Southwold Railway volunteers are not daunted by the threat of torrential rain – although Wednesday turned out better than Tuesday, one might have forgiven them for not chancing it. But the potential enjoyment of playing with the new 4-tonne ratchet stump puller must have been too attractive. Unfortunately, we don’t have any photos of the beast in use (apparently removing large stumps with relative ease), probably because everyone wanted to take a hand, leaving nobody behind the camera.
A fine start has been made on levelling the detritus which has, over the years, washed down from the field, covering the original ballast to a depth of a foot, or two in some places. A fine tilth, with a level surface and not contaminated by nettles and brambles (not to mention the ubiquitous stumps) is being produced, so that our members can comfortably walk on their land.
The clearance of dead and dying elms has allowed much more sunlight in, so grass and suitable woodland plants will grow on the trackbed, as long as we continue to keep the perennial nettles down. Nettles are an important habitat, however, and are being encouraged to grow along the edge of SRT land, as well as in parts of the wood where clearings exist.
