Saturday 4th - Back to the usual
After all the organising for the Autumn showcase last weekend, which was great fun (and some of my pictures from that at the end), it was back to the ordinary today.
Starting at the cold end of the works, Andy was attaching a new chute for the toilet discharge on the TSO up on the jacks.
Ian, Clive and Stuart spent some time connecting up all the brake linkage with the body ready to be lowered back on its bogies.
Later in the day they did just that and that should have been coach done, until someone spotted that one of the brake blocks had just encroached onto the 'time to replace' thumbprint mark. Always something! No matter, the team were soon on the case and found a worn but still usable block from spares to enable a quick replacement without having to replace with brand new blocks all round and adjust everything.
Into the warmer workshop then, Alan and James were both busy bees in the welding area, although I neglected to find out what was actually going on, oops! It all looked very productive anyway.
Dave carried on with his compartment doors...
And found this little note trapped inside, from its time at the West Somerset Railway - a group booking slip from July 1988!
The doors continue to be a headache on the RBr, but with slow and steady work and patience we are gradually moving forward; Ben makes some adjustments with the chisel on this door liner.
While Robert was fitting capping strips around the Cotswold side emergency door.
Inside progress is beginning to look a lot more visible, Simon was fitting more ceiling battoning.
Steve was putting insulation in, and they were both very keen to show me that...
Some ceiling panels have gone in in the kitchen area, hurrah!
The saloon is beginning to come together too.
Next vehicle down and Tool Van No.92 regained its identity today, Dave caught me with the big signwriting brush.
With most of the main top-coating done, Maurice got going with all the fiddlier bits, handrails, steps and the like, t makes such a difference. Nearly there now with this one, apart from the roof!
Speaking of roofs, I climbed up a helpfully placed scaffold tower to get a picture of Bob in the harness on the SK painting the roof.
On the sides Dave was going round with the sealant gun round the window frames. I undercoated the last few panels, I think it's just some window frames to undercoat now, and maybe some top-coated panels on Tuesday?
So, to finish off, back to last weekend...
The first movement for the Saturday was a good way to kick things off, double 47s take the ECS down to Cheltenham for the first train. A whiff of steam in the background suggests I might be getting an engine for the train I was guarding soon too.
I clocked off just in time to get down to Winchcombe to film P&O with a goods train working - well they were billed as mixed traffic locomotives.
About to wander down into the workshops, Foremarke Hall rolled past and the crew asked if I fancied joining them. Oh go on then! So a different view of passing Dinmore in the loop at Gotherington.
The goods train was behind us, so at Todd the chance to admire some of our recent overhauls.
As the light goes, if you ignore the red tail light 47376 brings a train from Broadway in, in reality it was on the back of a wrong line working going up!
Foremarke was parked up in the unloading road next to the goods shed for display for Sunday, and it was all very atmospheric after coming back from the pub for a well deserved meal and drink.
Sunday dawned with bright blue skies as Dinmore departed with the first ECS down to Cheltenham as I was prepping the DMU.
2807's first public solo services! Appropriately it found a turn on the goods train which I happened to be guarding. Brake van rides were a definite sell out for this run!
In glorious weather it came back on a passenger working.
With Dinmore taking us back it was a very pleasant run through the Autumn Cotswold scenery.
We made such good time that by the time we got to Broadway I had time to saunter across to platform 2 for this picture, before still waving us off a minute or two early (the joys of goods trains, no need to wait for booked time!)
The best bit about Sunday is that the clocks have gone back and so there's a chance to enjoy some night-time running and atmosphere.
Dinmore gets ready to push us into the North siding at the end of a very successful day.
Most definitely dark now, 37215 brings in the last train from Cheltenham.
With a full moon, it was quite a bright night, D6948 brings the last working in from Broadway. End of a highly successful and enjoyable event, if you weren't there, you missed out! A welcome boost to the coffers to help see us through the lean winter months, and a great chance for us to get all the toys out the box for a final play session with the train set :)
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