October News Part 5

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

A good week this week for the Thompson. The guards doors continue to progress. Some of the primed areas are now slowly progressing into undercoat, with black being the next colour.

Also on the same doors, varnished wooden ventilators, which have been prepared over the last few weeks, are at the stage where they are starting to be fitted. These are lovely and smooth to operate!

The two hinged end doors which sit inside the corridor connection are back off the vehicle for further repair works, in readiness to accept their four reproduced inlayed panels.

Finally, inside the toilet, a start has been made on constructing the cupboard that incorporates the sink, a feature of many LNER design vehicles.

British Railways 1959 Brake Corridor Composite E21224 (GOLD)

Awaiting a return to Weybourne to be finished off.

British Railways 1956 Brake Corridor Composite E21103 (SILVER)

The metalwork continues to be the main focus, with great progress being made. The second of the two wheelchair saloon window apertures has now been modified and enlarged to match the first one. This involved cutting out of additional framework installed by NNR staff past, moving one or two sections outwards and subsequent opening up of the existing body skin. A test fit of the new window frame finished the process.

With this complete, the whole Sheringham end is now sound from a steel point of view, which should open up possibilities for reassembly of everything else over the coming weeks.

Metalworking has now switched to the other end, the Holt end, and a start made on renewing the two top corners, where the roof, rain gutter and end steelwork meet.

Elsewhere on the coach, cleaning up of all the aluminium sliding lights from the five compartment windows has been completed, and the wooden window surrounds from the same windows are in the process of being repaired, replaced and stripped for varnishing. The removed door jambs from the passenger doorways, which are being replaced with new, are having the bits of ironwork on them associated with the door removed so they can be cleaned up and eventually let into the replacement jambs.

British Railways 1954 Mark 1 Suburban Third W46139 (BRONZE)

The third of the conveyor belt coaches has made great steps this week. The whole coach has been rubbed down in readiness for repainting, after a sterling group effort by half a dozen folks.

This allowed painting to commence very soon after the vehicle arrived in the shed. First to be treated was the roof...

...followed by a coat of Crimson gloss to the landward side of the coach.

Less sexy but still essential to the process was first chipping off minor sections of corrosion which was just starting to eat into the surface, particularly round the lower parts of the windows. Hopefully this is a case of nipping future problems in the bud, and it is clear to us that two years of the coaches standing outside in regular service rather than "gala only" use kept undercover has certainly taken its toll on the suburban coaches. Other jobs completed have been the removal of now surplus Covid booking signage, a repair made to one of the net luggage racks which had been torn down by a member of the public, and a start made on going through all of the wobbly armrests, which all need strengthening and/or repairs to varying degrees.

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

More painting! This week the sole bars and buffer beams were given a second coat.

Primer has been applied to new bolts and the Holt end was given a first coat of signal red. More red will be required before further progress can be made.

The ends of the vehicle have also been gently rubbed back in readiness for a second gloss coat. A start has been made on fitting the door furniture photographed last week.

Finally, a stencil has been made in preparation for imminent signage.

Southern Railway 1952 Covered Carriage Truck S1439S (BRONZE)

More painting work has been completed on the van, making the outsides look pretty much complete now, with only finishing touches left. The roof "canvas" (actually plastic) has been peeled back at one end, some small areas of woodwork renewed, and placed back in its rightful place.