Tuesday 5th - Coming together
A good day with several aspects coming together and the feeling that progress is really being made.
Starting with TSO 5023 the aim today was to get the Malvern side of the roof completed. Phil J and I had previously rollered on the first coat of grey MIO almost to the south end. Richard completed this part.
David gave both corridor connection doors a second coat of the orange brown paint.
Keith flatted the cream section on the Cotswold side ready for top coating.
Taken much later in the day as Richard was almost at the south end having rollered on a second coat of the grey MIO.
Then he proceeded to paint the gutter level and in effect completed that side of the roof. The tower was then moved to the Cotswold side so that a start on that could be made on Thursday. We need to get the roof completed asap and in effect be out of the way of the top coating on that side.
Ainsley returned to the sanding and filling on RMB 1876, here adding filler to the south end. This is not so easy with coach being on the jack road.
Phil was in today as he cannot make his usual Weds/ Thurs attendance this week. All the more modern lighting in 1876 is being replaced and the older style being reinstated.
The servery area had only been partly upgraded so only the small inner lights have needed to be fitted.
One of the original circular lights has been reinstated and is working in the south compartment.
The north compartment and into the servery with the newer tubular lighting still in place .......
........ but not for long! Phil uses the acro prop to keep the light base in place while he removes the screws securing the fitting.
The embryonic weed spraying wagon now inside the Barn, which in turn will enable the metalwork team to proceed out of the weather, whether hot or wet. Looks like the former will be returning over the next week or so.
It was great to see Stu on another visit. L-to-R : Maurice, Stu, Pam, Keith and Paul. It will still be some time before Stu can return to C & W.
Two of the Queen Mary brake van's doors are being replaced. Robert and Chris are making the first one; this is now on the Paintshop trestles for painting (hmmm - wonder if we have enough Southern Freight Brown left?).
Pam in her element. She loves these fiddly clean-up and varnishing jobs. The track gauge is beginning to look really good, with the wood sanded clean and several coats of varnish now applied. The brass fittings are being cleaned up with very fine paper (240 or 320 grade) and also look good when done. The embedded screws are loosened to raise them for cleaning and then re-tightened when done.
We get through masses of rag. I no sooner fill the bin and I'm back in Upholstery where there are nice clean tables to cut some more. The bags stored under the Paintshop trestles contain duvet covers, sheets, pillow cases, towels (bath, hand and tea), pyjamas, nighties, shirts, blouses, jeans, teashirts, flannels, tablecloths, napkins. All donations are very gratefully received. What we can't use are items made of silk or nylon. Curtains and blankets are kept in our store and are great for protecting floors and seating from paint and varnish when we have to refurbish a coach interior.
With the connection doors completed David moved on to SO 4798 to do more filling and sanding.
With the modification to the locking bar done last week, Paul and Maurice fitted it to the Cotswold side of the MICA van.
Great - the bar now fits perfectly and the centre section can be screwed tightly to hold it in place.
The end result looks a treat.
Just need the leaf springs to be returned and fitted, and then, following the fitness-to-run checks, the van will be ready to go out and join the goods train.
Moving over to the Open C wagon, Paul carefully sands the axle journals to ease out any damage, which thankfully turned out to be very slight.
Richard and Robert watch the last Cheltenham train go by hauled by the Class 20.
Maurice adds the first top coat to the stripped down sack truck. GW Brown to the wood frame and Gloss Black to the metal parts.
***************
The Greatest Gathering
The celebration of the 200 years of railway history that was held on 1-3 August at the Alstom Factory Site, Derby. In effect it covered the past, present and future of Britain's railways.
There was an enormous number of locos and train sets which included steam, diesel, electric, and even hydrogen.
Chris with his brochure after his visit on Saturday for what had been an amazing day. In his own words he said that the exhibition was so huge it was impossible to see everything in the considerable time allowed by the excursion timetable.
It turns out that Ainsley and Keith had also gone there.
Photographs and videos of the event will be no doubt flooding the media, but it's nice to be able to see some of the photos taken by those you know. As such the following are a selection of the photos taken by Chris and Keith.
With the obvious exception of the first five photos and the final photo, the bias is on the steam and early diesel period that matches the time generally portrayed by our railway.
[Keith]
Locomotion [Keith]
[Chris]
Furness Railway 0-6-0 30 [Keith]
GW Collett Hall Class 4-6-0 4930 "Hagley Hall" [Chris]
[Keith]
GW Collett King Class 4-6-0 6023 "King Edward II" [Keith]
SR Bullied Merchant Navy 4-6-2 35028 "Clan Line" [Keith]
[Chris]
MR Johnson 4-4-0 1000 [Keith]
LMS Stanier Mogul 2-6-0 13268 [Chris]
LMS Black 5 4-6-0 44932 [Chris]
LMS Stanier Royal Scot 4-6-0 46115 "Scots Guardsman" [Keith]
[Chris]
LNER Gresley A4 4-6-2 60007 "Sir Nigel Gresley" [Keith]
[Keith]
[Chris]
LNER Gresley A3 4-6-2 60103 "Flying Scotsman" [Keith]
LNER Peppercorn A2 4-6-2 60532 "Blue Peter" [Chris]
BR Standard 2-6-2T new build 82045 [Chris]
English Electric Type 5 Co-Co "Deltic" D9015 "Tulyar" [Keith]
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This basically sums it up. With more than 140 locomotives and railway vehicles, the event was billed as "the world's largest ever collection of historic and modern rolling stock". Over 40,000 people attended over the three days, including visitors from as far away as New Zealand.
Many thanks to Chris and Keith for the photos.