Wednesday 13th/Thursday 14th - '21 ' Steps'

 I hope to cover both days, firstly note the blog title 'Steps'. Despite being ** years old I like to get 10,000 steps in on most days i.e. not just railway days. This is not difficult when work is happening in all three main areas, I am sure most teams find this to be the case.

We have the Queen Mary in the Barn for her TLC, which means a constant backwards and forwards to the main w/shop for parts or measuring. We always measure twice and cut once. Then there is primer painting on any bare metal surfaces we have finished with, this means an even longer walk to the paintshop. Now you know why we all look so young and superfit.

To start with, I thought something a little different. The doorfit team have uncovered a quantity of formers and templates, all gathering dust on this rack. Not any more they will be cleaned and made readily available for future use.

I found Ainsley in the woodwork shop, sorting bits for a door re-build.

I can assure you, these doors are a work of art when the team have finished with them.

Phil is fitting Electric sockets to 16221, well that's what he said.

Ian is seen here carefully removing vacuum brake cylinder retaining  nuts.

I inevitably come back to the Queen Mary, Rex is putting the final touches to our in house manufactured lamp brackets.

Just a final tweak after tacking them on, and then a full weld.

The tin worm had been feasting on the overhead valence, new sections are welded in and here, Gerry is making it all nice and smooth ready for primer.

Meanwhile inside Dave is sanding down all surfaces prior to painting, now which colour this will be is only known by the painters.

Just to drag your attention away from the QM, the Fruit Van is in the barn for a little bit of TLC on the roof. It is normally used for storage.

Thursday - Alex

A few pics from me from Thursday. Starting off with the Queen Mary once again, Bob made short work of some more ceiling painting, glossing the two veranda ceilings and undercoating the cabin, such a difference:

Jeff got the pink out again (it's been a big hit that) to undercoat the sections Nick and the gang had repaired yesterday:

And Martin undercoated and primed some more bits of timber for the veranda sides:

Elsewhere it was a day for the 3rd rake/interior gangs, Alan found some repairs on a end corridor connection in the third rake:

Roger was reaffixing some beading on the ceiling:

While Paul and Dennis (on the other side) were trying to unstick a sliding quarterlight:

Repairs done, Roger and Alan returned to the main workshop to move the CK on a little bit, it's all progress!

John has nearly finished making up these storage frames:

And Dave was removing the last of the seats from SK 24006 in the yard:

Paul and I were later enlisted to move them into a storage carriage for safekeeping and to get them out of the way, they're jolly heavy!