Tuesday 20th May: First Rail Vehicle at North Elmham

Photo: Owen Stratford

After many months of hard work by our volunteers to clear undergrowth, the first rail movement over the line to North Elmham for over 10 years has happened. The entire railway from North Elmham to Wymondham was being sprayed by Avondale Environmental Services Ltd to keep the weeds at bay. The photo shows all the people involved in the day's exercise, standing next to Avondale's Unimog sprayer.

Permanent Way Reports

By Owen Stratford.

Saturday 3rd May: Digging Out Sleepers

With most people recovering from last week's exertions we were down to four people. We went off to the Trout Farm to carry out some referruling and then set about digging out sleepers after the first train had delivered reinforcements!

Sunday 4th May: Replacing a Gate Post

We had a gate stop post to install at Swanton Road and so we decided that this would make a nice Sunday job. This involved digging a very large six foot deep hole. The hole has to be much bigger than the post as you need to get in the bottom of it in order to dig it! This took four of us all morning, but there was plenty of time to take a breather as there was only space for one to dig at a time. After lunch we jacked the one ton of concrete post into the hole by slowly raising it upright and sliding it down wooden bearers. Finally it was positioned with crowbars and the hole filled in.

Saturday 10th May: Changing Sleepers

We went out to the resleepering work site at Whinburgh. With the sleepers delivered to site on Thursday, we set about beginning the process of changing them. 27 were completed before we caught the second train home.

Sunday 11th May: Jacking and Packing

Adjacent to Yaxham Road crossing at Dereham is a panel of track where a storm drain was put under in the early 90s. The subformation was not properly reconstructed and it gives us trouble periodically as the ground settles. So we set out to lift and pack it once again. This was completed by early afternoon and we then carried out a couple of minor jobs in the yard.

Saturday 17th May: Jacking and Packing

We set out to get a bit more added to the siding in Dereham over the weekend. The next section had to be slewed in order to get a good line on the curve and before this was done the outside rail had to be packed level. This was completed over five panels by the end of the day.

Sunday 18th May: Jacking and Packing

The weather started off OK but soon after lunch it deteriorated into heavy rain so we abandoned the afternoon. Before this interruption we were able to make another two panels of the siding available after lifting and packing the inner rails on the curve.

Saturday 24th May: Changing Sleepers

P Way were out changing sleepers at the Whinburgh Trout Farm. All those that were dug out have now been changed.

Saturday 31st May: Digging Out Sleepers

Once again Whinburgh played host to the PW team. We started on digging out more sleepers and completed 35. The weather was oppressively hot which didn't help matters.

Shark Report

By Matt Goodrum.

Sunday 25th May: Restoration Work on the Shark

Matt worked on the new Shark and has now replaced the windows with new perspex. The van now looks much better. (The perspex ones were far too grimy to see through and the one glass one was smashed).