Meet the teams - Metal working

 The workshop blog is a bit limited at the moment, we have a carriage jam from the barn to the paint shop.

Not surprising really with the on/off year we have had, so I thought sticking with the workshop theme I would relate some of the work I have been involved in since 2015.

A volunteer open day was publicised in March 2015 as I remember, and having recently retired and moved into the area ( and living within site of the embankment at Broadway) I thought why not. I would add I have been railway barmy since birth. My late uncle was hugely responsible for my interest, he would take me on railway journeys, one of which was the last BR train on the Severn Valley before closure.

After a chat at Toddington and being told I am too old to be a driver, I went on a free ride to Winchcombe. Having a look around C&W I was asked what skills I had,  having been a HGV mechanic on refuse vehicles I said well I am a coded welder. An arm went round my shoulders and the words (when can you start) were uttered. 

This is how it began, and rather slowly at first. One of the first introductions was with John H. and he asked me could I weld the Horn blocks on a bogie ..... I said no problem, ........

I have been used to big lumps of metal all my working life.

Since 2015 we have had new volunteers join us, and we now have a highly capable metalwork team. With these old carriages you cannot buy parts for them from B&Q, we make anything and everything.

Meet Gerry B. now fully recovered from his hip replacement. Gerry is highly skilled in all metal work fabrication, and loves a challenge. He will happily work on his own or buddy up where needed.

Gerrys own words:- My story started when my father was pier master at Dunoon, as boys we were always down watching the ferries and steamers dock.  The first train I saw was at Gourock when we travelled by ferry to go to the pantomime in Glasgow. I was very impressed as I had never seen anything like it before, LMS tank engines and Black 5s were the order of the day until electrification.

My career brought me south, I have always dragged my family to the nearest heritage centre. On retirement I volunteered and was lucky to get into C&W. I have always had an interest in all things engineering, working in the supply chain, Transport and warehousing when I started.

I am really happy and proud to be a part of the Team.

Next in the line up is Rex E. Again Rex is a highly capable metal worker, who will design and make any part for any job. He will happily work in a group or on his own. In his own words:-

My association with the railway began in 1971, when as an apprentice with the Babcock group, they had acquired the Gloucester wagon works site. They had various aspects of their businesses on the site, which included the old Gloucester railway carriage and wagon co., where I became an apprentice draughtsman. The days of making complete carriages etc had gone, so they were now only making bogies which were sold all over the world. Babcock sold off the site in the mid 1980s, but by then I had gone to pastures new. 

Before my retirement in 2017 I felt I needed a challenge to keep body and soul intact, so I joined C&W to help out in any way I could.

Bryan O.would easily take the crown as the team comedian, he can always come up with the funny side of everything. This does not detract from his capabilities, again he will make anything but I think is especially good with very small parts. He excels on the lathe and miller.

Bryans Words:-  I grew up very close to Redditch Station, in fact the line to Evesham ran under our garden, so the sound of steam engines was one of the first sounds I heard. As a child I spent a lot of time at the station and got to know the footplate crews and got to ride on the footplate on shunting manoeuvres. That inevitably escalated into train spotting. I decided that when I finished work I would volunteer on the GWSR, so that's what I did in 2017. I chose C&W as I had spent all my working life in engineering, and thought it was somewhere I could put what skills I have learned to good use.

Ken A. is a fellow welder, like the rest of us he is retired having run his own fabrication business. Ken has the eye for anything and excels in panel work. He has sorted many end panels which have a double radius and can be very tricky to make. In spite of a dodgy hip he will plod on all day  ..... he likes to be kept busy. 

Pam B. is seen here making her bespoke GWR lamp brackets, which are now proudly displayed on Winchcombe Station.

Pam wanted to learn how to weld, and has picked it up amazingly well, getting over that spark and blue arc is the main bit. She has a working background in high end upholstery, and turns her hand to anything. She is very fussy about the fine detail, which shows in everything she does. She has now joined the Preparation/Painting Team where she is already doing very well. but we know we can always call on her welding skills when needed.Actually Pam is no stranger to angle-grinding and such like, she has used these in her self-employed refurbishment business, working on period cars and light aircraft. She had all manner of serious tools, including her own compressor! Pam was for a while contracted by a firm in Brackley and worked on special products (such as picnic hampers and gun boxes) for some of the top market car companies, much of it done extremely carefully by hand!  With her in the photo is John Osborn, more of John further down.

Rob C. is seen here grinding off some welding on 16221. He is always willing to get in places some of us cannot, but turns his hand to anything .... a valued team member.

In Rob's words:-  My past is rather different .... started out at Mechanical Mining Varsity, changed to Mechanical Eng. from here then went on to run engineering companies in Europe, Middle East , and Africa. Sold 2 companies to go farming in SA - farmed sugar cane and mining timber, and was engineer covering 13 sawmills over SA. 

With the power change in SA I saw the writing on the wall, so returned to the UK having sold up (donated) my properties and businesses in SA. In the UK I was mech and electrical engineer on the London Eye and underground trains for a large German company. When the projects were completed  sold up in West Sussex and retired up here for the 'peace and quiet'.

I joined the GWSR on a day trip and visit to Winchcombe works, someone asked me to join so I did.

I think it was Dave Clark.

Introducing John O. 

John joined us in 2009 and was immediately a  great boon to our metalworking, having had many years in industry, including aircraft. In particular he excelled in sheet metal work, it wasn't long before he was making the metal covers for our wooden doorframes.

For the actual window part of the doorskin he made his own template. It was fascinating watching him skilfully beat the metal into shape, without any splitting or cracking.

In 2012 we had a formal open weekend for the public, with demonstrations and for any visiting metalworkers, John produced an excellent handout about sheet metal working. He also produced an article for the 'Cornishman' about this skill. 

John's arrival started the main metalworking area in the Workshop and over time, in addition to our existing oxy/acetylene equipment we have built up an impressive collection of kit. 

John, later helped by other team members made heavy duty storage racks for our sheet metal, pre-formed coach body sections, pipework, coach parts and the wood container.

In our works extension he made the railings for our stairs, and the safety gate for our upholstery hoist.                                                                                           

James joined C&W in 2014 from a recommendation by our Youth Group. He was particularly keen to go further with the Railway which had been noticed by the Group organisers. He came under John O's wing and was taught the basics of metalworking and welding, and soon settled within the team.

When it came to getting a job he went for an interview with a fabrication company

in Cheltenham, on viewing photos of him working at C&W he was promptly accepted.

His skills with us improved even more now that he was working with metal in full time employment.

After several years working in fabrication he felt it was time for another change, and one day announced he would be joining The Royal Navy. 

His final days with us were during 2019, we hope that one day he will come back as he is very much missed, both for his skills and his very friendly persona.

Meet John V. he loves his metalwork, although his story is a little different from some of us:-

I finished teaching in 2006 and then did voluntary work at both Sue Ryder hospice in Leckhampton,

and for the National Trust at Chedworth Roman Villa.

In 2013 I began volunteering at the GWSR in C&W. Over a period of 20 yrs I'd learned to weld (principally in Mig welding) as I restored a number of Classic cars, and was able to offer my skills to the C&W dept.

Any would be volunteers with metalwork skills are always welcome,