Weds 11th / Thurs 12th - Down memory lane

Wednesday

Many thanks to Gerry for the day's photos.

Simon and Neil(?) are evaluating and designing a new kitchen layout in the GW Inspection Saloon.

Ken is gradually rebuilding the hardwood back support for the south corridor connection on BSK 35308.

Part of the spring mechanism removed for servicing and cleaning up.

The two curved top sections of the support with the bolt holes drilled and the position of one of the spring mechanisms marked out. These will eventually come into the Paintshop for priming and painting in gloss black.

Ian fitting more of the seating in SO 4798. I'm looking forward to seeing the carriage fully fitted out with the reupholstered seating - the dark red moquette blends in very well with 4798's wood interior.

Also working on 4798 is Rod, cleaning up more of the edges of the Cotswold side south door and frame.  The door appeared to be rubbing the frame, so Rod applied some paint to the door edges. The paint will be transferred to the frame where there are high spots. These were certainly indicated on the hinge side showing that further easing will be necessary.

The door lock was also not engaging properly and as such a shim will need to be fitted behind the striker plate.

[Thank you Rod for the extra information]

Over now to the weed spraying wagon. Bob, who used to be a farm manager, is applying his skills and knowledge to finishing off the spraying system. He had just completed his training for working on the Race Trains.

Rex is adding another coat of Warning Yellow.  The painting must be almost complete now, bar the signwriting. 

Jim looks to be making more staff name plaques.

Trevor is working on another door from BSK 35308.

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Thursday

I didn't attend on Thursday so the only photos are two that Martin sent.

The Cotswold side north end door edges and frame on SO 4798 had previously been thoroughly cleaned up by Tim, so Martin was able to apply some filler where needed and then paint it all in undercoat Light Grey.

 

The result looks very good. Martin then moved to the Malvern side to do some further greying up.

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To make up for the lack of information, a trip down memory lane to exactly one year ago and some of the work we were doing then.

Thursday 13th 2025

The day started with the car covered in a very hard frost and speckled with large frozen snowflakes. Add to that there was a bitingly cold north wind, so what would it be like in Cheltenham for the racegoers and for us in Greet?

The first of the two trains was headed by P & O looking very majestic because of its sheer size and with the "At The Races" headboard displayed. A year on and it's now out of action and undergoing its 10 yearly refurb. 

 

A quarter of an hour later we were in for a surprise when a tender first loco appeared round Chicken Curve. Where was Foremarke Hall which was on Train 2 on Tuesday?

 

The penny soon dropped! We had heard that Betton Grange had now arrived on the Railway and here she was coming up the gradient with eight coaches in tow. The racegoers were happy though, with many waving and smiling as they went by. So were we!

  

Later on a chance to catch the Grange the right way round on the return to Toddington for the layover period.

   

We were busy with the structural aspects of SO 4798's refurbishment and part conversion into a psuedo First Class coach. For months the interior had been a clutter with all the work going on. Now at last we could have a proper tidy up. Gerry sweeps through the south half of the coach to finish off the job.

[It's good to have a photo of Gerry. As he now takes almost all of Wednesday's photos he is rarely seen]

 

It might still look a muddle but it is a lot better than a few weeks ago.

As a result of under-window corrosion, every window had been taken out and the section of panelling underneath replaced with new sheet metal. The Cotswold side had been done, and Rex and Gerry are working on the final two windows on the Malvern side.

The special screws are steadily being added that clamp the inner and outer window frames, forming a tight seal around the glass. They can need a bit of force to get them really tight, but not too much force otherwise the glass can crack!

A close up of the screws.

At the north end Phil was removing the wall light fittings.

This is repeating an exercise we did a few years ago, basically replacing the existing twin bulb arrangement to a single LED bulb. Fitting LEDs means that we can rely now on just battery power, without the need to have to use the dynamos with the added "fun and games" of dynamo belts coming off and having to be retrieved by our PWay team.

In the Woodwork shop Alan bores the centre hole in one of the wood mounts.

The replacement light bulb socket now fitted.

The metal shade is also altered with a new centre hole.

 

 

 

The lovely veneer panelling in 4798 (I love the name tags). All this would later have a complete freshen up with another coat of varnish and the ceiling a fresh coat of paint, and what a difference this has made.

 

Doors and doorframes were still being progressed. At the north end of 4798 Geoff (and Roger) were remounting one of the doorway capping strips, redrilling the holes and using one of the hand riveters.

No guesses as to the other main refurb job in progress, and it was already a long running one a year ago. Yes, dear old RBr 1675 with top coating being done by David and Bob on the Cotswold side. With the light sanding completed and the side wiped down, David began adding the second coat of GW Brown to the gutter and top panel. Bob started at the south end and the top was soon finished.

 

Bob was now painting windows on that side.

 

 

 

Meanwhile Phil B. and I were taking care of the Malvern side, giving the first top coat a light sand with 240 paper and then a wipe over with white spirit. Now of course it would all have a flat down so as to achieve as perfect a finish as possible.

At the tool bench Richard I is setting up the take-off from the interconnecting pipe that is fitted between the two water tanks under 1675.

 

I'm often catching him underneath our coaches! This time fitting the take-off he has just prepared and then fitting the insulation.   

  

    

    

  

This could have been a "Can you identify these?" competition. They are door stops created by Derek for the Monster van.

 

So a year on, RBr 1675 has been operational since the start of the Santa season,  SO 4798 is in the throws of final exterior prep and initial painting and the seating is going in.

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And finally back to the present.

Friday 13th - Gold Cup Day

[Photo : Martin Dix]

The two trains at Cheltenham Racecourse Station with 2807 on Rake 2.

Thanks to my nephew Martin for the photo. Today is his first turn with RCS. Starting off as a new volunteer on a Gold Cup train is certainly jumping in at the deep end. And judging by his Whatapp texts, he is enjoying it too!

Tuesday 10th - Race Day 1

Today was the first of the four days of the World famous Cheltenham Festival, with Friday being Gold Cup day and when we run all three rakes. I read that the daily attendance at the course had been reduced to 66000 to improve comfort levels for racegoers.

Classic Hospitality who hire our trains over the four days will no doubt have had a total sell out again. The trains are always well filled with happy racegoers who cheerily wave back as we watch the trains go by.

The first train with 3850 hauling Rake 1. I didn't judge the shot very well with the light on my phone screen - maybe just as well with that faded first coach!

2807 follows twenty minutes later with Rake 2.

Six crimson and cream coaches; just one to go to make the seven. The seventh will probably be the very faded maroon SK 25451, which can be seen behind 2807 in the previous photo. All three rakes have been boosted to eight coaches.

During the morning Robert appeared with a dustpan full of the new buffer extender saddles. All beautifully made, note that only one hole has been bored. The position of the two bolts in the metal receptacle can vary, so the second hole is bored accordingly.

When fully painted, one will be used immediately to replace the old battered one at the south end of SO 4798. The rest will also be fully painted and stored ready for use as required.

The four new shelves for the centre vestibule in 4798 were varnished on the backs by Keith. The centre doors have been locked out of use and as such the two entrances will be used to store cups, saucers, plates, cutlery, etc, when the very popular Afternoon Tea events are being run. They were a total sell out last year, so being able to expand the event into both FO 3132 "Mary" and our new SO/FO 4798 should cater well for the expected number of participants. I booked early this year and managed to get on the one being held next Sunday.

The four new heating pipe brackets made by Nick last Wednesday are having a coat of Silver Hammerite.

Meanwhile it was business as usual on the Malvern side of 4798 with Ainsley preparing for more window undercoating ...........

........ and Stu continuing the filling and sanding on the south half.

Ian went round the sole bar, cleaning off the old transfers and giving it a good wire brushing. The latter included behind the bottom of the coach side. Red Oxide was applied where necessary.

More rebating underway with another of the new planks for the Mink D van.

Paul attaching the planking at the north end top section. From outside the Mink D is really beginning to look like a van again.

Rose proudly looks out of the flourishing greenhouse. She has done amazing things with this whole area as can be seen both above and below. The table and chairs will make a lovely lunch time venue when the summer arrives - they have already been put to use on a recent warm Spring day.