Saturday 8th - A typical busy Saturday

Another bright sunny day with 19 attending and plenty of activity.

Setting up a blog post is like being a roving reporter, snatching a photo opportunity where and when possible. Often it's a case of being in the right place at the right time, and of course very dependent on your own work for the day. It's not uncommon to be told that you should have been here earlier on - rats, another opportunity missed!

This Saturday was a good one for capturing the day's activities. While Bob was doing the main painting on 1675, I was tackling a number of small paint jobs inside the coach and so could frequently break away and go roving around the Works and yard.

So here it all is, with the activities captured in the order the photos were taken.

09:22 - the first port of call was the Open C wagon where Robert and Chris were setting up more of the heavy floor planks.

09:31 - I then followed Paul down the yard and up into Rake 3. He checked each coach looking for any further areas that needed cleaning.

09:32 - Paul discusses various issues with Dennis, who was filling the toilet water tanks throughout the rake. Looking from the eighth coach the rake looks very long. Once the race week is over all three rakes will revert to seven coaches.

09:47 - walking back through the Barn to find Maurice adding more GW Grey top coat to the. north end of the Open C wagon.

09:48 - Chris had added a right-angled extension to his drill making it much easier to create the bolt holes in the planks in this particular part of the wagon.

09:49 - the sound of anglegrinding drew me to the metalwork bench where John S. was in the process of creating a new riving knife for the Wadkin circular saw bench. In front is the cardboard template.

No, I hadn't heard of this either. The riving knife sits after the saw blade and prevents the cut halves of wood from closing up on to the blade and being ejected. The knife must be thicker than the plate of the saw.

10:24 - John H. begins cleaning up the dynamo that was removed from 1675.

10:26 - time for the first train of the day behind P & O. Although we grumble at the shortness of the winter shutdown period when we have so much to try and get done, it is nice to see the trains again.

10:26 - I couldn't resist photos of our two recently outshopped chocolate & cream coaches. FK 13326 ......

10:27 - ......... and TSO 4772.

10:37 - back to the Paintshop where Bob is finishing off the last bit of cream painting on the Cotswold side of 1675.

11:06 - talking of cream, it was John S's birthday today, which included a delicious Victoria sponge cake.

11:25 - back outside to catch 55024 rumbling by.

12:03 - by midday Bob had almost completed the north half of the lower part of 1675 . The first top coat on this side was now done.

12:18 - underneath the coach John H. had cleaned up and resecured the pin that had supported the dynamo.

12:45 - steady progress with the Open C wagon. The bolts have been placed temporarily in the drilled holes to keep the planks in place.

12:46 - Chris and Robert carefully place the next plank into position before drilling the bolt holes.

13:49 - last week we found a whole range of tools and hoses had been donated and left in the Paintshop. Our grateful thanks for this very kind gesture. Included were some air tools and an air hose. Kevin rearranged this tool cupboard and then asked Ken to make and insert some supports for extra shelving.

13:54 - Back in the Paintshop Bob had moved round to the Malvern side of 1675 to top coat the remaining windows still in undercoat.

13:58 - the rumble of trolley wheels from outside soon turned into Paul and Maurice bringing in two more of the heavy planks for the Open C. 

14:06 - Discussion time around the Wadkin saw bench. In the foreground is the large piece of plyboard that will be used to make the extra shelves in the tool cupboard.

14:08 - Dave was making the most of the lovely weather and adding more grey undercoat to FO 3127. As previously explained, this certainly improves the look of the coach for our passing passengers, and even if blocked from view by something else shunted in front, it still provides extra protection.

14:10 - returning to Rake 3 to capture the cleaning, a walk through SO 4787 and then TSO 5023 brought back memories of Roger's major article on coach interiors which was published in the blog several years ago and can still be viewed in the Special Articles section on the Home page. The lovely warm, welcoming feel of the 1955 built SO .......

14:11 - ....... when compared with the cold, austere look of the 1962 built TSO.

14:13 - I found them in RMB 1876. Paul and Jenny pose for the camera before resuming their cleaning

14:15 - Jenny sweeps out the servery .......

14:15 - ....... while Paul cleans the counter. It will be good to see this coach in the Paintshop after 1675 departs, when we will be reaching for the tins of crimson and cream.

14:43 - after another spell painting on board 1675, I went back to the Barn to see how the replanking is progressing. Chris has left for the day, but Robert soldiers on, boring out more bolt holes.

14:45 - the large bolts are still being placed in loose to keep the planks in place.

16:02 - tea break followed by another lengthy spell painting inside 1675, and then out to catch P & O passing on the last Cheltenham train of the day.

16:02 - the bubblecar waits in Platform 2 before returning to Toddington.

16:05 - [Photo : Paul E.] Maurice has dug out the Creosolve and now liberally coats the planks so far set up on the Open C wagon.

16:11 - with the planks removed Paul is back to top coating the wagon.

16:16 - a quick peek at Kevin's rearranged cupboard with the new shelves in place and the gifted tools now stored.

16:51 - finally a last look at RBr 1675 with its first top coat completed and almost all the internal painting done. As Alex explained in the comments at the end of Thursday's post, 1675 will replace 1672 in Rake 1 which essentially will the main chocolate & cream rake. RMB 1876 will go into crimson & cream in Rake 2, which will eventially be completely in that livery. Hopefully it won't be too long before all this is realised.

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You may be wondering where Alex is today. His new job with Network Rail is taking him far and wide.

02:07 Sunday morning, possession and isolation granted, off we go!