Monday 16th - Top Job for Top Man!

 

John is our Team Leader so he gets the Top Job!

Just 8 for cleaning today but still a lot done. The sets had been pulled back towards the Winchcombe end of the platform so we were able to wash the outsides of carriage A - the one that is normally off the platform under the road bridge. In fact all 7 Malvern sides of rake 1 were washed but only A - F of rake 2 - carriage G was off the platform at the south end!

The insides of both sets were done with rake 2 having the Ghostbuster treatment. It needs a vac to get all the dust and debris out of the door runners. And yes, a surprising amount of coal dust is there.

We can tell things are getting back to normal - a steady stream of punters hoping for a train ride are turning up again on a Monday!

Saturday 14th - Mainly engineering

Saturday turned out to be a very busy day with over 20 staff in, and certainly with respect to our various engineering projects.

Returning to the servicing of the DA valve from BSK 34929's vacuum brake system, John is in the process of fitting a new gasket. In the background Andy is freeing up and oiling the nuts and bolts for the unit.

The new and old gaskets.

Parts of the mechanism going back into place. The top cover for the valve is lying on the bench behind the main unit.

 Phil was back working on the toilet tank from TSO 5042.

 The valve was taken back off again.

 The reason soon became clear when I captured him cutting out a new gasket.

Also busy making a number of new gaskets was John, our new recruit to the Dirty Gang  (our Meet The Teams section in the menu on the Blog's home page will be updated accordingly).

 A close up the template and the new gaskets ready to be cut out.

If I have got this correct, Andy and John are now exchanging the serviced DA valve from the Malvern side of 34929 with the one taken off the Cotswold side.

Alan attaches a new gaitor to this refurbished vacuum cylinder.

Ian and John are servicing the valve unit from another vacuum cylinder.

Later in the day a refurbished cylinder is put back under the Cotswold side of 34929.

John S. was back on the milling machine and demonstrated a little gauge which helps with the setting up process.

John was in the process of producing new latch plates for the door frames.

 

The morning tea break once again in the Barn. I guess we will get back to the Mess Room eventually, but we will miss the passing trains when we do.
 

It was time to return to work, but some of us waited for the Toddington train to come by. The train crew acknowledges us as Foremarke Hall steams by. The passenger numbers on all the trains today were almost back to pre-Covid levels, and have been all week.

 A change of scenery with Jenny and John busy making new seat side panels for TSO 5042.

 

The steady progress continues with the rebuild of the Mink A van. Paul top coats another plank with the lovely GW Grey paint. 

The initial wall on the Malvern side continues to climb and is almost at roof level.

 Richard is cutting some recesses on this particular plank .......

............. so that it fits over the bolt heads in the centre support. In the background Paul is drilling bolt holes to enable the plank to be secured. 

This rebuild really is a first class job and I imagine that the van's owner must be delighted with the progress and high level of quality workmanship.

Returning to BSK 34929 and the Cotswold side north door (door 10), which has taken a long time to do. Robert inspects the new capping strip and its fitting. It was then taken off ..........................................

.............. to make some checks of the door's clearance. Dave H. was passing when asked to lend a hand with the checking, while Robert slides a piece of paper between the door and the frame.

 In the end all was satisfactory. Ainsley now lends a hand to fit the internal door base.

 

Robert uses a tiny sander to improve the base clearance when the door is closed.

I heard my name called. A photo was required. The door and its fitting are finished! The next job will be to fit the left side capping strip.

Ainsley meanwhile was fitting the handle to the central passenger door (door 9) on the same side. 

Back over to the Malvern side and the Painting and Prep teams efforts to tidy up the door frames where the door fitting has been completed. Phil was working on the centre passenger door, while I concentrated on the new vestibule frame and doors.

Inside the corridor, Dave and Steve were reinstating the compartment doors. Three have now been fitted.

Phil took a break from his work to undercoat the new ceiling panel destined for the north vestibule in TSO 5042.

Popping over to TK 24006 to find Dave adding varnish to the vestibule and outside compartment walls at the south end of the coach.

Finally a postcsript to Thursday's rescue of the young hedgehog from our pit and another photo of the little fellow tucking into the cat food that was hastily bought from Winchcombe's Coop. Before I started work, I went over to the far side of the yard where we had placed him and the saucer of food on Thursday. I am very pleased to say that was no sign of him and the saucer had been cleared of food, so it is likely that he fully recovered.

Thursday 12th - Paying our respects and a rescue!

This day was certainly eventful and will be one to remember with several things of note as it proceeded.

Beginning with the Mink A van, to compliment Nick's excellent photo in his Wednesday posting where he photographed the beginnings of the wall erection on the Malvern side, a view of the van from the opposite side. The reason that interior has been left is that all the wood is tanalized and as such will last 20 or more years. All that new planking has been beautifully painted. 

Returning to the Red Dragon headboard, Alex decided that he would touch up the dragon after all to restore some of the colour.

As expected, the work to tidy up the capping strips and door pillars on BSK 34929 will take a while. Martin was applying more filler to the top of the Malvern side guards doorway.

On the Cotswold side Richard worked on the new vestibule doorway and doors. With the filing and sanding completed the new wood was primed. The remainder will go into undercoat Light Grey.

Alex returned to the Malvern side north end door and doorway. Some of this is now greyed up with secondary filler going on.

Ian was assessing the working of this vacuum cylinder (is this the one from underneath 34929?).

Sometimes there is no option but to lie on the floor. John and Ian were wrestling with the direct admission (DA) valve from underneath 34929.

Success! With the valve now firmly clamped they were removing the fastenings so as to inspect the interior.

A closer view of the valve, which sits close to the vacuum cylinder under the coach body.

It was just Derek working in CK 16221 today, this time installing the base supports for the north end vestibule panelling.

Nearby Phil was working on the valve unit from a toilet water cistern. I forgot to ask him where this was from, but it is likely to be TSO 5042 as he is currently working on the general plumbing for the north end toilet.

A new ceiling panel for the north vestibule in 5042. Bob applied the fine grade filler to the pin holes before giving the panel a coat of primer.

Alan was busy wiping round after fitting a new length of beading to the toilet compartment wall in 5042. This can now be painted. That skirting could do with a fresh coat of black gloss as well

Prior to the repair in 5042, Alan had been repairing the beading above the north corridor connection of SK 24949. Also returned to the 3rd Rake was the newly revarnished access cupboard door for the south end vestibule in FK 13337 "Gillian".

Paul and Dennis were doing some more cleaning and vacuuming in the 3rd Rake coaches.

Bob returned to TK 24006 and, with three of the south end compartments now ready for ceiling painting, began undercoating the first one.

With more items heading on to the Workshop and then the Paintshop trestles, for sanding and varnishing respectably (with some application of wood dye if required), the completed stack in one of the north end compartments in 24006 grows ever larger.

The compartment door blind and other covers, plus the cleaned up ceiling vent covers being held by Dave, also make an impressive showing. Dave is very keen to locate some tables, so using the excellent spares guide created by Kevin, a search will be made in the relevant vehicles.

The 2.25 train was particularly relevant to us today and we wished to pay our respects because John Hughes' family were on board the last coach, and John's ashes were being cast into the firebox. As reported at the beginning of the year, we lost John from cancer.

Returning to happier days. John worked on a large number of these seat side panels and raises a cheer as he completes the last one. He was one of our regular Tuesday Painting and Prep gang as well as working in Upholstery. Before joining C&W he had been with S & T. He is very much missed.

  

As it turned out Alex was guard on this train for the afternoon. Good heavens, he hasn't got his hat on !!!

As I said at the beginning it was an eventful day. Just before lunchtime Phil heard a squealing noise from our pit and discovered that it was a young hedgehog that had fallen in.

The poor little chap was somewhat dazed and very wobbly on his feet when we put him down in the shade of a coach near the Barn. 

He certainly wasn't very thirsty, having probably drank from the water in the pit.

A quick drive to the Coop at Winchcombe for a pack of cat food, and as can be seen, he was very happy to tuck into that. We left him in peace while we had our lunch. Much later he was much steadier on his feet and beginning to sniff around as hedgehogs do. So to get him away from the road by the Barn, and definitely away from the pit area, we took him to the far side of the yard where it would be quiet and with plenty of vegetation. Hopefully he has by now made a full recovery. Had he not recovered quite so well he would have been taken to the Vale Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre at Beckford, which is not far away.