Saturday 13th - Festival Weekend

Beginning today with the Mink D van. While there are still a number of important aspects to be done, the major job is now the rebuilding of the eight large doors.

It is important to have good tools. Jim carefully sharpens a chisel.

Measuring the angle of the cross brace.

A trial joint has been made by Jim.

Maurice and Paul are adding more top coat.

Ken works to release the vertical wood support and part of the U frame from the Malvern side of the south corridor connection on SK 25451.

The basic bodyside preparation is coming along well on the Cotswold side of the coach. Ian concentrated on the lower triple-banded line which needs to be completely removed as it will be replaced by the simple two band line.

George tackles the remaining side, giving everything a major pad sanding.

Tom mixes an adhesive screeding for new floor tiles in the Inspection Saloon kitchen.

The completed job.

Andy is straightening the newly added bottom sections of the repair to the connection U frame.

More sheet metal cutting being done by James for 25451.

In Upholstery Laura prepares another cushion case, ...........

........ while Carol finishes off a specs case.

Next the office to capture Rose busy in her new Admin job.

Finally on to SO 4798, now named "Christine" to honour Christine Johnson, who has recently retired from being Head of our Railway Catering Service.  On the Malvern side the name has had a second coat of golden yellow.

Alex repeats the job with the Cotswold side name.

Each of the four end doors is being finished with a "1".

Ainsley is going round the coach, tightening the door hinges and bending the little metal tags at the base of each one. Alex has painted the "1" - these will be given another coat on Tuesday.

Graham went over the Cotswold side, keying the paint with scotch bright ready for varnishing. Obviously he kept away from the doors and area around the freshly painted name.

With the table wall supports attached lower, each will have a carefully measured wood block fitted to raise the table top to the correct height.

It's our annual Rail Ale Festival this weekend with the blue Class 37 on the Toddington - Winchcombe shuttle, .........

........ and " Manston" and 3850 on the main trains.

The crossing monitors allow the public access between the platforms while Train 2 waits to leave for Toddington.

The festival is usually very well attended and certainly looks to be that way this year.

A wide angle shot of the gang at the end of the day. Rose had just left to do the plant watering in her greenhouse and garden on the other side of the yard.

Thursday 11th - Tape and varnish

Alan and Geoff had a very busy day, starting off with some carpet trimming at both compartment entrances in SO 4798. This would enable the sliding doors to work properly.

Their remaining jobs involved on-train repairs in Rake 2. Tools and job list ready to collect when the train is due.

Just to quickly say that item 2 refers to the droplight, NOT the door! This is one of the double doors where we converted SO 4790 to make it an accessible coach.

On to 4798's exterior progress with one of the main themes being window tape and paint removal with Phil and Martin. This turned out to be a fiddly, somewhat irritating job. The tape had been on a long time and as such was sometimes awkward to remove, and paint had still got behind the tape in places. In future we will simply paint more carefully and avoid the window taping.

With tape removed Tim carefully touches up some of the window edge. Paint was missing in places where the tape had covered up too much.

The other theme was beginning the exterior varnishing. Graham uses scotch brite to prepare the gloss paint at both ends of the coach..

The gloss now converted to matt and ready for a coat of varnish. 

Graham is one of our two professional coach and locomotive painters who have very kindly joined as volunteers. He uses his own pot and brushes. The varnish is mixed with some white spirit, and thinned down as such goes on very well.

Our original professional is of course Bob, who was a decorator and an expert varnisher. Bob got most of the south vestibule varnished, leaving the rest to be completed hopefully on Saturday.

Bob had intended to add a second coat to the new panel in the north vestibule but didn't have time. As such Graham stepped in and did the job.

One of the new cupboards in the central vestibule, with fittings gradually going on. Must get those doors varnished as soon as possible, preferably before the knobs go on.

Rose's trolley has really been put through the mill, but with a new wood support it can be reassembled with confidence. 

Two unusual photos taken by Martyn Dix from RBr 1675 when both rakes were at Toddington. Above looking south, below looking north.

Tues 9th / Weds 10th - It's all coming together.

 Tuesday

A name in the making for SO 4798.  Alex will be back in on Saturday to continue his excellent work.

We are on the final stretch with the lining out with Richard taking care of the lower black band on the Malvern side.

Job done! Thanks Richard.

Next job is to get the tops of the droplights black glossed.

David began the removal of the masking tape from the windows on the Cotswold side.

Ken attaches another table support. These are being positioned lower, with the screws going into the internal z bar and therefore very much stronger.

Some of the supports previously painted are of the quick release type, which enabled tables to be removed easily for football specials. Ken managed to source the type really required, but first a little cleaning up with a grinder was required.

Ian followed on with the black Hammerite.

Some of the table legs were a bit shorter and had to be built up.

A combination of wood dyes and a coat of varnish soon had this sorted too.

The grab handles were cleaned up by Ian ready for repainting.

On to progress with the Mink D van. Maurice is cleaning up some of the door hinges. 

These took some removing, but once the old paint and rust was removed, they were coated in green primer. Another part of the brake mechanism was also done.

[Photo : Paul E]

Robert and Chris are beginning to make one of the door frames using hard wood.

Some more undercoating in progress with the door removed.

[Photo : Paul E]

Paul removes paint from the roof planks.

In the Barn David uses white spirit to clean the cut out rivet line on the Cotswold side of SK 25451.

More painting for Ian in the form of chocks (yellow), toilet backs for 4798 (dark grey undercoat), connection straps (black gloss) and two panels in another coat of varnish.

A problem with the steering on this recently acquired trolley meant the removal of the front wheel set.

[Photo : Paul E]  Phil gently warms up the obstinate nut and bolt.

Partial success with still a bit to go.

A new main support is required and is produced by Robert, which once the centre hole is further bored to fit, is coated in Creosolve.

I'm often cutting rag in Upholstery where there are nice clean tables. The Paintshop trestles are usually too dusty, and there is a danger of accidentally picking up drops of paint or varnish.

Being somewhat busy I hardly saw any trains. However I was able to capture 2807 with Rake 2 on its first return run from Cheltenham.

[Photo : Martin Dix]  It was generally a nice sunny day though we did have heavy showers much later on. Martin, who was working in the RBr again, captures the busy station from Rake 1 on a northbound run with "Manston" again in charge. The girl with the phone was probably photographing 2807 approaching with the Cheltenham train.

Across the yard from the Works, Rose's garden is flourishing with so much now growing.  Strawberries above and potatoes below.

Fennel, sweet peas and rhubarb.

A healthy crop of peas.

Pots and troughs literally crammed full.

The words on the compost very aptly describe it all.

I wonder where the various fruit trees will end up.

As usual a satisfying end of day photo before getting changed and climbing the stairs to the Mess Room for a final cup of tea. We can soon begin varnishing 4798.

***************

Wednesday

Many thanks to Gerry for again producing a great set of photos. I asked him to get some of Upholstery, in particular when hanging the curtains in 4798 and he came up trumps. 

Laura and Ceri attached the curtain hooks.

Ceri hanging these on the Cotswold side.

Eve with another set.

Now that does look good. Just the antimacassars when they arrive to place on the seat backs and that's it. I have booked another afternoon tea at the end of October, and could even be allocated to this very table.

All the curtains are in place. The remaining tables will soon be following.

Chris works on another seat cushion. Wonder where this is from.

Rod cleared the masking tape off all the remaining windows on the Cotswold side of 4798.

On board the Inspection Saloon, Neil is fitting the new doors to the kitchen units.

In complete contrast, Gerry and Bryan were underneath fitting the drainpipe from the sink. This was followed by the soakaway to the rear of the carriage.

Bryan uses the plasma cutter to shape some replacement sections of sheet metal for the corroded areas underneath some of the window corners on the Cotswold side of SK 25451.

Ainsley working on one of the door striker plates and locks on 25451.

Ben and Trevor with the Cotswold side south end door on 25451.