Tuesday 13th - A Lot of Bang for Your Buck

Just seven of us in today, but despite that, we managed to get a substantial amount done. We were well spread out too, Bob and Alan were out in the barn, where you can really feel the temperature difference now, sorting out the Cotswold side of CK 16221:

There's quite a lot of partially sanded filler, which is smooth but not flat, and this really needs dealing with before we start painting. Likewise the "ploughed fields" where the red oxide has been painted on quite heavily will show through all the way to top coat unless it's all smoothed out now. Hopefully it won't be too long before we can get an overall coat of grey on this, which will be a nice visual step of progress, and no doubt show up loads more areas requiring attention!

In the workshop, Roger was cleaning up and painting the back of the corridor connection of the BSK:

I think we've done all all the painting stuff at this end now so assembly can now be completed.

We did well on the RMB today, with nearly all of the Malvern side in second top coat, bar the lower chocolate panels which Maurice gave the first coat today:

Behind Maurice Richard is doing the final touches of the second cream top coat.

I took on the Cotswold side, doing all the cream panels and lower brown panels which completed that side. We'll leave the paint to harden for a week or so before lining out, but that's the next step now, hurrah! Dave decided that just because I was doing the blog today, didn't mean I could escape being in it, nor him being deprived of taking photos, so here's one of me mid-flow:

Dave's project for the day was to tidy up the grotty threshold for the end corridor door. After stripping out the old whatever-it-was, he managed to find some offcuts of lino matching what was already in the coach.

On the left, cutting out the right shaped piece from the spare, and in place on the right. A dab of sealant and this now looks much neater than it did before.

Inside, Russ was brightening up the shelves behind the serving area with some fresh white paint:

We've also decided to repaint the surrounding area from Executive Light Grey (which needed touching up anyway) completely into Cream which will make this coach feel very fresh indeed.

Finally, a last pic from Dave, it seems after I left Richard saw an opportunity and pounced!

A much coveted job that!

Friday - A jolly on the Severn Valley

A few pics from a very enjoyable day out, last Friday a few chaps from the loco department and I went to have a ride behind 1450 before its boiler ticket expires in the next few weeks. it was double heading with a pannier, 7714 on an 8 coach GWR set.

Like everywhere at the moment, it's pre-booked seats only, so no picking and choosing. As we walked down the platform, it was fingers crossed, would we be in one of their superb toplights!? Ah, one out, we were in a Collett TK, never mind. Still a treat to travel in something pre-BR.

For illustration, Toplight on the left, Collett on the right (photo obviously not taken on Friday, but a couple of years ago!)

We had 3 round trips in total. 7714 took us down solo from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth, where we got off to watch it run round:

Before picking up 1450 for the rest of the day, here just about to come off shed

It was straight back up to Kidderminster, non-stop apart from a brief pause to cross a diesel charter, where we watched the pair run round.

After grabbing a cheese toastie from the Railway museum cafe (shorter queue than the main refreshment room, we know all the tricks!) there was just time to admire the signwriting on this rather smart LMS 6-wheel full brake:

All that panelling is just painted on for effect, quite common when the first flush-sided coaches were being built, so they'd blend in with the older style wooden panelled moulding stock. It didn't last to get done on Mk1s, but the earliest Stanier coaches which are very similar did receive this livery. That would be fun!.....

Another round trip or two later (you start to lose count, just enjoying watching the scenery go by and the chit-chat in the compartment) After a Fish and Chip Dinner and been snaffled from the local chippy, that was that:

I only had time for a quick snap before dashing to catch my train home, although I needn't have bothered with an hour delay at New Street later on.

So goodbye 1450, hopefully it will be back in steam again soon and it can have another visit to us on the GWSR too. Here's a couple of my favourite pictures of the loco, first at Bewdley March 2018 in the snow, again paired with 7714, and second at Arley the following September on an Autotrain, to finish off: