Welcome Back Picnic Saloon

The previous update covered our farewell to Corridor Composite 15997, pleasingly this time we can welcome back a coach into service following a spell away, which hopefully is more representative of our style!

Midland Railway (later M&GN) 1886 6 Wheel Picnic Saloon 3 (BRONZE)

The vintage train now has both of its genuine Midland & Great Northern coaches back in action following the final completion of the Picnic Saloon. With lining and finishing touches under our belts, No3 has been swapped back into the train in time for the resumption of steam services and summer holiday Victorian Sundays. It becomes the second of the planned vintage set refreshes to be delivered, following Pigeon Van 6843 earlier this year. 6843 is now required fully on the vintage train as No3's place in the Holt tent is being taken by GER 853 (see below), making 6843 the only available 4 wheel brake vehicle for the set.

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

Despite being the last of the five vintage train coaches to be completed, as late as 2019, one side of 853 has been showing minor signs of distress, so it has been selected for early rectification. The first challenge however was getting it inside the tent at Holt, with initial efforts having to be abandoned as it would seem the Great Eastern's use of the loading gauge by 1899 was more ambitious than the Midland Railway's interpretation 15 years earlier! After a brief visit by the scaffolders, sufficient boards and poles had been adjusted to receive the new 4-wheeler. Work will be commencing on the rectification works soon, and (famous last words) all being well the scope will be smaller and therefore quicker than that of the Picnic Saloon.

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

Interior work continues, with the beading a trimming work continuing into the bar and toilet areas at the Holt end of the coach.

Also in the toilet, period cisterns and associated pipework salvaged from ex-Brighton Belle Pullman stock is in the process of being fitted. Some plastic pipework is also being incorporated, but will be disguised with a chrome style cover to give a more heritage feel.

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

No progress to report.

London North Eastern Railway 1945 Gangwayed Brake E70621E (SILVER)

Exterior progress continues with the new side cladding being fitted to the body all along the seaward side. This is being done carefully to minimise obvious gaps between the panels which will need to appear as seamless as possible when we go for the illusion of horizontal planking.

The two inward opening guards doors are advancing steadily, with replacement cladding being fitted in place of the rotten plywood examples and the droplight windows being attended to. The landward side window has been fully removed and a replacement sheet of glass has now arrived to replace the smashed original.

As the exterior cladding is being progressed by a dedicated team, others have been available to progress the interior. All of the old remnants of the museum usage have now been fully stripped out, including the track display at the Sheringham end, additional side wall display boards, all of the old wiring, and finally all of the lighting rigs. The latter was a particularly eccentric mix of different lighting types and styles, presumably to light up displays differently as required (e.g. spot lighting or ambient).

On the "work top down" basis, the ceiling has now been stablised, rubbed down and primed where required, and now awaits repainting. The centre guards compartment has also had its outer walls rubbed down. A single ceiling baton (salvaged from the many that have been removed!) has been treated, primed and refitted in a simple, central position, ready to receive replacement lighting in due course.

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

This vehicle has been turbocharged over the past month, with serious resources being directed back towards it, with a resulting spike in visual progress. Almost all of this is in the steel and bodywork department, which is essential to the future wellbeing of the coach despite sometimes appearing mundane in nature. Firstly, the landward side of the main passenger saloon is now being tackled in an identical fashion to the seaward side achieved last year. As always, stripping out and framework repairs are being done before skinning. A lot of floor support repairs have been required around the lower end, but following an intensive few weeks, all of the framework for this section is now completed and all skin removed ready for the replacements to go in.

In parallel with the landward side, the former luggage compartment (now kitchen end) is also being worked on with exactly the same aim. Being of a smaller length than the saloon, the decision has been made to do the whole compartment at once (i.e. both sides) meaning once the area is complete, we will only have the ends remaining. On inspection of the floor supports, it was discovered that severe and previously undetected corrosion has gripped this end of the vehicle, so the (arguably quite drastic) decision was made to strip out the whole concrete floor and steel corrugation below and go again. This proved to be the right call as the scale of hidden corrosion was immense, proving that the floor would not be fit for a long service life of any kind, not least one where very heavy kitchen equipment is being brought into the mix! Following a very dirty few days, the old floor was broken up, extracted and the rotten steel removed. This allowed the exposed chassis framework to be treated and repainted before a brand new set of "top hat" floor supports were welded to the chassis, sound and ready to receive a new floor. The concrete will not be replicated, as a traditional lino floor with suitable kitchen-quality covering is what is planned for this area.

The remainder of the sides in this compartment have followed a similar pattern to the saloon side, with framework repairs being made where required, with a focus on beneath windows and towards the bottom of the vehicle where water has sat in the past.

One thing that is different to this area in comparison to the rest of the coach is the seaward side having most of the door/window apertures welded up to suit the new kitchen role. This has required additional framework to act as bracing when the new skin over the old doors and windows is welded in, to hopefully eliminate future water leaks. One of the worst features of our current kitchen car is the insane number of doors and windows that are out of use, and in some cases paneled over on the inside preventing maintenance access. This creates water entry points that can't easily be repaired or eliminated, and has contributed greatly to the decline in body condition of this vehicle.

Finally, work on the Holt end bulkhead continues with trail fitting of the sliding door and jambs, something requiring great precision to ensure it is in the right place once all of the carpets, wall panels etc. has been fitted in the future.

British Railways 1958 Covered Carriage Truck M94125 (SILVER)

The main body repairs to this vehicle have now been finished, with the final two doors repaired and all eight rehung onto the vehicle successfully, after some adjustments. Further sanding and filling work was then completed on the vehicle before being handed over for painting.

The painting of the vehicle is now over half way there, with a primer, and undercoat and a first gloss all being applied around the vehicle. It is currently rubbed down ready to have a second Crimson gloss.

The roof has also been painted black, two coats, which finishes this area.

The Sheringham end doors have also been completed and repainted gloss black, ready for use when the new generator arrives.

The interior of the vehicle has received two partitions to split the vehicle into three compartments: a store at the Holt end, a central area that is to be used for Commercial Department storage, and the generator compartment at the Sheringham end. These partitions were recycled with removed components recently salvaged from the surplus museum coach (70621), so cost nothing.

British Railways 1959 Metro Cammell Railcar Driving Motor Composite Lavatory E51505 (BRONZE)

A few days have been spent removing the damaged ceiling panel that sits under one of the worst of the roof leaks. This panel will be replaced once the roof has been resealed.

The other focus has been cleaning with the alloy window surrounds being treated of their stains, water marks and moss growth! They already look much better for it.

Maintenance

CCT 94464, currently on the dining train in use as a generator car, was extracted from the train this week in order to swap the hired generator for the bought one that will in time be located in 94125 in the workshop. Unfortunately after splitting 94464, moving it to Weybourne and removing the hired generator, it was discovered the bought generator had a differing plug system so the hired set had to quickly be plumbed back in! Such are the trials of running a railway... The required modifications are now in hand to allow a second attempt in the near future. 

Workshop

The area of cleared yard land has now had a track panel built and positioned ready to receive our spare bogies. Many thanks are due to the Pway department for quickly doing the track panel for us.

Farewell 15997

Apologies for the lack of recent updates, but time has been in short supply of late.

Midland Railway (later M&GN) 1886 6 Wheel Picnic Saloon 3 (BRONZE)

Completion is just days away with the finishing touches being made to the lining.

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

Trimming and finishing works to the side paneling of the main passenger saloon continues.

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

Exterior painting continues with a recent focus on the upper (cream) half. Beading and panels have received further coats and are now finished up to gloss.

London North Eastern Railway 1945 Gangwayed Brake E70621E (SILVER)

This vehicle has progressed very well having been the recent lead project for volunteers. The remaining rotten timber has been removed from the bodysides including the blanks for the top row of windows and the cantrail strips that held down the edges of the original canvas roof cover. With the rather rotten windows underneath revealed, these have been brushed down and stabilised before being primed to match the rest of the vehicle.

With the entire exterior now in primer, two coats of red protective gloss have been applied, mainly by visiting corporate groups. The sides and ends are therefore now ready for cladding in Aluminium Composite Panels shortly. In readiness for cladding, all the surviving fittings such as door bump stops and lighting cable connectors have also been stripped off the body. These will all be refitted after the cladding is complete.

Work has started on the two inward opening guards doors. These are receiving more attention than the other doors as having been screwed shut and out of use for many years are required to become the main entry points. So far they have been eased out of their frames and now open/shut again, and the smashed droplight window has been dismantled out of one of them and measured up for new glass to be made for it. The work to these doors has been assigned to a single volunteer who all being well will steadily continue with them till they are completed.

The underframe is now cosmetically complete, with black gloss also being applied all round by corporate volunteers. Remaining underframe work will now be confined to returning a few missing components and the recommissioning of the brake system.

The interior is being somewhat saved until the weather turns later in the year rendering exterior work impossible, so remains unchanged from the previous update.

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

The Holt end storage cupboard and associated saloon bulkhead continues to be worked on steadily.

British Railways 1958 Covered Carriage Truck M94125 (SILVER)

At the last update, around 50% of the steelwork bodyside and end repair work had been completed. The remaining 50% has now been treated, with work to the Holt end (and roof) being tackled before the landward side, which was actually the worst side of all, with all three windows requiring very invasive attention.

With all the rotten areas cut out, treated and repaired with new metal framework and skin, the window apertures which are being returned as windows have had their respective panes of glass refitted and resealed.

The two windows at the Sheringham end are having louvre air vents fitted where the glass used to be, to a sympathetic design that can easily be reversed back to glazing in the future when required. The new louvre units, produced externally, have now arrived and look great.

With welding work complete, filling and body prep sanding is now in full swing and is due to be completed quickly, owing to the straight sided design of the CCT and its short length. It should not be too long before the main painting of the vehicle commences.

Moving onto the doors, six out of the eight bodyside doors have been through the "door hospital" for repairs, removal of old rivetted patches and tidying up to make sure they are safe for use (e.g. some handrails had corroded and were pulling away from the doors). These have been quickly refitted to the vehicle. The final two are now in the process of being similarly repaired.

The Sheringham end doors are gently being repaired and adjusted so they open/close effectively and have received corrosion and wood repairs and new bolt fixings as part of this process. It shouldn't be too long before these are finished and can be painted.

Finally, the new generator which will be installed into 94125 to power the dining train has been ordered from the supplier.

British Railways 1957 Corridor Second W25189 (REPAIR)

The first round of steam heat repairs have been completed on this vehicle which was returned to traffic for the Mixed Traction Gala in mid June.

The new steam pipe duly arrived and was shaped and fitted to cure the holes around the central water drain and further down above the Sheringham end bogies where holes had been discovered.

Unfortunately a further couple of leaks were discovered during a test after the vehicle had returned to service, so we will have to return to this job in order to finish it before winter.

British Railways 1957 Corridor Composite M15997 

Our long-term stored Corridor Composite, 15997, has now left the railway for pastures new. Built in July 1957 from Wolverton works, M15997 was a typical vehicle of its type with four first class compartments and three second class compartments. Having run its entire life on the Midland Region first in Maroon and then in Blue & Grey livery, it was withdrawn in June 1981 and transferred to the Doncaster Works test train with the new identity of ADB977054 where it was used as dead-weight for overhauled locomotives emerging from the works to haul under test. The windows were plated over and the vehicle painted plain blue for this purpose. After just over a decade, final withdrawal came in September 1992 and the coach selected for preservation on the North Norfolk, arriving in 1994.

Despite the drastic appearance of the plated windows, the coach was in much better condition than it looked, and the original plan was for it to be quickly repaired and put into service. Sadly the resources were not available at the time to manage this and the coach kept in storage "to be done one day". Alas, multiple administrations (including ours!) failed to get 15997 to the top of the restoration queue, and in the intervening 30 years of outside storage, the condition of the coach fell to the point where restoration, whilst remaining completely possible, would be a much greater task than would have been in 1994.

By early 2020 the coach had become tantalisingly close to being considered for restoration, as the major dining train, suburban set and quad art projects had all been completed and every Mark 1 on the railway was either in use or in the workshop being overhauled. 15997 was on track for possible salvation by the mid 2020's. Sadly the effective stopping of the constant overhaul cycle during the Covid Pandemic for two years led to four other coaches deteriorating unexpectedly quickly and being withdrawn from traffic and put into storage, throwing 15997 from first in the queue to fifth almost overnight.

After allowing the effects of the Covid stoppage to subside for several years, so as to be sure, 15997 was recently reviewed again. With regret, it was concluded that with the new reduced volunteer landscape, the increasing ages of all the carriage fleet, and the required capacity required of the coach fleet going forwards, 15997 didn't fit into the future strategy, so was offered for sale. With no takers, an exchange deal (see below) was in time agreed upon, concluding with us bidding a fond farewell to "the one that got away" from us!

We wish the new owners all the best with 15997 and we are keeping our fingers crossed that one day, they can restore 15997 to service and we can visit for a ride!

British Railways 1959 Metro Cammell Railcar Driving Motor Composite Lavatory E51505 (BRONZE)

The railway welcomed a new Class 101 railcar vehicle onto the books, powercar 51505, to further build resilience in the fleet. It is in remarkably good order considering the time it has spent in storage and should be resurrected for service relatively quickly by a joint taskforce of Loco and C&W members.

The vehicle has some interior issues and a roof that is leaking in several places so requires an urgent (Bronze level) period of attention so that the job of keeping it in reasonable order does not grow massively in the future due to water damage!

This blog won't cover the mechanical works as it is outside our scope, but within a few days of arrival the exterior had received a good wash down which transformed its appearance greatly and showed that the paintwork is still very reasonable in its colour and not faded - as the photo shows, far too good to repaint you could even say!

The bogies and underframe equipment have also received a jet wash down and a coat of black paint to spruce it all up, partly with the help once again of a corporate volunteer group.

Maintenance

Rolling reupholstery work continues inside TSO NN3868, along with the steady stream of mid-season examinations.

Workshop

The second and third phases of the project to tidy up Weybourne Yard has been completed, with an area to the side of the C&W Shed that is on lower ground to the rest of the site (known as "Dingley Dell") being cleared out and steadily restacked with Diesel Spares.

This has in turn allowed a large strip of land alongside our main access road to be emptied and levelled in readiness for laying a track panel to house spare carriage bogies, which are currently stacked on the ground elsewhere and look unsightly.

On the subject of bogies, we have received a pair of spare "B4" type Mark 1 coach bogies as we did not possess any ourselves. These were exchanged for the CK coach (see above) and will strengthen our long term spares position. These bogies will ultimately live on the bogie track panel being prepared at Weybourne.