Wednesday 22nd - Bit of a challenge

 The day started well, but a problem presented itself with the new side skirts on 1675. 

It became apparent that too much localised heat was causing panel distortion to an unacceptable degree, so much so it was agreed the first section was scrap. We have now adopted fitting extra braces behind the panel at the joint and at about floor level, weld the skirt from the inside to the braces and it seems to be doing the trick ..... steady as we go.

Ken tried to address the problem to no avail, it was much later in the day a solution was found. The team all put their heads together as they always do.

This is taken from a tower next to the MOGO, I was welding the second top section in and decided an aerial view would be nice ...... thats Gerry cutting yet another panel.

I think Ken is getting parts ready for the North corridor connector to go back on 1675 .... progress indeed.

Colin is making window frame parts, for corridor windows. The wall to his right is the kitchen, again 1675

Of course no blog is complete without the 'Chuckle ' brothers, Geoff here in the woodwork shop making bespoke parts.

Ian attending to more brake cylinder overhauls, yes the sun was shining.

Derek is pondering over yet more floor pieces for 1675.

Dave is carrying on with a never ending number of surface repairs to 13226, in the paintshop.

Full circle back to the MOGO, with yours truly finishing the upper south end panel repair.

Many thanks to Gerry B. for yet another brilliant set of Photos.

Tuesday 21st - In absentia

Many thanks to Paul and Robert who took all the photos as I and three other members of C&W were on a course for most of the day.

 [Photo : Robert]  Beginning with the Mogo where Paul is painting the south end drawhook.

 

[Photo : Paul]  Robert of course is heavily involved with the Mogo, here having a discussion about the vehicle and joking with Ainsley.

[Photo : Paul]  Robert having a trial fit of the Cotswold side door frame.

[Photo : Paul]  Alan priming more wood for the Mogo.

  [Photo : Paul]  The north end doors now undercoated.

[Photo : Paul]   It was back to bodywork prep with FK 13326, with Stu doing more filling and sanding on the south half of the Malvern side.

[Photo : Paul]   Richared sands more of the gutter at the north end.

[Photo : Paul]  Ian is concentrating on the south door. We are really getting the door sides and doorframes thoroughly sanded to ensure they don't stick through too much paint.

[Photo : Paul]  Pam carries on from where she left off on Saturday, at the south end of the Cotswold side of the coach. We've got to that stage in bodywork prep where it feels like it will never end, but good progress is being made and we are all eagerly anticipating when the first of the light grey base coat can go on.

[Photo : Robert]   Ainsley working on another new back panel for a door off the FK.

[Photo : Robert] 

 [Photo : Paul]   Almost all the windows have been taken out of RBr 1675. Tony spent the day cleaning up the frames and also the sliders when removed.

 [Photo : Paul]   Derek prepares another piece of floorboarding for 1675.

[Photo : Robert]  David was continuing his work to create the barrier wall that will be fitted in the Workshop to section off the new coach windows area.

 [Photo : Paul]

Monday 20th - Not even Plan Z!

 As we arrived for Carriage Cleaning this greeted us

Rake 1 moving off to Winchcombe behind D6948 (good to see the Green Goddess back in service). Nigel had already started inside and had to be extracted before an unscheduled train ride! It had not been cleaned after the weekend before being removed. It was going there to have the eighth coach removed and to shuffle the first class "MARY" to be next to the buffet car.

In platform 2 we found

Rake 3! This was cleaned inside by the team, and washed on the Cotswold side. It had been cleaned by the Race Train cleaner contractors but there is always something. Like tinsel from Christmas in one carriage. Also mopped throughout. Next use for this set is the Steam Gala in May.

But we did get our first viewing of the lovely horse chestnut moquette we are currently using.

Part way through the morning D6948 re-appeared. We knew rake 2 was up the north siding, was it going to fetch it for us? No - it was on p-way duties.

Why would we need rake 2? Because somehow or other it had been shunted up the siding before the contract cleaners were able to clean it on Friday, so it was in need of a very thorough clean. I heard it is due to be pulled into the station tomorrow so maybe there is a plan to get them back to clean it this week sometime. 

And finally, why we ask that train toilets are not used in the station

So just train pictures this week, the cleaning team was Kath, Greg, John, Mark, Nigel, Paul and self.

Hopefully it will be business as usual next week. This was a definite first in all the years we have been cleaning.

Saturday 18th - A new toy

With the mayhem of the race trains over for another year, it was back to an ordinary day today, for the railway and for me, it was nice just to have a day of standard C&W work and not so busy I couldn't even do the blog!

The first ECS of the day and we all trooped out to see the new toy, 75014 'Braveheart' was out for its first revenue earning day on our railway:

It's visiting us from the Paignton & Dartmouth railway and staying for the Steam Gala 12-14th May.

First off, there was an RBr project meeting to discuss progress between the metal workers, wood workers, electrics and others:

Nick looks out from a window repair in progress!

Meanwhile at the North end Ken was working on preparing the end to refit the corridor connection:

Simon carried on with the floor bearers:

The other main project at the moment is FK 13329 and there were several bodie son this today filling and sanding; Dave:

Pam:

Jeff:

And Phil:

It's definitely making progress and hopefully not long before we can get some paint on some sections of this.

A quick dash outside to see Braveheart return, this time facing the right way:

And then upstairs to see how upholstery were getting on with the seats for 4867. Jenny and John cutting and fitting the fabric:

Laura prepares another back, with a completed piece in the foreground:

We really are indulging this standard coach with first class seating!

Back down to the workshop and Dennis was sorting out some electrical bits and bobs:

On the lathe John was sorting out the rather knackered bolts holding the north end door hinges on the Mogo, thanks John!

On the wagon itself Maurice spent most of the day painting bolt heads, Paul and I were amused to see up up on the scaffold leaning down to paint some:

The main task for today was to trial fit the last pair of doors, on the North end. Robert captured Paul and I at work:

The other 3 pairs of doors went on like a dream, with only a minor bit of easy adjustment needed. Not so here, and we spent most of the afternoon nudging things this way and that, trying to figure out what wasn't right. Eventually we got there though, Robert captured Paul checking the close:

We think the frame must be a bit out of square this end as all the doors were perfectly square, but didn't fit. Once we'd finally established what adjustments we wanted to make we marked up and Robert did the honours once we'd taken them off again:

We even got them primed by the end of the day:

The big vacuum up at the end of the day, an awful lot of pink dust around at the moment:

And the final photo on the way out, the Friends of Winchcombe team's two storage wagons finally back in place in the bay platform, I had nipped out and done a quick repair on a sprung plank on the LNWR van just before I left