Happy New Year!
Thank you for the many kind compliments in the recent postings.
Here's hoping for a good and successful 2025. With the news that 6880 " Betton Grange" is going to be based on the Railway, it feels like it has already started well, and it made the front cover of the January issue of Steam Railway as well (the Tail Lamp photo inside the back cover has an excellent Jack Boskett photo of Foremarke Hall at Gotherington with the sun setting).
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Tuesday 31st
A smallish group of 8 attending on the last day of the year.
3850 trundles past while Alex takes a break from beginning to reconstruct the Open C wagon. The Paintshop has quite an array of fully painted parts to put back on.
Robert was busy reconstructing the north end of the MICA van.
Much later in the day both Alex and Ian had joined Robert. There was a lot of banging and hilarity, and why not, especially as the reconstruction of the van has been quite a challenge at times.
Meanwhile we made some good progress with FK 13326. Both top and bottom lines on the Malvern side were taped up by Martin to enable the black band to go on. I completed the bottom line when Martin had to leave.
Richard meanwhile was taping up the north half of the coach on the Cotswold side ready for painting on the top line yellow band.
Later on he painted the black band on the Malvern side, completing the top line and then doing about a third of the lower line, where I took over.
The completed Malvern side between the north and south end doors. A few remaining things left to do now on this section - a minor repair in the top centre where a small chunk of old filler fell out, some paint snagging following the lining out, and windows to clean. There's also a small section of roof still in green primer following the metalwork repair done last year.
With work still ongoing to rebuild the vestibule interiors and with the doors, the door and corner painting is still trying to catch up. Pam applies the first top coat brown to the Malvern side south end door.
More catching up, this time on the Malvern side north end door. Door edges and inside edges of the frames receive just the one coat. and definitely no varnish.
Another catch up - this time the Cotswold side north end.
Ian completed all we are going to do on the north end headstock.
Next a quick vac of the sole bare at that end of the coach to remove the coating of dust following a sand of some of the paintwork.
Alex painted the lighting point indicator on the Malvern side.
A brief catch up from the Wednesday activities where Nick and the Metalwork team completely tidied up the main storage rack. This extremely heavy and very robust rack was made by John Osborn many years ago.
The team also created a smaller wall rack for the long threaded bars and similar items.
Returning outside to see one of the afternoon trains with Andy and Jenny, Phil S, Paul E and Maurice on board. We managed to spot them as they went by.
Ian helps with more undercoating on the Open C.
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Thursday 2nd
Still quite a number yet to return after the Christmas - New Year holiday period, but we had 13 attending on what was a very successful day.
It was also a very crisp day and early on very atmospheric.
Starting off in the very chilly Barn with Kevin having a sweep around.
Ainsley began a major pad sanding of the Cotswold side of SO 4798, continuing the efforts previously made by David and Maurice. By the end of the day he had covered quite a sizeable area. It would be nice to get most, if not all of this, done while the coach is in the Barn. When RBr 1675 enters the Paintshop it will presumably follow into the Workshop.
On board 1675 Alan, not liking the raw edge to the saloon heater control access, made a plywood ring to provide a neater cover.
When painted this will look very much better.
At the north end of the saloon Roger, similarly not liking the gap left by the heating pipe cover, wanted to make an improvment here too.
Returning at the end of the day a solution had been taped in place. When firmly fixed and painted this should blend in well. Not that anyone will notice when the tables and chairs are put back, but it's nice to finish off properly and know you have done a good job.
In the servery the frame for the counter waits refitting.
Alex watches 3850 bringing its train into the station. The fireman leans out ready for the token exchange.
Tony assists Kevin in sorting out more items for outside storage. Some heavy plyboard was removed from the lobby and that area tidied up.
Some new shelving is going to be put in the riding van which once stored our moquette. Tony lists the sizes of the various planks required.
On now to FK 13326 where Alex begins painting the yellow band on the lower line at the north end of the Cotswold side. This is the final bit of yellow lining out on the main body side.
Martin top coats the remaining parts of the Malvern side south door.
On the Malvern side Phil begins his day with some paint snagging. It may seem fussy but it's worth the extra effort.
Alex now adds the emergency lighting point indicator to the Cotswold side. This would have been done last time but surface of the sole bar was too rough and needed sanding down and a repaint.
Lunch time! Just Stu and Ian missing, with me of course in my usual corner taking the photo.
As we did with BCK 21272, a tidy up of the corridor varnishing really brings it all back to life. Jeff, having sanded and restained the handrails, applies the varnish.
The bases of the window frames, tops of the heater covers and and other top surfaces on the compartment side were cleaned and revarnished. It all made quite a difference.
Alex is back to lining out, now completing the upper line black band.
Alex's signature!
One of my jobs was to get the reinstated vestibule ceilings repainted. The south end taped up and primed.
The north end prior to taping and priming, showing the new hardboard beading.
With the snagging completed Phil begins varnishing the window frames.
Sometimes the painting doesn't come out as well as we would like. It could have been left, but with the main panels looking top notch we decided to sand the main brown section on this door down and apply another coat.
Overall it had been a day of good progress with FK 13326 with some rapid catching up in areas that were trailing behind. The weeks are rapidly passing and we need to get the coach into the Barn for some essential underframe work. It has to go back in probably Rake 1 by mid-February.
Now well into the afternoon with the temperature steadily dropping, Dinmore Manor drifts into the station with the penultimate southbound train of the day.
3850 waits with the Toddington - Broadway train. This is the last day of full line running for this season. The coming weekend features just one train running between Winchcombe and Broadway, and that's it until the new season begins in March.
With the sun now setting the light steadily lessens, but still leaving a clear view of the yard and Cotswold escarpment.
D6948 has just taken the last train of the day back to Toddington. The station lights are out and soon the signalman will be closing the box down for the day.
It's now freezing again, but a lovely clear sky with the crescent moon and Venus showing brightly. The astronomers are predicting particularly good planetary alignment displays during January, especially on the 25th - see https://earthsky.org
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