Thursday 29th - Always expect the unexpected !

As all cat owners will know, the blog title certainly doesn't apply here! I was going to start work on the blog post, but on entering the room discovered that Ginge had taken up residence at my desk.

The look says it all !

A bit of careful shifting of the chair so as not to disturb him and with another chair put in place, let the posting begin. 

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There was a very small group of us today with some of our Thursday staff either on holiday or going to Tony Baker's funeral at Westall Park Woodland Cemetary, Redditch. Paul W. and Dave H. were there and were amazed at the sheer number of people attending. Tony loved his music and Paul said that there were at least six pop tunes played during the service.

 

Some lovely memories of Tony in happier days and enjoying work with the Indoor Gang. He is very much missed.

Ian's day began with another RBr 1675 meeting, this time with Andy and our electricians Richards I and II.

Initially it was just me in the Paintshop and determined to get the remaining work on 16221's Malvern side doors and frames completed, I got going on the filling and sanding, hoping it would be almost all the latter. There was more to do on the inner second class doorway, with the left hand capping strip area needing a rub down and filling, and still showing a bit of old blue paint.

As the posting title says, always expect the unexpected, and that just about sums up what I found when viewing the top panel above the adjacent window. All the windows on this side have been undercoated and yet somehow the gouged paintwork above the frame of this one had been missed and left unfilled. I check the next one along - the same, and the next, and the next .... however did we miss all this?! So it was back to the tub of filler and a major load of filling and sanding, with today's plans for taping up the lines on this side now abandoned.

Phil came in and completed the north end doorway, undercoating the frame in light grey where needed.

Bob meanwhile top coated the first class ceiling undercoated by Richard on Tuesday. At least that was one job that could be completed.

Jeff sorted out a few bits of sanding where I had added some extra filler on the lower bodyside, before turning to the now main task of sanding down all the filler I had added above the windows. In the background Bob also joined us, having completed his ceiling painting.

Later Phil joined in at the north end. By the end of the day much of the repair work had been finished. There is still more to do, followed by a major vacuuming session to remove all the filling dust, but it will be good to get this sorted out and return to where we were with this part of the coach's restoration.
 

Roger was the only one from the Indoor Gang in today. After attending to some matters in his second role as our H&S rep, he continued the cleaning up of the internal window frames that we had started on Saturday. Following the efforts of Pam and Keith, and now Roger, the first class compartment windows look very much better. 

Bryan was the only one in from the Metalwork Gang, now attacking the top of the kitchen doorway on the Cotswold side of 1675. The cantrail here didn't look good as reported by Nick in the previous posting.

Ian and Andy had been working in the Barn and now moved to the Workshop to do some more vacuum cylinder maintenance. 

The heavy piston is gently raised.

The plan was to put on a new rubber seal, a tricky job involving three people (I was called in from the Paintshop to help). The rubber ring has to be stretched completely out and not touch the piston until it can be placed under the lip. This to ensure that the protruding edge of the ring is kept facing outward all the way round and doesn't roll round if touching the surface of the piston too early.

With the new seal in place the piston is carefully lowered back into the cylinder and re-secured. Job done!

 

Posting finished and his Ginge-ship, now fast asleep, is now back where he was.