It's been a quieter week for volunteers this week as several have been unable to find the fuel to travel to us, which has affected our output. To those in Norfolk who have queued for fuel with 7/8 of a tank and put £5 in "just to top up" - shame on you.
London North Eastern Railway 1950 Brake Corridor Third E1866 (GOLD)
Just a small amount of progress this week furthering the ongoing jobs of the new vacuum pipework and the internal planking on the guards doors. Work to rectify the failed vacuum cylinder (which was recently found to have had a previous overhaul as long ago as 2001) will hopefully be undertaken next week.
British Railways 1959 Brake Corridor Composite E21224 (GOLD)
This week has seen the brass secondary door locks fitted to all of the doors, this being one of the requirements for running on Network Rail metals. These were completed just in time for the vehicle to be used as a brake for a driver experience day when three (non dining) sets were required in traffic at the same time. With E21103 out of action, E21224 filled the void nicely. At the same time, a steam heat test was also able to be conducted, with mixed results. Pleasingly, the main steam pipework beneath the coach has been proven to be steam tight, which means we can now proceed to once of the final tasks on the coach: lagging the steam pipe. Unfortunately however several of the individual compartment heaters (which were overhauled during the restoration) have been found to be not heating, so in the months ahead these will have to be removed one-by-one and looked into.
British Railways 1956 Brake Corridor Composite E21103 (SILVER)
The main focus of steelwork repairs has continued to be at the Sheringham corridor end, where there is a reasonable amount of tin work to do. Some quite large sections have been cut out and localised corrosion beneath dealt with, before being boxed up with new skin. The side of the corridor closest the sea is the area in question, and is still in progress.
Some more window frames have been refitted to the seaward side. This now means all of the window frames in the passenger compartment areas of the coach are now back in place, with only the guards/wheelchair accessible areas still to attend to.
We have obtained a pair of replacement window frames (superior) for the wheelchair saloon, however investigations are still ongoing as to whether they will be suitable for fitting yet.
Off the coach, some components are having some TLC in preparation for the big refit in the future. The two end sliding doors have had a rub down and some light filler and are currently in brown undercoat on their outside facing edges.
British Railways 1955 Mark 1 Suburban Composite Lavatory E43041 (REPAIR)
As part of our 12 month strategy, it has been decided to repaint or re-varnish no less than nine coaches before the start of the next operating season - a process we have affectionately dubbed "the conveyor belt". This is to provide a shot in the arm to help bounce back from the effects of the Covid shut down and provide two sets of shiny coaching stock which can hold the fort for a few years whilst we strap in and deal with the more in-depth repairs to the four coaches withdrawn from service during the pandemic. The first vehicle to be treated is E94464 (more below), the second being suburban E43041. The latter has been extracted from the Suburban 4 set, after its last contractual duty for the 1940's weekend. It is currently outside the shed awaiting the supplies to be delivered to facilitate its repaint.
British Railways 1960 Covered Carriage Truck E94464 (REPAIR)
E43041 was joined from Sheringham with the CCT E94464, last repainted in early 2018 and now looking rather shabby having been on the end of most of the trains since that dates. It was brought in to have its leaf springs changed in readiness for this year;'s Norfolk Light's Express, as the previous springs had proven to be getting rather tired having been examined during last year's NLE after five tons of generators had been loaded into the van.
The swapping of the springs was undertaken in just a day, with the vehicle jacked up and the springs changed without any issues (for once!). Also worth mentioning was a day spent on the spare springs preparing them for fitting. They has been in storage for some years and required a good clean up. A set of springs has been sent away for reconditioning and will in time provide an optimum set for E94464 to live on, as it's our best CCT.
After changing the springs quicker than originally allowed for, it was decided to undertake a re-varnish in order for E94464 to become coach number one in the "conveyor belt". The landward side was first cleaned down of its steam locomotive oil and smuts, then gently rubbed down, and a single coat of varnish applied. The difference was astonishing.
Next week should see the seaward side follow suit.
British Railways (SR Design) 1948 25 Ton Brakevan 55167 (SILVER)
The hanging of all the veranda doors has now been completed, quite a task getting them to fit perfectly, and one which took longer than expected. These are now ready now for top coat paint and addition of furniture.
The updates on the brakevan may be thin for the next few weeks as several volunteers working on it are due their holidays!
Maintenance
The dining train has received an A exam this week.
Workshop
A mission was made to Bridge Road sheds and approximately 1/4 of a coach of stored/spare Mark 1 seating retrieved for reupholstering. We have now received material to undertake the job and the plan is to upholster a spare set of cushions for TSO M4958, which is our worst coach now for upholstery condition. The vehicle can stay in traffic with its existing seats for the Norfolk Lights Express with the aim of swapping them over with the "new" set during the closed season ready for the 2022 services.
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