Thur 11th - Sun 14th Gala days

A very long post covering the eve of the Summer Diesel Gala and the three Gala days

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 Thursday - Normal working and Gala preparation

The highlight of the day in C&W had to be the final fitting of Rex's lithium battery box under RBr 1675.

Gerry and Rex check the fitting of the inner shelf unit.

Two of the heavy lithium batteries now fitted.

The next two batteries are unpacked. All the boxes have sensibly been retained.

Bob also joins in, holding the trolley as Rex and Gerry slide each one in to its relevant shelf.

Overall this has been a job very well done!

Meanwhile Richard I, without granddaughter Nicole today and being assisted by Phil S., was working on the electical supply underneath.

Richard II was continuing the building of the 240 volt main control and distribution panel.

Despite all the bits that had been stacked against the Malvern side of the Paintshop wall in preparation for the marmoleum laying inside 1675, Bob S. managed to get the large scaffold round and continue the roof top coating. Further along, the roof above the really cluttered bit had been done by Bob M. using a ratchet-strapped ladder.

Bob carefully decants more Flint Grey top coat for the roof from the 5L tin.

On the Cotswold side of 1675 Phil J. adds filler where required to the servery door frame.

Rex and Gerry moved on to more window removal on the Cotswold side of SO 4798. Hopefully not all of the corroded under-window panel sections will need total replacement.

Maurice primes the new door frames for the MICA van.

The large collection of items removed from the GW Open C wagon are being sorted out by Alex and Maurice for cleaning up and painting.

Steven, who had made the new MICA van door frames in his large home workshop, rounds off some of the new bench planks recently made.

One of the Coffee Pot Cafe chairs, now a bit wobbly, awaits repair in the Woodwork shop. That's a nice moquette on the chair.

In preparation for the Gala the Open C wagon is removed from the Barn entrance to an inner siding ..............

...... and the O3 stabled on the jack road siding. This not only frees up the area in front of the Barn for our Gala visitors, but also the headshunt which will be used as a temporary stabling point for the DMU during each of the three days.

Gala preparation now well underway with the viewing area chain barrier in place.

On Wednesday in the Upholstery workshop Laura had set up the display of beautifully made cushions, spectacle cases and bags for sale.

All three products are in our Toddington and Broadway shops. Will we sell any from here?

One of the individual descriptions that are being placed on all the vehicles currently in the Works.

The Cotswold side of the Paintshop with the various displays in place.

The Works main entrance with the large "What's Going On in Carriage & Wagon" display board, which has a copy of the entire collection of the individual vehicle descriptions, and the Works introduction board.

 

 The giant sign put up alongside the old Workshop. 

The end of a busy day with Ainsley kindly vacuuming throughout the Woodwork/Doors shop.

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Friday - Gala Day 1

The trains had good numbers, but for visitors it was generally a quiet day with just a steady trickle through the Works. Some limited work was done.

Everything is ready bar putting out the sandwich boards and large signs advertising our opening. So the usual first cuppa after the drive in.

Andy T in his second man role, and smartly dressed instead of in his orange overalls, heads for the signalbox. He tried to get out of the photo until I said I wanted him in it.

Maurice came in to continue with Freight Team jobs, which included undercoating the new door frames for the MICA van.

Alex was one of our Gala monitors, but as it was quiet took the opportunity to work on the van and made a start on putting on the new planking. 

Visitors to Upholstery .......

...... with three delightful little companions. Unfortunately Pam wasn't in today with her doggy treats.

It's very quiet - where are they all? 

Alan, one of our welders, fabricated the bread shelf unit for 1675's kitchen at his workplace and brought it in today.

A large welder kindly donated by our Diesel Dept, which Nick had been very pleased to receive.

Nick felt that it's trolley was a little too high and could be unstable, so the creation of a replacement is underway using metal offcuts stored in the Works and the existing wheels.

Nick cuts some angle iron to make new supports for the wheels.

Demonstrating to some of our visitors.

Richard won't be painting today and instead has his RCS hat on working in 1876, the maroon RMB which is high in the list for repainting into crimson & cream. This coach will also be in the queue.

I was told that the guest model railway in the Tim Mitchell Building was very much worth visiting.

The recommendation was spot on. What a brilliant layout and with lovely long freight trains running with very realistic sounds.

It was also a good excuse to walk a little bit further along the platform to the griddle, especially having had the wonderful smell of cooking drifting down every time you went outside the Works.

Class 24 24081, running as 5081, waiting for the Cheltenham service to arrive before proceeding to Toddington and on to Broadway.

Maurice paints etch primer on the cleaned up hinges for the doors on the MICA van.

Between talking to visitors Alex was able to get four new planks installed. Amazingly the total planks for the van will be getting on for 130 - that sounds incredible until Alex lists the different parts of the van.

Plenty of visitors on the platforms as Class 37 D6948 waits for the arrival of the Class 20s, newly restored 20228 (D8128) doubleheading with 20137 (D8137).

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Saturday - Gala Day 2

For most of team it was work as normal with our visitors limited to Paintshop access only. They are however able to view the Workshop and Barn activities from behind barriers. And what a contrast to Friday with a very busy day for visitors to the Works.

Wow, the earliest Pam has made it in after her long drive from Brackley, Northants!

 

Alan returned to his efforts repairing the bases of the windows on the Cotswold side of SO 4798.

 

 Bob M. appeared with brand new overalls - they won't look like this for long!

 

 

The sandwich boards have just been put out on Platforms 1 and 2, and the large Works Open sign placed on the end of the bogie by the footcrossing. Pam and Eve wait to greet our first visitors.

In FK 13326's south vestibule Simon is installing panelling around the door frame.

Discussion time between James and Nick about the welding relating to the repositioned door on 13326.

In the corridor on 1675 Chris and Robert are installing more of the internal panelling.

Simon has now enlisted Ben to help.

Returning to Nick's work on the rebuilt trolley for the new welder, one of the wheels now attached.

Eve watches Nick sorting out the position of the next wheel.

Alex is also one of our Gala monitors, but with currently few visitors, there is time to progress the MICA van and sort out where the south end planking can be attached.

Eve has also gone back to work and is cutting old moquette to act as internal padding to this side panel.

Laura meanwhile is using a template to cut a main section of moquette.

 

 Helen is creating arm rest covers. All the above is for the third Dean Forest Railway contract.

Two piles of padded side panels ready for covering in the relevant moquette.

Another pile of complete items for the contract.

Suddenly it's down tools as some visitors arrive and Laura introduces them to the work of the Upholstery department.

 

 Returning to the Paintshop and yes, at last, we have plenty of visitors.

By now Alex is in full stride and is busy knocking the first of the south end planks into place.

A little later on and Alex has joined Stu and James to watch the DMU approaching the station.

With the DMU in Platform 1, Class 47 47376 (D1895) waits to leave for Toddington. The station looks busy.

Paul is cleaning up the removed parts from the Open C wagon.

The DMU stabled in the headshunt to wait until it can return to Toddington.

 

It's a mess inside the MICA van, but our visitors can't resist opening that door.

James poses for the camera before doing some more welding on the north end doorframe of 13326.

The repainting inside the north end of BCK 21272 is proceeding very well. Dave is now well down the guards corridor. On checking next day I found that he had completed the top coating down to the sliding partition door, and had even painted that.

George meanwhile was cleaning up the window frames - the two windows done were well away from where Dave was painting.

Back in the Paintshop Ben is discussing the servery door on 1675 with David, our newest Door Team member.

Pam explains about the painting done in the severy and what is planned to complete it.

Alex test fits one of the corner sections for the upper doors on the MICA van.

The green 37 waits for the arrival of the double-headed Class 20s. Pam watches the token exchange.

A stroll to the station to get a close up of D6948. Many of us in C&W love this livery, no doubt because we remember the diesels as they originally were as they began to appear in the late 50s and early 60s.

Pam and I went to see the model railway, or railways, in the TMB. The N gauge layout with a Dean Goods hauled freight and a railcar was excellent.  

The main layout with the lovely long freight trains was definitely worth seeing again. Passenger trains were also running.

The very extensive fiddle yard with an excellent range of locos and trains. The little girl, the granddaughter of one of the organisers, was loving it all and we were promptly told whenever a train was on its way.

Back to the Works with Alex explaining the work on the MICA van and no doubt what it was for.

Although he was also one of our monitors, Nick took the opportunity to complete the fitting of the wheels to the trolley for the new welder.

 

It takes a while to type up the progress notes for all the vehicles in the Works, so it's very rewarding to see so many of our visitors reading them.

Another trip to Upholstery to view their progress and just in time to catch Laura completing another bag.

It's good to see so many visiting Upholstery.

Not forgetting our little four legged visitors for whom Pam always has a ready supply of treats. We always check with the owners first.

 

 By now the flow of visitors was fairly continuous.

We are great dog lovers at C&W and Maurice, who has his own dog, joins the group.

Nick explains our work, in particular the metalworking and the lengths we have to go to now when refurbishing our coaches.

"You want some more?!"

Nick explaining about the creation of the lithium battery box and the recent fitting of the batteries.

Ben finds a clear spell to refit the back panel on the servery door with the requested extra internal supports.

Definitely goods vehicles to the fore here with much of this from the Open C wagon. Maurice has been busy both priming and undercoating. In front is the other upper corner section from the south end of the MICA van.

Alex has added further planks on the Malvern side of the MICA.

A very pleasing sight to see two of the cushions and a spectacle case sold. I believe more cushions and a bag were also sold.

Robert and Alex discussing the shaping and fitting of the south end planks.

Robert captures the guest loco Class 24 5310 with D6948 once again waiting with the Toddington train.

Alex drills holes which presumably are for fitting the corner piece he was trying earlier on.

[Photo : Paul W]  Paul and Phil went to see Eddie who lives nearby in Greet. For many years Eddie was our Head of Woodwork, seeing the expansion of the Department from its early days located under the mezzanine in the Workshop to the amazing workshop that we now have in the Bill Ellsmere building. Looks like Paul caught Eddie by surprise!

 

[Photo : Paul W]  Phil fusses Willow, Eddie and Val's lovely Labrador. 

 

 

Saturday had been an amazing day with many visitors and making all the preparation in C&W for the Gala so well worthwhile. The trains were busy and no doubt the Diesel Dept were well pleased with everything.

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Sunday - Gala Day 3

So after a very busy Saturday, we hoped Sunday would be reasonable turnout. In past summer Diesel Galas I have known the Sunday to be almost as busy as the Saturday.

The second train of the day hauled by Class 37 37215.

I took very few photos of the visitors as there were so few, but this little chap was a must ......

.......  and Pam was in her element.

Class 47 47105 runs in with the northbound train.

 

 The DMU running into the headshunt for another layover.

 

 Class 37 37215 runs in to Platform 2 .........

 

 ......... and later passing the viewing area.

 

Near the end of the day and our two crossing monitors enjoying a walk around the Works.

 

It's now gone six and a final walk around to check all is closed up. 37215 passes again on one of the last trains to Cheltenham. 

 

Unfortunately Sunday was the day of the Wimbledon final and there was even a big football match on in the evening. It is likely that this is why the trains had less on them and our visitor numbers to the Works were almost less than Friday. We still enjoyed the day though. 

 

Overall it was a very enjoyable Gala. Many thanks to my fellow Works monitors - Pam, Nick, Eve, Alex, and Dennis.

 

The next and final Gala for the year is the popular Autumn Showcase 2024 with both steam and diesel at the end of October.