REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2025

As is traditional, the final Blog post of the year looks back on the year behind us and all we have achieved, with a comparison with other recent years. This year, eight vehicles have been through the workshops with one of them being a mid-life varnish, five Bronze level overhauls and two Silvers. Five examples were coaches, with two railcars and a single wagon. This is around half what was out-shopped in 2024 (which had a total of 16 vehicles), however 2024's figures were boosted by revarnishing the Quad-Art set (adding four to the total) and a run on quick wagon repaints, both of which boost total figures without having to expend too much resource.

What rarely adds to the yearly totals however is the steady progression on our larger Silver and Gold overhauls, which have featured more heavily this year. No less than three LNER design vehicles (Gresley Brake Third Open 16631, Thompson Full Brake 70621 and Thompson Brake First Open 1866) have been progressed significantly but remain in progress. It is a similar story for Mark 1 Brake First Open (Kitchen) 14021 which has seen a huge amount of resource directed towards it but won't be completed for some time.

The following Carriage & Wagon strategic aims have been worked on over 2025:

1. Vintage Train Refresh: Three out of five vintage set coaches were successfully refreshed with the remaining two currently in works and due to be completed for the 2026 season.
2. Dining Train Completion: Brake First Open 14021's major rebuild continues, with an additional temporary generator car (CCT 94125) completed, following generator failures on the existing dining train.
3. Restoring "B Set" to Full Strength: The progress to major LNER overhauls 1866 & 16631 contributes to this aim.
4. Static Coach Improvements: The commencement of LNER 70621 to become a multi-purpose events vehicle.
5. Main Service Fleet Maintenance: The Silver overhaul of Mk1 3868 was completed.
6. Railcar Fleet Maintenance: Bronze overhauls of powercars 51192 & 51505 were undertaken.
7. Wagon Fleet Maintenance: An intermediate overhaul and repaint of plough brakevan 993707 was completed.

Viewing what we have achieved against all of the improvement programmes currently in place at the railway is probably a better way to view progress than simply numbers of vehicles completed. It also shows how the different vehicles are selected and feed into the direction the railway is trying to head toward. The selection is far from random!

January is normally a quiet and cold month with this year being no exception. We started the year with Thompson Brake First Open 1866 (Gold), Gresley Pigeon Van 6843 (Bronze), Mark 1 Brake First Open 14021 (Gold), Mark 1 Tourist Second Open 3868 (Silver) and Ballast Plough Brakevan 993707 inside the shed all being progressed.

February sharply contrasted with January after we returned three vehicles to traffic, with the Pigeon Van's repairs and revarnishing complete, the brakevan finished, and the entry into passenger service of railcar trailer car 79263 which had received the bulk of its works in 2024 and had just received its finishing touches for half term services.

March was a steady month working towards more completions, with Mark 1 3868 in particular receiving a lot of attention to complete repairs in time for the start of the main running season at Easter. This also involved repainting it for one year only into Midland & Great Northern Railway brown livery, replicating what the early NNR preservations did in 1975. This was done as part of our 50th anniversary celebrations and the coach quickly drew in a marmite effect!

In April the season started properly and we released 3868 into service for the anniversary year. Also completed for the season commencing was the return to service of railcar powercar 51192 which had been out of service for repairs for around six years. Although exterior works were limited, the front end received a bright full yellow end, recreating a rare livery variation carried during the late 1960's transition era. 

In May we started the transformation of Thompson Full Brake 70621 from a rotten wreck into a multi-purpose events vehicle, designed to travel the line wherever required and be used for static exhibitions, temporary storage space or as a large equipment carrier.

In June it was time to say goodbye to Corridor Composite 15997 which had been sold to the Mid Norfolk Railway. Bought by the railway 30 years ago as a future restoration project and to allow expansion, its future place in the fleet had been gradually replaced by the Quad-Art, Suburban and Gresley train projects. At the same time we also welcomed railcar powercar 51505 which joined the fleet and would require remedial attention (more of which below).

July saw a big step in the refresh of the vintage train with the repairs and full repaint of M&GN Picnic Saloon No3 being completed at the C&W outpost at Holt. This was one of the hardest vehicles of the five to bring back into a respectable condition so was a relief to see back out and in service. The second worst member of the set, Great Eastern Brake 853, was immediately put in No3's place and similar works started.

With the summer season and lots of maintenance in full swing, we didn't outshop any vehicles in August, however good progress was being made on all of the long running projects including Gresley Brake Third Open 16631 being steadily worked on at the contractor's in Derbyshire.

In September the salvation of Covered Carriage Truck 94125 and conversion into a generator car had been completed and the vehicle added onto the rear of the dining train. This was a real surprise to everyone as 94125 had actually been considered for disposal until this new role for it suddenly leapt out of nowhere.

October's highlight was the return to traffic of the new arrival, railcar 51505. Having only arrived in late June, amazingly all the required repairs were able to be completed in time for it to carry passengers again before the end of the diesel running season.

In November, the Vintage Train refresh project marched on with the completion of the Wisbech and Upwell tramcar, which despite having run in the set for almost the longest was in the best shape of the five. Nothing more than a good wash and a revarnish was required to return the shine to this one. As a result, its stay was swift and unproblematic.

As expected with Christmas taking out part of the month, no vehicles were released in December.

So what is 2026 expected to bring? We will continue with our aims and expect the following to be involved:

1. Vintage Train Refresh: Completion of the remaining two vehicles (M&GN 6 wheel Third 129 & GER Brake Third 853) for the start of the main season which will also bring an end to this programme.
2. Dining Train Completion: Brake First Open 14021's major rebuild is set to continue for at least another 12 months.
3. Restoring "B Set" to Full Strength: The major overhauls of BFO 1866 and BTO 16631 will continue, with a possibility that the overhaul of Tourist Third Open 13548 may commence.
4. Static Coach Improvements: The possibility of completing LNER full brake 70621 to start its role as a multi-purpose events vehicle.
5. Main Service Fleet Maintenance: Mk1 3868 is expected to be repainted into a more suitable livery and will be followed by ordinary repairs and repaints to Tourist Second Open 4641 and Corridor Second 25189.
6. Railcar Fleet Maintenance: Further work to 51505 is expected along with starting the body overhaul of powercar 51228.
7. Wagon Fleet Maintenance: Following the completion of GER 853 at Holt, further wagons may receive cosmetic work.

We can finish with a tease... Keep an eye out for one or two new arrivals next year which will fine-tune the existing fleet going forwards...

December News

Great Eastern Railway 1899 4 Wheel Brake Third 853 (BRONZE)

Some condensation free days has allowed some painting progress to continue. This has been helped by a new roof being fitted to the tent at Holt which again has reduced water ingress onto the coach! This has allowed the running boards to be (black) undercoated, the Holt end to be (red) undercoated and the landward side/Sheringham end to have their first top coats of Crimson gloss. A start has now been made on the first gloss on the seaward side.

Great Northern Railway (later M&GN) 1887 6 Wheel Third 129 (BRONZE)

The penultimate Vintage Set refresh project is progressing well in the shed at Weybourne. Having dried out from its thorough washing, all of the teak exterior woodwork has been rubbed down and all of the damaged and flaky sections along the landward side have been laboriously cut back to bare wood, with as much of the silvered and black water damaged woodwork as possible sanded back to clean wood. Some staining is too deep, as we had not got to it in time, so the damage is therefore permanent. We then had a wait for some wood bleaching acid to arrive to restore the damaged areas, which was delayed slightly as since we last ordered some several years ago newer regulations have been introduced making it illegal to supply to the public. Whilst heritage/business use is still permitted under the regulations, the formalities have had to be arranged. This arrived towards the end of this week and the offending areas have now all been bleached.

Whilst we are waiting, the undamaged seaward side and the two ends have been washed and given the first of two coats of varnish, improving their appearance greatly.

The vehicle's prominent footboards have also been the source of much attention, with the seaward side lightly rubbed down and treated to two coats of black gloss to top them up. The landward side, once again because of sun damage, had flaked in many areas so required more attention. The loose material has been removed followed by a good rub down, a coat of primer and two coats of gloss. These boards are now complete and ready for service once again.

In the New Year, the plan is to build up the varnish on the damaged woodwork on the landward side. The lining will then be recoated before the whole side is finally sealed in with a varnish coat.

London North Eastern Railway 1950 Brake Corridor Third E1866 (GOLD)

The remaining fittings that were on top of the old (failed) canvas have now been removed, including the rain strips and the cantrail strips that pin the edges of the canvas to the body. This left a bare and relatively smooth canvas that the new material can be built upwards on. With the canvas bedding compound arrived, the first task has been to coat the roof in an initial coat of the compound, which is a distinctive yellow colour. This is now being left to dry over the Christmas period.

The tables for the passenger saloon are now almost complete with frames modified to allow legroom and treated table tops back from a contractor. Hopefully it won't be long before the frames are varnished up ready to accept the new tops.

London North Eastern Railway 1938 Brake Third Open E16631E (GOLD)

No progress to report.

London North Eastern Railway 1945 Gangwayed Brake E70621E (SILVER)

The two corridor end doors, which are being progressed inside the shed now that the vehicle itself has been exiled outside, have been built up with replacement "di-bond" panels in place of the original plywood. Both frames have been repaired and have had a degree of sanding and filling smooth.

British Railways 1961 Brake First Open (Kitchen) M14021 (GOLD)

The main focus has continued to be the exterior of the Sheringham (kitchen) end. Several passes of sanding and filling has been done with primer applied where required.

The imitation window frames and door strips along with bump stops, hinges and other bodyside furniture have all been off the vehicle again to be protected on their rear faces, ready to fit permanently in due course. All of this work is steadily heading towards a final primer coat being applied, after which the area will be declared complete.

British Railways 1953 Tourist Second Open NN3868 (BRONZE)

Interior stripping out of the Sheringham end passenger saloon has continued, with all of the interior woodwork around the windows now removed, which will allow the next task of removing the window glass to start.

All of the tables from this end and the wall mounted brackets have also been stripped out, leaving only the seating remaining to come out.

Maintenance

The final intermediate running exams of the season have now been completed, so plans are now already being made on how to handle the winter/closed season examinations. This year it will be particularly challenging as we will be working in amongst major disruption at Sheringham owing to the long awaited re-signaling scheme. 

Workshop

A new grit blasting cabinet has arrived and been installed, which is 2025's big workshop improvement (or treat!). Our old cabinet had become so intermittent and unreliable it had become effectively useless so this new machine will make such a difference.

November News Delayed

Apologies for the lack of updates, this has been because of an enforced period away from the railway owing to illness. Going forwards, it will probably be the case that we will aim for these updates to be monthly, a frequency that despite best efforts we had dropped to for most of this year in any case. There seems to be less and less time available for blogging so hopefully dropping to monthly will return some consistency.

Great Eastern Railway 1899 4 Wheel Brake Third 853 (BRONZE)

At long last progress is being made, following a prolonged hold up due to the damp weather! Annoyingly rain had been penetrating the tent which, along with the temperature, made the carriage extremely damp on the outside preventing a good dusting and washdown.  A number of areas of the exterior bodyside have since been made good, repairing damage which has also taken time.

The sub team at Holt are now in the throes of priming the entire vehicle following a complete sanding and wash down.

It is hoped in the coming weeks to have a drier period which will enable further progress to be made.

Great Eastern Railway 1884 Wisbech & Upwell Tramcar 7 (BRONZE)

As part of the vintage train refresh project, this winter should see the remaining vehicles in the train treated. With two coaches already completed and the third in the tent at Holt (see above), two more remained to be completed. The first of the outstanding pair was selected as the Wisbech and Upwell coach, which was fortunately found to be in the best condition of the vehicles in the set pre-refurbishment. It was quickly decided that a thorough wash down and coat of varnish would be all that was required, and the exterior was duly acid washed and died out before being moved into the shed.

A comprehensive rub down followed after which the vehicle was washed down again and given a coat of varnish returning the shine once again to the bodywork. Whilst inside the shed the bufferbeams and railings on the verandas were treated to a coat of black paint to smarten them up and the handbrake wheel and builders paints were repainted white.

With works completed quickly, the coach was extracted from the shed and returned to storage to await a relaunch next season.

Great Northern Railway (later M&GN) 1887 6 Wheel Third 129 (BRONZE)

Hot off the heels of the Wisbech coach, we are immediately tackling the fifth and final coach in the vintage set for refresh, Teak panelled M&GN 129. This needs slightly more work than the Wisbech, with a few areas of beading having become devoid of varnish and water damaged, however we do not believe there is any actual wood renewal required. The coach was tripped back from Bridge Road sheds following the berthing of the Wisbech coach and on arrival was quickly washed down with "the special stuff" that eats away brake dust and road dirt. It was then moved inside where it is now drying out ready for varnish repairs to begin.

London North Eastern Railway 1950 Brake Corridor Third E1866 (GOLD)

The big news is that scaffolding has been erected around the vehicle giving safe and easy access to the roof, the tackling of which was long overdue. The roof has not been seriously examined or touched since the vehicle arrived so it was good to be able to get up and see what is required in this area. Unfortunately the previous roof paint has failed somewhat but will prove difficult to remove, which causes a slight headache. It was decided that the unstable material needed removing and that a new covering would be required over the existing.

So far, the roof has been sanded down and all loose paint and material chipped off. We now have a surface that is part bare canvas, part sanded down gloss paint. All of the roof vents have been removed along with the carriage board brackets, leaving the gutter strips still to detach. A new canvas and bedding compound will now be ordered ready for fitting once the roof preparation is complete.

London North Eastern Railway 1938 Brake Third Open E16631E (GOLD)

Roof work has also been progressing on the current major Gresley restoration, with the roof boards having been sanded back and primed.

Meanwhile furniture is being populated in the guards compartment, with the guards cupboard, letter rack and folding shelf being dry fitted before further adjustments, painting and permanent fitting.

London North Eastern Railway 1945 Gangwayed Brake E70621E (SILVER)

Work has continued both on the exterior and interior. Internally, the ceilings have progressed and are now in white gloss just in time for the more damp wintery conditions.

A degree of rubbing down and repair work has also been undertaken on the guards booth.

Externally, more cladding has been fixed, to several doors, but issues with some of the catches and mechanisms on the doors has prevented them all from being completed.

Unfortunately the coach has had to be moved outside for the winter which will reduce progress significantly, however we hope to return to the project in earnest come the Spring.

British Railways 1961 Brake First Open (Kitchen) M14021 (GOLD)

This major overhaul has continued to progress very well. Both the Sheringham and Holt ends have been reskinned with new pressed ends which have transformed their appearance. Both ends have had further trimmings added to them, but in different ways. The Sheringham end has received furniture in the form of the data panel cast plate and two inter-coach electrical connector blocks, bowls and leads.

Meanwhile, the Holt end has had the emergency passenger communication gear test fitted, with mounting plates now permanently welded on.

Sanding and filling is now progressing on the Sheringham end and kitchen area of the outer bodyside.

Internal work has continued with the two sliding doors for the passenger saloon the focus. Mechanisms have been restored and test fitted along with door posts for the doors to slam against. Lots of furniture for the inside of the Sheringham corridor end has also been repaired, sanded back and will be painted soon. These walls will speed up the kitchen fitting process if they are ready to go, so are being done now in readiness for internal paneling out in the future.

British Railways 1953 Tourist Second Open NN3868 (BRONZE)

Our winter project drawn from the main mark 1 running fleet has now started, with the special anniversary brown coach returning to us for repainting.

It also requires the second half of the interior intermediate overhaul to be completed. Several volunteers have now made a strong start on dismantling seating, tables and woodwork from the Sheringham end passenger saloon which will be the focus.

Two vestibules have also been rubbed down ready for revarnishing.

British Railways 1959 Metro Cammell Railcar Driving Motor Composite Lavatory W51505 (BRONZE)

Very shortly after the previous update, this vehicle was lowered back down onto its bogies with the wheelset issues resolved. It then exited the shed and shortly afterwards entered traffic making its NNR debut.

Multiple Roofs and Doors to Nowhere!

Great Eastern Railway 1899 4 Wheel Brake Third 853 (BRONZE)

No progress to report.

London North Eastern Railway 1950 Brake Corridor Third E1866 (GOLD)

The two main areas of progress have been tables and door skins. The tables have now been prototyped and following some feedback and ergonomic testing with chairs inside the saloon, it has been decided that the former school tables can be used with little modification on the single seat side, but will have a new leg design for the double seated side. These new legs are now in production, along with stripping back and revarnishing of all the table tops.

After a long period without attention, the exterior is being looked at in the form of replacement door skins. Originally, Thompson carriage doors had steel cladding on the lower halves of passenger doors and fully over luggage doors, which screwed to the front giving a smooth appearance. A design flaw of these skins is water getting in round the edges causing corrosion of the skin and rotting of the timber frame. This skin design is now being modified to wrap round the edges of the door offering greater water protection whilst maintaining original exterior appearance. So far, two new skins have been fabricated, with their curved folded edges, and trial fitted to doors on the landward side of the vehicle.

London North Eastern Railway 1938 Brake Third Open E16631E (GOLD)

No progress to report.

London North Eastern Railway 1945 Gangwayed Brake E70621E (SILVER)

The vehicle has now lost its position in the shed and will be berthed outside for some time. Before it exited, efforts were made on jobs to make the vehicle as watertight as possible. This included the sealing of the new exterior cladding on the seaward side, matching those on the landward. Cladding has also been cut and fixed to the two ends, meaning only the doors now remain.

On the subject of doors, the two inward opening examples have continued to progress, with new lower panels being fitted, the woodwork sanded, filled and primed ready for full repainting in due course.

A brief window of opportunity to house the vehicle in the staging area emerged, allowing the new roof covering to be fitted. The old roof was first prepared before the new PVC covering was stretched over and secured around the perimeter, with low maintenance recycled plastic rather than the original wooden sections.

Work on the interior has slowed as resources were diverted from this area onto the tables for 1866. However a start has been made on undercoating the ceiling, with the first sections at the Sheringham end being treated.

British Railways 1961 Brake First Open (Kitchen) M14021 (GOLD)

Exterior bodywork has continued to progress. Both ends are now ready for reskinning, following the completion of all structural framework repairs. This includes a new floor plate at the Sheringham end and replacement lower sections on all four crash pillars, mirroring the contract repairs that were undertaken 12 months ago at the Holt end. Hidden steel is being painted and protected before it is covered over.

Work is also preceding on the fake doors and windows along the seaward side of the luggage area, that will house the cooking range. This has been a fascinating project of deception, involving the welding in of an old upper half of a door skin to give the original relief to the former droplight, bolting hinges to the outside of the skin, adding fixed door handles and adding strips of steel to provide relief where the doorway weather strips and window frames would have been.

The effect is not fully finished, as some of the details will be achieved via the use of matt black paint and lines to represent gaps and folds, however a good idea of what we are trying to achieve can already been seen. The end goal is for the coach to look as original as possible on the outside, despite the massive interior changes we are making to the original Brake Corridor First interior. Once the second window frame has been welded on, the main metalwork for this part of the body will be completed, and we can start on sanding and filling.

Internally, the second of the two replacement bulkheads has now been fitted, bookending the main passenger saloon. The second example is similar to the first in changing the doorway from being just off centre rather than on the far side, as part of the conversion from side corridor to open configuration. Unlike the first bulkhead, the second was able to be formed with parts of the old bulkheads joined together and cut into new shapes, with one half even remaining in situ during the conversion.

The vehicle is now due to spend a period in the staging area where we will no doubt make use of the platforms and overhead safety lines for the next areas of restoration.

British Railways 1959 Metro Cammell Railcar Driving Motor Composite Lavatory W51505 (BRONZE)

The newly arrived DMU vehicle has seen the most dramatic changes of all during the last month. The roof has been a major area of attention, as we knew it was leaking badly in several areas. Many BR era roof vent blanking plates were replaced and/or resealed, along with the removal of former water tank fittings and breathers which were all letting water into the interior.

All the old roof paint was also scraped off by hand, before two coats of fresh paint were applied, completing this vulnerable area.

The interior will be improved further on a future works visit, however initially we have deep cleaned the entire area from floor to ceiling to reverse the five years of damp storage and water damage as best as we can. Loose paint has been chipped off to stabilise it, missing panels glued back on or replaced and the toilet locked out of service, as we don't use them on the Class 101's. Now that the roof has been resealed, all of the seating under the roof leaks (which had been removed by a very forward thinking volunteer at the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway where the coach had been stored) was returned into its correct position. A single seat base had been damaged too much by the water ingress, so was sent down to upholstery and recovered. Although not award winning, the interior is now fit for human consumption once again!

Again, corrosion repairs are not being tackled this time, however we spend around a week temporarily improving the cosmetic condition of the exterior. The 1990's high-intensity headlight has been removed backdating the appearance of the cab front by 20+ years.

This was followed by some patch painting and then several coats of gloss on the front end and cab doors to freshen them up, a trick we also employed on powercar 51192 earlier in the year. The rest of the bodysides had patch painting where the paint had fallen off in large chunks, followed by a rub down and varnish all the way round. Despite the quick and limited nature of the work, it has transformed the exterior appearance of the vehicle and it can now enter service without embarrassment.

The final stage of the works prior to an entry into traffic is mechanical. Normally in the hands of the Loco department, we are assisting in this case whilst we have the lifting capacity and whilst the vehicle is already inside our shed for the other works. A wheelset swap is required to repair damage to the front bogie which suffered wheelflats at its previous home. The vehicle has now been lifted in order to undertake this.

Other works completed have included the changing of a buffer and fitting of replacement vacuum cylinders. We do not envisage 51505 requiring to stay with us much longer as the remaining mechanical work is all that is now outstanding in our original schedule for the vehicle. It is anticipated that further work will be done to it in 12-18 months time all being well.

Maintenance

A start has been made on steam heating repairs, with at least four coaches throwing up issues after testing. Unglamourous but essential work each year!

A prettier task was the recommissioning of the L.E.D. lighting systems on the vintage train, which have never been used before despite being incorporated into the restoration of the set. It was very satisfying to see the system in action, which was enjoyed by a private charter run into the evening last month. The vintage train is available to hire, day or night, for anyone who wants a special train along the North Norfolk coast!