Weds 22nd / Thurs 23rd - Still thinking

Blog titles can drop into place while you are still taking the day's photos. At other times you finish the posting and then spend many minutes trying to think up something suitable. Today is one of them.

Wednesday

Thanks again to Gerry for Wednesday's photos.

Ken continues the preparation of the main connection plate for the south end of BSK 35308. Each mount point has been reamed out and rethreaded and new bolts inserted.

An overall coating of Green Anti-corrosive Primer is now added.

The droplight guides for the Malvern side guards door from 35308 are being reinstated by Trevor.

Ben and Trevor are now replacing the individual planks on the lower part of the door.

Jim will be rebuilding the doors for the Mink D van. This looks like a trial piece to check methods.

Rex is fitting the newly repainted grab handles on the Weed Spraying Wagon. This wagon was later shunted out to the yard.

Nick is creating a new section of radiator pipe for the GW Inspection Saloon.

Also working on the Saloon is Ken fixing new brackets underneath for the steam heating.

Neil and Simon are preparing more wood strips for the kitchen rebuild in the Saloon.

Shunting in progress and a warm welcome to our new 03 D2069. It makes our existing 03 look very woebegone (a much needed repaint will be done when we have a few spare moments). It's good to have two shunters again as this will make some of our shunting very much easier.

Just look at that sky! The glorious weather is supposed to continue for a while yet.

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Thursday

Now on to the next day which was once again with a smallish attendance of just 14. This seems to be the norm now for this day. Wednesdays and Saturdays now have the best attendances.

Gerry had reported that Stu had been shunting and there had been a previous mention of SK 25451 being next in the Works. And that is exactly what had happened with the coach replacing the Weed Spraying Wagon and the BR Vanfit on the Barn through road. Before we started our work for the day, Tim and I went to have a look at it. 25451 will be the next coach to go into Crimson & Cream and enable us to have a full rake in this livery.

The Indoor Gang started their day doing toilet tank tests on both SO 4798 and 25451.

[Photo : Roger]  Roger caught me taking the previous photo.

[Photo : Roger] After filling the water tank in 25451, Alan removed the light fitting to check for any water leaks to save having to remove the ceiling. All was still dry after an hour or more, which is very good news.

Now on to SO 4798 and the day's progress. The main job was to flat the undercoat on the Malvern side of the coach. With Phil on the electric pad sander working on the cream and Tim on the air sander working on the grey, both using 240 paper, a good job was made.

Tim goes back over the grey to finish off any bits needing a little more work.

With everything wiped over, Phil begins top coating the gutter panel from the north end, eventually getting as far as the centre door. You have to be careful painting gutters as they are very prone to runs, both on the gutter side with the paint collecting along the top edge and collecting underneath, so not a job to rush.

There's always one door that gets left behind and this time it's the one at the north end. With the strap bolts knocked out, the door could be fully opened and Tim could get wood primer on the new door liner. It will probably need some filler before we can undercoat the frame. We need to crack on with this door so that it can catch up with the rest.

Jeff added further Undercoat White to the inside of the Cotswold side battery box. Painting the insides white makes it a lot better for anyone changing the wiring, connections, and batteries.

On the Malvern side Derek is repairing the front of the battery box base, which had rotted very badly (it literally crumbled when checked).

The cover for that box is similarly in a bad way, so Derek continues the repair he started last week.

Back to the other side where Jeff is now top coating the inner side of the cover, which had also been repaired by Derek.

Inside the centre vestibule Steven had built the basic structures of the two new cupboards, one on each side, using the veneered plyboard that had previously been stained and varnished.

Meanwhile four more pieces of veneered plyboard are being stained and varnished, from which Steven will make the cupboard doors. 4798 will largely replace FO 3132 as the coach that is used for the very popular Afternoon Teas, the latter then just being used if there is an overspill.

Bob completed the sanding on the south connection door and then top coated it.

The connection sliding door at the north end was also top coated.

The cover made by John S. for the roller cogs, which had been painted with Distant Blue top coat, was mounted and secured in place.

The hydraulic mechanism for controlling the braking for the Weed Spraying wagon.

As previously stated we are making the most of the temporary midweek arrangements while the slip between Bishops Cleeve and Gotherington is being repaired. It's rather novel having all the extra engine movements at Winchcombe, and Phil, Jeff and Bob watch as Betton Grange runs round ready for the return to Toddington and Broadway.

[Photo : Roger]  Betton Grange pulls away strongly past the Barn and yard with the return train.

The Grange comes by before running back to hook on to the last train of the day. Train running had been changed to Platform 2 owing to a signal problem at the south end of Platform 1.

Tuesday 21st - The last plank

A lively day with a lot going on, though not everything was captured.

Starting with the large Mink D van, yes, this really is the last main plank, not counting the short planks for the doors (the planks for one door have already been made and painted). As previously mentioned, the top planks have been a real trial to fit correctly because of the roof beams and other protrusions. Paul and Maurice offer the plank up for yet another test fitting.

[Photo : Paul E]  Still a bit more to do, so back to the Woodshop for more adjustments.

Another test and then back yet again for a little more wood to remove. Could this be it?

Maurice is inserting a bolt. So yes, I think this could be it!

[Photo : Paul E]  It is! Well done both! The bodyside planks are finally in after a very long hard effort. 

It's the eight doors next - quite a big job. Jim from the Woodwork team has been to see Alex to discuss their making.

In the Barn Ken sets up the magnetic drill to continue preparing the main plate for the south corridor connection on BSK 35308.

We made some more very good progress with SO 4798's painting. Stu did a brilliant job, working from the Cotswold side north end he did all the cream top coating to the centre door ........

........ and then completed the south end, some of which had already been done.

Ian went round the coach top coating the solebar, both the side and underneath, the latter after cleaning with a wire brush and thinners. The Cotswold side had a second coat.

Richard also did a great job, getting the Malvern side cream undercoating completed, including the windows.

Derek has been diverted to repairs on the Shark ballast plough, so Keith took over the repainting of the repaired battery box cover for the Cotswold side. The back needed a good sanding to remove a lot of loose flakey paint. The cover for the Malvern side box is being rebuilt, while the box itself is also not in a good state, in particular the floor which is crumbling.

Stu finished off the cream top coating with the centre door. Bar the windows, and door sides and frames, the first top coat on this side is now complete.

Keith paints the interior of the Cotswold side battery box in white undercoat.

David does some more work on the south connection door, including some filling where needed.

With the filler setting, David transfers to adding Gloss Black to the inside of the connection.

Late in the day I  clambered up the scaffold to add another coat of Matt Black to the connection rain cover and  gloss the top of the south end, including the filler pipes.

At the end of the day the fully undercoated Malvern side .......

........ and top coated Cotswold side (bar the windows).

Today was the first day of the revised midweek timetable to allow the slip between Bishops Cleeve and Gotherington to be repaired. Richard and Keith watch the Bubblecar setting off back to Toddington and Broadway.

Betton Grange runs round Rake 1 to prepare for the return trip.

The Grange created a lot of interest for our travelling public throughout the day.  A few minutes ago there was a reasonable crowd at this end of the platform, many taking photographs, but all were now back on the train with the whistle about to be blown.

I quickly walked to the other end of the Works to catch the train going past. Stu watches as it passes by on its way back to Broadway.

I always love having lunch sat at the north end of the station, where you can enjoy the loco as it waits for departure time.