October News Part 1

We are back! After being on Furlough for six months, work on some of the railway's stock is recommencing at last. Some contract work has been going on for some time, and a reduced number of volunteers were able to return before many of the paid staff, so this blog will have to gloss-over many weeks of hard work and offer a sort of summary bringing us back to the present day. The Blog is planned to return in 2-week format rather than every week, as the Covid era output of the department is now that much lower than before, something we are going to have to get used to as the railway passes through survival mode and looks to the future within a changed world.

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

The brake rodding has now been successfully ultrasonically tested. The refitting of these rods, vacuum brake testing and weighing are now the only tasks remaining for this vehicle.

London North Eastern Railway 1950 Brake Corridor Third E1866E (GOLD)

Because of social distancing no volunteer work has been able to continue on this vehicle. It has however moved into the shed where it has taken the place normally occupied by a Mark 1 - meaning at the moment there is the rare occurrence of two pre-British Railways designed vehicles in the shed at once. This move was to allow contract work to progress on the two bogies over the mainly closed period by two members of staff who were able to be brought back off furlough early to undertake the work. This was part of the package between the supporting charity and railway company that has proven essential to the survival of the railway - a fine example of working together to get the railway through this crippling year.

The work itself has been full dismantling of the two bogies which have been stripped back to bare metal and all parts repainted. The brake gear was all re-bushed where required for smooth operation into the future, and the wheelsets were sent away and the tyres turned back to an acceptable profile. The current status is that one bogie is almost back together minus its sprung centre bolster, with the second painted and almost ready for reassembly.

London North Eastern Railway 1931 Corridor Third E12493E (BRONZE)

With the limits to the numbers of volunteers able to work inside the Carriage & Wagon shed, the Joint Heritage Coach Fund volunteers have investigated new projects away from the shed to progress until the situation is resolved. One of these has been the static Gresley coach at Sheringham more commonly known as the "play coach" which requires minor exterior attention from time-to-time to keep it on the straight and narrow until it receives full restoration as a running vehicle many years from now.

Every few years the vehicle requires repairs and a repaint and this has been progressing over the late summer by a small team. Rotten timber panels have been replaced where required and some other minor leaks resealed giving a relatively solid base in which to rub down. The seaward (platform) side has been treated and repainted whilst the more difficult landward (car park) side is not too far behind with the upper section completed and the lower section currently in primer awaiting the final push into gloss.

Previously the coach was maroon on the seaward side and carmine/cream on the landward, but it will be maroon both sides by the time these works are completed, just as well as the weather is now starting to turn although hopefully October can still provide enough sunny days to finish the job!

British Railways 1959 Brake Corridor Composite E21224 (GOLD)

The railway's major Mark 1 restoration project was fallow for most of the period however a very few volunteers have been able to continue recently with it. The previous long running task of completing the rebuild of the guards inward doors and double luggage doors has been able to be brought to completion, with all the doors now fully planked, fittings tested and made to operate correctly etc.

Meanwhile the final varnishing has taken place along the side corridor of the passenger area. The lack of activity was useful for this task as there was less air movement in the shed which created less dust in the drying varnish. It looks very rich in colour and well worth the comprehensive stripping back. Cheap dark stains from B&W were not welcome on this restoration! Some football graffiti remains scratched in the panels for social history (not like we had a choice as we couldn't remove it!!) but nothing offensive.

The last week has seen two members of paid staff return and they have been employed on 21224's completion. This has seen more progress return in slightly different areas. Firstly, the bodyside filling and sanding has now been completed meaning it is ready for paint to be applied.

The first coat of oil-rig roof paint has been applied, with a second to follow which will be done before bodyside painting starts. This is to allow more slack for unintended paint splashes falling downwards from the roof.

Finally, the luggage area has changed significantly in appearance. The filling in of the planking screws and smooth sanding to hide them was completed in time for the whole area to be covered in brown undercoat ready for gloss. In addition to this, the removed section of parcel cage framework was returned back into its rightful place before the replacement mesh was welded back in. The cage was then primed and undercoated quickly bringing it in line with the status of the rest of the compartment. The whole area is now ready for glossing.

The ceiling of the side corridor and luggage van has also been gloss painted in white. This only part finishes the vehicle however, as the two passenger vestibules and guards compartment still remain to be treated.

Other odd jobs have included fitting the pipework to the toilet tank down into the cupboards at the Holt end, where they will be left for now until a controlled emission toilet is fitted next year, a requirement as this coach is destined for the mainline railway, as far as Cromer at least. The tank at the other end, which won't be in use, has been capped in case an individual of limited brain matter climbs on the roof to try and fill it with water! The ground level filler pipes have also been capped so there can be no confusion for anyone preparing a set for service and filling water tanks in the conventional manner.

The lamp brackets, which were removed for easier welding access, have been reattached to the corridor gangways, essential on this coach as being a brake it is likely to spend a lot of time at the end of the train. 

British Railways 1957 Tourist Second Open E4521 (SILVER)

This project was cancelled for the foreseeable future because of a combination of there being very little  requirement for open stock at the present time, along with concentration being required on running stock and lower-level overhauls for the time being. The vehicle was tripped to Holt where it is now in storage.

British Railways 1962 First Open M3116 (REPAIR)

Work has predominantly continued on the bogies. Two of the wheelsets also ended up being sent away for turning which now match the two that have been turned in house. All four have been cleaned down and repainted, including the mandatory white bands on the tyre to check for tyre slippage.

Whilst this has been going on the bogie frames have also had a thorough clean down on the outside and repainted up to black gloss. The detail parts such as the dampers, coil springs and axle-box covers have also been picked out in the correct blue, red and yellow colours respectively.

The work on the wheels and bogie frames is likely to be brought together soon as the two bogies are reassembled ready for fitting back under the coach.

Elsewhere on the vehicle, two quite bad roof leaks have been diagnosed and the relevant areas of rotten roof plated over and sealed. The rotten wooden mounting plates for the lighting jumper cable connections have been replaced with new ones which are currently on the bench being painted up ready to fit.

British Railways 1958 Class 101 Railcar Driving Motor Brake Second E51228 (REPAIR)

Another project taken on by volunteers away from the shed has been the power car of the Class 101 DMU recently sold to the M&GN Society. It was decided many improvements could be made to the brake compartment. The emergency equipment cupboard has been reduced in width freeing up a space in the corner to secure the disabled ramp which has never had a proper home. Two new small tables have been fitted on the drivers side, one of which hinges up and down, to replace a much larger table which took up room which could otherwise be used for equipment and bikes/buggies. Another equipment cupboard has been modified and now has a proper space to hold the fire beaters which are carried on the units.

Alongside these modifications, other areas of the van have been repaired if they were damaged or wobbly, and the ceiling repainted to improve its appearance. The walls have also been tidied up and are currently in primer prior to the whole area being repainted.

Maintenance

Maintenance works resumed in July when the railway started running services again. The Quad Art set was the savior of the railway during the summer months after they were thrust into daily service, something they haven't had to endure since the 1960's. They have now been removed from serve again as they are not very suitable for late autumn and winter services due to their lack of heating. During the summer this year they ran many more miles than they have run in their entire 10 year life since being majorly restored in 2008. Despite bearing a few scars from the extra use and being smothered in a thick black glaze at the Holt end from the steam engines, they have generally fared very well indeed.

A second set has been maintained for the summer - formed of corridor Mark 1 vehicles and suburbans. This set has been reconfigured slightly and is now the main set in use for the remainder of the October services. Like the Quads, the suburbans have seen increased running and they are now being used for general services in the same way as they always before before being withdrawn and overhauled in the "Suburban 4" project. Given that this set, with a few tweaks, can be heated over the winter, is is likely it will continue to see intensive use and be used in one form or another for the winter lights and Santa trains.

Workshop

Some more progress has been made on the platform barrows but shed space has limited much more being done. Other volunteers have been helping out refurbishing parts for the Weybourne bookshop and a new container has been fitted out for M&GN fund raising purposes as again this was a project that could be progressed in a social distanced manner.

Thanks are also due to Tim Bambridge who has supported the department over the difficult period with supplying some new tools including battery drills and a battery jigsaw: a new-fangled machine we have never come across before in cordless format!

Blog Images

Sadly since coming back off Furlough the online software used to host this blog has changed to a new version and they have removed the old version before fixing the issue of not being able to add photos! This is a "bug" it would seem and feedback has been sent to them - others have experienced the same issue and have been told the developers are working to resolve the issue. Looks like this is just another bit of turbulence on our flight through 2020!