WEST BUCKLAND MINIATURE RAILWAY NEWS
No.2 – July 2019
For details of all TME activities at West Buckland, our existing site at Vivary Park and other club
events, please see the website www.tauntonme.org.uk or telephone David Hartland on 07711 229071
We are now just over 2 months into owning what will become the new home for Taunton Model Engineers and it’s fantastic to be able to report great progress in such a short time.
So what’s been happening?
Away from the site copious planning discussions and redrafts of proposed infrastructure.
This has resulted in a plan of works for the site and much has started already whilst the fine detail continues to be worked on.
Many members have already given hours and days of their time working on the site itself as well as making various item of infrastructure away from the site itself. More help and support is always welcome, feel free to drop in or get in touch to see how you can help – no specific skills needed, we can find jobs for all! 
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One of the first tasks on site has been to start the clearing of a visibility splay in line with the planning conditions, more will be required for opening to the public for the first time, but a huge amount has already been cut back making a much safer exit from the site.
Meanwhile detail surveying of the site was undertaken allowing us to start laying out the key aspects of the planned layout including fencing the new boundary of the purchased plot.
Hard standing has been laid in an area inside the entrance gateway and footings for two containers laid. A new (to us) container has been sourced and purchased, when delivered to site the driver kindly 
picked up and moved our original Creech container onto site as well, convenient that this was stored locally to the West Buckland site since leaving our old site at Creech St Michael! Previous owners markings removed and painted in GWR green, blending in rather well with the summer foliage. A sturdy welding bench has been constructed to the full length of one side to allow jigging up for welding track sections,
The Big Dig
Hiring of a large excavator and the use of a couple of dumper trucks over the course of a very hot week saw approximately 1,500 tons of earth removed and “relocated” to form the footings for both the club house and carriage shed.
Cuttings were also created and the soil moved from these to form the beginnings of embankments in other areas of the site.
Looking forwards we’ll be starting consolidating and levelling the cuttings and embankments to prepare for the track bed as well as starting to make up sections of track.
