Weds 15th / Thurs 16th - The present and the past

Despite the continual heat, we are more or less back to our normal attendance levels for the holiday season. We all wish it was a bit cooler of course and some rain would be very welcome.

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Wednesday

Gerry is back from his holiday so we are back to a good regular selection of Wednesday's activities. Thank you Gerry. I have added three photos taken on Thursday to provide more information.

Eve, Laura and Chris are putting a new cover on one of the seats from SK 25451.

A job nicely completed.

Rex is preparing the latest window to be reinstated on 25451 after the completion of the underwindow metalwork repairs.

 

With the glass reinstated Rex and Bryan are trimming the black sealant.

Ken was working on the south corridor connection on 25451.

Two photos taken by myself on Thursday showing the metalwork repairs made by Alan on Saturday and the rebuilt connection done by Ken.

Always hard at work and keen to get on with the job, Simon takes a break and smiles for the camera.

Neil doing the finishing touches with the rebuild of the kitchen in the GW Inspection Saloon. We will probably start the varnishing very soon now as there is a lot to do. The work tops will be coated with Danish Oil. We will then paint the ceiling.

It looks like we are going to be replacing more of the worn corridor panelling in the Saloon. Mike is carefully removing pieces with some pincers.

Jim is measuring up what looks like a corner section for one of the replacement door frames for the Mink D van.

Bob with the Weed Spraying wagon. 

Another photo taken by myself on Thursday showing the holder for the instructions and other information now bolted in place on the end wall.

Dave and Ainsley well on the way to completing the job to add a new skin to one of the door frames from newly acquired and unrestored TSO 3961.

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Thursday

Ainsley with the multi-tool cutting a rebate at the top of the door from TSO 3961.

Rod inserts screws to secure the door skin to the frame.

As well as being a member of the Indoor Gang, Roger is also our H & S lead. He is cutting a new length of floor highlight strip. Looking very much like a roll of our yellow sandpaper, occasionally this has ended up being stacked with the genuine stuff!

Roger now removes the old strip from the bottom step before adding the new one. A similar strip is on the top step.

During the day a fair amount of shunting took place. The plan was to extract TSO 4867 and bogie sets from the siding. The Weed Spraying wagon is now back in the next siding.

FK 13337 "Gillian" and FO 3127 were dragged out.

Part restored 4867 now out and in the yard. Its full restoration is now going to go ahead, but no dates yet.

Shunting over with Dave back to work on another recent aquisition, unrestored TSO 4406.

A special day for Rod who received his 15 years certificate from Ian. Congratulations Rod!

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Now a trip down memory lane with three photos taken by Rod in 2011, in his early days with C & W.

This is RBr 1672, our previously running restaurant buffet car in for a repaint. It is up on the jacks and we have visitors.

 

Now the coach and a shoc van are outside on the Works siding - with the Class 20 pushing them? Whatever is going on?

Rod later provided the answer. 

2011 was during the period when the Chicken Curve slip blocked the line and the locos were based in our yard. Looking through all his photos for the period we also had the Class 20 and Electro Diesel as well as the 03 and 04. 2807 had failed, so it may be that we had to make room in the Barn. At the time RBr 1672 was the most weather proof of our coaches under refurbishment so was shunted out. SK 24949's refurb finished in August, with 1672 next out in April 2012.

He also included another photo of a skinny bloke with a phone in his hand.

He's obviously very happy about something. Maybe having just taken a photo for our original blog?

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Now back to the present and SO 4798, which is nearly finished in the Paintshop.

Phil and Tim are finishing the cleaning up of the Cotswold side of the bogies.

They then started on the painting, both using the Black MIO.

Taken at the end of the day.

The south bogie is much further ahead, particularly so because I followed on when Tim had to leave for the day.

Add Roger to the Friday list. Hopefully a couple more will be able to help. 

The Gala display and directing stuff will need to be brought back out next Tuesday.

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And finally.

One of our Saturday upholsterers was missing last Saturday and below is the reason why.

Advertising the GWR in Cobh Station is Carol enjoying a lovely holiday in Southern Ireland.

The real thing, tasting so much better over there.

Carol and Andy at the Titanic Experience. Cobh was the doomed ship's final pick up point before sailing into history.

A very poignant display.

Tuesday 14th - Mucky job

 On a Tuesday the first one in is usually Chris, followed at about 7.30 by Robert, Maurice, Scouse and myself. Another few minutes and Phil and Stu arrive.

It's now 8.00 and we're enjoying our early teas, coffees and a chat. 

Moving on, others have arrived and we're now busy with our respective jobs. Robert carefully removes the marked sections of the new door liner for BSK 35308.

Chris offers up the liner to assess the fit. He had earlier cleaned up the inset frame with a grinder.

Ian top coats the back of the holder to go on the Weed Spraying wagon. This will be for the operating instructions and other information.

Maurice undercoats the roof battens for the Mink D van. I expect by now the roof canvas will be being ordered.

More top coating along the top of one of the door frames.

Scouse gives the surrounding floor a good vacuuming.

It was great to see Keith again following his health issue. It will probably be a while before he can return to the team, but he hopes to help with the Works monitoring during the Diesel Gala in just over a week's time.

On to SO 4798, beginning with Stu working on the filler that I added around the budget lock receptacle on Saturday.

He also top coated the skirting in the north vestibule.

The side of the doorframe now looking complete with a coat of GW Cream covering the sanded filler and a smart looking skirting in the vestibule. There can't be many jobs left to do inside 4798 now.

With the external varnishing complete, I reattached the last two grab handles. Following Phil's preparation work last week the bolts went in very easily. Richard now adds Gloss Black to the bolt heads on all six handles.

And now the mucky job of the day. We only occasionally paint bogies as usually they are too filthy and thus take a lot of initial cleaning, and as you can only paint what you can access, it is in effect a purely cosmetic exercise.  In this instance we felt that as this had become a very special coach, we would make this the exception.

David worked on the Cotswold side north end bogie. Wire brushing and scraping to remove dirt and loose paint. Power brushing creates too much dust so that was most definitely not an option, especially with all that lovely new paintwork.

Ian got cracking on the south bogie on the same side. I later joined him and as such this bit was the first to be almost completed, the almost being that a final check would be made on Thursday and further cleaning done if necessary. 

Great reflections in the varnish.

Following on from all his other jobs Richard got cracking at the south end on the Malvern side.

It's beginning to look good. 

After all his work Stu took on the remaining bogie at the north end of the Malvern side and did a very good job. There will be more to do, but as with Richard's bogie it was a good start.

Having done as much as much as we could currently achieve on the south bogie, Ian and I joined David.

The south bogie Cotswold side at the end of the day, with the floor swept and washed.

If all is ok on Thursday we will begin painting with Black MIO, which is very hard wearing.

It's 5.40 and having had our end of day refreshment Robert is the first to leave. The rest of us weren't much later leaving.