Tuesday 11th August

There were quite a few items on the 'to do' list for this evenings working party.  With a reasonable turn out of 7 committed souls, Wickham No. 1 was fired up and taken to Alton. The first task on the way was to drop off the metal window shield at Chawton Heights hut, then stopping briefly at Lower Turk Street bridge to replace a rail anchor bolt in the pointwork. 

Heading to the vicinity of the signal box, two stubborn fishplate nuts that the oiling gang had been unable to remove on the previous Saturday, were then ground off and the bolts replaced, and a cracked 1/4" lift fishplate was changed just to the London side of the signal box.  The gang then proceeded back down the line to Butts bridge, collecting old rail keys left on the wagons in the Meon Valley siding en route. At the bridge, around 25 old sleepers which had been changed for new a few months before were loaded onto the Wickham trailer, and then transported back to base for disposal.

All this despite the irritation of several light showers, which had not been forecast!