Wow, what a brilliant Gala Bank Holiday weekend! With new build "Betton Grange" at its first gala, the Saint, and Mogul 9351 being a very big draw, some of the trains were literally packed, especially the early ones.
Nick and Eve took three photos on Saturday which show how crowded Winchcombe Station was at times.
We had many visitors to Carriage & Wagon throughout the weekend and a good team of monitors each day to greet and chat to them (thanks Team!). Saturday was the busiest for the Works and also the best day with the weather.
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SATURDAY - work as (almost) normal
We still had the viewing area barrier to complete, but that didn't take long. It was great to see Pam back after such a long time away.
Dennis and Pam watch the early train hauled by 2999 "Lady of Legend". What a lovely sight, and a great job done by Didcot. How many of us have seen a Saint? I was 4 when the last one was withdrawn.
Almost the last thing to be put up is our very large banner. We open at 1000 and as such don't normally put the station sandwich boards and the other banner in place until about 9.45. It was still not quite 9.00, when suddenly visitors started piling into the Works! They had seen the large banner in place as they passed by on the train.
Time to have a close look at our visiting engines, the first being the WSR Mogul 9351. What a lovely little engine.
"Dinmore Manor" brings the freight train into the station and then backs into our headshunt.
Dennis and Paul have a break and enjoy the scene, while David chats to one of our visitors. The viewing area is understandably very popular, especially with the available seats - we have a load more chairs stacked in the Barn if needed.
It's Saturday and for some it's work as usual. Alan was doing some light welding at the north end of SO 4798. Not a problem for our visitors as the work was tucked away at the back of the coach.
Ainsley was working on the north end door on the Malvern side of SK 13326.
Eve and Pam chatting to a visitor, while in the background Nick was explaining about the prefabricated coach half ends that we buy from South Devon Railway Engineering.
As with any gala, it's always a pleasure to meet visitors from other railways, especially if they work on the same types of vehicle. Alex, head of our freight team, happily chats to the freight team from the Gwilli Railway ................
................ and then shows them the progress with the MICA van.
Eve is always smiling, but I seem to have caught her between smiles. On Saturdays our visitors aren't allowed to walk through the Workshop or Barn, but they can view the activities from behind the barriers.
It was quite crowded at times in the Paintshop, but there was plenty to see all along the walls with the various displays. The new kitchen and pantry in the RBr could be viewed through the open door. Maurice and Alan chat to this group.
Pam always looks after our four-legged visitors and ensures she has several bags of treats for them, which of course are much welcomed with lots of wagging tails. This little chap just loved tummy tickles.
Suddenly it all goes quiet. Our current group of visitors have gone and Nick takes a welcome break.
Paul and Maurice are cleaning up the exposed metal frame on the Malvern side of the MICA van.
With minimal visitors at the moment, a chance to get one of the long heating pipes on board 1675.
In the saloon Dave is inserting backboard behind the Malvern side main heating pipe.
Andy watches as Ken works on the small Malvern side heating pipe.
The new coach BCK 21272 remains on the jack road in the Barn. While the overall look of the coach and the passenger area are lovely, the guards corridor and luggage area are quite dirty. As such we will be giving them a thorough clean and repaint. Bob tried sugar soap but in the end a pad sander will do a better job on the walls and door backs.
Hello, what's coming?!
The Saint heads past with another northbound train. It's a nice day, let's sit outside, enjoy the warm sun and watch the trains. And why not?
"Foremarke Hall" waits for the signal, and then slowly passes, with Ken and David enjoying the moment (me too!).
9351 being captured by our visiting public, and in turn it all gets captured by me!
As it's a GW themed gala I heard someone say, "The interloper!", but it was in fun. I'm sure they appreciate "P&O" as much as we all do.
Somehow you just have to keep on photographing "Betton Grange". It's a miracle that this loco is running, the miracle being the fantastic work our Loco Dept did to finish the good work done by Tyseley. It had barely run 20-30 miles when it came to us and a lot had to be done to bring the loco into reliable running. Well done guys!
Back to today's work with Robert now fixing the door liner to the south end door frame on FK 13326.
Paul and Maurice are now coating the cleaned up frame on the MICA van in red oxide.
The double header returns with the Saint leading. What a lovely loco this is.
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SUNDAY - Overtime!
Nick, Bob, Robert, James (in the vestibule), and later Stu (our Works manager) were determined to resolve the problems we have had with some of the doors when rehanging them after major metalwork replacement of the coach body side has meant reinstating the hinge halves.
The good news is that we have at last discovered what was causing the problem and this door now shuts as it should. BR had used mismatched hinge halves which they had made work, presumably by fitting them in a slightly offset position. We, in ignorance of this, refit the hinge halves in their correct positions and as a result we have problems. Thankfully we have supplies of the matching hinge halves.
Tom looks on from the cab of 9351. The freight will soon be heading down to Cheltenham.
Robert explaining the workings of 1675's emergency doors and the work in hand.
The tools in use with the MICA refurbishment, all very nicely laid out.
Alex demonstrating the MICA's brake mechanism and the way it works.
Our visitor is keen to have a go.
I have included a photo of this delightful cameo before. The restored goods office and platform, with the Toad, flat wagon and LNWR van, all rounded off by that lovely tree. The area had been set up with bunting, in effect roping off a visitor access area so that all this could be viewed first hand. Access to the Toad van was included. All three vehicles have been refurbished by C & W.
Venturing out later on to find that half of the freight train had been placed in Rake 3's siding. In the distance James, with radio, has been controlling the movement.
As correctly surmised, we have a hot box, and by strange coincidence it turns out to be the scruffy one of the rake, the unrepainted Starfish wagon. Stu returns the wagon to the yard so that the problem can be investigated. It would be good to get this repainted now we have available time before the Autumn Showcase at the end of October.
2807 now carefully backs the first half of the train to enable reconnection.
Now reconnected the freight gently returns to the station. It's was a pity to lose a vehicle from our freight, but what a brilliant cameo! 2807 was the perfect loco for the freight, facing the right way, and we had an excellent shunting demonstration. There was a huge crowd on both platforms, loving it all and with many of them videoing the proceedings.
Our cushion, bag and spectacle case sales must be doing well. A load have been requested by the Toddington shop, so that Eve and Pam are now having to make more cushions. Pam is no stranger to upholstery having been self employed when she ran a business refurbishing the interiors of period cars and even a light aeroplane.
A welcome break and a chance to escape from it all.
The afternoon express hauled by our home fleet Manor and Hall, non-stop to Cheltenham.
Towards the end of the day with 9351 waiting for the Cheltenham train to arrive.
A lot of black cloud passed above but mainly missing us. When the sun shone again, as often happens when there is heavy cloud, the effect was dramatic.
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MONDAY - The last day already?! And even more overtime.
Being there every day and all day, it all seemed to blur into one. Suddenly it was Monday and the last day. Let's make the most of it!
On the freight at the moment is "Betton Grange", waiting while 9351 passes with a northbound train.
A flurry of visitors in Upholstery keeps Eve busy.
Martin in discussion with a visitor.
It takes a while typing up the information notices describing the vehicles currently in the Works and what we are doing with them. So it's very satisfying to see them being read, and I noticed that with this gala this was happening a lot.
This time it really did rain. So all into the Barn, but thankfully it was just a heavy shower.
Nick finishes off the work done on the previous two days, in sorting out that door.
The first new underwindow section for SO 4798. All the windows on the coach will need the same.
Although Monday was the quietest of the three days regarding our visitors, there were times when we were busy.
The express comes through again, non-stop to Cheltenham, behind "Betton Grange" and "Foremarke Hall".
During his employment Alan (left) has worked with Richard II (in our Electrics Team), so it was a real pleasure to show them inside the new kitchen and pantry inside RBr 1675, especially the fully kitted-out large skid, designed and constructed by Richards I and II, and Phil S.
"Lady of Legend" returning north.
Matt, the signalman, exchanges tokens as "Lady of Legend" returns south, while 2807 waits in Platform 2.Alex and Stu await the arrival of Rake 3, which they will put back into its siding. The transfers on the side of the 03 need replacing with some good signwriting, something for Alex when he gets through all the other jobs awaiting his attention.
Before leaving for the day we gathered everything in from outside - the viewing area barrier, direction and other signs, etc, etc - and then removed the internal tapes, signs and other aspects - all ready for putting away the next day by Yours Truly.
Grateful thanks to the Works Monitor Team for all their help over the past three days, in particular Nick and Eve who were in on all three days.
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TUESDAY - back to work (sort of)
After 3 long days on your feet, it seemed all too easy to spend rather longer than usual having the early morning cuppa. However we eventually got going, but with a much diminished attendance for a Tuesday as the result of holidays and other things.
Woodwork has the Chuckle Brothers, while we have the Tango Team! Ian and Keith proudly display their new overalls. Far too clean! We'll have to loan them both to the Dirty Gang in the Barn.
The wood sections for the south corridor connection on FK 13326 need to be completed ready for Ken to secure in position on Wednesday ...........
........... and similarly the relevant areas of the south end coated in black MIO, which was also done by Keith.A lot of effort on the MICA van today, with Maurice cleaning up the metalwork at the south end, while Ian was removing the old bolts and screws, most were completely rusted in.Maurice is making good progress, while in the background Paul is doing the same job.The overnight rain had made any work on the Monster Van a no-go, so Derek helped with the removal of the outer planking on the Cotswold side.
Later in the day Maurice paints the cleaned up frame with red oxide.Ian stands by the much cleaned up south end, while the first part of the Cotswold side looks ready for the new planking. A proper inspection of the main wood frame will be made and already it looks like some will need replacing.Apologies to Roger and Chris for taking no photos of them. Roger did some more filling and sanding on the door edges and frames on the Malvern side of 1675, while Chris continued his work on the Toddington shunter doors.
As for me, it was a day of dismantling and packing away the many bits of our gala display items. I thought everything was more or less done and then thankfully, while enjoying the end of day cuppa, remembered the giant banner outside on the Works wall. Maurice and I soon had that down and rolled up.
So that's it, until the week leading up to the Diesel Gala in early July, when we set it all up again.
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