January News Part 2

Great Eastern Railway 1899 4 Wheel Brake Third 853

The vacuum piping, the installation of which has been ongoing for a few weeks now, has required some revision due to the exact location of the valve which stops the train brakes being taken off if the guard's handbrake is still applied. This valve is required in a particular place which has affected the arrangement of the pipes elsewhere. In any case, the new arrangement of "tees" and joints on the main vacuum pipe is now in place and supporting brackets for the valve itself created out of secondhand materials. Recycling Great Eastern style!

On the outside of the underframe, the footboards mentioned last week have now all been painted and the lower boards have been bolted into position for most of their length. The upper boards have also been fitted but will be taken off again when the body is required to be mated with the underframe. The addition of the boards to the underframe has made a significant visual difference and has changed the appearance of the underframe from a freight wagon-like affair to unmistakably a carriage chassis. Nothing says "vintage carriage" better than two full length boards...

Meanwhile on the body, sanding and filling work has progressed enough for the seaward side to receive a coat of white primer, to neautralise the appearance and bring out any further defects which need more cosmetic work. It has consequently gained a rather "ghost train-esque" air!

British Railways 1959 Brake Corridor Composite E21224

Floor repairs continue, with the affected panels in the side corridor now drilled out and each panel lifted out of place. They are currently laid back in position loose (to stop anyone falling through the holes!) until we make replacements.

Inside the store cupboard, more adjustment work has been required on the window surrounds. Once this was dry fitted satisfactorily, it was time to clean up the replacement glass for the window which was then fitted. Unfortunately this has made the store cupboard a more claustrophobic place to work, as the view has gone, however we cannot stand in the way of progress, and now that the window is in the cupboard is a step closer to being considered a "sealed unit" which can be shut off from other, dirty dust making elements of the vehicle's restoration.

British Railways 1959 Tourist Second Open M4843

We mentioned last week the sorry tale of the badly corroded cantrail above the Sheringham end, seaward side door. This week has seen a start made to reverse that bad fortune, with new curved sections for the cantrail being fabricated in house and then welded into position, returning strength, shape and structure to this "corner" of the carriage.

On the interior, good progress has been made with the reassembly of the Sheringham end saloon (the Holt end saloon has already been dealt with) with side panelling and seating units now being returned into position. This is being progressed by our weekend team who are doing an excellent job in making this end of the coach more more normal and complete every week!

British Railways 1958 Class 101 Railcar Driving Trailer Second Lavatory M56352

The dark early nights have prevented a picture being taken this time around, however after a big push by our star "ceiling whisperer" Roger Ison, the middle saloon and both passenger vestibules are now completed, having been fulled prepped and repainted. The two coats of gloss white were applied this week in challenging, foggy conditions outside. The low light made the painting difficult, but Roger persisted and deserves a special mention as he actually came in for no less than four days this week to get the job done, as the long range weather forecast suggested that this week was our last chance for some time for temperatures to remain above freezing overnight. Roger has our thanks for giving real dedication to the cause on this one.

Returning back indoors, re-upholstery work has started once more and the current batch of seating (for the middle saloon) is now pretty much completed and ready to return to the vehicle. A swap of old and new seating between the vehicle and the upholstery workshop will need to be done soon, which of course allows the prospect of seat refitting to start.

British Railways 1960 Covered Carriage Truck E94464

The vehicle has now been moved into the staging area to be painted. Before this was done, as much of the remaining tasks on the underframe and running gear were completed as possible. This involved freeing up all of the brakework to ensure it moved properly, adding extra springing to one of the drawhooks which had worked slightly loose, and overhaulling the two screw couplings. We also discovered the vehicle was sitting about an inch too low so the ride heights had to be adjusted on the springs to bring the vehicle into line.

The interior has also moved along very well. The walls have now been painted into gloss brown and one plank painted in chalk board paint which sets it off nicely. There are some fittings still left to refit on the interior before we can then move onto the next phase, the floor.

Southern Railway 1939 Parcels & Miscellaneous Van S1359S

This van has moved into the staging area with E94464 so that it's roof can be painted. In the meantime however, a start has been made on quickly repainting the ceiling. So far, a good proportion of the vehicle has had all the loose flaky paint chipped off and a coat of white primer applied. This job is in addition to the "original spec" and isn't a full strip down, however it will improve the light levels on the interior and help reduce the dust (and flakes of paint!) falling down onto the occupants!

Maintenance

The C Exams are now in full swing at Sheringham, headed by Dan Broughton, who has been supported on certain days by a second C&W person and of course the operations department who are essential in splitting and joining coach sets so all the proper tests can be undertaken. All of the service stock coaches (basically all the Mark 1's that are not in the dining set) have had their buckeyes and draw bars tested, wheel measurements taken and axle box oil pads checked. All of the general checks for the undersides have been completed as well.