Saturday 9th - Too Hot to Work, and a trip over the border

It was oppressively hot again on Saturday, and very humid, but a fair number of us soldiered on nonetheless, sweating in the heat.

First up after last week, John fitted the vacuum pipe upright connection to the comms cord equipment permanently. 

A good job done! He spent the rest of the day on preparations to reattach the corridor connection at this end. We just need enough people in on the same day to do it.

Robert was doing another door liner. Here with the liner on a jig for the router to do the inset part.

Thinning it down on the bandsaw.

And drilling the holes in the liner and Z-section to fit it. I think actual fitting was saved for another day.

Tool van No.92 was again a focus, No.4 being essentially finished now bar a skylight repair awaiting a sheet of Perspex to be delivered. Steven and Chris admire their work in replacing one of the roof beams.

Later on they removed a bit more of the roof covering and skylights. Chris from the Scaffold tower...

...And Steven from inside. This skylight came out in several pieces due to the rot.

Pam started on the second coat of linseed oil on the Cotswold side, later doing both ends leaving just the Malvern side to do.

Meanwhile Maurice tackled the underframe on the Cotswold side. As most of this had a coating in bitumen, all we can do is give it a clean and put underframe black on top, there's no removing that old stuff.

It was just Laura in upholstery, as the first DFR contract draws to a close, just a few seats left do do, all the little bits are being finished off.

With business booming up here, new sewing machines have been purchased.

Ian spent the day flying the computer in the office with HoD duties.

I spent a good part of the day outside, but on the shady side of the second tank wagon where conditions weren't too bad, with the undercoat white going as far as I could without taking the tarpaulin off completely. 

No sign of an exhaust with this heat as P&O comes past. It must have been unbearable in that enclosed cab.

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Sunday - a trip to Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway for their gala

As a member of the railway's gala committee, it is of course important to see what everyone else is doing. That reasoning is not good enough to claim tickets on expenses unfortunately, but it was a very good day with some interesting engines out in superb Welsh scenery:

LNWR 'Coal tank' 1054 was one of the headline guests, drawing the first train in from the yard into Furnace Sidings up the very steep hill.

It ran round, past the GWR Observation saloon on the end of a train of Mk1s.

The interior of the saloon was very sumptuous, wish we had one!

At Blaenavon High Level an Andrew Barclay double header of 1219 and No.1 passed us by.

Before we switched to one of our main reasons for going, Furness Railway No.20, the oldest working standard gauge steam loco in the UK.

Back at Furnace Sidings which was the centre of activity, there was always something going on. The two Andrew Barclays return with their train powering up the bank while the Coal Tank waits in the yard in front of the coal train.

Thought we'd try a video of that too...

Then No.2 disappeared up the high level line to Big Pit.

There was the very nice and old Gloucester Engineer's saloon on the back. Note the same roof line as on the Tool Vans we're currently restoring, they date from a similar period.

Trains were banked up to Whistle Inn, with the Coal tank on the back here.

Then the freight rumbled out of the yard in the charge of Hudswell Clarke 1857.

Returning later with full steam coming up the bank.

From a higher point of view, No.2 goes past with another shuttle for Big Pit as No.20 rests on shed a while.

And soon after 1054 steams up the hill once more, passing No.20.

And another attempt at a video.

Although it's only a little place, with 6 engines in steam it makes for a very busy event with lots of action concentrated in a small area, so I'd thoroughly recommend a visit on one of their future galas.

Speaking of galas, it's 7 weeks until our Autumn Showcase Mixed traction gala. 28-29 October are the dates, all the usual fun of an intense timetable of steam and diesel with goods trains, brake van and footplate rides and a chance to have a look round the steam and diesel sheds and here in C&W. Very much not to be missed!

More information and advance ticket sales can be found at gwsr.com/galas/autumn-showcase