Friday - a special charter (article by Alex)
An extra special jolly on Friday, as it was the first outing of the GW inspection saloon for a private charter along with a couple of Mk1s, hauled by GER 'Coffeepot' No.229
Light engine down to Winchcombe to pull us out of the siding and run round, that glorious deep blue looking fine in the light.
Whilst we were ECS up to Toddington, we took the opportunity to test out the comfy chairs and admire the view as we accelerated off Chicken Curve. Not bad!
We picked up passengers at Toddington for a short jolly to Broadway and back. I say short, but the 4 miles all at once was very much at the limit of what the coffeepot could do without running out of puff!
Back to Toddington to drop passengers off and the sun came out for a bit.
And back to Winchcombe ECS again, again testing out the comfy chairs now the paying passengers had left, and a final chance to admire the consist. A very successful first outing for the saloon, hopefully lots more of this! - Alex
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Saturday - what a day!
So much got done with SO 4798, just where do I start? This is all good news as we need to get this coach out of the Paintshop and into the Barn as soon as possible for essential underframe work, and then into Rake 1 where it will become a new important feature with our catering events.
4798 is going to be named. Alex's printed templates have been very carefully taped together.
Next some very carefully measured points allow him to position the combined template in place with more of the excellent Tesa yellow tape.
Then, as regular readers will know, Alex draws over the lettering to produce the French chalk imprint on the bodyside.
Then with the double line of tape marking out the box, he begins painting the letters. The inner tape also marks the height of the letters.
On the Malvern side Martin is double taping the upper line so as to continue the black band painting. In the end we decided that the yellow band done on Thursday should be dry enough to get going with the black band.
As each section is completed he removes the tape, hence the festoon on the step handrail.
Alex has now moved to the Malvern side to repeat the lettering there.
My first job was to complete the painting on the top of the north end connection. The sealant along the back edge had hardened and could now be painted.
Bob top coated the south vestibule and connection corridor ceiling, ......
....... and then did the same with the north vestibule.
The next step was to complete the varnishing here. The panel currently being done will probably need a second coat as it was new.
Paul hauls away the giant pile of protective covers from inside 4798. Kevin very kindly offered to refold them for storage on the racks.
Jenny cleaned all the windows ......
...... and then proceeded to vac the two saloons.
Robert fits the door catch to one of the new cupboards in the central vestibule.
It's time to hang the curtains. Carol is busy with the hot iron. Is this the first time we have seen someone ironing on the blog?
I missed Laura hanging the initial set, but seeing the result, what a difference!
Ken has introduced a new strong way of fixing the table supports without using the quick release brackets.
Andy, with one of the newly varnished table legs, selects the correct length screws from the carousel.
With the positions carefully measured Ian and Andy fix the leg to the table top.
The first table in place.
A general look down 4798 with just the remaining curtains and tables to fit, and antimacassars to place when they arrive.
Robert and Jenny having rest and a relaxing chat.
A very warm welcome to Rose who has now joined C&W as our new part-time Administrator. She replaces Eve who is now going to concentrate on her role in Upholstery. Many thanks go to Eve for all her hard efforts in the Administration role over the past few years.
Below another kind gesture from Rose who has added a very pretty posy to each of the geraniums on our Mess Room windowsills.
When Rose joined us for our end of day tea and cakes I noticed she had brought in a large box that was literally brimming with colour. It contained all the flowers with which she would be making the table posies for the Afternoon Tea event in "Mary" the next day.
Carol and Laura make an emergency repair to a seat from TSO 4772 in Rake 1.
Job completed. Andy is on his way downstairs and on up to the station to return the cushion to the relevant seat when the train arrives.
2807 with Rake 2 slows for the station with the Cheltenham train.
Following yesterday's charter, a small shunt was needed to return the GW Inspection Saloon to the Barn and, eventually, the additional coaches back to the Rake 3 siding. Andy guides Ian as the train slowly passes.
The Inspection Saloon now back in the Barn.
Unfortunately with so much going on elsewhere I missed Simon taking his new doors into the rebuilt kitchen in the Inspection Saloon.
I did however capture him having a good clean up in the Woodwork shop.
Jim, who will making the main frames for the eight doors for the Mink D van, had come in for another meeting with Alex (who is in charge of the Wagons team) and Chris.
Paul primes the new roof planks.
Maurice cleans up the doorway footplates. These were later coated with green primer.
Ian undercoats the small planks for the Shark ballast plough repairs.
Next job is priming with red oxide the various strap sections from the south corridor connection on SK 25451.
George was pad sanding the Cotswold side of 25451, but took some time out to clean up (and later repaint) two chocks.
An outside view of the first window to be taken out of 25451, as reported in the previous posting. Some new metal needed here.
Two more candidates for window removal.
John and Andy continue the rebuild of the connection U section from the south end of 25451.
Upholstery are having a grand sort out of all the pre-cut pieces and scraps of moquette. The small bits of course can be used for the new keyrings and now the book markers (looks like this latest idea will go ahead if they start selling).
Bin emptying is just as important as all the other jobs.
Jenny has already vac'd the lobby, but Kevin was determined that all the bits that had dropped off the covers from 4798 were going to be removed and not spoil Jenny's good work. Well done Kevin!
