4th April 2010

Happy Easter! Good Friday was a good day for the station. Sixteen volunteers were working including the tea hut crowd. The gates near the Camping Coach have been constructed and hung; the timber stack near the CCT has been put away into our wagons; the new PW lean to is well underway alongside hut 5; the paddock soil heap has finally been spread, levelled and seeded; the gardens have been weeded and the roses tidied and the station approach road has been ‘widened’ by cutting back a lot of encroaching grass off the tarmac – it is now 2’ wider!
Saturday was more of the same with 16 again. Stephen and Brian slated and leaded the shed roof and Andy, Horace and Chris completed the Camping Coach gates and fixed the ‘Private’ sign. We also managed to cut down and remove to our burning site the lineside scrub north of the level crossing; widen the holes in the repaired corner hinge for the end CCT door; complete the grass encroachment works opposite the cottage; begin work to replace the rotten door frame on the SE side of the CCT and cut the surplus steel off the lowmac. We also had a visit to Pickering station to view the Bridges and Wheels art exhibition and discuss our contracting services for works at the back of platform 2 – spoil removal, foundations and canopy erection, plus track slueing and wagon exchange at the south end and the foundations for the new visitor signal box! Fortunately our services are spread over April, June and November but as usual all help will be gratefully received.
Sunday dawned bright, frosty and sunny. Numbers were up on yesterday – 19, helped by a pair of S&T chaps working in the signal box, carrying out wiring work for the HD link. Elsewhere we have commenced fitting the point levers to the double slip and headshunt turnout by installing long timbers and the lever mechanisms themselves. Dismantling work still continues on the CCT to confirm the amount of rotten timber requiring replacement and the new noticeboards continue to breed. This evening we disposed of the scrub we removed yesterday.
We're still here all week so feel to pop in and help, all are welcome.