Spring work weekend round-up

24th March, 2026

What a beautiful Exmoor weekend of sunshine (after a snow day only week before) that saw us holding the third of our off-season 'Volunteer working weekends' which brings volunteers from all over the UK to North Devon. 

Working along side our regular volunteers and staff, a huge variety of tasks were tackled acpovering a huge variety of jobs to ensure the railway is not only ready for a new season, but is in a better position year-on-year. It was the first one where I have sunburnt head, rather than dripping in wet coats!

Here's a brief (and not exhaustive by any means)f list of jobs completed by our gang of dedicated volunteers.

• Restored signal from Woody Bay to the Old Station Inn. Dug footings, plant, and refited the equipment.
• S&T equipment was brough from Chelfham for storage. 
• At Woody Bay, rear of site storage area, clear and sort/tidy.scrap collected. 
• Engine shed, clear around both sides. Tidy and sort. All gutters cleared and fixed as required.
• Scrap piles around the site collected by rail then onto a road trailer for disposal and a second wagon also filled.
• Scrap wood sorted and cut up for the season and stored. 
• Greenhouse and small cover moved and rubbish disposed of, and tidy. 
• Miniature railway area cleared of stored items and built up leaves, tidy and cess cleared.
• Shop, cleaning and stocking, moving shelving an, prices labels made. 
• 1st Exmoor Scouts helped out by lining footpath edges in woodland, car park tidy.
• Site fences, wires checked and tightened. 
• Cafe guttering cleared.
• Behind cafe cleared of winter branches and leafs. 
• Woodland footpath repair and a gully cleared. 
• Carriage shelter and transshipment siding access pathway constructed and widen. 
• Sleepers changed in the transshipment siding. 
• Drain soakaway dug.
• Car park cleared of washed in silt, drain entrance opened up. 
• Station windows and notice boards benches, signs, trollieys, washed and mold removed.
• Signal cabin, cleaned, new signal box diagram added. 
• Various shunts and train moves to allow different jobs. 
• Three carriages, deep clean and polished, insides cleaned from ceilings to floors.
• Guards vans tided and cleaned out. 
• Cafe, in use as volunteers mess area, and clear up after. 
• All supported by large amounts of tea and coffee and cakes! And Saturday night meal out.

Chris Chivers presented me with a cheque for £1000 for the General Manager's fund. Thank you to Gary Stevens and his area group for this amazing contribution, it's very much appreciated. The General Manager's funds is a Trust held fund for donations and any relevant gift aid, where every penny is used for projects and tools for volunteers and staff across the whole railway.  It is a great way of directly supporting our hard working volunteers.

A massive thank you to our regular volunteers and staff who helped with this weekend and the amazing group of volunteers who join us for these weekends, who help with list of jobs I come up with no matter how varied those might be! Every single job and task carried out helps the whole railway bubble, and keeps steam trains running in Exmoor. You're all amazing thank you and please bring the sun again next time.

Stuart Nelhams, General Manager