January brings the snow?

The Tuesday Gang have been as busy as ever in the last quarter. We had high hopes of experiencing a warm winter with the last touches to the exterior of our Northiam HQ carried out in January. Of course we were moved immediately to Tenterden station where the North wind hesitates briefly over the North Pole and Russia before rushing remorselessly down to the platforms of the Town Station!! So warm greetings from all of us.

1. Some of the gang pose before Northiam staff cottages on completion of exterior painting – don’t they look smart? (The cottages of course!)

2. John and Humph fit up the gutters on No 1 cottage in the hope the cottage won’t rot away quite so quickly now..

3. Wind flattened fencing at Northiam receives a face lift and running repairs by Stan and Alan.

4. Ron and Alan working on the interior of No 1 cottage replacing rotten flooring & interior walls. No danger of falling through the floor now!

5. The gang at Tenterden collecting the sleepers assigned to the building of the retaining walling for flower beds and new ramp.

6. Ron and Graham measuring up for the new steps for the Tenterden offices – by gum it’s cold.

7. Losing Christmas flab, using the TG method – removing tree roots before the platform light can be lifted back into position.

8. The viewing ramp taking shape as the fill material is packed in and then consolidated with the vibrator machine.

9. Fencing posts appeared in position on the ramp in February.

10. The gang pause for the February service train to enter the platform.

11. With Thomas’ tent in place and the Pullman train in its siding, the ramp’s purpose becomes more obvious.

12. The first steps take shape under Nobby’s trowel.

13. Painting posts and rails - a job the Tuesday gang spend more time on than anything else I reckon! Ron, Humph and Graham splash on.

14. Will the job ever get finished! Working on as the Permanent way uproot the end of the track at the far end of the platform.

15. With hoods up, hats on and double and triple layers of warm clothes, nine of the team pause for their photo. With post and rails mainly up and painted, completion does not seem so remote now.

16. Alan and Mark join the gang as new members and set to work on erecting the new information boards helped by Alan and Humph - contact Graham Hopker if you’d like to join in too.

Contact Graham Hopker (Evenings) on 01303 862811

Photographs taken by John Rose