Saturday 27th - Quiet but productive

 Another quiet day with several familiar faces missing. Despite that, good progress was made on a number of fronts.

Starting off on the RBr, Ben continued doing battle with the troublesome emergency door on the Cotswold side.

In better news Marcus and Dave started fitting the radiators in the saloon today.

One in, hopefully remaining panelling can start happening now.

James had a bit more welding to do on the South end of the FK, I think this is nearly done now.

At the other end Bob was painting the end panel of the roof that had been left previously as pipes were still being fitted.

Another coach, another end, Alan was welding in some patches on the SO.

Over on the jack road job 1 for the dirty gang was to finish putting the drawgear back together on 24949. Ian with the spanner and Clive checking all in place.

Tony and Clive wrestle bits into position.

Once that was done it was time to fetch the next coach due in the barn, RMB 1808 from the third set.

24949 was lowered onto its bogies and the two coaches swapped round. Clive connecting up the last of the brake gear on 24949 after it came out.

Elsewhere Chris was doing a grand job on the woodwork for the shunter door.

While Laura and Helen, and John who was leaving just as I came up to take a look, were on SO seat stripping today.

I started off doing half a pad exam (2 boxes done today) on the plywood van. Not easy to grab photos whilst doing, especially by yourself as covered in oil, but James captured me cleaning up the axlebox bolts on the wire wheel - As he put it "To prove you don't just walk around taking photos all day" Huh!

George was on the other side cleaning up and painting the underframe.

Mid-morning Paul and Maurice arrived from Cheltenham on the train and we got to the main task, fitting the new fixed plywood panels.

One needed a little adjustment as the wagon frame wasn't perfectly square, Simon duly obliged with the electric planer.

By the time I left for guard duties early afternoon we had all 4 panels fitted with a few bolts, so I left Paul and Maurice to finish off drilling and bolting.

A change of clothes, drive up and train back to Winchcombe, and the dirty gang having finished their main tasks for the day moved on to a spot of wagon shunting for us.

Into the depths of the back siding to drag out the next couple of projects...

We pulled into P1, the brake coach opposite the coffeepot as usual "Oi, what's all this, I only left you to carry on work 20 minutes ago!"

"Oh bugger, he's caught us red handed" Can't get the staff...

On the way back I snapped the two desired wagons now on our side. Starfish on the left will have a quick clean and an FTR exam for use in the goods train for the gala. A repaint is on the cards for later in the year, but hopefully for a new gang of which more soon... The white Mica is having a partial rebuild, all the external planking is being renewed and will be next in the works.

On the way past Todd I also grabbed a pic of the newly re-laid siding 2 and new stop block, ready to accept the two tool vans and creosote tanks we have done up.

Second round trip was the evening Fish & Chip train, always a pleasant turn.

The days are getting longer, it was only just dark when we got back to Todd for the last time.