Tuesday 27th - Cooling down

 It was a relief for the weather to cool down a bit today, although the rain was a tad unwelcome with plenty of outdoor work on the cards. But starting off with the Santa coach...

It was good to welcome Stu back, and he got stuck straight in with glossing the crimson on the Malvern side.

Ian and Derek were drilling footboards for the coach too. Although they aren't strictly necessary, it does look a bit odd without them.

Stu soon cracked on with the glossing - nearly there with the topcoat on this side now, while Keith followed on behind painting the now fitted footboards.

I popped the number on the Cotswold side,

And then gave one half its first coat of varnish - varnishing half a coach is enough for one day, not the most fun jobs!

David was in today instead of his normal Wednesday this week and started off repainting the blanked off end doors,

Before moving onto doing a bit more sanding on the Tool van. Not too much left to go on this now.

Dave and Robert were absent for much of the morning off collecting a donation of timber. Here's Robert with Anthony, who very thought of us, thank you!

Of course when they got back, it all needed to be unloaded...

Alan found another compartment door to sand down from TK 24006 - it feels like this coach must have at least 20 compartments the amount of doors that seem to have been done!

A wander outside saw Foremarke Hall on the Cheltenham Spa Express, under slightly duller skies than we've been used to the last couple of weeks.

John had a new wheelset to play with today, brought in from our pile of spares, this one will be made serviceable and added to our 'float' to allow swaps. Today it was take the axlebox off to overhaul them, while Bob looks on.

Finally for today, Maurice - at various points joined by Ian and I - cracked on with undercoating the first creosote tank. Thankfully the rain eased off after morning tea and everything soon dried off. The solebar, headstocks and end stanchions all round have now been done and the lower portion of the tank on the one side. Shot-blasting certainly speeds the process up!