A VOLUNTEERS WINTER DIARY 01-09

My most relaxing day in January was spent at the working weekend at Llanuwchllyn. That Sunday, when, if I remember rightly, it was trying hard to rain all day, was spent sleepering, bushwhacking and attempting to clear out a blocked culvert.

Track Maintenance

Sleepering is a great example of ‘many hands making light work’ or at least making the job take less time and getting more sleepers put in. Don’t know whether light work is an accurate description, the sleepers aren’t light by any stretch of the imagination!

Everyone, without being really asked, seemed to assume roles. One person was removing all the old pins (Daniel Newton, if I remember right on this occasion), the next scraping out the ballast and jacking the track and removing the old sleeper (my assumed task that particular Sunday). Then another person would drive in the fresh, heavily creosoted, sleepers, having removed the jacks. Someone else was packing, another spiking and another would be kangoing, (packing the new sleepers up to the track with ballast stones).

Teamwork. When finished there was a real sense of achievement, and a well-deserved brew, prepared by Bobby.

Track Maintenance in Progress - on another day

While doing this and other tasks on the railway you feel as if you’re almost in another world, away from the hassle and stresses of day to day life. There is a real feel good atmosphere, where everyone does their bit to help everyone else and get the job done, and share a laugh, a joke and a few cups of tea. That is, until the mobile phone rings, which reminds you are in 2009, not 1969.

Bush Bashing

The next operation was a bit of Bushwhacking, which is railway speak for clearing overgrowing trees and shrubbery from the trackside. (My brother once laughed when he asked me ‘what will you be doing today’, I answered ‘well I’ll be doing some sleepering and a bit of bushwhacking’. I won’t say exactly what he thought that meant but I’ll leave it to your imagination!!)

With this task, given a saw and some loppers, you decide where to start, pick a place and then work at your own rate clearing shrubbery and cutting branches, which are then put through a shredder at a later date. This leaves the track far more open and ensures that during days of train operation there aren’t any overhanging branches, which pose a safety hazard and just look generally untidy. While this is being done more cups of tea are consumed and there is more light-hearted banter.

Bush Bashing (wacking) Bala Lake Railway style (on another day)

On this particular Sunday, there were also two culverts to dig out and clear. One of which cleared easily, the next proved a bit more difficult as the drain rodding brush got jammed somewhere in the pipe and the other end couldn’t be accessed as the water level had risen too high, due to the blockage. It was therefore decided to leave it for the day and come back when most of the water had cleared out.

Why Don't You JOIN US?

Please come and join the society to help the railway with tasks such as the above.

You will get a tremendous sense of achievement, and you get to work at your own pace, and forget about the pace of modern life. Also the working atmosphere is so friendly and welcoming and refreshments are in plentiful supply.

If your interested in finding out more, please visit the website and, if you can, attend the volunteers open weekend May 23 - 25 2009 at Lalnauwcllyn. At this event you can have a go at some of the most common volunteering tasks undertaken by society members, and see if they are for you. If you travel from afar, volunteers’ accommodation is available- kitchen/dining area with washing machine/microwave/fridge/tv and 2 shower/toilet/bathrooms and 3 bedrooms with total of 6 beds. (Ring the Railway to book volunteers accommodation in advance - booking essential).

Source: Ben Barnes