Tuesday 4th - There's always a bit more

A very good day with eleven attending and some good progress.

Thanks to Paul and Robert for the extra photos.

Beginning with RMB 1876, now very striking in its new undercoat. The edges and internal frames of two of the Cotswold side doors were not undercoated so David took care of those.

Similarly the south door on the Malvern side had only been part painted so Martin took care of that.

David doing the inner frame on the centre door.

The north end door now completed in undercoat. This Express Red is quite a dazzler! Great though for top coat Crimson.

The Malvern side north end door frame needs a fair bit of work before it can be undercoated. Roger applies filler where needed.

David finishing the centre door.

Martin did the sides and back on his door, but also has the lower panel to do.

Richard completed the cream section in the middle of the Malvern side.

Robert drills some holes in the bare metal part of the door frame at the south end. I later sanded the metal and coated it in red oxude.

David next moved to the south end to complete any filling and sanding, and then applied dark grey undercoat.

Richard made a start top coating the windows on the Cotswold side and managed to get the first three frames done.

Keith carefully paints in Executive Light Grey the two corner units for 1876's toilet compartments.

Keith them moved over to the Wagon team and continued the priming of the replacement planks for the Mink D van. All these are leftovers from previous rebuilds; Alex will be ordering new ones.

Paul and Maurice removing the old nuts and bolts from the south end of the Mink D van, a combination of anglegrinding, followed by hammer and cold chisel.

Keith and Paul left after the mid afternoon break, so Maurice takes over the plank priming.

Wow, that's a good effort with the Mink D with the south end and part of the Cotswold side now cleared.

[Photo : Paul] Maurice takes a break from the Mink D to assist Rose in the new garden next to the WSMD greenhouse.

As the title of this post says, just when you think you have finished, something else comes along, in this case with RBr 1675. An unusual request for Robert and Chris was to make a holder for instruction manuals for some of the equipment in 1675's new kitchen.

Robert holds up part of the constructed unit for the photo.

[Photo : Robert] Chris displays the completed unit, the two halves attached with a long hinge.

Now on the Paintshop trestles, Keith later painted on wood primer. I think we still have some Silver Grey top coat, which should look good in 1675's kitchen.

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The Dean Forest Railway Autumn Gala

To finish off, some photos from Saturday 1st November at the excellent Autumn Gala put on by the Dean Forest Railway, including some photos by Robert who was there on Sunday 2nd.8

Pam enjoys the comfort of a Mark 3 coach with a moquette that will be very familiar to our regular readers and of course to our Upholstery team.

A flashback to July 2024 with Laura sewing up a piece of the moquette as part of the third contract from the DFR.

The train has just pulled into Lydney Junction Station.

I am very fond of the Great Western pannier tank (with the odd exception) or matchbox tanks as we used to call them in my trainspotting days. So it's a treat to see 9681 running again and hear the rapid exhaust chatter when working hard.

Moving over the crossing to the headshunt so as to changevto the other line. Hopefully one day the headshunt will be at Speech House Road.

Watering up ......

....... before heading off to the points to change lines and come on to the other end of the train for the return to Norchard.

"Uskmouth 1" was running the brakevan rides with the Queen Mary from Norchard Low Level to the junction with the high level line and back.

It was all in with the gala entry fee. You just hop on either veranda if there is room. For the first run we chose the loco end. The fun began when approaching the end of the outward run when the regulator was closed and the smoke drifted straight back at us, but it was only a few seconds.

For the second run we chose the rear veranda and and had a great view of the line.

Time for another run to Parkend, this time with 78019 in charge.

78019, a cracking little engine on hire from the Great Central Railway, awaits the signal for the runaround.

A general view of Parkend Station with underneath .........

........ 78019 being watered ready for the return run.

With 78019 back on the train, the freight drifts in hauled by "Newstead", the other guest engine.

Back to Lydney Junction. The lovely inspection saloon at the north end of the second rake.

The two industrials leave Low Level with the last passenger train of the day.

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Photos taken the next day by Robert.

Wow! Now that is a photo to treasure. "Uskmouth 1" with the Queen Mary brakevan and 78019 with the northbound passenger approaching Norchard High Level.