Saturday 15th - Shunting on Ice
The day we've all been waiting for was finally here, 34929's eviction from the paintshop! We did think about smashing a champagne bottle on it as it left, but we didn't want to ruin the paintwork. Instead we simply watched it rumble away (with comments of "finally" or "good riddance" muttered under our breath):
The standard 'the workshops are empty' shot:
Because of course shunting the paintshop necessitates dragging everything else out first, out came the CK, the Mink, and the BCK, in what was a rather frosty yard:
And finally, into the light, is BSK 34929!
It's not quite finished yet, but boy is it great to see it outside looking all fresh and sharp.
The occasion merits a couple of old photos of the coach, Dave found this one from on old GWSR guidebook, in its previous configuration:
Looking back on the old blog (sadly no longer available for some reason but I managed to take some PDF backups before it disappeared) we first started work on this way back in 2015 with some doors coming in for welding repairs before the coach itself entered the works.
Looking through in 2016 Peter thoughtfully took some "before" photos as it began to rise to the top of the pile:
It finally came in to the barn March 2017, Dave wrote "Ideally we like to finish this in time for Broadway. I rather suspect that will be a very tough race." He was right!!
And a few to remind people of the substantial former parcels area end rebuild:
I apologise for the very low resolution of those pictures, my backup of the old blog was very crudely done unfortunately, but that's all we've got left. I hope it shows the general point anyway - it's been a big old job!
Back to today, and it wasn't long before the next project rolled in, TSO 5042 is coming in for a quick 6 week paintjob:
Phil was engrossed in bits for the RBr on the jack road as the other RBr briefly came into the workshop, merely to save a shunting move. It will be coming in properly soon but not quite yet:
Also undisturbed by today's shunting was John, back on brake rigging washer spacers. Last week he cut the outside holes, this week it was the inside holes:
Soon enough, everything else was shunted back:
And the yard was suddenly filled with maroon coaches!
Coaches on the left were having bogies power-washed I think, in the middle having brake blocks changed over the pit, and on the right is 34929.
It did give quite a good scene of our current shunter roster:
Ian and Andy braved the cold all the rest of the afternoon in the pit changing brake blocks, it was getting dark when they finally shunted everything clear:
Meanwhile inside, we were getting to grips with 5042 as it was drying off:
Dave set to bashing out the filler rivet line where it was beginning to go:
And Pam abandoned her varnishing to get her favourite tool out to angle grind some metal away on this patchy corner (photo Dave):
I came along and scraped all the vinyl lettering off, having spent much of the day sticking vinyl numbers on, implementing our new window and door numbering scheme:
(13 is the window number, F the compartment)
Keeping me company outside was Paul and Dennis, continuing the deep clean:
Today Dave and Robert thought they'd come and help with the CK rather than their own coach. They claimed it was a matter of conscience, but I suspect the fact that one coach was nice and warm inside a workshop and the other wasn't had a part to play... :-)
The carpentry shop was full of people making bits presumably for the CK too, Ainsley on one of the doors:
Robert and David making door back panels:
David and Steve cutting some more bits to size
Also working wood today was Richard and Paul with the doors on the Mink. First a quick test of the frame zie to check everything lines up:
I blinked and they were planked and primed!
I'll have to be quicker than that to catch them at it.
Speaking of me being quick, I popped up to upholstery to see how they were getting on to find they were having sewing machine problems, that being way above my competence level I beat a hasty retreat, but I'm assured they sorted the problem out ok in the end:
Great to see 34929 outshopped, it looks fantastic and a huge credit to those who worked on it in the last few years. In my early days in the railway in the 90's it was known as the Stratford Brake, as think it was bought for the railway by the Stratford Area Group in the 80's? Also a little ticket office was installed in the early 2000's, as it was thought that we would never be able to man CRC station on all days, so a mobile booking office would be useful...It was never used in anger to my knowledge though!
ReplyDeleteThanks Andy, yes preserved 1982 by Stratford group, one of the first coaches on the railway and I think first brake coach? I remember stripping out the ticket office as one of the first things we did, I recall hearing then that it was never actually used.
Delete34929 looks very smart, but as a matter of interest do you varnish the exterior of your vehicles after a repaint, or is Williamson's paint good enough to manage without it?
ReplyDeleteWe had a period of about 8 years where we did varnish coaches, but we found two issues. Firstly, the cream stained really badly, we think atomised cylinder oil reacted with the varnish in a way it doesn't with just paint. It was impossible to clean off and didn't look very nice. And secondly, it's an easy way to ruin a nice paint job as it's easy to muck up the varnishing!
DeletePart of the rationale of building the paintshop was that it would enable more quick repaints to take place to overcome the disadvantage of not varnishing, which is that the paint does fade more quickly. The other solution to that which works for choc & cream carriages is to repaint the lower chocolate panels outside when they're looking tired as we've done over the past couple of years, this is very quick to do and keeps things looking good.
A wonderful result which you all deserve much praise for such hard work , i know I have said this before but do submit this rebuild for any awards now asking for submissions as other HR's do it with coaches and we don't , but we should as your workmanship and conversions of MK1's are probably the best in the business .
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ReplyDeleteOne has a sense of the dogged graft when the time is propitious when the weather allows when the staff on hand with the skill that'll fix this bit or that part of so many days-in-days-out, weeks-in-weeks-out of volunteer giving of time and effort produces in time a stunning result at last. You've done Gloucestershire & Warwiskshire Railways proud my lads and lassies. What a beauty is that old resurrected railway carriage?
ReplyDeleteThere is a ‘story’ about the transformation of 34929. In the initial stages it was realised that for the proposals to work, we needed four windows, and although we had windows, and also had [window] sliders, we didn’t have sliders that matched the windows, or windows that matched………
ReplyDeleteSerendipity. Going out to my vehicle one day, beyond the gated barrier, I was met by three persons who requested to view the Workshops.
Whilst we don’t encourage such. And with myself, often working from a scaffolding tower from where tools can be dropped, and injuries caused, am generally averse to such. These Gentlemen had certain matters that worked in their favour that day. The first being that I wasn’t particularly busy.
The next was their appearance. They were dressed in ‘comfortable casual’ and didn’t have cameras slung around their necks.
I relented (which is unusual for me). And gave them a tour, which included explaining our ultimate plans 34929. During the course of the visit they disclosed that were part of a group from the Mid Hants with a special interest in RBR’s.
Following their tour, my departing message to them was, “Gentlemen. Your mission, should you wish to accept, is to find us four [matching] windows, with sliders.”
Which they did!
Some weeks later, our late then H of D, Peter Bennett, drove down to the Mid Hants and collected 4 window frames with sliders, albeit without the ‘major’ glass, which wasn’t a problem.
So, it is with thanks to these persons from the Mid Hants Railway, whose names I can’t recall, that the project came to fruition.
34929 looks absolutely splendid...so it should after all the time spent on it. Fantastic job you guys and gals do.
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