Saturday 8th - Nearly, nearly finished

It was good to be back today after a spell in isolation having tested positive for Covid, thankfully very mild symptoms. The jobs left on BSK 34929 are fast dwindling, I started off doing the last of the yellow lining out:

The black can be done on Tuesday then that's all the external painting done.

Martin and Michael were topping up doors with more varnish where needed, and Michael also put some more paint in the guards compartment where it looked a little patchy:

And after a monumental search we eventually found the seat base for the guard's seat - this is what happens when a coach has been in for so long, keeping all the bits together becomes more and more difficult! It was very grubby so Dave set too giving it a good clean before oxiding it:

While we were out looking for it we found Kevin with Steve going through one of our stores vehicles to confirm what stuff we actually wanted to keep:

There was lots going on in the woodwork shop today, mainly focussed on doors for 16221. Robert tests the movement of a droplight:

While Ainsley adjusts a wood section for another door on the belt sander:

Steve and Simon were planning the next cuts in detail, I'm guessing this is for some panelling for the CK:

On the coach itself George had found more flaky paint and crud to clean off round the north corridor end:

I'm not sure if these bits were from 24006 or 16221, but either way Pam was happy to be back with lots of varnishing to do:

Definitely from 24006 was some of the plumbing around the toilet with various taps and stopcocks for the loo being overhauled by Phil in the workshop area:

Accompanied by John who was making a racket all day with a sheet of metal, the pillar drill and some hole cutters:

He was making some washer spacers for brake rigging from various thicknesses of metal sheet:

Paul joined me in the "I got new overalls for Christmas" club, keeping on top of the never-ending dust we produce:

The upholstery gang were working on running repairs today, some of the seat cushions from FK Gillian were splitting as the moquette is wearing thin. As it's too thin to sew strongly, the solution is to cut and glue a patch over the top:

Paul and Richard continued on the Mink's canvas roof, trimming the edge to size and tidying it in place:

Although there were no service trains to wave at, there was plenty to watch outside, with lots of shunting going on. With the station run-round out of action, one shunter isn't enough, so we're borrowing the 04 usually resident at Toddington yard as well as our usual 03.

Coaches were pulled out of the third rake siding into platform 2 where a space had bene left by the 04:

There was a bogie change to do today with BCK 21092 having it's bogies out to be sent away for tyre turning. Up it went, and bogies were shuffled around on the adjacent road to give it some accommodation ones to sit on:

The final configuration in the barn at the end of the day was the BCK in the through road with RBr 1672 on the jacks for some electrical work:

Outside the action continued, with a couple of coaches from the maroon set parked over the pit:

Mainly for brake block changes:

So, next Saturday is the day, 34929 is out, to be replaced by TSO 5042 in for a quick repaint in time for the race trains. We can't wait!