With two weeks having passed since the last update, more than usual has been achieved, notably the boxing up of two major projects and the commencement of two more. Out with the old and in with the new as they say!
London North Eastern Railway 1950 Brake Corridor Third E1866 (GOLD)
Modest progress on existing works. Further progress has been made on cleaning and painting the handrails for the guards door, which being LNER pattern are an unusual T shape. The gangway ends have continued to see adjustments to the bottom tread plates with the right angles and heights to avoid trip hazards eventually being set successfully.
London North Eastern Railway 1924 Quad Articulated Set 74
At the last update we were half way though the complex process of bogie extraction and tyre turning. The second pair of bodies were lifted successfully, the first one traditionally and the second was just raised a few feet at one end to release the intermediate bogie closest to the shed doors. The bogie furthest in was not required as it was the accommodation bogie which didn't require turning.
With the two remaining bogies extracted we repeated the craning (pictured last time) and these went to Leeds via road transport for an overnight stint on their state of the art wheel lathe. Bang on time they returned the following day and were craned back onto rails. We'd like to thank both of our neighbours the Engineering department and the Loco Running Shed, both of whom have been excellent in providing equipment, manpower and tolerance of us taking over more of the yard than we usually do. It was a case of everyone working together to get the job done smoothly.
Returning to the coaches, reassembly then followed which was a reverse of the disassembly. It was certainly a great feeling knowing the mechanical condition of the wheelsets should now set the vehicles up for a good life ahead. Before finishing the set completely we just have a few final tweaks to make to the vehicles, specifically in line with the M&GN Society's wishes for the set's formation in the longer term, which may for some be slightly controversial. More of that in the next update as it is still being finalised over the next few days.
British Railways 1961 Brake First Open (Kitchen) M14021 (GOLD)
Work on the landward side battery box continues and the front doors are now pretty much complete following extensive work and painting up to gloss black. The same volunteer has now started on tidying up the box itself which needs wood letting in on the two sides where weather and battery acid has taken its toll.
Corridor end components continue to be improved, with the recently welded gangway end "hoops" being cleaned up back to bare metal and painted in several coats up to black gloss.
Limited stripping of the underframe away from the areas containing asbestos has carried on, with more items removed from the bufferbeams.
A full set of wooden glass gripping bars have been made for the four small windows which will be reinstated in the guards and luggage areas. These are time consuming, some new, some repaired and all dry fitted to the frames and put into store to await window refitting.
Reconstruction of door #7 continues steadily with the luggage door locking bar being fitted and the full height wooden back panel now in place.
British Railways 1962 First Open M3116 (SILVER)
Once returned to the staging area the remainder of the lining in the upper parts of the bodysides was quickly completed. A few other minor cosmetic tasks such as repainting the gutters, returning brass grab handles back into place and cleaning/snagging were also undertaken. At the same time, a coat of varnish was applied to the whole exterior including the ends giving the vehicle that final shine.
It was then shunted out of the shed and a few days later tripped back to Weybourne where it was brake tested and given the final parts of the annual exam which ticketed it for passenger service again. 3116 was quickly marshaled back into the dining set and was star of the show at this weeks special train commemorating the awarding of the Queens Award for Voluntary Services (delayed from last year) to the NNR. We understand the day was enjoyed by all and a great success, with diners travelling the line in 3116.
With no finer launch back into service to speak of, 3116 now returns to its normal duties in the dining train, its Silver overhaul completed in just under five months.
British Railways 1958 Brake Corridor Second M35148 (SILVER)
The highest mileage single vehicle to ever run on the NNR, 35148, had been looking increasingly tired and was being attacked badly by corrosion in recent years. Like many other popular and essential vehicles, it was squeezed longer than desirable as we had sister brake 21103 in the works (the latter being withdrawn over the Covid pandemic) and 35148 couldn't be spared. With 21103 now bedded down nicely in service, 35148 has been able to enter the workshops for its much deserved Silver overhaul to start.
The initial focus has been the landward side, Sheringham end corner working anti-clockwise. This encompasses the wheelchair accessible saloon and the two windows on that side. The first has been removed and has revealed a lot of surface corrosion under the frame. The second window is proving harder to remove and the fight for this will continue next week.
Early days yet for this overhaul but the first spade has entered the ground!
British Railways 1957 Class 101 Railcar Driving Trailer Composite Lavatory E56062 (SILVER)
The second of the proposed railcar refresh programme vehicles is M&GN Society owned trailer car 56062. This requires much more work than the hired powercar 51188 which required little more than a repaint. This week it has entered the shed for a Silver body overhaul to be started.
Progress has so far been rapid, as it often is during the flurry of dismantling prevalent at the start of a big project. The interior has seen many volunteers descend on it removing the seating and lower paneling from the drivers side of the vehicle.
This has allowed access to remove the corroded window bottoms from the front and rear passenger saloon windows (middle saloon still to start), which has revealed reasonable condition framework but very poor outer skin. We have replacement sections on order but in the meantime stripping continues.
The first passenger doorway has also been started, as this was out of alignment and struggling to shut properly. It was found corrosion inside the door pillars, buried deep, was causing swelling and pushing the wooden door jambs inwards reducing the size of the door frame by over 10mm. It has had to be stripped down and the metal attended to to bring it back to a correct shape. This work is understandably still ongoing as the scope in this areas has spiraled somewhat!
Whilst welding has been started, others have been very busy taking each of the removed windows and cleaning up the aluminium surrounds, which will ensure a quality finish when reassembly eventually takes place, though at this stage that seems a very long way away!
British Railways 1958 Class 101 Railcar Driving Motor Brake Second M51188
Following several complications, the retaining straps for the fire extinguishers and wheelchair ramp have finally made it into position.
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