The Saturday before Xmas dawned bright and mild for our first Santa running day when we operated from midday until soon after three in the afternoon. With up to four steam locomotives in use and ‘Robin’ the petrol-hydraulic locomotive on stand by, there was plenty of action for our patrons to see. They also enjoyed being greeted by Father Christmas (thanks to Gerry Willis) though we did have to explain that he’d arrived by train this time, hence the lack of reindeer! Though never over busy we enjoyed steady support during the three hours we ran and were rewarded with sufficient donations to enable a significant amount to be passed to a local charity.

Before this weekend we had re-located the station approach crossover track to within the platform length. The Santa operation confirmed that engine changing is much quicker than before with the outgoing locomotive able to back on to a train as the incoming locomotive moves on to the turntable. Work is now in progress to extend the platform by about 15 feet to allow a departing train to be loaded at this end whilst an incoming train can arrive and its passengers disembark when we have more than one trainset in use.

Elsewhere on site some further groundwork has been done on the embankment between the return loop and the intended level crossing at ground level, the foundations for which are being dug out ready to accept a section of track which will be concreted in place. This is to give us a crossing point for future deliveries of ballast, etc. Track laying from the loop to the crossing is however dependent on the construction of two key points which must be jig built to ensure they can be fitted into the loop in place of plain track. We should therefore like to see the Saturday Culmhead working parties re-formed to construct these two points as soon as possible. The remaining plain track will be made at Creech and laid as we go.

Mike