Saturday 7th - What weren't we doing?!

The title just about sums up the day with the variety of activities undertaken and, what with the Youth Group in as well, the number signing-in for the day took up an entire page. I wasn't able to capture everything, such as some ballast repacking on the Toad brakevan being done by Mark (from the Loco Dept) and Ed, with assistance from Stu, and a bit of shunting. It was also the first day of running for the 2026/27 season, but it was much later in the day before I was able to photograph the trains.

Grateful thanks to Robert and Paul for the extra photos.

To start off, as promised two photos of the almost completed weed spraying wagon with its yellow and grey livery.

Alex showing the wagon to one on the Youth Group.

When leaving RMB 1876 on Thursday I noticed that we had missed repainting the heating grill under the bench seat. With Rake 2 still in the yard we had the chance to put this right.  Bob came to the rescue and put on a fresh coat of Silver Hammerite.

That's better! Rake 2 should be back at Toddington by the time we are next in.

[Photo : Robert]  Back to the buffer extender saddles, John has a change from his usual area in the Workshop and uses the Woodwork shop lathe to turn the five pieces of wood ready for the next step.

[Photo : Robert]

Beautifully turned, the blocks are now ready for cutting vertically in half and then finally part-drilled for fitting.

Also busy in the Woodwork shop was Jim, who normally comes in on Wednesdays. Jim started his time in C & W in the Painting team and then later transferred to Signal & Telegraph, and was with them for a number of years before returning to the Works and joining our Woodwork team. He is finishing off some very sturdy stands that are going to be used for holding wheelsets.

The stands were transferred to the Paintshop and given a coat of Creosolve.

On to his next job, making plaques for staff names.

Also woodworking is Robert working on the back panelling on the Malvern side south door on SO 4798.

The chequerplate at the north end of 4798 had been set too high and needed to be lowered. Robert trims down the wood base to the correct level.

The metal U section will also need to be slightly extended.

At the south end one of the tank filler pipes needs to come off as there is an issue with the top part. Andy frees up the top connection.

John now cleans up the removed pipe. This had already been done in situ as far as possible by Ainsley, but now with complete access a more thorough job could be done.

The job completed with a coat of red oxide.

Continuing with 4798, Richard does some secondary filling on the Cotswold side, in particular alongside some of the windows.

Bob arrives and joins in, again concentrating mainly alongside the windows.

Sanding completed, time to add extra Light Grey undercoat. The two end sections on this side still need some extra filling, but we should soon be able to flat this side ready for adding the line tapes and livery undercoating. 4798 will remain in Chocolate & Cream.

There was an amazing hive of activity today in Upholstery. Getting the reupholstered seats back in position in the seat bays can be quite a tough job and all the heaving and pushing showed that to avoid wrinkling the moquette, it would need tightening.

So with help from the two Andys and Dave H. who were gradually returning all the seat backs, Laura, Carol, Jane and Peter, the four members of the team in today, plus Ian and Clive, got cracking.

The staples securing the moquette were removed .....

....... and then, using the special tongs and a lot of strength, the moquette was pulled up really tight and then quickly restapled.

I think the job involved just the double seats, but I could be wrong.

The south end of the coach. Again I'm not sure whether these are waiting to be adjusted, or have already been fixed. Hopefully it will be the latter.

The Youth Group with Alex and Richard in charge were back in. Two members were involved with further top coating on the Mink D van.

The remaining members with Alex were polishing the Inspection Saloon with some excellent results. Preparation of the saloon for use this year will be limited to cleaning and polishing, clearing up the interior, and all the necessary mechanical maintenance and safety checks. The current plan is to do a full repaint with lining out next year.

With so many C& W staff in today, the Youth Group have their lunch break earlier.

Completed sleeves for vacuum cylinders on the metalwork bench. The material was sewn in Upholstery.

Kevin sorts through some donated tool boxes. Although we have stacks of tools and a large variety, donations are always welcome and very much appreciated. It's surprising what goodies sometimes turn up.

[Photo : Paul]  Andy contemplates his donut. Now will she allow me to eat it? :-)

Hopefully it was consumed and enjoyed, and they are now happily washing up.

Alan repairing another door from BSK 35308.

Ken is setting up the new hardwood supports for the south corridor connection on 35308. These will be trial fitted and then removed for priming and painting.

Maurice chisels out a rebate to enable this plank to fit on the north end of the Mink D van.

The north end is now looking complete, but the new planks will have to be removed for priming and full painting. Maurice drills through one of the painted planks ready for the nut and bolt.

I forgot about the afternoon double header. 3850 was the train engine today, with 2807 having a run in after the winter break. However it was good to capture them even if running backwards. Two black 2-8-0s make a very pleasing sight.

It's a treat to see the Bubblecar out at last and looking really smart. Must get a ride on it, even if just to Broadway and back.

Weds 4th / Thurs 5th - Finishing off

Wednesday

Many thanks to Gerry who has again provided all of Wednesday's photos.

Nick is making brackets for radiator pipes.

Bob is finalising the equipment on the weed spraying wagon, which is temporarily on the jack road.

Nick and Rex are also busy with the final setting up. All the side safety railings are now in place [a full photo of the wagon will be in Saturday's posting].

Trevor is sanding a door back panel [this may be from the Cotswold side door currently removed from the disabled compartment in BSK 35308, which is on the bench behind where he is working].

Bryan was making adjustments to the Cotswold side south end door on SO 4798.

Finally on to the GW Inspection Saloon with Tony checking the water tank fittings.

One of the internal window frames being prepared for varnish.

Ken and Tony (underneath) checking the steam heating pipes.

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Thursday

[Photo : Paul W]   With the new season about to start it is still a busy time for Paul (and Jenny at weekends) gradually working through Rake 2 to ensure the interiors are good. The floor of SO 4790 positively gleams having just been washed, and no doubt that of SK 25488 next to it which was also done.

[Photo : Paul W]  The tank of RMB 1876 is filled ready.

In 1876's servery Richards I and II are finishing off the electrics.

All very neat and tidy.

It's never easy trying to paint inside coaches when they are inside the Works. We have some good portable lights but you are often in your own light or it is simply too difficult to shine the light exactly where you need it. Paul reported that the servery ceiling looked very patchy now that the coach was outside and one glance confirmed this. Bob soon got going with a fresh top coat.

Tim went round removing old paint that had strayed onto the ceiling trim.

The recoated ceiling in the foreground looks so much better. I found some other bits in this area where some further top coating was needed and returned later to get these done.

After months of looking through the corridor connection and seeing the interior of the Works, it's very satisfying instead to see another coach interior, in this case the luggage compartment of BSK 21272.

It was a busy time outside for the shunting team with the need to add an eighth coach to both Rakes 2 and 3 ready for Race Week. 

SK 25451 - a truly awful faded maroon which is possibly the next coach in for repairs and a repaint into crimson & cream, which would complete our dreamed of seven coach set in this much preferred livery.

FK 13329 - also very faded and requiring a much needed repaint.

SO 4798 is coming along well. The central section of the Cotswold side still needed more filler, although nearly all this was in the upper half. The major rebuild of the lower area just required a few small areas with some top up filler.

It is essential that door edges and frames are really sanded back, even down to the wood and metal. A lot of work is needed on the Cotswold side south door.

Ainsley was working on building up the Malvern side end section as well as the door frame and door itself.

Tim took on the Cotswold side north end door and was making a good job of it.

The interior north end compartment with the reupholstered seating gradually going back in.

Dave hoists another seat back to where it is needed.

The south compartment still looks bare but Dave is bringing down and fixing where possible more seating components.

Ainsley is repainting one of the nearby windows in the light grey undercoat

We finished the day with Ian and Tony completing their day of shunting with some seat fitting. The coach is already beginning to look lovely with the dark moquette blending in very well with the wood interior.

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Right - the mystery logs with the markings in Tuesday's posting. What are they?

The answer is that the logs are cut vertically in half and then rounded off and drilled to form the saddles at the ends of the coaches for seating the buffer extenders.

One of them can be seen in situ to the right of the covered buffer.