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Before signing off, a few photos from my Exmoor interlude and the L&B Spring Gala.

 

Arriving on Saturday 14th, with the cloudy/sunny day turning into full glorious sunshine. It was great to see the lovely red mass of Countisbury again. Believe it or not, there was a footpath down to Sillery Sands at the base of that cliff - I believe it is now cut off at the bottom following a number of rock falls.

We were able to visit the L&B on Sunday. Although it seems as though there aren't many visitors, it was in fact a very successful gala with quite large numbers during the day. "Lyn" returns to Woody Bay with the first train of the day.

"Faith" at the west end of the freight. "Axe" was at the east end.

A close up of "Faith". I believe this lovely little engine is still for sale. If a buyer is found I hope she stays here.

As the saying goes, it's a (very) small world! It was great to meet Robin T., the former manager of the very much missed Elegant Excursions dining train that ran for many years on our Railway. Also at the gala was Jo R. from our Permanent Way team, and the small world scenario didn't end there because on one of our two visits to the Village Inn in Lynmouth we met Keith P. who regularly reads our blog.

When returning to the shuttle bus at the end of the day, we were very kindly offered a ride behind this lovely miniature traction engine.

And then of course there is that other railway that makes getting between Lynton and Lynmouth very much easier. For decades we have slogged up the long and steep climb from Lynmouth, so it's nice to take the alternative and give our ageing legs a rest. It's actually harder going down!

The classic view of Lynmouth Harbour with the Rhenish Tower prominent on the quay.

The lovely boulder strewn East Lyn River. If you have never walked up this valley I can thoroughly recommend it. Of course it isn't always like this. We had a very different walk about 30 years ago when, after a night of very heavy rain, the river was a swirling thunderous torrent and the water coloured dirty brown with peat. All the wooden bridges across it were literally drumming with the vibration of the surging water, which almost made you dizzy when looking at it. It was scary and gave you a tiny glimpse of what it must have been like during that awful night in August 1952 when half of Lynmouth was destroyed.

Very unusual to see Watersmeet so quiet. Also very unusual is that it is currently closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays due to staff shortages.

On the Wednesday, as we just happened to be travelling back along the A39 and passing Woody Bay Station, a few more very pleasant hours were spent enjoying the L&B.

 

An evening stroll through Lynton and along the terraced lane to the famous cliff walk, known as North Walk, certainly had its rewards as the sun came out to highlight the glorious view.

There can't be many cricket grounds in such a fantastic setting as the Valley of Rocks. The excellent Mother Meldrum's Tea Garden is just beyond, and  in the distance.Lee Abbey religeous retreat and conference centre, and Woody Bay, the former home of singer Elkie Brooks.

The view from Selworthy Green National Trust village over the Holnicote Estate to the distant Dunkery Beacon, the highest point on Exmoor, never fails to produce a good photo.