Volunteers during 2020

By Clive Higgs

After a very happy VOR Christmas dinner in 2019, the volunteers hibernated until the rain eased in midJanuary. (2020!) Then we sprang into action clearing fallen branches from the station platforms, clearing dropped litter from the car park and garden at Aberystwyth and lifting a wind-flattened conifer in the Devil’s Bridge garden. The conifer was still alive so we replanted it with a new pole. In 2019 we had forgotten to finish the new fence around Aberffrwd Wood, so we quickly stapled the top wire to the posts. Then added new steps down the bank to the wood’s railway gate and added hand-rails beside them. All finished there.

Every autumn millions of oak leaves fall around Aberffrwd Station. We used a powerful leaf blower and sacks to remove the leaf carpet over the gardens, platforms and railway lines. (And over us by the afternoon!) The other stations are more windswept and have fewer trees so we only need to remove the leaves from Aberffrwd.

During the February half-term week, we hitch-hiked on the steam train to clean the halts at Rheidol Falls and Rhiwfron, the two most spectacular stops. They are miles from any road and no-one volunteered to carry mops, bowls a step ladder and water up the steep paths to the halts. After that, we cleaned the other non-terminal station and halt buildings, both inside and out. The waiting room seats at Nantyronen and Aberffrwd needed particular attention.

We started pseudo-creosoting the Devil’s Bridge and Nantyronen lattice fences. Gardening began in earnest in early March with tidying the gardens, troughs and tubs. And ended in earnest in mid March. Philip’s article describes the 2020 gardening. All the plans for the Devil’s Bridge toilet painting, Aberffrwd Station and water tank painting and the fence “creosoting” were halted by COVID. Even before the compulsory restrictions, most volunteers were advised to stay at home for 3 months or more due to age or health conditions. After the first COVID wave, a few people, individually, continued the fence preserving. They finished treating the Nantyronen and Devil’s Bridge lattice fences, nearly finished the north platform fence at Capel Bangor Station and started the picket fence at Aberffrwd Station. Until the autumn rain and winter COVID restrictions stopped work.

We’ve missed dangerous amounts of meeting up, working, tea-drinking, coffee-drinking, snack-eating and chatting this year. I think, hopefully, all volunteers are still well. “Peter the Painter” White moved away to Sussex. Our most particular and knowledgeable weeder, Harm de Boer, one of our first volunteers, has returned to his family in Barbados. Can we tempt him back next Spring with photos of flower beds desperate for attention?

Poor Susie the sandwich bandit passed away quietly in December.

Our volunteers meet once a week, and through their efforts our stations always look at their best no matter what the weather. If you wish to join our amazing band of volunteers helping to maintain our stations then please get in touch via email: info@rheidolrailway.co.uk