Thursday 22nd - A typical Thursday

 Another varied day both in and out of the Works.

 

Beginning today with a wide-angle shot of the Indoor Gang having a well-earned rest. I once again missed them doing their essential work, this time ensuring all the compartment doors in this 3rd Rake SK worked smoothly and repairing a toilet door.

 Not so many tools needed this time.

 

Just along from the 3rd Rake, the Macaw continues to receive attention. Much of the undercoating has been completed and the top coating started, leaving the drawbars and awkward to get at bits to derust and prime. Clive digs deep, clearing off rust from one of the latter.

Back to the Paintshop and Clive's coach, it was just Richard working in 16221 today. The corridor had lengths of new skirting, which needed painting. However, the first job has to be a whiz through with the new Henry to remove the latest accumulations of dust, shavings, etc from the internal rebuild.

With skirting now primed ready for undercoating, Richard removes the masking tape as we aren't sure when the painting will be done. If Robert is still working in the corridor on Tuesday, we will leave the undercoating until Thursday.

On to the next job. Undercoating the first class compartment ceiling that has in the past been painted as it probably isn't laminate. Richard completed about half; the rest will be done on Tuesday.

On to RBr 1675 where Bryan uses the giant grinder to remove a vertical section of panelling and expose the left side of the door frame. Always a tight fit, this doorway will be very slightly widened to make future door opening a lot easier.

Gerry rechecks the redundant kitchen doorway that will be filled in, using two narrow vertical panels from this area and new aluminium sheeting.

Returning to 1675 later on to find Gerry removing the metal panelling from the left half of the south end.

One of Ken's numerous jobs was removing the remnants of the old footboard bolts from the metal supports. More often than not, they are very worn and corroded, with the central sections completely rusted in. With the rotten footboard removed, this usually involves cutting with an angle grinder to remove either the bolt head or the nut beneath, and then hoping to be able to knock out the central section. In the worst cases drilling out is the only way.

 

It was good to see Ken A. back after a long time away and completing the repairs to the U frame from one of 1675's corridor connections.

 

A coating of red oxide completes the job.

Back to my latest door from 1675 with the sanding down and general clean up almost finished.

The main side and edges painted with light grey undercoat. If I get the chance I will undercoat the reverse side on Tuesday, and the Door team get yet another nice clean door to rebuild.

Meanwhile, Ainsley and I retrieve two aluminium doors from storage. The blue trolley, one of two we use, is a real bonus for door transfers. I don't know from where we got them, but we have had them for some time.

 

One was put into our stores area in the Workshop, the other directly on to one of the team's benches and it wasn't long before stripping down started.

The magic of our Upholstery team. It won't be long before this ....................

....................... becomes this. Nick included a photo of the completed first class seat in yesterday's posting, and I just had to photograph it again.

This interesting list was placed on top of one of the piles of pre-cut Horsechestnut Leaf moquette. It comprises different parts of the seat and attachments - sides, tops, etc.

Wednesday 21st - A bit of heavy metal

 With time moving on the metalwork team try to be together on arranged days, this is particularly useful when we have large heavy items to move into place. With just a few pieces to remove, and then prepare for welding, we decided to give it a go and get the south end buffer plate in position before the end of play.

Removing the remnants of the south end buffer plate on 1675. The gas axe makes short work of it and then a clean up with a grinder, all nice and flat.

These plates are incredibly heavy, so as seniors we feel its right to use mechanical assistance.

After careful checking I (Nick) moved in and welded it in place.

With the puddle welds done, underside and inner edges will be next.

Meanwhile back in Admin. Ian and Eve quietly doing all the paperwork bits .... I have invited Eve to be trained as a welder ...... she declined the offer.

While on the personnel theme, here is Colin and Geoff otherwise known as the Chuckle Brothers .... two rather good carpenters.

Stephen is I think assembling yet another seat back/base ......

..... This is what they look like when complete.

The rest of the upholstery team are hard at it, as usual.

Back in 1675, Gerry is measuring up to close off a doorway to the corridor, he is standing in what will be a superb kitchen/food preparation area ..... there will be photos eventually.

Bryan is removing a badly corroded door pillar, we have found it much easier to remove the whole thing and build with new full sections. We work in conjunction with the doorfit team, so when they move in their job is more straightforward.

Speaking of doorfit, Trevor is fitting a re-furbished lock assembly.

And to finish, it would have been rude to have walked past Alex's latest creation, and not taken a photo.

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I'll sneak in here with a report on the evening shift at Toddington, seeing as I won't be at Winchcombe for a couple of weeks due to other commitments and I finally remembered to take some photos.

Arrival at 5:30ish presented a bit of an 'Oh' moment - how do I get in now?:

One new coal dock assembled, from the sleepers we took up on the Macaw a few weeks ago. Filled with a mix of Polish and Columbian I'm told, the Welsh is on the blink again.

Anyway, to wagons. Although the initial brief on the 2 coal wagons was just to make them look pretty rather than any ideas of actually running them, now that we've mostly done that (I'm still plodding on with the signwriting!) thoughts turned to 'Well, actually...'

To that effect, we've had the drawbars out on James Taylor, Winchcombe to follow, and some pipe for vac through-piping has been bent up, but tonight was axleboxes. Dan got stuck in, Mark supervising here:

There were plenty to go around, Rich took on some more, this one right where I was right in the middle of some lettering:

Never mind, I'll go and find another bit. Meanwhile Greg went round the underframes with some more black, inevitably having painted the lower bits first they got dripped on and scuffed with subsequent work, but Greg was on it:

Everything was given a good check over and a thorough clean, spiders who had set up camp in the axleboxes displaced, and the pads were left soaking:

As we're very much into Autumn now the nights are drawing in, but we aren't put off by minor inconveniences such as lack of light:

I did put my signwriting brushes down though and picked up a spanner to help!

And a final picture of Dinmore on shed, definitely properly dark now:

- Alex

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Tuesday 20th - Generally a quiet day

Not so many of the usual Tuesday gang in today, the number being boosted by the attendees of the Woodwork Shop training.

[Photo : Richard S]   Starting off today with the continuing roof refurbishment of theToad brake van, Maurice and Stu were top coating the ceiling.

Stu later transferred to finishing off the curved metal supports in GW Grey.

[Photo : Richard S] This looks very much like job completed.

Meanwhile up on the scaffold tower Richard was priming the new roof canvas. The target for completion is 17th October, in time for our Mixed Traction Gala over the weekend of 29th/30th October.

It was time for more Woodwork Shop training, refreshers for some and new training for others, at the end of which each member will receive a certificate stating which machines they have been cleared to use. The group comprised members of the Woodwork, Door and Indoor Gang teams.

With the need to get the marmoleum in CK 16221 laid sooner rather than later, there is a push to get as much of the internal work completed as soon as possible as there are some jobs that can only be done when the flooring is complete. Pam got going with the ceiling cleaning on Saturday and today Ian completed the job in all the compartments. All the ceilings are formica, with exception of one of the first class compartment ceilings which in the past has been painted, so there is still that to do.

Yet more work is needed with some of the doorways. I captured Robert ("Don't you dare take a photo!") while he was taking a break in the south doorway on the Malvern side.

With the painting inside the Toad completed, Maurice and Stu transferred to undercoating and top coating the Macaw bogie bolster.

With training over, Steve (Head of Woodwork) discusses with Tom and Derek the reflooring of RBr 1675.

Rod was checking the hinge pin and nut on the remaining half door on the Malvern side of 1675.

[Photo :Rod]  I was merrily continuing my crusade with the final door from 1675, vacuuming the back prior to starting the strip down of the main side.

On his way back from his work on BSK 35308, Bob has a quick go at the door prior to heading off to the Mess room for the afternoon break.

[Photo : Richard S.] I was later captured by Richard with most of the bottom half of the door cleared of the top layers of paint. It is surprising just how much can be removed with just a Stanley blade scraper. This will be followed with pad sanding to get back as far as possible to almost bare metal.

Roger, a member of the Indoor Gang, had been one of the Woodwork shop trainees. He is also our H&S Rep and with this "hat on" is adding some new stickers.

Today, and for the next few days, the DMU is sharing the train services.

On the other train is Dinmore Manor.

As well as one of our Woodwork team, Robert is also a member of the group who run the Wartime Evacuation Experience events for schools. Farmer James poses for the camera after a busy morning.