Thurs 8th / Fri 9th - It's all go!

Two very busy days which included the preparations for our high safety wires annual service, followed by the servicing the next day. With the Works through road emptied it was also an ideal opportunity to swap the locations of the four coaches currently being worked on.

We had 17 staff attending on Thursday and 9 on Friday.

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Thursday

Not a good day for weather with on and off drizzle followed by heavier rain later. Dinmore Manor looked good though on the first train of the day.

The tool vans and tank wagons have now been moved for display at Toddington. It's been a long time since the Works siding was clear.

Paul and Dennis were cleaning the interior of BCK 21092, unusually stabled on the Cotswold side of the yard. Although a wet day at times, it was still humid. Dennis has a breather while Paul suddenly apoears in the corridor, having vacuumed the guards compartment.

Excellent progress was underway in BCK 21272 where Phil completed the guards compartment, before repainting the door of the emergency cupboard.

That now looks so much better. The main seat and the rack have been repainted and are ready to go back. The tip-up seat was in very poor condition and is being remade.

Both vestibule ceilings were very grubby. Dave cleaned them, but a repaint was still needed, so Bob K. undercoated both. North end above, south end below. In the latter Dave is sorting out a bit of loose draught excluder in the doorframe.

Now a series of photos taken by Roger where the Indoor Gang were repairing more internal window frames in TSO 4772

4772 is located over in the far siding, now a mix of coaches from Rakes 3 and 4.

Geoff and Alan prepare the base of this window.

The new piece is screwed in place.

Geoff then attaches the plyboard below the window.

Finally a fresh bead of sealant.

The completed job. There were two pieces prepared on the paintshop trestles, so another window would have been similarly treated. Yet another has appeared on the trestles to be fully painted.

Back in the Paintshop Rex is doing some adjustments to the new lithium battery box under RBr 1675.

Dave is redoing the threshold draught excluder in the Cotswold side kitchen doorway on 1675. The rubber can be quite tough when new, but should ease as the doors are used.

Richard II commented that he must seem to be forever working in the main control and distribution panel. To me it looks very complex, but he assures me that it's all quite simple really.

It's great to be able to really get going in 1675's corridor. On Tuesday the ceiling was primed. Today Jeff makes a start on the outer wall.

Into the Barn and progress with SO 4790. The Malvern side north end doorway with the filled and sanded doorframe and lots of dust to vacuum up. A coat of paint will soon transform this.

Alex carefully sands the back panel which has had some water damage.

The large panel to the left of the corridor slider was similarly damaged. This was also sanded. Some wood dye and two coats of varnish should improve what was there before.

On one of the windowsills in Upholstery, the completed headrests for the FODR that were being worked on by the team on Wednesday.

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Friday

The weather on Friday was in complete contrast to the previous day and couldn't have been better for  the day's activities. 

With our overhead system contractor due soon, it was time to get all the through road vehicles out of the Works. SO 4798 and FK 13326 had gone from the Barn and Workshop respectively, leaving the MICA van and 1675.

 

With Stu driving and Clive as shunter, the 03 slowly backs towards the Works, ........

........ into the Barn and Workshop, ........

........ and picks up the MICA van.

Phil and Richard I discuss the planned flushing and sterilizing of the water tanks.

The 03 is back to collect 1675. Clive directs Stu as the buffering up takes place.

1675 heads out towards the light.

With 1675 disappearing outside, the view through the Works. Yuk, it looks a mess.

The worst bit is where the MICA van has been, but then again look at the work that has had to be done on it.

Nothing than cannot be sorted out with brush and the large vacuum cleaner. Both rail troughs were full of all sorts of things and needed a complete cleanout.

The floor in all three buildings had a good sweep out.

While this was going on, our contractor had been throughout the Works checking the three safety wires, mount points and the three retractable down lines. Finally the three harnesses were checked. We were very pleased to hear that everything was passed out for another year.

With shunting over for now, Clive did some work on the Open C wagon which is waiting to be gritblasted.

As we wanted to use the pit for the work on 1675, we needed to remove the internal lake. Phil inspects the switch for the water pump.

Phil and Andy relax and enjoy a chat in the warm sun while Richard returns to the Workshop for the correct transformer.

1675 also at rest by the Barn. It has been quite some time since the coach was outside the Works.

The shunt now resumes with the 03 backing towards the Barn .......

........ and then back out with 4790.

Andy guides as 4790 is steadily brought through the Works and into the Paintshop.

Before 4790 arrived I had been busy sorting out the Paintshop, restoring the painting trestles, generally putting everything back and removing what was no longer needed. When a coach is moved, it leaves behind all the things associated with it, so it's good to get all that put where it should be.

Now for the rest. The MICA van and 1675 are next back in, the former returning to its nicely swept and vacuumed place at the north end of the Paintshop. 1675 is now in the Workshop.

Now in their new position, SO 4798 on the jack road and FK 13326 on the through road.

At last! A paint job in the Paintshop. A very nice end to a satisfying day.