Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th January

The plan of work for the two days was to change the pointwork timbers at Alresford (in point 10a). The programmed early Monday morning start however fell by the wayside, when Bernie made the mistake of asking the gang to go down the line to Alton in the Wickham Trolley to check for fallen trees. The discovery and disposal of a fallen, ivy clad telegraph pole opposite the Lincoln Green estate, and a precarious tree overhanging the affordable housing development at the Butts took quite a while, and by the time they had dealt with these and another fallen tree in Ropley Soak cutting on the way to Alresford, it was past midday.

Despite this, 11 timbers were eventually changed by the close of play, and this was followed by the changing of a further nine on Tuesday.