Tuesday 16th - Approaching the rundown to completion

A fairly average Tuesday attendance with 10 of us in.

Beginning with the Mink D van, Paul ensures the spindle holes in the door hinges are clear.

The second top coat of GW Grey is gradually being applied.

[Photo : Paul E]

Not forgetting the repairs to the Shark ballast plough. Derek primes another set of new door planks.

One of the stripped out door frames, all the planks of which were to far gone to save.

Dave searching in the coach part racks where we store items removed from coaches currently in the Works.

[Photo : Paul E]  Painting and Prep team attendance today was just Ian and myself. Paul captured me going over more of the Cotswold side of SO 4798 with a scotch brite pad in preparation for varnishing.

Ian carefully adds more Gloss Black to the grill from the end of the north compartment in 4798. On a nice day it's very pleasant to sit on this bench just outside the Paintshop and do small jobs in the fresh air.

The repainted grab handles from.4798.

Nice clear instructions from Chris for the second pair of toilet fittings for 4798 that he has just made.

The First Class signs on the four working doors received a second coat of paint. With this completed the tape could be removed.

Just the black edging to add to complete the job.

Inside 4798 Roger secures one of the wood supports to the table bracket prior to fitting the table itself. As explained in a previous post, the brackets have been very firmly secured lower than normal and as such the extra supports will be needed to make the tabletops level.

Roger uses a tape measure to ensure the table is in the correct position between the two seats.

With first two tables secured on the Malvern side of the coach, the photo shows what the completed interior will be like, bar the fitting of the antimacassars.

A number of minor jobs were also completed in the south vestibule. Although there is still a bit to do yet with the coach, it's beginning to feel that we are approaching the rundown to completion.

Chris and Ian watch "Manston" leave for Toddington with Rake 1.

3850 arrives with Rake 2. 

[Photo : Martyn Dix]  The view from RMB 1876.

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.