April News Part 3

Great Eastern Railway 1899 4 Wheel Brake Third 853

Another week of great, visual, progress to report. Focus remains on the interior walls and paneling where some dramatic changes have been made. The Holt end (guard's) wall has had some more panels fitted and the joins caulked.

Also in this area, a start has been made on machining a new side piece for the guard's ducket (protruding side window) as the original had rotted beyond repair. The partition between the guards compartment and the passenger compartments has been partially built with the reclaimed GER tongue and groove panels mentioned in previous weeks starting to be fixed in position. The half-height partition that separates the two passenger compartments has now been fitted and is the first partition to be completed. This includes a pole to support the roof where there is no planking. The completion of the partition so early on in the restoration really puts the team in "pole position"!

British Railways 1962 Mark 1 First Open M3116

Currently awaiting the return of its seating from contract re-upholstering.

British Railways 1957 Mark 1 Tourist Second Open E4641

Re-varnishing of interior woodwork has continued steadily but is still ongoing. Whilst we wait for varnished wood to catch up, some beading and bulkhead "furniture" (vent grills, signage etc) has been fitted to the  bulkheads inside the carriage, which really sets them off nicely.

Elsewhere on the interior, the steam heating pipes have been bolted to the feeder pipes which come up through the floor, which has fixed them into their final position. This has allowed a start to be made on plumbing back in the individual heaters which sit under every seat and keep passenger's nice and warm around the tables!

These have not required overhaul but had to be removed and stored safely when we stripped the coach out for the major welding work last year.

British Railways 1955 Mark 1 Suburban Composite Lavatory E43041

Focus has remained on the steel paneling. On the landward side, the first of the larger corridor side windows is starting to take shape.

Meanwhile on the seaward side, the first three compartments have been completed and painted in primer.

British Railways 1955 Mark 1 Suburban Third Lavatory Open E48001

The Sheringham end bogie is now firmly in the reassembly stage and it was lifted back onto its wheels this week. The mechanical brake gear is now in the process of being refitted.

On the inside of the vehicle, the wood refit has continued and seven (nearly half) of the doors in the Holt end saloon have had all their wooden components firmly fitted into place with the door also checked to make sure it still closes properly once all the bits and bobs have been attached to it.

The exterior has also progressed well with the first wave of sanding and body filling now almost completed for the landward side of the vehicle.

Midland & Great Northern Railway 1881 4 Wheel Tool Van 12

The final 10% of the exterior repaint/revarnish was quickly completed leaving only the underneath to sort out.

An intensive wheel turning session resulted in the second of the two axles being machined to eliminate the wheel-flats. It was a close run thing, but with Monkey's help the wheel was completed ready for reassembly on Friday.

A group effort led to the wheels being reassembled onto their axleboxes, the van lowered back onto its wheels, the brakegear reassembled and the vacuum brakes tested successfully. The vehicle is now complete and is once again available for traffic.