Saturday 23rd - A very varied day

Another fun packed day at the Works with the usual range of things covered and at times not without its frustrations. However a lot was achieved, which is the main thing.

Thanks to Robert for two of today's photos and once again to Rose from FOWS for baking us some more delicious cakes. There's no such thing as weight watchers in C&W with all the goodies regularly available in our Mess Room.

Starting today with Jenny doing a great job cleaning inside TSO 5023. We are not far from finishing the repaint so a good time to get the inside done.

Oh dear - sorry Jen - caught you with your eyes closed! I should have checked the photo after taking it. She's not really sleeping, just taking a break while cleaning the floor and for me to take the shot.

With 5023 cleaned, time to do our store and changing room.

Robert and Chris began the door replacements on the Queen Mary brake van.

There was a lot of noise and a hand, so no doubt the job was well underway.

[Photo : Robert]  Chris dismantling one of the two doors.

Still on the subject of goods vehicles, John is fabricating some new pins for the Open C wagon.

In the Barn the through route floor has been swept and vacuumed as far as possible. Ken continues his refurbishment of the south end connection from RMB 1876.

Maurice sands the Malvern side of 1876. Below, still some of the lower line that needs to be completely removed.

In the south vestibule Simon attaches the new main veneer panels.

The fire extinguisher recess strengthened with beading. The metal insert is now in the Paintshop for sanding and repainting.

Vic cleaning up another vacuum cylinder. There is a real programme of cylinder refurbishment now, with coaches, as they arrive in the Works, giving up their existing cylinders and receiving serviced and repainted ones in their place.

The rebuilding at the south end of SO 4798 progresses. James pauses in his welding to enable me to take the photo.

I missed Andy working, instead catching him wrapping up the angle grinder lead. I presume he had been working with James on 4798.

In Upholstery Laura has a good sweep around the workshop, in turn making it nice and tidy for the next Lifting The Curtain tour, which I was soon due to take round the Works.

The tour begins with a general introduction in the lobby and then proceeds upstairs to Upholstery, where I hand over to Laura. She always gives an interesting talk on our general upholstering and then the current projects, including the commissions (we now have a contract from the NYMR). Tours around C&W are usually about an hour, and such is the interest in Upholstery that we can easily spend almost a third of the allocated time there.

In the foreground Laura has laid out a line of FODR seats showing, from right to left, the process from a seat as received, through the stripping, the new underlayer, and (out of sight) the eventual re-covering with the new moquette.

Next into Woodwork where Robert describes some of the items prepared for SO 4798. After another general talk on what we do and a mention of some of the more major projects done by the Woodwork team, the tour moves to the Paintshop, and then the Workshop and Barn, and finally along the yard road back to the Main entrance where the visit to C&W ends

We are now well into painting the lines on the  Cotswold side of TSO 5023. Bob marks the dividing line between the gold and black bands, before adding the yellow Tesa masking tape.

Bob has marked out and taped up some of the upper line, and now begins painting the black band on the corner and door at the south end.

Alex had turned up later in the day. With his intentions completed, he finished his day by gladly helping with the lining out, beginning the gold band painting.

[Photo : Robert]  The completed Malvern side, now awaiting varnishing.