Tuesday 29th - On the Buses

 The plan today was mostly to continue outside, and although some early morning drizzle looked like it might stop play, Stu and Maurice marched out regardless to get cracking on SO 4798:

This coach won't be going into the main rake but it's still looking pretty tired so we thought we'd do the same job we've been doing to the rest.

Dave and I had a different mission today, we went up to Toddington this morning to see Tom from the DMU group about stuff. As it turns out, we picked a great day to go up, as we were there to see the launch of this fantastic collaboration between the railway and Marchant's buses:

Doesn't it look amazing! Well done to Bryony and Catherine in our marketing team, I look forward to seeing it 'in the wild' around Cheltenham over the next few years.

Of course the money shot was to have the real Foremarke Hall passing by its picture on the bus:

Later on there were some staged photos for press purposes but we had retreated back to Winchcombe by then, after watching a couple more trains, and Dave having a look round the new facilities.

When we got back it was all go, Alan had arrived and carried on sanding down the areas he was working on CK 16221 last week, while Phil was sanding and staining more bits of trim for SK 24006:

Also in the workshop Kevin on stores duties:

Upstairs Dave was repairing a seat cushion from an FK, going by the upholstery I think this one's probably from 'Gillian':

Back outside and with filler applied to the dug out rivet line, Dave and Richard joined in with the sanding down:

I was also outside but at the other end of the works, attacking something that's been bugging me for years, the gunpowder van:

Looks a bit sorry for itself doesn't it? the vinyl lettering is all peeling off and exacerbating the paint cracking and peeling too. And of course I rarely need an excuse to get the signwriting brushes out. Today thought it was a case of scraping all the lettering and other loose stuff off and patching with red oxide:

Given how prominently this wagon is displayed in the platform I feel like I need one of those posters BR made; "We know it's looking a bit scruffy, we're working on it!"

Final picture of the day was a walk back down the yard again to see progress on 4798, all in undercoat now and ready for a quick topcoat another day, let's hope the weather holds.

Monday 28th - A Promise Kept

 

It may not look much, but it was important. The rakes were swapped over so for the first time in weeks we could wash the Cotswold side of Train 1 and the Malvern side of Train 2.

When we arrived numbers were thin on the ground but eventually climbed to 10 so we were able to do a "Proper Job". They will be clean when we hand them back to C & W when we are able (19th July we hope!) to use the main rakes again, but the rust patches we will have to leave to them!

Friday 25th/Saturday 26th - Paint Your Wagon (and Carriage)

Friday

Another very pleasant Friday special in good company working on the 'Oxley Sidings' GWR open wagon. We had a grand total of 7 people working on it at various points throughout the day which was great to see. With the Mink in the workshop at Winchcombe awaiting a timber delivery and most other work on it done, Richard came up to assist us, and got stuck straight in finishing off the undercoat that was about 2/3rds complete last week:

Phil fancied playing wagons as well and gladly lent a hand, here painting up the capping strips which go on the edges of the top planks:

After applying wood primer to the top edges of the planks, which had been bare wood, and helping me wash down the underframe with some soapy water ready for painting, Jo and I broke out the topcoat dark grey:

After lunch and the top-coating is coming on well, with Phil joining in too painting up the north headstock, Jo on the Cotswold side planking:

Hopefully not encroaching on Bryony's reports on the steam loco blog too much, although not a running day there was still plenty of steam to appreciate, 4270 was having a steam test so was up to full pressure, and did a little bit of chuffing up and down coming into the shed:

While outside, Dinmore and Foremarke were being cleaned out and warming fires put in for the weekend:

Mid-afternoon and the employed amongst our motley crew arrived! Anthony is in the loco department and also a joiner by trade (I hope I got the wood-working rank right!), and he kindly offered to sort out a replacement plank for our rotten one, here chiselling a rebate in one end:

Mark arrived about the same time and helped check the fit of the replacement plank:

A nice tight fit, perfect.

Stalwart of the railway since the early days, Greg came to join in the fun mid-afternoon, I managed to catch him with his "Oh no, it's a blogger, do you have to" face!

The plank sorted, Ant then moved on to refitting some of the capping strips as the undercoat had all dried:

When we took them off they were only held on with a few bolted U-shaped pieces of iron, but they had holes for countersunk screws too, so we thought we ought put them back on properly.

The end of the day saw the whole wagon in first topcoat:

Which was a great achievement by all, so thanks for all your help folks! Wagons always seem to generate interest and it was nice to mix in slightly different circles for a change and chat to people from different departments all keen to help.

All that's left to do now apart from fitting the new plank is to apply some sort of wood preservative type jollop on the inside (in these budget constrained times, whatever we can get hold of basically), a second top coat, and then I can get the sign-writing brushes out to finish the job off.

Saturday

Back to Winchcombe, and carriages. The day started off by trying to rain which concerned Dave and I, we had plans to carry on outside. By morning break though the sun broke through in time to watch Foremarke come past with a very well loaded train:

So Dave and I set to, glossing 4790 which was only missed out on Tuesday as it had some slightly more involved body repairs to do:

We took a half each and soon had it finished. There's a few bits that need touching up around the lining on these coaches, but it will mean that when the main rake is re-formed when restrictions are eased that the whole train should look quite reasonable. Looking back, the dirty gang appeared to be contemplating some shunting:

Earlier the gang of three were working on one of the pair of BR1 bogies in the barn at the moment:

Robert and Ainsley were doing sterling work today on the continuing saga of the doors on BSK 34929 in the paintshop. Here Ainsley is filing a rebate in a capping strip:

Before the dynamic duo do a trial fit:

Another step forward.

CK 16221 saw a far amount of attention today, George and Phil were both on filling and sanding duties:

And once we'd finished outside Dave and I joined in too, Dave got busy with the chalk before checking out the gutter:

It was great to see Steve back after a very well deserved break, assessing the situation inside the CK on the internal wood panelling front:

"Hmm, lots still to do!"

Elsewhere Upholstery were quietly plugging away on their project of the moment, recovering seats in TSO 5042:

Dave and Robert were continuing sanding down the veneer in their coach 24006 in the yard, Dave here is in the centre vestibule:

And Pam took care of the usual array of bits and pieces that had arrived on the painting trestles, here on the new buckeye frame for changing buckeyes as featured on Thursday:

Final picture of the day was Dinmore Manor on the last train back to Toddington, it does look good in BR black with the Crimson and Cream livery next to it:

Wouldn't it be nice if... No let's not go there!

Thursday 24th - Almost everything as planned

Oh dear, as the drizzle fell on my way in to the Works, I knew that the planned continuation of Tuesday's epic painting spree on the coaches in the 3rd Rake siding would probably not be happening. As it turned out we could have got away with it as, other than the odd spot, the rain kept away, but it wasn't worth the risk. Last year's painful memory of rain spotted top coat when the 2% chance of rain that had suddenly shot up to 98% was too strong!

Beginning on a sad note, this is probably the last time John H. will be signalman before he departs for North Wales, where he is already training in the Portmadoc signalbox on the Ffestiniog Railway. John was already a member of C&W before becoming a signalman, and having been a Manager of a First Great Western depot, has been a very helpful with respect to standards and procedures. We wish him all the best for the move and for the future in North Wales.

Inside Dogfish 983239 there was the occasional crackle of welding with sparks issuing out of the hopper doors, followed by the sounds of heavy banging.

Later on climbing on to the platform above the hopper revealed Nick, assisted by Gerry, repairing the various rusted holes. All the repairs were successful, but these vehicles are very difficult to work in, so well done both.

(Photo: Gerry)

Nick later completed the welding up of new racking to store our various sized metal pipes.

 

We have often made our own tools to do specific jobs, and the latest is another principle of purpose to see if what we want is feasible. Handling buckeye couplings for servicing and the periodical exams is never easy, largely due their sheer weight, so we are constructing a supporting framework to help with all this. Brian clamps some reinforcing sections of heavy sheet metal before they are welded in place.

Construction completed and with attached note it has ended up as expected on the painting trestles. So, a coating of oxide, cream undercoat and finally yellow top coat will now be added. The tool must then be load tested, checked over, and signed off before being allowed in regular use.

It's great to have a passing train during our 11 a.m. tea break, with Paul kindly supplying the donuts again. Foremarke Hall passes with the returning train from Cheltenham, with the many passengers waving as they go by.

It's not long then until the second train has its first run to Cheltenham with a very contented young guard giving us all a smile. That new hat doesn't fit as snuggly as his old one, so we had better get back to being in the slips again! With his morning turn over Alex later joined us in the afternoon. 

 Tea time over with Ken replacing the rubber piping in the calor gas box on RMB 1808.

Alan had also been checking one of the ceilings in 1808, but had now transferred to RMB 1876 where another section of ceiling was creating a problem.

Internal cleaning by Paul and Dennis was well in progress in SO 4787.

 

While back in the sidings to take the above two photos, a quick check of our would be Bindweed passenger showed that since last Thursday it had now successfully climbed the broken vacuum cyclinder drawstring under our Quainton Road coach, TSO 4867.

A very warm welcome to Eve who is taking over the management of our record keeping. Eve is the wife our our welder Nick. 

LED light conversions are very much in hand here with Richards I and II and Steve keeping very busy.

The lunchtime return of the second train with Dinmore Manor in charge was well received by our happy munchers.

The planned sort out of the P'Way ballast train was underway. It ended up with the vehicles that we wanted to retain stabled on the Workshop siding, which will be the permanent home of the ballast train to enable us to maintain it more easily. The unrequired ballast wagons and two other vehicles were coupled ready for taking to Broadway.

Some more progress inside BSK 34929. I had had another major clear up inside the disabled vestibule, laying out what is likely to be required in the new compartment and removing anything else that was either redundant and could be stored or was rubbish. With more breathing space, Bob K. vacuumed both this and down the corridor to remove the last vestiges of wood shavings and dust.

          

Bob managed quite a bit of varnishing, with some parts now receiving a third coat, and the excellent results show with the corridor outer wall and central vestibule looking very good.

Dave H. was busy adding some filler to the outside of SK 24006. I later joined him, and then helped out S&T who were begging a bit of filler to sort out some holes at the top of their refurbished junction box.