Saturday 29th - Change of plan

A good day with plenty achieved, despite my plans changing several times! Although I'm a bit out of practice at remembering to take many blog photos, hopefully you get the gist.

I was going to leave the RMB to others today, but we turned out to be a little short on numbers so I switched back and decided to get the Cotswold side into 2nd topcoat. Cream flatted back with orbital sander, crimson still to do...

Dave captured me in the process.

Then it turned out we had a distinct shortage of brushes for painting cream panels. Bother. I'll do the crimson then, order some emergency supplies and do the cream Tuesday.

Time to see what else was going on then. Bob was on ceiling painting in the RMB, now that we've removed the fluorescent strips in favour of the flying saucers

Phil was doing some repairs in the serving area in preparation for the new fridge/chiller being fitted.

While Robert and Chris continued the rebuild of the South vestibule.

Outside was not a pleasant day to be shunting, but the gang carried on anyway. Various wheel swaps were being undertaken...

And Mary came in for a bogie lift to resolve the flat that had developed on one of its tyres.

Also in the barn it was good to see James back and working on some more metal repairs for the BSK.

It might seem a bit early for cleaning windows on 4798, but there was years of ingrained brake dust on the windows that needed a lot of work to remove as a separate job to the usual post-painting cleaning when we get to that point, so Paul cracked on.

Inside Dave and Tony made a good impression on the ceiling painting.

Onto the Mink D then, Maurice cleaned up the North end vents.

The last few planks coming off, nearly there Paul.

With my carriage painting plans scuppered I moved back to the wagon, Paul captured my somewhat amused as to whether the ladder was really necessary here!

By the end of the day I had the inside...

And the outside of the frame at the South end in undercoat.

Weds 26th/Thurs 27th - Such a lot done and even more to do

Many thanks to Gerry for Wednesday's photos and to Roger and Paul W. for the extra photos on Thursday.

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Wednesday

Beginning in Upholstery with Eve fixing spare moquette to one of the side panels for SO 4798. The extra moquette acts as further padding and is put on before mounting the Snapdragon moquette.

Ceri also was very busy. Is this another of their excellent bags? There are quite a number stacked up on the racks, I guess ready for our shops when the post Christmas and New Year trains are running.

Rod, Trevor and Ben are working on the Cotswold side door from BSK 35308, removing the metal skin from the wood frame. A new metal skin will be fitted. As you can see, the job is anything but easy.

New Woodwork member Jim is making a fitting for Upholstery.

Ken is reinstating the passcom mechanisn at the north end of RMB 1876.

John controlling the lifting of FO 3132 "Mary". The coach has been put on the jacks so that one of the bogies can be inspected as it has been reported to have a wheel flat. The follow up inspection couldn't reveal anything wrong. The coach will for now retain the replacement bogie. 

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The towing attachment for bogie moving has received a small welding repair.

Bryan and Rex are fabricating latches for the weedspraying wagon assembly ...........

 .......... which Bryan now coats in green primer.

The new latches now being fitted.

The handrails are also now fitted.

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Thursday

In Upholstery a pile of prepared side panel bases for SO 4798 ready for covering with Snapdragon moquette.

Inside the Malvern side toilet compartment in 4798, Phil S. has cut the hole and secured the pipe and base platform for the toilet. No further fitting will be done until the wall varnishing and ceiling painting has been completed, which we hope to crack on with and get completed as soon as possible.

With both the saloons in 4798 completely clear of tables, the reupholstered seats and the planned floor covering, this is the perfect time to get the ceilings repainted, another job we need to get on with and get finished. Martin, and later myself, got the first four panels sanded, and I later undercoated the first panel.

The painting of RMB 1876 is progressing well.  On the Cotswold side Ainsley second top coated the final window and then moved on to second top coating the top panel and gutter.

Phil J. concentrated on top coating the remaining undercoated area at the north end of the Malvern side.

Alex second top coated the top panel and gutter on the same side.

Phil and Alex from a different angle.

Now a series of photos of our much valued Indoor Gang who look after all the internal repairs in our Rakes 3 and 4 coaches, as well as the coaches currently in the Works, and our main rakes when they are at Winchcombe. It's not that long ago they were do live train upholstery repairs on the run down to Cheltenham and back, as reported at the time.

Geoff instating a new length of veneer panel in the south end of 1876.

Smile for the camera chaps. Roger is applying wood filler to the corner of the window frame at the north end of 1876.

[Photo : Roger]  Rotten wood was removed and the filler applied. When set the fill was painted.

[Photo : Roger]  That's better.

[Photo : Roger]  Now into BSK 34929 in Rake 3.

[Photo : Roger]  Alan and Geoff reinstate a table that had been removed to enable a steam leak repair to be made.

[Photo : Roger]  While Alan sorts out the wall fixings, ......

[Photo : Roger]  ........ Geoff looks after the floor fixing.

[Photo : Paul W]  On board "Mary", Paul cleans through the coach, understandibly grumbling about children and litter, or more likely parents who don't control their children and prevent them leaving litter. This was just a sample!

[Photo : Paul W]  At times he said he feels like adding "No children".

[Photo : Paul W]  That's better. Well done Paul!

The bogie taken from underneath "Mary" being inspected by John, with Phil S. assisting.

The nicely repaired north corner on BSK 35308.

I reported recently that I thought all the metal working at the south end of 35308 had been completed. Well it is now.  Alan has welded in a new section of sheet metal above the corridor connection.

Alex is undercoating parts of the brake mechanism from under the Mink D van. More bits are on the hooks behind him.

What's this? Idle chatter? Alex and Roger take a break from their respective jobs.

Alex did a lot of cleaning up on the Mink D's frame and south end metal panels.