Monday 21st - Rain Stopped Play

 The Washing Team was short of two key players today, so here are Chris and Tim, and evading the camera is David.

This wasn't the plan but we found the carriages stabled like this.

It was fortunate in one way, as the carriage with the open door had dirty streak marks down one of the panels. As it was on the platform they could be cleaned off.

Elsewhere today were Greg, Jane, John M, John S, Kath, Lynn, Nigel, Rich and Steve.

Saturday was a Fish'n'Chip, so a few dead chips were recovered in rake 1.

The special today was a sticky sweet well and truly stuck to the floor. One of the Toddington painting team kindly offered me a scraper so that I could remove it (under a seat of course!)

As David had left I finished helping Chris and Tim wash the Malvern side of rake 2. But for the first time in months we had to shelter during a brief (but heavy) shower. We were then able to complete that side.

Saturday 19th - A cunning plan

 A cunning plan was agreed in the morning to be put in action in the afternoon, but first on with the rest of the day's activities. 

First stop was Upholstery, Laura started with a major cutting session, red chain link suggests it's for the DFR.

James was back on his end of 4798 continuing the rebuild of the Malvern side corner.

Ably assisted by Andy, here another patch gets welded into place. 

Sticking with the metal work and onto 1876, Vic was busy on the North end cutting rotten bits out... 

While on the South end Alan was finishing welding new bits in.

With the toilet being taken apart in 1876, Phil overhauls the cistern system. 

Later on Ken was up on the North end, looks like preparations for taking the gangway off, while Dave carried on the general sanding on the Cotswold side.

Work continues in the weedkilling wagon; Ian and Andy make a start on de-rusting and priming the body framing. 

I only captured Robert on the woodworking side today, doing some more routing of window frames. 

George continued his work on 4798 surface prep. 

Rather remiss of me I only photographed Maurice working on 5023 cleaning up the South end. Dave, Bob and Martin were also in action, taping up and starting livery undercoating.

My mission for the day was to make some inroads into finishing the signwriting on both the Mica and the Open C. The Mica needed the big G W on the Malvern side doing. 

And the open C needed everything on the Malvern side.

I also fitted the cast plates for both wagons that Pam had painted up during the week. 

Dave was in his element here conducting a pleasingly filled behind the scenes tour. 

Clive and Kevin were extracting the rest of the RBr seats from storage now the saloon is finished. 

Soon be sat down eating bacon rolls in here! 

Prep was in full swing for the diesel gala next week, Paul captured Jenny mopping either the 3rd or 4th rake, and I got embroiled in some shunting to get things in the right place.

Now for the cunning plan. The RBr needed a steam heat test, and that meant pilfering a steam engine. Could the loco that normally comes off the back of the train the diesel takes over be borrowed? Yes it could. 

After some merriment about forgetting to uncouple at Toddington and being dragged all the way to Winchcombe, 2807 chuffed into the yard and hooked up. 

A couple of minor leaks to attend to, not unexpected, and a few other issues to resolve, but nothing too frightening.

Sunday was a day of guarding behind 3850, with very changeable weather, sunshine and heavy showers in close succession! But all good news for lineside conditions following last weekend's thankfully brief steam ban.

Weds 16th / Thurs 17th - In absentia

As I rarely do Wednesdays at the Works and this week I also missed Thursday, many thanks to Gerry and Paul W. for the photos of the two days respectively. As I didn't take the photos, apologies for some of the light descriptions - hope I have got them all correct!

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Wednesday

Beginning with RMB 1876, with the amount of work required to resolve the metalworking issues at both ends, we can afford the time to make further improvements such as the replacement of the through route lino. As for the central vestibule the floor is being replaced. Simon is measuring the Malvern side entrance for a new threshold.

The new piece being trimmed up to fit.

The new floor is in. It looks like creocote has been painted to the underside.

Rod works on the base section of internal window framing.

John checking the action of the vacuum system under RBr 1675.

Something new for 1675 being opened up by the Richards.

Bryan and Rex about to drill a new fabrication (for what?)

One of the Metalwork team working on the weed spraying wagon.

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Thursday

Dave has already been hand sanding the Cotswold side of RMB1876 and has now upped a gear to pad sanding.

Gerry did more cleaning of the metalwork at the south end of the weed spraying wagon. He then coated it in red oxide.

Good to see it in red oxide. Roll on when the graffitied end is similarly painted.

Roger and Alan wait for the train at the south end of Platform 1 as there is a problem inside FK 13326, which is positioned at the south end of the relevant rake. It had been reported that the carpet in one of the compartments had gone missing!  

They confirmed the report when the train pulled in. Then on the return trip got back on board and tackled the problem. It was necessary to remove the carpet gripper, which on its own is a potential trip hazard.

All very strange, but no doubt the mystery will eventually be resolved.

Meanwhile in one of the compartments in FK 13329, one of the Rake 4 coaches, the ceiling paint was beginning to flake. Alan and Roger scraped away the loose paint and then gave the ceiling a fresh coat of gloss.

Bob prepares to give the Cotswold side toilet compartment in SO 4798 a second coat of varnish.

Having applied the first coat of varnish in the confines of the toilet compartment I know that it can get very warm. Bob no doubt found this and takes a well earned break in the Barn entrance.

Paul began to smell chips and on looking out saw our Fish and Chip man preparing for the lunch time train. Unlike the regular evening Fish and Chip specials, the lunch time one is held in FO 3136 "Mary" on a normal service train. Every one of the dates for these soon sold out, seemingly being even more popular than the evening ones. 

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The trip

On Thursday a group comprising members of C&W and FOWS had a very enjoyable visit to Sir William McAlpine's wonderful private railway and museum at Fawley Hill, Henley-on-Thames. 

Visits are by invitation only and involve just a single group, so the very friendly staff can give you full attention, and indeed they really spoilt us.

The incredible 1-in-13 gradient full size railway is a wonder in itself. We had their 03 shunter for haulage as their Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 ST loco is still being refurbished.

The site itself is huge with peacocks (regularly making themselves known), rhea, and 10 species of deer, as well as other animals that we didn't see.

The collection of artifacts, some colossal such as station facades, station arches, bridge sides, a whole station, signalboxes, etc, etc are breathtaking and all over the whole site.

Then there is the museum. I, and I guess everyone else in the group, have never seen anything even remotely approaching the sheer scale of it and the countless items collected over the years, and as one of the staff told me, are still coming in! Another said he spots something he has not previously noticed everytime he is there. The model railways are also a dream. 

And it's not just railways, but some wonderful cars, old road signs that the older ones of our age will readily remember. And everywhere, inside and out, metal signs advertising everything and anything.

Many thanks to Rose for organising it all.

A really amazing day. We must go again!

Tuesday 15th - Painters Day

With the majority of attendees on a Tuesday being members of the Painting and Prep team, it is often referred to as Painters Day. This was certainly so today as most of the effort was on TSO 5023.

With our trip to Fawley Hill on Thursday, Phil was in today instead and, harnessed up on the safety wire, began the clean up of the north end of 5023's roof. As Richard clearly demonstrates, most of the roof can be accessed from the tall scaffold. The safety wire is needed for the areas blocked off by the drainage channels and water tank pipework at that end, and for the remainder of the top section of the roof, especially behind the cowls.

There was still some secondary filling and tidying up to do on the Malvern side of 5023. Jeff files down a sharp corner at the base of the panelling. 

Maurice began his day on the centre door which still needed some prep work before painting.

David was on secondary filling duty and removing some horizontal painting (arrrrgh!) on some of the window frames.

Jeff finished off the area worked on by Pam on Saturday at the north end and then greyed it up.

On the Cotswold side Richard applied the first of the line tape using Rod's excellent tool for this job, which, when held vertically under the gutter, indicates the position of the tops of the upper and lower lines. The yellow Tessa tape is then applied along the series of pencil markings.

With the tapes in place to the centre door, Richard applies the undercoat Madder to the top section.

With the top section completed. he undercoated the bottom half of the south end door.

Towards the end of the day Maurice began on the end window, but ended up painting the side panel.

At the end of the day a final look at the north half of the roof and the Malvern side now completely greyed up.

It began to drizzle and even became light rain for a while, all very welcome after that excessive heat. 2807 comes by with the Cheltenham train.

Nice to have a good look at the Youth Group's efforts on Saturday. The Starfish wagon is now looking very good on both sides.

The rain has stopped but the air now feels lovely and fresh.  Foremarke Hall passes by with the Toddington - Broadway train.

[Photo : Paul]   Maurice tidies up the planking inside the MICA van prior to Paul and him remounting the zinc sheeting.

The weather later brightened, but it was nicely warm and not hot when we went outside to watch 2807 leaving on the northbound run. The Cheltenham train has also started. Nice to have the old timetable back for the summer months and the trains once again regularly crossing over at Winchcombe.

Keith cleans up the dust from the new number plates for the Open C wagon and MICA van, ready for Pam to paint the numbers and letters.

This is something she loves doing and it made a change from all the filling and sanding on Saturday.

Job done with the plates ready for fitting at the weekend.

Robert, and Chris, prepared another base section of internal window frame for TSO 4867 .........

........ which was later given an initial coat of varnish by Keith.

Keith also added another coat of white gloss to the insides of the wall light shades from SO 4798.

Derek was applying sealant to some of the planking on the Monster van.

Another much heavier bout of rain appeared, this time lasting longer and leaving some sizeable puddles.

Pam has been away for a while, some of her time devoted to repairing the bench seat from Jeff's 1953 MG YB Saloon. Pam used to be self employed running a business refurbishing the interiors of classic cars and even light aircraft, so this job was very much in her court.