January News Part 2

We have now settled into our routine for the foreseeable future, with all labour concentrated on two major projects in the shed.

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

The preparations for the big reassembly of the second of the pair of bogies under contract restoration continue. The four axleboxes, which had just been started last update, are now completed and lie resplendent in front of the fire in black gloss.

These are now ready to be refitted to the wheelsets, and accordingly new oil seals at the rear have been cut and the bearing surfaces on the ends of the axles polished ready to accept the boxes and white-metal journals soon.

The marathon painting session of the ancillary equipment of the bogie is also practically completed, with some very uninspiring and "un-photogenic" boxes of assorted washers and pins being some of the few items available to record progress.

On the coach itself: the splash guards on the underside of the floor (described last time) have all been specified, material delivered, cut to size and fitted over the last two weeks. The coach was lifted again to facilitate this work.

The sheets involved more than simply screwing up into place, the design of the floor required a degree of framework to be constructed upon which the thin panels hang. They are galvanised steel which will last much longer in service but made the sheets significantly heavier to lift up into place in a socially distanced manner!

The opportunity has been taken whilst the coach is on jacks for volunteers to install new electrical trunking to route the new power feed cables from the main fuse box, diametrically across the coach and up into the guards area. This is still work in progress but the cable route is now clear to see.

British Railways 1959 Brake Corridor Composite E21224 (GOLD)

Progress has really taken off again now and whilst there are only two people on task making advancement limited, when judged in Covid times its been a busy two weeks. The interior has moved on significantly with the furnishing of the walls and ceilings in the vestibules and side corridor being a major area of focus. The final section of modified ceiling for the Holt end vestibule has been fitted meaning these only need beading to finish them off.

All of the veneered side panels, restored a year or two ago, very quickly were fitted to the side corridor making this area instantly look much closer to completion. The tightness of the corridor and lack of natural light means the photos can't do this area justice.

Not content with just the paneling, the window surrounds quickly followed, along with much of the beading. Some pieces were damaged or missing however, so a batch has been machined up and is now being built up with varnish prior to fitting.

Further down the coach, a delay in the paint for the exterior arriving allowed two days to be spent painting the luggage compartment instead.

This had been primed and undercoated earlier in the year but the gloss was still in its infancy when Furlough beckoned. Over the two days there was just enough time to get two coats of brown (bauxite) gloss on the cage, insides of the doors and wall planking. 

Also treated were all of the interior sliding doors (not currently fitted to the vehicle) which are also painted brown. These doors are now complete and will simply need refitting once the lino is in place allowing the floor runners to be returned into position.

Once the paint supplies were replenished the main priority task, exterior painting, could kick off in earnest. With all preparations complete it was not long before the pink primer made its way around the coach. By close of play Friday both sides and the Sheringham end had been primed with just the Holt corridor end still to do. The coach has returned to a single colour for the first time in many years!