Tuesday 7th and the Gala Weekend Catch-up

 What a fantastic Gala weekend, but before that, a breeze through Tuesday's activities.

 

Top priority for the Painting Team now is the Bubblecar. It will be shunted out on Saturday 25th June, so we have to really go for it. Some top coating on doors, and door edges and frames, has already been done, but today it was started in earnest. Stu takes a break on a handy trestle. In the distance are Maurice and Alex.

Alex was completing the downward curve on the lower tape at the south end - a fiddly job to say the least and done after marking out with tracing paper. The top line still has to be taped - this has an upward curve to continue the line above the cab windows.

On the Malvern side Ian continued the cream undercoating on the window frames inside the doors.

The result looks very good - a nice job!

The end of the day with the Cotswold side in its first top coat.

The Malvern side also completed. Initial top coating remaining is just the upper cab sections at both ends.

On Saturday more vestibule ceiling sections and beading for CK 16221 appeared from the Woodwork team for us to prime and paint. Keith paints on the initial primer. There was also a chair from RBr 1675 to sand and varnish.

In Upholstery Dave is in the process of rebuilding another of 1675's chairs.

On the Cotswold side of 16221 the door frame capping strips are going on. The south end Cotswold side door.

Ainsley is preparing this strip for the central door on the same side.

Robert is preparing yet another strip, cutting out the central hinge section.

We now have the Toad brake van that is used as a store by the Friends of Winchcombe Station. This has been brought in for a repair and repaint. Derek begins removing the old cracking paint.

Later in the day I joined in with the top coating on the Bubblecar, but initially my job involved the dismantling and collation of all the Gala display and other items. Unsold shop items were collected together ready for reboxing - they will reappear for the next gala. In the background our viewing area stands and plastic chains were being steadily brought in by Clive.

The various dismantled signage items are gathered in the lobby ready for returning to the storage rack in the changing room.

With "Eddystone" staying on for a week and "P&O" also running, bar the coach liveries not being green, it was like being on the old BR Southern Region in the late 50s and early to mid 60s'

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And now a recap of the Gala weekend.

Thursday 2nd

It was very much a day of preparation for the Gala, although the new headboards being prepared by Alex are for a later non-gala event.

The FOWS Toad van is shunted into the Barn ready for its repaint. 

While setting up the stands and chains for the viewing area, we paused to watch "Black Prince" pass by. 92203 had been running during the week so I guess we were making the most of having the engine back on the Railway again. 

Friday 3rd

 

The Gala begins and it sounds from the pre-sales of the tickets that we should be getting a high attendance on the first day. Alex's new sandwich boards advertising our opening are placed on the two platforms  - this is the board for Platform 1.

The Sentinel from the S&D at Midsommer Norton has arrived in the yard from Toddington and is soon attracting a lot of attention. The Winchcombe shunting train is always very popular with both C&W staff and our visiting public at the station, but the unusual design of this engine made it something really special.

West Country Pacific 34029 "Eddystone" has come from the Swanage Railway and passes with a Cheltenham bound train.

One of the major attractions was the freight train, especially as brake van rides were once again on offer. This particular one has Ivatt tank 41312 from the Mid Hants Railway in charge.

The newly out-shopped Toad looks really good, especially having "Cheltenham High St" painted on.

It was good to see the Gunpowder Van running too.

Ivatt Mogul 46521 from the Great Central Railway looks an absolute treat. It is on the short 4th Rake which is stabled in our headshunt to clear Platform 1 for the passing of the non-stop express ...........

 .............. which comes past behind "Black Prince".

"P&O" passes with another Cheltenham train. 47109 is now back in our headshunt.

Another passing of the freight train, this time behind our 4270. As expected we had a lot of visitors to the Works throughout the day, the viewing area in particular being very popular when the freight and double-header trains were expected.

A longer view of the frieght. Seeing this running will be particularly satisfying to the members of C&W and the Loco Dept who spent many hours, doing mainly overtime, to make this happen. 

The south end of the train with the Queen Mary guards van. Alex, wearing his GW jacket, looks very happy as the guard on this particular run.

Saturday 4th

 

Just prior to setting up the Works for today's visitors with Alex enjoying an early cuppa.

 

Roger, Pam and Dave H., three of today's Gala monitors for the Works, enjoy a chat as the first visitor of the day peruses our shop. 

It was work as normal for those not looking after our visiting public. In the distance Simon is working on more ceiling panels for CK 16221.

The display of RBr 1675 chairs showing the three main stages - as they were originally, being stripped down, and finally as rebuilt.

Our Upholstery shop was very popular and over the three days had a lot of visitors. In the background are John, our Head of Upholstery, and Laura.

During the morning tea break Ian had the very pleasant task of congratulating Martin J. who has completed 15 years service as a volunteer, all with C&W.

The three displays at the north end of the Paintshop providing information on vacuum cylinders, vacuum and heating systems, and lighting, the latter an interactive display demonstrating the great saving made by replacing tungsten bulbs with LEDs.

Work continues on the CK with Rod doing the final touches to the Malvern side south end door.

 Steve is busy in the central vestibule securing the heavy plyboard floor.

On the Cotswold side Robert is drilling holes on the right hand side of the south end doorway ready for fitting the capping strip.

We have recently been donated a number of boxes of tools and packs of screws. Our storekeeper Kevin is busy sorting out and storing the latter.

The Woodwork display set up by Steve in the Works lobby.

[Photo :Rod]   Double heading with two Bullied Pacifics, albeit rebuilds, but a very poignant reminder of the 5th March 1966 when unrebuilt Pacifics West Country 34006 "Bude" and Battle of Britain 34057 "Biggin Hill" hauled the most spectacular of the special trains on the penultimate day of the Somerset and Dorset Railway.

Sunday 5th

 

The final day of the Gala and Jenny enjoys a quiet chat before our first visitors arrive. Sunday was definitely the quietest day and it wasn't until early afternoon that the numbers visiting picked up.

Alex was back guarding again in the afternoon on Train 2 (Maroon set), but in the morning carried on with his new headboards, adding the brown edging. 

With not so many visitors we took the chance of having a really good look at the Sentinel shunter. Pam and Ben were invited onto the footplate and given a talk on the various aspects of the engine. 47109 is a made-up number, emulating the original Sentinels (4)7190 and (4)7191 that were bought by the LMS Railway for working the S & D yard at Radstock where their low height enable them to negotiate the 10 feet 10 inches Tyning Arch. "Joyce" came from Croydon Gasworks where she was numbered 37 - she was named after the Chairman's daughter.

The vertical boiler was pressed to 275 psi to make up for the diminutive size and as such is capable of hauling up to 1000 tons on the flat. 

Pam had been kindly passing round a box of chocolates the day before, much appreciated by the loco and shunting crew. As such she was invited to have a brake van ride when it was time for the next trip through the station, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

The Tim Mitchell Building on Platform 1 hosted an exhibition put on by the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust. Included in the displays was a 5-inch gauge model of one of the famous S&DJR 7Fs with a freight train.

 The northbound train in Platform 2 awaits the arrival of the southbound double header ......

 ...... on which Alex is the lucky guard.

The end of the day and the Gala approaches as "Joyce" takes on water prior to returning to Toddington for the last time.

 The other side of the vertical boiler showing the various controls.

The water pump which created the most amusing chattery sound when activated and, if standing by the engine at the time, enveloped you in a vast cloud of steam.

 

Pam watches the end of the watering up. "Joyce's" owner came with the engine and was kindly handing out leaflets giving lots of information about her. We were very sorry to see "Joyce" depart as we had grown very fond of her and we really hope that she will be invited back again to be the Winchcombe shunter in future steam galas.