Tuesday 14th - Top-coating complete

 A great day on the second top-coating front on the Bubble car, by mid-afternoon it was virtually all completed. 

Maurice and Stu were the early starters on the Malvern side:

Soon joined by Phil:

And Richard, each of whom started off painting a cab end then worked their way round to complete the Cotswold side:

Ian worked around us continuing the undercoat cream on the backs of the doors. I too joined in on the Cotswold side doing the lower panels, but it soon became apparent that we had quite enough painters at work, with most panels done it started to get a bit crowded!

So I diverted to prep work on the Toad, where Paul was cleaning up the handrails:

Bob was sanding down the South end:

And Richard was doing some minor timberwork repairs on the more weathered Cotswold side:

I therefore picked the veranda end to attack with the pad sander and wire wheel:

Yes those cracks in the end stanchions will be welded up! It does seem to be a weak point on Toads, the other one has clearly been repaired there in the past as well.

Elsewhere Tony started by finishing cleaning up the luggage rack from the CK he was working on on Saturday, then moving onto a compartment door from the same coach:

Meanwhile Dave was on a recovery expedition in one of our storage coaches for some replacement first class seats - the ones in the BCK have been condemned by our upholstery department. Dave C took the photo, and it looks like Dave was successful in his mission to fins something that matched:

With such a beautiful sunny day, we did of course watch some trains as well, P&O and Foremarke Hall on duty:

Monday 13th - New Recruit!!!

 A new, very welcome recruit to our small team. More later. This was what greeted me today:-

One of our trains was missing! Explained later when pway trundles by with the ballast brusher doing spot work up the track. Having seen the maroon rack on Saturday with a Cotswold side that needed the windows washing, sorry, we could not do. Quite rightly track maintenance gets priority.

So 7 in the team today. Taking photos whilst wearing the Ghostbuster is a bit difficult but later I was able to catch Paul window washing.

and Roger O, Tim and Mark preparing to wash the side.

Yes, Tim, our new recruit! (Not the famous Toilet Tim who has emigrated to Cornwall alas.)

At tea break we have Phil, Tim and Mark

and Roger O, Greg and Paul.

Saturday 11th - Nothing for ages and now two at once

The first Saturday after the Gala weekend - was it really a week ago?!

[Photo: Paul E.]    The Barn was buzzing with the sound of angle grinders and sanders as the cracked and peeling paint was steadily removed from the FOWS Toad brake van. The Malvern side was being sanded down by Paul E.

  [Photo: Paul E.]  While Maurice and Richard were busy with the Cotswold side.

[Photo: Paul E.]   Some good progress with three of the top four panels now back to bare wood.

Following all the shunting to get the four returned Gala freight train vehicles back in their respective locations, the "Cheltenham High St" Toad was pushed into the Barn behind the FOWS Toad. It has been returned so that the roof can be repaired - this is the final stage in its refurbishment.

The freight vehicle gang - Richard, Paul and Maurice pose in front of the FOWS Toad. As the title of the posting says, from nothing in the barn, they now have two vans to work on.

The final bit of the shunt was to return the Mink vans to the PWay train on the Malvern side of the yard. Ian on the 03, with Andy, Tony and Andy as the ground crew.

Still bits from the Gala to clear up. Kevin stores some of the parts from the engineering displays ready for the next Gala at the end of July.

Also hanging over from the Gala was the cleaning inside the coaches that made up the 4th Rake. This was well in progress with Paul and Dennis keeping busy.

The Indoor Gang had removed some of the internal window framing from TSO 4867 where the table supports were being somewhat difficult to take off.

Dave eventually got this one off, but not without a fight. The window drainage tubes have been retained for use with the new framing when that is put in.

Jenny and John rebuild another chair from RBr 1675. In the Paintshop Pam added a coat of varnish to what are probably the final two chairs.

 It was back to more storage for Kevin who does a really great job looking after all this.

Pam undercoated the new vestibule ceiling panels for CK 16221 that Keith had primed last Tuesday. Behind her are the chairs from 1675.

Steve fits some new beading above the window in one of the second class compartments in 16221.

John was busy on the lathe again making new steel pins for part of the mechanism controlling the movement of the connection bellows on 16221.

The pins were made from pieces of the metal scrap that was recovered from the ballast bins in the "Cheltenham High St" Toad when that was being refurbished.

Chris is fitting the homing plate for the budget lock on the Cotswold side south end door frame.

Robert cleans up part of the metal panelling prior to fitting the bottom section of capping strip on the Cotswold side central door.

Towards the end of the day Pam had transferred to 16221 and was adding the first coat of varnish to the back of the central door. Adding the first coat is a very satisfying job with the dark wood beginning to glow as the varnish sinks in.

Tony finishes his day cleaning up another luggage rack.

My main job for the day was finishing off the bonnets at each end of the Bubblecar. We needed to get this done before the second top coat was put on the front and sides of the vehicle. The main part of the roof was completed some time ago.

All that rainwater caught in the bogie covers. Alex and I have a lot of fun getting rid the puddles. It's very therapeutic and great for the finger and lower arm muscles.

Thursday 9th and more gala pics

 The weekend is now slowly fading into the past, and it's back to the normal grind in C&W.

Once again there was a large focus on the bubblecar, having sat in the paintshop for a couple of months now slowly progressing we want to get on with it now. With almost everything in first topcoat by end of Tuesday, today saw a light rub down of the whole vehicle to key up and so we can see where the second coat has gone on. Phil, Bob and Dave pictured took on the Cotswold side:

Which somehow left just me with the Malvern side, although Jeff did rub down and 2nd topcoat the length of the gutter to keep me company:

By Mid afternoon 2nd top-coating was well underway on the Cotswold side by Bob and Phil:

Hopefully with a good crowd in on Tuesday we should have all the green glossing done by then.

While up the ladder doing one of the bubble car ends, I captured a little bit of post-gala work by Paul and Dennis dismantling the C&W shop:

This will be out again for the diesel gala at the end of July.

A trip outside to see what was going on on the third rake initially proved fruitless, until I popped my head out a window to see Richards I & II working on the RMB:

I came down again to find out they were sorting out some switches - Dennis discusses with them the next steps.

While outside I noticed the short 4th rake had also reappeared:

Along with a portion of the goods train with stuff inside that various departments need at Winchcombe:

At this point it was close enough to stay out and wait for the next train, Alan and Geoff in train-spotter mode!

With Eddystone on its last day in service with us, we once again enjoyed a pair of Southern region pacifics all day:

A break to watch the trains was well deserved, as they were traipsing in and out of TSO 4867 working on window trim:

Along with Roger, here cleaning out slider frames:

Paul captured this photo of Malcolm from S&T repainting the gate post - I think the caption is something like "Oh no, don't you dare put this on the blog!"

It was a quiet day in the workshop, Steve was up on the mezzanine sorting out some more LED light strips, this one for BSO 9000 apparently:

Dave was on the seemingly never-ending task of cleaning up luggage racks:

Mid-afternoon we took a little brake for Dave to show us this nameplate he's babysitting with his B17 Trust hat on:

Helmingham Hall was another B17, built in 1935 and scrapped in 1959. It had the notable accolade of hauling the funeral train of King George V. The nameplate has been donated to the B17 Trust by a member who bought it direct from BR upon scrapping of the loco. The real Helmingham Hall is in Suffolk. 

Back to work, and Nick spent a little time welding captive nuts on CK16221:

But most of the day involved welding on the RBr;

Inside Gerry continued to take up the floor:

"Work in progress!" it certainly is!

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And now my turn to share gala pics!

A fine moment when the Ivatt tank draws the GWR goods train into the station from Hunting Butts:

Before we depart a Bulleid pacific double header:

Pause at Winchcombe for another photo opportunity!

At Toddington into the siding to let the non-stop Pines Express through!

Back at Cheltenham and now a proper GWR freight loco on our GWR goods train:

This time we pass P&O on the Mendip Merchantman through Gotherington:

More pauses for photos, this time at Toddington station:

While we await another large double header, Eddystone and Black Prince:

And then, hurrah, the first heritage goods train to Broadway station!

The end of the day and the 2 Ivatts around Toddington doing end of day moves:

Saturday and the next Pines Express through Toddington:

A chance to capture Dinmore Manor on the goods retrieving it from the North siding where it took refuge:

Ivatt on the local train, including parcels van:

A couple of the sentinel fussing round Winchcombe with a few wagons:

Eddystone at Broadway waiting to go:

Saturday evening and the sun came out for the evening special run with Black Prince, running round at Cheltenham:

Sunday and Dinmore on the goods again, this time approaching Winchcombe, passing the sentinel in the siding with its wagons:

Black Prince going the other way:

Double headed Ivatts through Toddington:

And the penultimate departure from Cheltenham with a relieved gala committee chairman in the cab:

It was an amazing weekend, Friday in particular was an incredibly memorable day for me with months of hard work on the goods train culminating in a superb sight that gained many compliments. Huge thanks to everyone who played their part either on the day or in the run up, and for everyone for coming, particularly those who cited this blog, it's always a pleasure to meet our readers.

Now time to start planning the next one!...