November News Part 1

There was no update last week due to holidays to the Isle of Wight. Aside from some very nice scenery in full autumnal colours, the Isle of Wight Steam Railway was an essential segment of the itinerary, for academic research and comparison purposes of course! Their carriage fleet is exceptional, with late 19th century and early 20th century stock the norm for all passenger trains. Indeed, the youngest carriage in their fleet was built in 1924! Perhaps we should take a leaf from their book and have the vintage train in daily service?!?

Great Eastern Railway 1899 4 Wheel Brake Third 853 & Great Northern Railway (later M&GN) 1887 6 Wheel Third 129

No progress to report. This has mainly been due to the teams involved assisting the locomotive department in the overhaul of the M&GN Society's WD Steam Locomotive 90775. The inside of the tender frames required painting rapidly to allow the tank to be lifted on top. Accordingly primer, undercoat and black gloss were applied to said frames after the insides had a quick cleaning down. A team of loco volunteers were also engaged in this activity on Wednesday evening, so between everyone the task was progressed swiftly.

London North Eastern Railway 1929 4 Wheel Pigeon Van 6843

This vehicle is now back together again. The two wheelsets were cleaned down and repainted into wood effect brown with white rims and axles. They looked so good that the axleboxes and surrounding metalwork on the coach underframe had to be repainted gloss black to match. Unfortunately when reassembling the brakegear there were some problems adjusting the springs and ride height which prolonged the reassembly process. However these were overcome and the van is now back in service as it is required next week for photo charters.

British Railways 1957 Mark 1 Tourist Second Open E4641

The saga of the toilet plumbing continues. The hot water tank is now leak free and fully plumbed in. It has been tested and all was working well but the sink taps were found to be leaking. These repaired, the system was declared complete and working!

Painting has also continued well. The ends of the coach have been painted in black undercoat and gloss.

The two sides have both received two coats of both Crimson and Cream gloss which concludes the process of the main panel painting. The lining has been applied to the top above the windows, but the bottom lines (below the windows) will wait until the coach has been shunted out of the staging area.

A start has now been made on some of the fiddly painting jobs, such as painting the insides of the doors (they are not panelled on this coach due to the doors being one piece aluminium castings), painting door bump stops etc. All of the scratched glass out of the doors has now also been replaced with clean examples.

British Railways 1955 Mark 1 Suburban Composite Lavatory E43041

With the Suburban 4 project drawing to a close, activity has been frantic on this vehicle. Glazing continues with all of the smaller type of windows now installed. The larger panes, which had to be replaced as they were not safety glass, have arrived from the glass suppliers  and are now in the process of being fitted. Underneath the vehicle, a few loose ends are being tied up before the vehicle is trapped in the staging area. These have included fitting the overhauled vacuum cylinders and attaching repainted footboards.

On the interior, the corridor ceiling in third class half of the vehicle has been fitted, as have several replacement ceiling panels in the compartments. A start has now been made on refitting wall panelling to the corridors and compartments.

Where available, the veneered wooden panels have been refitted, but not all of these have been fully varnished yet, the woodwork which is not yet finished continues to be stripped, sanded and revarnished.

A lot of Formica panels have been cleaned up thoroughly by volunteers and are now being refitted around the windows. It is amazing how well they clean up.

The Formica panels out of the two toilets are also being cleaned and several have been refitted. The ceilings in the toilets are also Formica so there is a large area to clean up.

Metropolitan Cammell 1965 4 Wheel Petroleum Tank 53083

No progress to report.

Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society Lorry

The Society's Austin K2 lorry has now exited the workshop, its preparation and repaint having been completed. It is now sporting M&GN brown livery and its roof board has been lettered up M&GN. More sign-writing is required but this will be undertaken at the Lorry's base at Holt station.

Mezzanine Floor

We are pleased to report that after much lobbying a start has been made on the construction of the department's new mezzanine floor level in the corner of the workshop. This will be a valuable asset and will free up much storage space around the railway and Weybourne yard as well as making the workshop itself a much more open, neater and safer environment.

October News Part 3

Great Eastern Railway 1899 4 Wheel Brake Third 853

No progress to report.

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

No progress to report.

London North Eastern Railway 1929 4 Wheel Pigeon Van 6843

The two wheelsets have now been turned back into profile on the wheel-lathe and have been returned to the workshop. The first set is in the process of being cleaned prior to repainting as the wheels both look a little sad.

The end panels, repaired last week, have been repainted gloss black which has boosted the appearance of the vehicle's ends.

British Railways 1957 Mark 1 Tourist Second Open E4641

The stainless steel water tank has been completed and was refitted to the plumbing system, but during testing some of the joints were unable to be sealed. The tank has been removed again for the joints to be looked at. Once the system is leak free, a test will be made to see if we have hot water to the sink! The six door cards mentioned last week have now been fully varnished and await refitting once the painters are out of the way.

On the subject of painting, this has been progressing well over the week, with the whole vehicle in primer by Wednesday.

By close of play on Friday, the undercoat had been applied along both sides of the carriage giving the vehicle its two tone appearance for the first time.

British Railways 1955 Mark 1 Suburban Composite Lavatory E43041

The refitting of exterior glass has continued with the toilet areas being the latest to be glazed. A sheet of toilet glass was broken some years ago and will have to be replaced.

The wooden door surrounds have now been fitted so the mundane task of stripping off the old paint from the areas of bodyside that were not replaced  has been progressed instead.

Roger Ison took the opportunity (whilst E4641 was being painted) to clean down the two bufferbeams and remaining chassis solebar (on the landward side) and get them painted up to match the rest of the underframe.

Metropolitan Cammell 1965 4 Wheel Petroleum Tank 53083

No progress to report.

Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society Lorry

The Society's Austin K2 lorry has been brought into the workshop for some restoration work and a repaint, all of course supervised by Monkey. This has seen the teams usually associated with the vintage stock helping out the lorry volunteers. Aside from a series of mechanical tasks which had accumulated since the lorry had been purchased by the M&GN Society, rubbing down and preparation works for repainting have been undertaken, and some areas such as the flat side doors and wheels are already seeing paint.

The Axeman, himself an aficionado of classic road-going transportation, has been involved with the restoration work, concentrating on the vehicle's badge. The owners and the police have been informed...

October News Part 2

Great Eastern Railway 1899 4 Wheel Brake Third 853

No progress to report.

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

Vintage themed work has concentrated on the 6 wheeled chassis this week, with the Axeman continuing his gruesome work on realigning the brake hangars that hold the main cross-shaft (which is in turn attatched to the vacuum cylinder which operates the whole system). The seaward side support for this cross-shaft has had a new spacer machined from scratch and welded in as a degree of modification was required to fit it properly within the changed main chassis. Returning to the vacuum cylinder, suitably painted, this has now also been installed and is now nestled amongst the frames of the chassis.

The axleboxes have also been completed having been fitted with six brand new oil pads which will lubricate the axles whilst on the move. They have been itted in special trays within the axleboxes and these have also now been fully filled with bearing oil and declared complete.

London North Eastern Railway 1929 4 Wheel Pigeon Van 6843

The vehicle is now in the air having been lifted off its wheelsets and the axles removed. The first of them is currently in the wheel lathe and is in the process of being turned back into profile, as we do not like egg shaped wheels here!!

Whilst the axles are out, the four axleboxes have been removed and have been scraped back on the outsides as they were looking a little scruffy. They are now awaiting repainting. The axlebox guides have been cleaned down and polished up to ensure trouble free movement when the wheels are refitted.

On the vehicle itself, the underside has received some freshening up, with various items of ironmongery given a top-up coat of black gloss, along with the full length footboards. The Holt end bufferbeam had started to show signs of corrosion, so this was stripped back a little further before itself being repainted. A repair to the wooden end panels, which had split and were in danger of letting water in, has also been made.

British Railways 1957 Mark 1 Tourist Second Open E4641

The big visual step forward has been the painting of the roof, which has received a coat on top of the original covering. This roof has already been scraped down and treated with roof paint a the NNR in the past, so all that was required was a top up coat. Monkey was only happy to assist with this task, applying the tar like substance to the roof with ease.

Lower down on the vehicle, all of the windows have been cleaned up of excess sealant and general ditritus in order to ready the sides for bodyside painting next week. The end data panel has also been returned to its rightful place, along with some grab handles.

On the interior, the six door cards, which missed the varnishing boat last time around, were sanded and have received three coats of the golden stuff. The brass door treads have also been fitted, having been removed some months ago to make painting of the lino flooring easier. Progress on the toilet plumbing has also continued with the stainless steel water tank (mentioned last week) edging coser to completion and a blockage in the feed to the cold tap in the toilet resolved.

British Railways 1955 Mark 1 Suburban Composite Lavatory E43041

Work this week has mainly been progressing larger tasks that have already been introduced in previous updates. The refitting of exterior glass, sanding and varnishing of interior woodwork and fitting of wooden door surrounds have both continued this week.

A start has now also been made on fitting the tightly curved corridor ceiling panels in the third class (Sheringham) end of the carriage, but this is proving a challenge so far, the hardboard panels not wanting to sit on such a radius as we want them to. Negotiations are ongoing!

British Railways 1958 Class 101 Railcar Driving Motor Brake Second M51192

Our work here is done! The refresh works have now been completed with all loose ends tied up. This week saw the seaward side solebar repainted and a second coat of red given to the front end bufferbeam. Some green paint aloing the bottom edge of the vehicle which had come out a bit thin has been touched in, and the ends were finally finished off by painting on the blue square coupling designations onto the bottom corners.

With the power car now complete attention will turn to the trailer car in approximately six weektime once the DMU's duties for the season are over.

Metropolitan Cammell 1965 4 Wheel Petroleum Tank 53083

No progress to report.

October News Part 1

We are pleased to report that the Carriage Convention event, held last weekend at the NNR, was executed with great success and we have had very positive feedback from delegates who enjoyed their visit. The Saturday morning was spent in the boardroom at Weybourne enjoying various talks on carriage subjects including our own Suburban 4 Project as well as outside speakers including representatives from the National Railway Museum. The afternoon was for delegates to enjoy the variety of rolling stock in operation as part of the M&GN Society's Member's Day, before reconvening for an evening Fish & Chip special aboard the vintage train. Sunday morning saw a tour of stored rolling stock inside Bridge Road Sheds, which I believe was the first time this area of the railway has ever been made available to interested visitors.

In response to some recent requests, below is a list of the stock currently resident at Bridge Road sidings, although please note that the list is always in a state of flux as the circumstances of various vehicles around the railway change:

Operational Stock (removed from sheds periodically for use on the railway)

• M&GN Picnic Saloon 3
• Wisbech & Upwell Tramcar 7
• M&GN 4 Wheel Third 129
• LNER Pigeon Van 6843
• LNER Quad Art Set 74
• BR Mark 1 Suburban Set E43357, W46139 & E48001 (To be joined soon by E43041)

Stored Stock (Awaiting restoration)

• Class 03 Diesel Shunter D2051 (Currently visible outside)
• Class 04 Diesel Shunter D2280 (Currently visible outside)
• Class 101 DMU set E51228 & E56062 (Cosmetically restored but awaiting mechanical repairs)
• Great Eastern Bogie Brake 295
• Gresley Tourist Third Open 52226
• Thompson Full Brake 70621
• BR Mark 1 Tourist Second Open E4521
• BR Mark 1 Composte Corridor M15997
• BR Mark 1 Brake Corridor Composite 21224
• SR PMV Van 1216 (Currently visible outside)
• ICI Tube Wagon 4228 (Currently visible outside)
• Great Eastern Fruit Van 633023 (body only)
• BR "Lowmac" wagon 904148 (carries 633023)

Great Eastern Railway 1899 4 Wheel Brake Third 853

No progress to report.

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

We had to suffer, no, enjoy the Axeman for three days this week but the upshot was many a Jelly Baby was shared and the spacing pieces for the W-irons for the underframe are now fully adjusted (cut down), fitted, painted and all three torqued up to the correct strength - this last one being quite important as these lumps of metal are fairly important when it comes to keeping the wheels on!

A good start has also been made on reattaching and modifying the various hangars that are required for the braking system. This is the main focus now that the wheelsets are installed and more updates on this are bound to populate future ramblings.

London North Eastern Railway 1929 4 Wheel Pigeon Van 6843

We have snatched a brief opportunity to eliminate the wheel flats that have plagued this vehicle for years, after complaints that they were getting much worse were received this year. It is now in the workshops awaiting a start to be made on it.

British Railways 1957 Mark 1 Tourist Second Open E4641

The new stainless steel for the water heater tank that had failed last week has arrived, and a start made on folding it up and welding it together to make a new tank, and most impressive it looks too so far. The main push on the bodywork preparation is now over with the entire carriage now ready for its final paint job, which is always an exciting part of the coach's restoration as it signals the home straight of the overhaul, which is just as well as the coach celebrates it's 2-year anniversary since it entered the shops for overhaul next month. How time flies when you're wrestling which coaching stock... In order to facilitate this, a shunt was conducted placing E4641 back into the staging area where painting can hopefully commence next week.

Before it was shunted, a series of "loose end" tasks were progressed on the underside of the coach before those areas became cut off. Various electrical box covers have been cleaned up, painted gloss black and refitted, and some missing steel foot steps are in the process of being made from new to replace examples which were missing. The vacuum cylinder (and associated framework) on the landward side has also been repainted to improve the appearance of the underframe.

British Railways 1955 Mark 1 Suburban Composite Lavatory E43041

Undoubtedly the main focus at present is the final member of the Suburban 4 set. The brass grab handles mentioned last week have now all been polished up, and they have been temporarily fitted to the vehicle, the holes for which had to be relocated and drilled because the skin of the carriage is all new. The nuts on the back of the handles now have to be welded into place, essential as they will be hidden when the interior is refitted. All of the door "bump stops" (rubbers which stop the door slamming onto the body when it is opened fully) have also been fitted to the coach. The mass sanding and re-varnishing of the interior woodwork slowly also continues to progress.

Finally, the newest phase of the reconstruction, the fitting of the glass, has now started, with the Sheringham end compartment first to be fitted out. Will they go in smoothly, or will they be a pane in the backside?!?

British Railways 1958 Class 101 Railcar Driving Motor Brake Second M51192

Chris undertook more tasks on this vehicle to try and finish it off on Friday, simultaneously satisfying his unnatural love for railcars. This week, all the second coating of the cream numbers and lettering on the bodysides has been completed, and the landward side of the chassis' solebar has been painted into gloss black to spruce it up.

Metropolitan Cammell 1965 4 Wheel Petroleum Tank 53083

Pete One has now departed on holiday leaving strict instructions on the progress he wants to see which has been put into the hands of Pete Two. Before he left, the second coating of the ends and landward side of the tank were completed leaving the seaward side to start on. Pete One had to get Monkey involved (we all wondered where he had gotten to!) so that we had a "Chimp on the Inside" to keep an eye on Pete Two, but don't tell him that!

Workshop

A smaller side project has been the refurbishment of one of the station benches from the station platform here at Weybourne. This was ably done with the voluntary labour of students from Gresham's School (a local independent boarding school) over several days.

It is now resplendent in M&GN brown, the standard "livery" for Weybourne's benches.

September News Part 3

This weekend sees the NNR hold the annual Carriage Convention, for the first time in many years, this being the second time the railway has hosted. The weekend will see a party of delegates from Carriage & Wagon departments from all round the UK gather for knowledge sharing and presentations before being showcased the NNR's collection of interesting rolling stock. An intensive timetable featuring plenty of stock and locomotives has been able to be put on, made possible by combining this event with the M&GN Member's Day. As is traditional for Member's Day, shed tours will be conducted, which the C&W delegates will be able to take advantage of to see round our workshops at Weybourne. Additionally (and possibly for the first time?),the doors to Bridge Road carriage sheds will be opened for the delegates to inspect some of the future restoration projects, many of which haven't been in daylight for 10 years! To facilitate this, a working party was sent down to Bridge Road sheds this week to remove the tarpaulins from some of the coaches in there, so that visitors will be able to actually see what is in there!

Great Eastern Railway 1899 4 Wheel Brake Third 853

No new news, although works on the guards van interior and exterior beading continue to progress on an ongoing basis.

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

The packing pieces to space out the "W irons" that were described last week were completed and have now been fitted to all six wheels. However some modifications are required to the outer wheels so only the centre axle is currently fixed permanently.

The axlebox covers, which were a real mix of odds and sods, have now been brought into line by clever selection and some minor additions. Out of the six, there were three LNER examples, which have all been placed on one side for consistency, plus some Great Northern ones hich were placed on the other side. A couple of plain axleboxes have had "GNR" made out of bits of steel and washers and stuck onto them, in the name of completeness!

British Railways 1957 Mark 1 Tourist Second Open E4641

Unfortunately the water heater which was leaking failed after we attempted to repair it, splitting spectacularly during a pressure test. A new one will be required as this one is clearly "end of life". Stainless steel has been chosen and will be fabricated by hand one the required materials arrive. On a more positive note, the Holt end corridor connection, which has been removed and hanging around the workshop for months, has been  successfully refitted back onto the carriage, and the "trimmings" such as the shock absorbers and rubber bellows also fitted.

The bodywork preparation on the coach is being pushed forwards rapidly. Three quarters of the coach is now complete and ready for painting, with the final quarter expected to follow early next week.

British Railways 1955 Mark 1 Suburban Composite Lavatory E43041

The dreaded scraping of old roof paint has now commenced for this vehicle, but will probably not be fully completed before the coach is removed from the staging area to allow E4641 to be painted. Also at roof height, the gutters have been fully refitted along both sides of the vehicle.

Some of the smaller fittings are being prepared for the coach in between the larger tasks. The brass grab handles, which have had to be cast from new, have been in the process of being prepared. Due to casting marks and air bubbles, this is a very time consuming exercise involving various forms of sanding and polishing to gain a fine brass finish by the end. So far, about half the handles for the coach have been completed.

British Railways 1958 Class 101 Railcar Driving Motor Brake Second M51192

The lettering and numbering on the vehicle's sides have now received their first of two coats of cream.

Metropolitan Cammell 1965 4 Wheel Petroleum Tank 53083

Team Pete and Pete has been without a Pete leaving Pete to do the work of Pete until Pete returns from essential manning of the Weybourne bookshop. Pete will be in trouble though as Pete keeps saying how the weather is closing in, so the work Pete could have done while Pete was working might not be able to be done by Pete before the weather closes in. What will Pete say then? Regardless of the shenanigans, the project has progressed well with a second coat of grey gloss now progressing along the landward side.

60,000 Hits

The blog has recently welcomed it's 60,000th visitor. Many thanks to those readers who take an interest in reading the ramblings, which of course makes it worth doing.

September News Part 2

Great Eastern Railway 1899 4 Wheel Brake Third 853

Work has continued on the ongoing projects that have been described in full over previous weeks. More of the outside beading and paneling has been removed to allow renewal to take place where required with the landward side being the current focus. The lockers for the guards area have also progressed.

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

The chassis has changed in appearance dramatically over the past fortnight as it has become more than merely a set of frames and now has its three wheelsets positioned underneath it, and the "W irons" in place on the chassis itself. Linking the W irons with the wheels are the axleboxes, which have also been fitted to all six wheels. This was a fairly involved process as it was very important to get all the alignments correct so that the wheels sit straight on the chassis. Some thick metal packing pieces are required to locate the W irons correctly and these have been made and are now currently in the process of being painted.

Adjustments being made to W irons

British Railways 1957 Mark 1 Tourist Second Open E4641

This carriage is the next major one for releasing back into service, so the drive is now on to finish it properly and tie up all those loose ends. The toilet plumbing and water heating system, which was never quite finished earlier this year, has been under the spotlight again with various tests and tweaks to try and get trouble-free service from it. A few leaking and blocked pipes have been found in the system so these will have to be dealt with.

On the rest of the coach a big push has been made on the sanding and filling required before the painters are called in. The first week has seen one side nearly completed. The battery box covers, which were looking a little sad, have also been removed for repairs and repainting to spruce them up a bit, as otherwise the rest of the coach (once painted) will show them up!

British Railways 1955 Mark 1 Suburban Composite Lavatory E43041

Another coach that's been seeing a lot of attention. Woodwork stripping, sanding and varnishing has continued apace with a huge stack taking up the workshop, and stripping of corridor partitions inside the coach itself has also started at the second class end.

A trip to our secret storage location has meant that more interior components stripped out of the carriage are now back in the workshop to be dealt with. The glass for the vehicle has been assessed with original (non safety) panes disposed of and the ones with "kite marks" retained for refitting in the coach. These will have to be cleaned before fitting.

The exterior doors on the coach have moved forwards with all of the locks now properly aligned and fitted, a single sentence which took someone a full week! The gutters for the coach have been expertly scraped back to bare aluminium and then coated in primer ready for refitting.

The passenger communication apparatus at the Holt end of the coach has been fully rebuilt and re-attached to the coach, this was required due to its poor condition and operation, one of the many tasks we have had to undertake that wasn't originally planned for.

Lastly, a set of brake shoe hangers have been cleaned and painted for the bogies. Eagle eyed readers will know that this has been reported on before, however the brake gear from the bogies was "stolen" from this coach to speed up the bogie overhaul of TLO E48001 (out-shopped last month) so we are now painting up the examples originally from E48001 in order to fit them to the bogies on E43041 once it exits the staging area.

British Railways 1958 Class 101 Railcar Driving Motor Brake Second M51192

This has now been in traffic for two weeks since we "finished" it. We have opportunities on Fridays to do a bit more on the vehicle if the weather is dry. The vehicle's numbers, "Private" and "Guard" signs have now been painted on the sides in black and will receive the main (cream) colour in due course.

British Railways 1958 GWR Designed "Fruit D" W92097

This van is now back in service following rapid completion of its repairs. The two wheelsets, freshly turned on the wheel lathe, were refitted to the vehicle along with a set of replacement brake blocks borrowed from another wagon on the railway which is currently stored out of service. The broken spring was replaced which re-commissioned the drawgear and the vehicle was then returned to Sheringham.

Metropolitan Cammell 1965 4 Wheel Petroleum Tank 53083

Work on the repaint is progressing well on dry days. The landward side and the Holt end of the tank has now been painted in its first coat of gloss and the vehicle is beginning to shine for the first time in years!

September News Part 1

Unfortunately due to holidays and staff illness the blog has been disrupted in its usual weekly service, which may continue over the next week or two. Due to the same disruption, this update is not as fulsome as it should be as I have simply not been around the workshops to observe the excellent goings on of everybody. Alas, we can only offer the best service we can, so here is the cobbled together version:

Great Eastern Railway 1899 4 Wheel Brake Third 853

No progress to report.

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

The exterior perimeter of the chassis has been welded up and dressed sufficiently, to allow protective painting to be undertaken “all round”. It is now resplendent in black gloss. The chassis was also moved from the end of the shed into the centre, closer to its friend GER 853. This was achieved using some trolleys that are more commonly found next door supporting boilers.

British Railways 1957 Mark 1 Tourist Second Open E4641

No progress to report. Preparation work on the exterior body, in readiness for painting, is due to start soon.

British Railways 1955 Mark 1 Suburban Composite Lavatory E43041

Woodwork restoration has continued intensively, with the “window gripper bars” now reaching varnished completion. This will allow us to extract the glass soon and also to refit the windows.

The “completion” of the DMU has allowed 43041 to enter the staged area for an intensive session fitting doors. During the week, a big push was had and all the doors are now hung on their hinges. Whilst the doors will be taken off again briefly for the wooden door jambs to be fitted, the hinges are on permanently and all the complicated lining up and adjustment has been done, so it is a major step forwards.

British Railways 1958 Class 101 Railcar Driving Motor Brake Second M51192

We simply ran out of time on the DMU car as it was urgently required back in service after the steam gala. However we did get the route indicator box back onto the front and also completed the top cream line and “whiskers” on the front end before it was removed from the shed. The bottom line was attempted but turned out unfinished. After a few days in traffic, we got a day back on it when a fair proportion of the bottom line was finished and the two “British Railways” crests applied to the bodysides. Some more finishing touches (such as “Guard” lettering and the vehicle's numbers) will now be applied as and when we can get at the vehicle on dry days to do painting! Despite the very limited time available to “freshen up” the vehicle, we have already received some favourable comments as to how much better it looks, and people are already calling for the other half (trailer car) to come in for a similar job! I think we need a rest first though!

M51192 after leaving the shed (Image (C) Steve Allen)

British Railways 1958 GWR Designed "Fruit D" W92097

This van has completed another hard season on the back of one of the main service rakes carrying bicycles and buggies. It broke a drawbar spring just at the end of August so was withdrawn immediately for repairs.

It has come into the shed and taken the place of the next Mark 1 which was due in for a quick repaint, to ensure the expediency of these running repairs. It has been lifted and another job which it has been requiring for a while, the turning of the tyres, has been started.

Wheel turning, first invented by...the Vikings?

The brakeblocks are also practically at the end of their lives so will be replaced along with the broken spring which took it out of service in the first place.

Metropolitan Cammell 1965 4 Wheel Petroleum Tank 53083

Team Pete & Pete were showing worrying signs that they wanted to return to us in the shed now that they had finished the LMS brakevan repaint down at Holt. This simply could not be allowed so under feeble calls of “we might have another Indian Summer this year” and “you've done such a good job, why don't you...” we greeted them into the shed from the Holt end and chivvied them through the doors at the other end and into the yard where....the Devil tank awaited them! The Devil Tank is so named due to the resistance and disapproval there was when the M&GN society preserved it and brought it onto the railway. A relatively modern looking vehicle, of 1965 vintage, it was felt out of place on our predominantly steam railway. However C&W think that is no real argument, this tank having a place here as it is of identical design (and therefore represents) the very local North Walsham flow which continues to operate (with more modern tanks) to this day. Originally just a static proposition, it has gained a real use recently after being converted to a water treatment carrier at Weybourne for the locos. Not being required in the freight train and based at Weybourne rather than Holt, it was deemed a perfect proposition of “Peaty Repaint Magic”, as it was looking fairly tired having never had any attention of not since entering preservation. Already a fair proportion of the tank's body (including one end) has been cleaned down and painted.

Cromer Trains

The fourth (spelt correctly this time!) and final day of mainline running to Cromer for the dining train has been operated this week, thankfully successfully. We now await feedback from the board of directors to inform us of the plans (if any) for 2017 concerning the dining train and mainline operations.