Saturday 6th September

The second day of the Railway's Diesel Gala dawned, and 7 souls gathered at M&FM for the day's activities. Peter, Paul, and Adrian headed off on the line inspection towards Alresford, with Mike and Graham Alton bound. This left Eddie and Martin B to take the Company van down to Ropley, and walk up the line between Bighton Road and Bowers Grove Lane to change a couple of fishplates, before driving to Alresford for the customary refreshments.

The afternoon saw the gang joined by Paul C and Neil, and the re-assembled throng descended on Yew Tree Curve on the Alton section to start preparing the site for the next new Pway hut. The undergrowth was cleared, and significant inroads made into sorting through, cutting to length, and stacking the large pile of redundant timber sleepers and pointwork timbers dropped off a few months before by the mid-week gang. The 'kit of parts' is thus taking shape, and it is hoped to start construction work in earnest in a few weeks time, pending the completion of certain track maintenance activities.

The gang take a well earned rest. Those timbers are really heavy!