Saturday 7th - That's more like it!

A much busier day with 21 attending.

I'm afraid I missed a lot of activity being somewhat busy in the Paintshop. Hopefully enough has been covered to provide a decent posting.

Of course it rained as always. I missed the shunting. When I did step out I think the team were beyond the station, though the shunter was back when I took this photo. Rake 1 is finally back together and ready for the half term week, which begins on Saturday 14th. Rake 3 will be going up to Toddington for the week.

Jenny and Paul W. were busy outside. I couldn't find them, but there was evidence of some thorough cleaning going on in CK 16221 "Abigail/Charlotte".

On my way through the Works I found the Barn empty, with John doing a great job sweeping up. BSK 35308 remains on the through road with the recently repaired door ready to go back on.

Later on SO 4790 was on the jack road and having adjustments made to the south bogie.

Stu is conducting a test on the piston part of a vacuum cylinder.

George doing some filling and sanding on zone 2 on the Cotswold side of SO 4798. I have chalked zones in an attempt to make the team concentrate and  complete a section before moving on to the next.

I missed John S. and James who were doing more work on the tank filler system at the south end of 4798. I also didn't get Simon working in the south vestibule. Simon intends to build new access doors to replace the existing ones where the old veneer is breaking away. 

It certainly wasn't quiet as on and off through the day loud banging emmanated from the Mink D van. Maurice and Paul E. were drilling holes to secure more newly painted planks.

[Photo : Paul E.]

[Photo : Paul E.]

Jenny cleaned almost all the windows on the Cotswold side of RMB 1876.  Paul needed her with the outside cleaning so the remaining windows on the coach will be done next week.

Martin was back in to do more painting on the south end connection.

The ceiling panels for the toilet compartments have been replaced with new ones, but those for the north vestibule and connection corridor have been cleaned up and will be repainted.

Some of the inner doorframe beading has been quite awkward to secure. Robert carefully sorts this one out with its rubber draught seal.

The wooden threshold on the Cotswold side south doorway was misshapen, so Robert trimmed it to the correct shape.

Bob gave both toilet compartments a second coat of varnish.

Alex made a start on the south end coach data.

Bob moved on to the store cupboard and began giving it all a clean. The walls in the shelf area are formica. The rest are painted and will be repainted in Silver Grey, the same as the Servery.

Thursday 5th - Gosh it's quiet!

Thursday used to be a very busy day with good numbers attending, but lately it has dropped down to the Tuesday levels, leaving Wednesday and Saturday as the main days. Saturday now regularly seems to be the best attended.

We do have several who will be away for a while, but today we had just eleven with the Mess Room at both 1100 and 1300 feeling somewhat empty when compared with Saturdays when every seat is taken. After the afternoon tea break just three remained. 

Apologies for the very limited number of photos today, especially as I wasn't able to capture those on the coaches in the main rakes outside. I was also busy with a number of jobs, including a fair bit of tidying up in both RMB 1876 and the Paintshop. So many thanks to Russ and Roger for the extra photos.

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First a photo from Wednesday taken by Russ of the now very clean descaled urn in 1876. 

In relation to this the calor gas servicing for 1876 by our regular engineer has been scheduled for next week.

Also on Wednesday the remaining lino in the seating bays in 1876 was removed. The coach is now ready for new marmoleum to be laid by Bob and Pete, our regular flooring contractors.

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Now on to Thursday. 

[Photo : Roger]   Beginning with the Indoor Gang's work to reinstate the repainted ceiling panels in SO 4798's south vestibule.

That extendable prop acquired mainly for ceilings has always been a very useful tool and certainly needed today. Roger makes some final adjustments before fixing this particular panel into place.

Steven attaches one of the beading strips.

The wider strips used for securing the centre areas being fixed by Roger and Alan.

[Photo : Roger]

[Photo : Roger]

Now on to 1876 where Martin is painting the chequerplate at the south end in Silver Hammerite. It took quite a bit of cleaning before painting could begin. Part of the connection paintwork was also topped up with gloss black.

I later painted more of the inside of the connection, and then decided that we would do the connection face after all. With 1876 destined to go straight into the centre of Rake 2, I originally wasn't going to bother. However it does look so much better when first going back out if the whole coach is done, rather than a gleaming coach with rusty connections.

For Bob it was another grand session of varnishing with the whole of 1876's north vestibule given a fresh coat, which obviously transformed it.

The new veneer access doors in the connection corridor were also given a second coat. He then began adding a second coat in the Cotswold side toilet compartment.

A member from RCS kindly came in today to empty 1876's store cupboard so that it could be repainted. A good clean, followed by a coat of varnish on the wooden shelves and a coat of Silver Grey on the walls should do very nicely. Another job to begin on Saturday.

Tuesday 3rd - Catching up

With 13 attending, what a good day we had all round with a number of outstanding jobs either being cleared up or further progressed.

With much of the rebuild of the toilet compartments in RMB 1876 now completed, and today having full access, Stu got the first coat of varnish on the veneer panelling in both. It was quite a transformation. He also got one of the ceilings primed.

Robert concentrated on the narrow veneer panels beside the door frames at the same end of the coach.

Some of the ceiling beading in the south vestibule needed a bit of paintable sealant which Richard duly applied. This will be top coated on Thursday.

Russ was in his Railway Catering Services role and in the process of descaling the water urn.

There are still minor bits of painting required. In this case the side of the doorway into the servery counter area.

Two of 1876's bogie sides have already been cleaned up and painted in Black MIO. 

With main bodyside painting and varnishing completed we could now do the remaining two sides of the bogies. David begins cleaning up the Cotswold side of the  north end bogie using a stiff wire brush and scraper. With the grime being dry and not greasy we are able to make a reasonable job. Bogies that are too dirty and greasy wouldn't be considered for painting.

It was good to see Ian back with us. Ian tackled the other underframe parts on the Cotswold side. Again cleaning up was done on the face of each only, wiped over with white spirit and then painted with Black MIO.

Roger got going on the Malvern side of the south bogie.

With a lot of the grime removed David gives it all a quick vac to removed all the loosened dirt and then wiped it all over with white spirit.

Now much later, half the bogie has been painted and looks very much better.

Roger has almost completed his painting.

Later still I undercoated in white the axlebox covers on the Cotswold side. These will be top coated in yellow.

Richard attached 1876's data plates at both ends and then gave them both a fresh coat of gloss black. Previously he had done some more cleaning and varnishing on the toilet doors for SO 4798.

Stu flashes over the ceiling panels from 4798's south vestibule with a fresh coat of Gloss White.

Dave does some more sanding of the areas of filler in Zone 1 on the Cotswold side of 4798. Hopefully the team will tackle and complete the chalked zones (gutter to bottom) in turn and enable us to know exactly how we are progressing.

Lots more banging at the south end of the Mink D van by Paul and Maurice as the top section is being rebuilt.

The ventilation grills are going back in.

At the end of the day the south end looks complete. The top planks will need top coating.

Two of the large footboards now undercoated.

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Robert brought in a length of track and some more locos and trucks.

This was a real treat as one the two locos was a tiny Andrew Barclay fireless engine with full (and real) sound effects.

The other loco was a Holden class J67 or Buckjumper as they were called, also complete with real sounds. We loved the glowing flickering fire seen with the cab roof removed.

Sorry about the blurring. I should have checked the photo and taken another.