May News Part 3

London North Eastern Railway 1950 Brake Corridor Third E1866 (GOLD)

Work this week has involved separating a guard's emergency vacuum brake valve from a severed piece of pipe. It had been reclaimed quickly off a scrap vehicle and was being held in stores. It is now back to its constituent parts and can be restored for use. Also reclaimed has been some pipework left over from another vehicle which will be added to E1866.

British Railways 1959 Brake Corridor Composite E21224 (GOLD)

A few tasks which do not rely on the lino flooring being fitted have been progressed. The ambulance cupboard inside the luggage area received its final coats of internal white paint, which once dry, allowed the equipment to be loaded inside. This done and audited, the door was shut and the glass panel installed over the front to prevent casual access.

Staying on the subject of emergency equipment, the guards end fire extinguisher and emergency ladder have both been strapped into place having had new straps custom made to size. The ladder has been prepared steadily over the last month.

Inside the corridor and compartments, all of the gaps between the woodwork and glass have been filled in with mastic and wiped down to give an effective seal, so that condensations drains into the channels/drains rather than straight into the void below the windows. This left a matt residue so the affected areas were cleaned down again and an extra coat of varnish applied to return their shine.

We are also starting to prepare for constructing five tables intended for use in the compartments with cream teas. We have no suitably shaped tables in stock so we shall make new in the style of the removable compartment tables BR used - but one difference being ours will be permanently fixed as the temporary ones wobble aren't really secure enough for permanent use. We have four original metal legs from scrapped vehicles left in our stores so these are being used and we are constructing a fifth to as close as possible a match to complete the set. We have modified the original legs slightly with new "feet" as the originals were sadly too degraded for reuse. There is now also a materials list for the wooden tops which will be made in due course.

One of the final items of mechanical equipment to resolve was the air brake distributor. After two years on the back burner, this has now been retrieved and successfully reassembled following a strip down and clean. The exterior of the valve has also been cleaned down and is currently sporting primer. E21224 will be leaving the staging area soon so we anticipate the distributor can be fitted shortly.

British Railways 1957 Mark 1 Tourist Second Open E4641 (BRONZE)

E4641 was moved out of the staging shortly after the last update which allowed the solebars, footboards and bufferbeams to have a top up coat of black gloss paint to smarten them up and complete the repaint. Added to this was the solebar lettering and brake stars which couldn't be applied when in the staging.

Likewise the painting of stripes on the wheels (to indicate tyre slippage), a requirement to mainline running, was also undertaken. Another mainline requirement is the numbering of the exterior doors, which has also now been applied.

Finally, the remaining buckeye, on the Holt end, was swapped out for an example recently obtained from the mainline which has the extra "shelf bracket", yet another feature E4641 has required to make it suitable for registration to run to Cromer.

E4641 has now been removed from the shed and returned to traffic, its Bronze overhaul complete.

British Railways 1962 First Open M3116 (REPAIR)

With the departure of E4641 from the shed, M3116 was brought in for a brief stay to conclude its pre-pandemic "quick" repairs once and for all! Before entering the shed the task of replacing the vestibule carpets (described last time) had been progressing. Shortly after coming in the shed the final gluing and fixing was completed and the vestibules now look much fresher.

The last loose end to tie up in the interior was the fixing to the walls of the brackets which tie the curtains back to. These had been machined in house as we didn't have any originals to use.

The rest of the work has been mechanical. The main issue was that the coach was sitting too high on its bogies, so each corner was lifted and some packing removed to gently bring the coach back into tolerance. The coach has sat low for some years so it was nice to see it at the correct height. This done, the axlebox keeps were put back into place and the metal safety slings which wrap around the brakegear inside the boxes returned into position.

Similar to E4641, M3116 was then removed from the shed and returned to traffic, its much prolonged  repairs complete.

British Railways 1962 12 Ton Box Van B784254 (GOLD)

The overhaul of this van, sadly halted due to the health of its owner, has more positively been resumed, as it has been recognised that with 95%+ of the work already complete, this vehicle can be made operational in the freight train with very little work. It is planned to complete this quickly to see the project through and clear the projects list and yard for new projects.

Like most aspects, the interior requires very little finishing off. The van received a brand new roof a few years ago which hadn't been painted internally. Originally these were often planked, the solid and unpainted 1950's wood resisting the damp very well. The new roof is modern plywood which will not fare as well if left bare, so whilst probably not authentic it will be painted white. This will offer both protection and also maximise the light inside the van. So far it has been primed.

On the exterior, the body itself requires little more than sprucing up having become faded over the lockdown, the brown being a very bad colour for this effect. Another coat of gloss has been added this week and is now complete, the van having regained its shine.

We noticed that the lamp irons had been bolted on but were bare metal so had rusted over the last year spent outside, and also that one of the (four) securing pins/chains for the door handles was missing. A replacement chain was found from stores and this along with the lamp brackets were cleaned and primed. Also getting the same treatment were the four axlebox keeps, which had been removed to allow the vehicle to be lifted off its wheels. Again, these will be returned in due course.

British Railways (SR Design) 1948 25 Ton Brakevan 55167 (SILVER)

The renewal of the roof has taken longer than anticipated, but the project is still moving forward. The roof has been painted with several coats of bitumen.

Wooden edging trim is being fixed to the outer verandah ends and some other minor roof components, such as the stove chimney "collar", are also being prepared for their next turn of duty.

Maintenance

The dining train Kitchen Car, M81033, was brought up to Weybourne, which really took us up to capacity as we had four coaches (an entire rake) in the yard! This vehicle simply needed its worn drawhook swapping off the Sheringham end. Being a brake and being permanently at the end of the dining set, and therefore always adjacent to the loco, it is no surprise the hook at that end has worn. The hook was changed quickly and without any fuss. This coach (which is in rather poor condition) has had the Sheringham end gangway door stuck shut for some years now, preventing through access to another coach at that end. Given that this end is never formed up to another coach in any case, it was decided not to bother returning the buckeye coupling to this end. On the bright side it will give crews a bit more space to maneuver when coupling up! M81033 was then returned to Sheringham back into traffic.

Meanwhile the repairs to M4958, including the seat swapping pictured last time, have now been completed, and again the vehicle has now been returned to traffic: four this week, possibly a record!

A day has also been spent up at Holt preparing the goods set for a trip out shortly. A thorough preparation was made especially given that the set has not run since before the pandemic.

Finally, added to the "maintenance" section as there wasn't any other logical place to put it, has been some sign-writing inside the cab of Y14 steam loco 564. This is to help drivers identify which lever operates the cylinder drain cocks, and which way is open and shut. As far as we know the lever has been unmarked for the previous 110 years of operation. A generic font was selected as it was felt the standard Gill Sans block lettering we use of the BR era coaches was not really in keeping with the lettering used in the Great Eastern Railway era. We hope you agree that the lettering chosen is in keeping.

May News Part 2

 London North Eastern Railway 1950 Brake Corridor Third E1866 (GOLD)

No progress to report.

British Railways 1959 Brake Corridor Composite E21224 (GOLD)

Unfortunately the floor contractors let us down somewhat after failing to undertake the lino fitting which has left the whole coach in a state of flux as we cannot proceed until this is done. With the exterior complete and interior awaiting lino, the coach is now effectively stored until attempts to bring the contractor's proposed new laying date forwards are successful.

In the meantime the wheel flat protection valve has been completed as far as we can until the brake-gear is connected permanently. A start has also been made on moving the main steam pipe to accommodate the toilet tank. With limited work available, we took the decision to lower the coach back down onto the bogies for now as we can made more headway with the jacks in use completing repairs to FO M3116.

British Railways 1957 Mark 1 Tourist Second Open E4641 (BRONZE)

This vehicle has seen the most progression over the past two weeks. Interior works are now complete, including the top-up re-varnishing to the windows surrounds to protect them from the damaging rays of the sun.

Also replaced has been some signage in the toilet which had partially flaked off and was looking untidy. The droplight windows in the doors have all been adjusted where required, with one being too slack and refusing to stay shut, whilst most of the others were simply more stiff than we wanted when being opened or shut.

Moving onto the exterior, the single coat of gloss paint was completed fairly quickly, after which the masking tape was peeled off the original numbers and lining. Where these were damaged slightly, they were touched in with new paint before the whole vehicle was given a coat of varnish.

One of the things which E4641 never received during its gold overhaul due to lack of time was the lettering on the ends. This was added before varnishing and indeed is a requirement for when this vehicle is registered for use on the Cromer services.

The end doors, mentioned last time, have been completed and are now in gloss brown. The two end gangway face-plates were also cleaned down and given a coat of black paint.

One final essential task has been the scraping and cleaning of the window glass to remove the paint splashes that had fallen on them. Some other finishing works to bring up the outside appearance and finish off the repaint nicely has been the polishing of the grab handles and repainting of the rubber bump stops on the doors.

The culmination of all this has been that, five years after the coach was out-shopped from Gold Overhaul, it has now almost been reset and returned to that original condition/appearance. It has been nice painting a vehicle that only has five years of weathering on it rather than 20!

E4641 now awaits moving out of the staging area where some more lettering needs to be done to the underframe, but it is not far at all from a return to traffic.

British Railways 1962 First Open M3116 (REPAIR)

M3116 has now been returned from storage at Sheringham for the completion of its repairs. It is still waiting for space to become available in the shed but whilst waiting in the yard, the life expired carpets have been pulled out of the two end vestibule areas. These are being replaced as part of the rather drawn out refresh that the coach has been receiving - it being 2019 since it last ran in a dining train. The two replacement carpets have been roughly cut to size and laid out in the vestibules where they are "settling" - having been on a roll for many years.

British Railways (SR Design) 1948 25 Ton Brakevan 55167

The main progress has been on the roof. After preparation works were complete, thin plywood sheeting has been prepared to fit over the uneven original tongue & groove planking to give a smooth surface for the outer roof covering.

The plywood was then carefully tacked onto the roof.

Other achievements have included the cleaning up of the roof vents, and also more wood preparation on the bodysides prior to painting.

Maintenance

M4958 has received some temporary seat bases from withdrawn classmate E4651. M4958 is the next coach due for reupholstering but is understandably having to hold out a little while longer given recent circumstances. Half a dozen of the worst bases that were either ripped or worn right through to the base material have been swapped out. The seat backs remain in the "Herring Bone" moquette that the coach arrived on the railway with so they have done very well.

May News Part 1

Sadly I must start with sad news for the department. Unfortunately one of our volunteers Steve Eagling was found dead in his home this week. Steve had not been seen at Weybourne for a little while and of course the world events over the last 12 months had prevented volunteering, however before this time he had been one of our leading volunteers. For the best part of a decade Steve came to the department three days a week (the amount of time alone was deemed notable) and offered himself for the more mundane cleaning tasks with steadfast tenacity. Those with experience in rolling stock projects will agree that there is a frightening amount of these cleaning jobs in any restoration, so to have people such as Steve willing to undertake them forms the bedrock of any Carriage & Wagon department on which the rest of the work can be built upon. So in many ways it does feel like part of our foundations are now missing with the loss of Steve. From a personal point of view, Steve was one of the regular faces who welcomed me into the department and we got along instantly. Steve's warm nature, particularly towards younger people, coupled to his desire to learn how everybody was getting on(!), always meant that anyone new would feel able to talk to Steve early doors. This will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with his family - thanks Steve for all the good times and all the work you put into the carriages.

London North Eastern Railway 1950 Brake Corridor Third E1866 (GOLD)

The initial rubbing down of the exterior paintwork has continued, with approximately 3/4 of the second (landward) side now sanded.

British Railways 1959 Brake Corridor Composite E21224 (GOLD)

Work on the interior has continued but slowed as most of what we can do before the lino flooring is fitted is now done. The emergency equipment mentioned last time has now all been painted up and the bracketry fitted into place, allowing most of the equipment to be fitted to the walls of the guards compartment. This looks really smart and we hope that the guards are as excited as we are to have a clean compartment with everything properly in its place for the first time!

Elsewhere on the interior, more interior glass has been cleaned down and polished, another one of those essential but mundane tasks mentioned above that is helping finish off the coach after so long in the works! The compartment reading lamps have also taken steps forward with 18 out of the 20 now all fixed into place permanently and working electrically. These have all been made up out of spares (as the coach had lost its originals) so it is quite an achievement seeing them back. It will not be long before they are complete.

The arrival of E4641 meant that E21224 lost its place in the staging area, which allowed for the unexpected bonus of being able to be lifted again to progress some of the underframe work not completed last time. Since the original pipework was restored, plans for a control emission toilet have changed so some pipework requires moving to accommodate the you-know-what tank. Two pipes require modification and the first has now been re-sited successfully, for which the Locomotive department have our thanks for doing this job for us.

Further down the underframe, under the guards compartment, we have started the installation of another of our "wheel flat protection valves". This operates via a bar from the handbrake linkage which in turn opens up a sprung flap venting out the main vacuum train brake pipe, preventing the brakes from being released if the handbrake is applied. This feature reduces the instances where a handbrake is left on and the coach dragged causing flats to the wheels. All of our passenger brakes now have them fitted so with E21224 due to join the fleet a similar valve was required. Much of the mounting plates are now fitted with the operating rods currently in progress.

British Railways 1957 Mark 1 Tourist Second Open E4641 (BRONZE)

This rather faded vehicle has now entered the shed for its repaint.

Very soon after entering the staging area, the upper (cream) areas and coach ends were gently rubbed back to ready it for gloss paint. The areas damaged by the acid cleaner two years ago were rubbed back further and then primed and undercoated.

This got the vehicle to a consistent level ready for topcoat. This has now started with the upper band of crimson now painted and about 1/4 of the middle band of cream completed. Before any gloss paint was applied to the bodysides, we gave the roof a coat of paint to top up the two coats applied in 2016.

Other tasks have been able to be started simultaneously. As part of our relatively new policy to have brown coloured end doors, the two doors (one sliding, one hinged) have also been rubbed back and undercoat applied.

Inside the vehicle, two damaged "no smoking" stickers have been replaced with fresh examples, to keep the signage looking tidy. Whilst 95% of the interior woodwork is still in good condition, having had a Gold level overhaul only five years ago, a very small amount just inside the windows was found to be showing the early signs of water damage. This is unsurprising as this woodwork receives the most sun damage and also receives maximum condensation exposure from the window glass. The affected areas have been gently rubbed back and are now ready for a few more "top up" coats of varnish to reseal them and hopefully delay further degradation going into the future.

British Railways (SR Design) 1948 25 Ton Brakevan 55167

The body overhaul on the Southern brakevan continues. Rust inhibitor has been applied to all of the exposed metalwork and much of it has also been primed.

The replacement two side planks have been primed and fitted and will shortly have the edges rounded off to match previous planks.

Moving onto the roof, it has been cleaned up in preparation for coating PVA on both the original roof and the additional plywood which is to be layered on top prior to the outer roof covering itself.

The galvanised steel verandah ends which had been rebuilt at Weybourne have now also been refitted back into place - all of which will pave the way for completion of the roof.

Maintenance

Corridor Second W25189 had its repairs at Weybourne completed quickly, with the semi collapsed floor at the Sheringham end now back in business and the lino tastefully patched. Also completed was a minor re-dressing of one of the wheels which was showing signs of a small flat. This done, the coach was tripped back to Sheringham and has already seen use in a second set of coaches used for diesel locomotive training runs.

It's place was taken by the first of the coaches requiring work to form a set of open coaches again for possible use later in the year as and when Covid restrictions are further relaxed. This candidate was Tourist Second Open M4958 and progress on its remedial work has been swift. A failed buckeye coupling has been swapped for an example which has been rebuilt having been removed earlier this year from another vehicle. Also replaced has been one of the brakegear safety slings under the bogie which had been removed temporarily a little while ago for measuring. The wheelset roller bearings have also been cleaned out and fresh grease applied.