Saturday 14th - Last day before all change

Apologies if there's a dip in photo quality this week, I rather optimistically decided I was capable of fitting a new SIM card reader to my otherwise perfectly functioning phone (surely it can't be any harder than hard-wiring a DCC chip into a kit-built oo gauge locomotive!?). Suffice to say, it was - it did not go well, and I now have a very expensive coaster.... Anyway, on with Saturday!

Window cleaning was in full swing on 4790 with James joining in for a change with Jenny too.

Dave went round doing all sorts of little jobs, here putting some stain on some badly scratched veneer on the double doors, there were also door boots to paint crimson and various other bits of touching up before we can do 2 coats of varnish.

Phil was also reinstating the lighting through cable at the end.

Next along in the works, Robert and Chris were working on the South end of the Mica. After sorting out the planks to finish off the top vent ready for painting, they moved onto the fixed planks lower down. This turned out to be rather challenging, as there is a significant bow to the framework here to bend the planks round, but they got there in the end with a bit of technical adjustment.

With the doors on the Malvern side mostly figured out, there was no reason to keep the old doors on the Cotswold side any more, so Maurice and Paul got stuck into taking them apart.

Maurice then gave both locking bars a coat of paint. Obviously they are both slightly different!

No more handrail bending today as John was only in for part of the day, but instead he started looking at the bits of metal for the bolt holes at the bottom, cutting them to size.

Also on wagon metal working, Andy made the mistake of not looking busy enough so I gave him the bits of Open C curb rail cut off last week to extract the sheet hooks from.

Also outdoors today, Paul and Dennis gave the Santa coach a scrub up

Looking much shinier now, well done chaps, and thanks Paul for the photos.

Dave captured Dave doing the floor painting in the BCK out in the yard which tidies this area up greatly. 

Pam was back in upholstery working on the guards compartment seats for the BCK.

Also in upholstery was Laura and, at the back, new volunteer Sally, Pat's partner. I think they were on DFR work today looking at the moquette out, certainly in the morning another batch of freshly upholstered seats was collected for Norchard.

Pat himself was back in the RBr on some more ceiling painting. Not the most fun job, but certainly a big visual difference. 

Later on it was into the corridor for a bit of painting there, a bit less uncomfortable on the neck, but still a tight space.

Dave was also to be found in here doing a bit of staining of bits of trim.

In the servery area Simon  was doing a bit of shaping to these strips of wood in he shelves that should stop bottles and things rattling themselves off.

Simon was also in the FK for a bit doing a bit more interior stuff in the North end vestibule. Hopefully this will be ready to come into the paintshop for finishing off about the same time we finish 4790 in a few weeks.

It was just Dave in 4798 today, here he was cleaning up some of the window trim ready for re-varnishing and refitting. We're trying to re-use as much wood as possible in this coach as much of it is in good condition (despite the state of the metal work!) and it's got a lovely aged warm colour to it which we'd like to keep.

Lastly, thanks for the warm wishes for this coming week, I write this from my hotel room in Milton Keynes where I'm staying for the week for a big team induction before joining the Cardiff and Bristol teams in Network Rail as a civil engineer. Whiteboards have been written in the works for the week, it's going to take some adjustment going back to 1 day a week in C&W!