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.