Wednesday 13th - Just a few

 Usual culprits in today, and more progress on the Open C wagon.....

3 of the 4 corner plates, getting the size was easy, getting the bend right not so easy.

Steve marked out a number of parallel lines, these helped in acheiving the correct radius.

A test bend confirmed we were going in the right direction ...... not bad for a bench press, and a bit of muscle.

When we arrived, we thought we had the wrong day. Dave does not usually do Wednesdays, but with the need to outshop TSO 4772 he put in some overtime.

Dave A was painting yet more seat frames, it doesn't matter how many angles you look at it there is always a bit missed.

Delicate work on 4798 windows carries on at a pace.

Not too many windows to go .....

Do not disturb!

Hello Rex, I do like your windows.

The door team doing what they do, on 4798.

Trevor sorting fasteners.

Simon was lending a hand to Upholstery, making pieces for seat backs for The Bluebell Railway .....

..... and fitting them.

Chris likewise working on Bluebell Railway seats .....

Laura is cutting out seat backs ......

And finally Eve is removing damaged seat backs ready for the new ones , she really enjoyed undoing the slot head screws.

Many thanks to Gerry and Eve for the photos.

Tuesday 12th - A quieter day

Thank you for the nice comments following last Thursday's post. 

Ref TSO 4772. All we will have time for is what we have done and are doing currently. The coach has to go out on Saturday ready for 3850 to come in, so follow up varnishing or polishing isn't possible. After 3850 has gone, FK 13326 will be coming in to enable us to complete its refurb.

Ref RBr 1675. The tables won't be going in until we have completed the varnishing in the saloon (at least 3 coats) and the heating pipe covers have been reinstated.

So, on to today's activities - it's just a brief post today.

Richard completes the paint cutting with the polisher. Both sides of 4772 now look a lot better.

However the job doesn't end there. The insides and some of the outsides of the window frames, edges of doorframe capping strips, and insides of the door frames all need paint repairs and freshening up. Ian, Richard and myself were all involved with this.

The results of tbese efforts speak for themselves, as can be seen on the north half of the Cotswold side.

Over to Robert and Chris reinstating internal boarding on the MICA van.

Paul more or less completed the undercoating on the Open C wagon, which is stabled on the Works siding.

The Bubblecar seat frames are progressing with Maurice and Keith taking on the continuing job.

Tony completely cleans up this windowframe. This one is going into storage until required.

Saturday 9th - Too much to do

Having not really been in properly for about 3 weeks, I had a bit of catching up to do with various jobs. Unfortunately that meant I didn't really have much time to properly g round for blog photos, but I did manage to get a few.

Starting off with the Mica handrails, James and John offer one up to show where they are. Just the top loop to bend onto the roof - that was today's mission.

James marks a course on the jig base plate.

It was tricky to get a good view of the final result but Dave captured the first test fit with a very pleased James and John, well done chaps, it looks great!

Inside Robert and Chris drew the short straw and started putting the internal planking back together. Unfortunately it hadn't come apart in a planned way, so it was a significant challenge to start putting it back, they did a great job figuring it out though.

On 4772 we now have just 1 week to do what we can. Dave went round cleaning door edges and other areas where significant dirt builds up.

Inside Jenny was making the vestibules sparkle again.

And Tony had the polisher out again on the cream upper panels.

There was quite a bit of work going on inside 4798 in the barn but I'm afraid I only captured Tony cleaning up the floor bearers in the North vestibule.

Andy carried on with the bubblecar seat frames, they are now scattered quite widely and evenly through the workshops!

I'm afraid that was it for photos for Saturday, just too many other things to do. However, we'll wind the clock back a couple of weeks to the Autumn Showcase instead for some more photos.

Friday afternoon and prep was well underway. 3850 was out on test run and 2807 was back from Winchcombe giving a rather good lineup of 2 black GWR 2-8-0s, probably for the first time since the 1940s?

2807 looked good in its new livery on the goods train as it lent us some vacuum to do a brake test.

Saturday dawned, first move of the day taken from the Queen Mary most definitely fitted the mixed traction theme!

After taking the goods down to Cheltenham I swapped to set 2 to guard the rest of the morning. Everyone leans out at Gotherington to watch P&O come the other way.

The rest of Saturday was taken up talking to various wagon people from other railways and showing them round, always a pleasure.

Sunday dawned crisp and bright, and as my duty didn't start until mid-morning there was a chance for a walk down to Didbrook to capture a few sights. 3850 heading the goods train was absolutely spot on, in perfect conditions.

P&O soon passed by as well.

I was manning brake van rides today rather than guarding, so a bit more opportunity to mooch around when it disappears into a siding. Here capturing both DMLL locos 3850 and 7820 double heading.

Once that was out the way 2807 came back from the North siding for another run with the goods.

Last run of the weekend was a bit sad, the final run of the DMU, which a good crowd caught for the run up to Broadway and back. As I type it some part of it may be on its way to Scotland, at least one power car left last week.

Thursday 7th - Another grey day

No doubt this miserable anti-cyclonic gloom is trying to get us all down, but in fact we had a good day at the Works on Thursday. Not forgetting the wonderful range of Mess Room goodies and warm cups of tea and coffee which soon bring back the cheer.

I was certainly happier when Stu told me that the deadline for getting the Bubblecar seat frames painted was actually a lot further away than I initially thought. We are making good progress with our tidy up of TSO 4772 and I didn't want anything stopping that.

This was the pile of seat frames stacked up in the Barn at the end of Tuesday after the grit blasting contractor had finished with them and Maurice had begun the painting . As shown in Nick's post David took over the painting on Wednesday.

The Barn has too little room to do the complete job, so Maurice and I began the day by spreading the frames around the Works where space was available. The single seats are now lined along the Paintshop wall, the small double seats are in the Workshop, and the large doubles remain in the Barn.

Above Maurice is well into the Workshop allocation at the south end, while at the other end another two of the small doubles await attention.

Two of the large singles ended up on the paint trestles.

The trestles had various piles of items awaiting preparation and painting. The non-urgent stuff was removed, but the two connection pillars destined for SO 4798 were however dealt with as they will soon be needed.

A wander up the yard to see what was happening in the Rake 3 coaches, and while there a look back at the Works and distant Langley Hill. 

Next over to see progress with our recent acquisition and on the way noting that PWay have now reconnected the siding.

General tlc continues with FO 3127 with Gerry preparing the south end toilet compartment window for a pane of glass. Currently a sheet of hardboard keeps the elements out.

Also outside on this bleak day was Derek sorting out more repairs on the side of the Monster van. He's done well with much of this side now fixed, including a new gutter. As can be seen, undercoating is also underway. 

Richards I and II continue the various setting up of the electrics linking the lithium batteries with the interior workings in RBr 1675.

In the saloon Alan and Roger are making adjustments to the curtain pelmets.

Finally back to the Paintshop for progress with TSO 4772. 3850 enters the Paintshop in just over a week's time, so the days remaining for work on 4772 are rapidly diminishing.

Interior jobs are just about done now so Paul has washed the floors. The backs of the doors need a fresh coat of Exec Light Grey.

Efforts resume on the cutting paste activities, with Martin on the Cotswold side and Phil and Jeff on the Malven side. All were working on the upper half, with Martin and Phil also including the gutter panel.

The job really is paying dividends. Just look at the reflections in the chocolate panels.

The sole bar, headstocks, corridor connections, and various bits at each end have been largely given a coat of Black gloss, so why not repaint the connection chequerplates.

As mentioned above, just over a week to go, so we have got to get a move on to get the coach finished with what we hope to do.