Firstly we hope all readers have a good festive period wherever you are. This is the last normal update for the blog but there will be the annual review of the year next week.
London North Eastern Railway 1950 Brake Corridor Third E1866 (GOLD)
No progress to report.
London North Eastern Railway 1938 Brake Third Open E16631E (GOLD)
No progress to report.
British Railways 1961 Brake First Open (Kitchen) M14021 (GOLD)
Some cleaning of the landward side solebar has been completed with a wire wheel owing to the fact that two needle guns coincidentally broke on the same day! Meanwhile battery box work continues on the seaward side.
British Railways 1958 Brake Corridor Second M35148 (SILVER)
The accessible saloon cream painting on the double doors and internal window surrounds has now been completed after a second coat was applied this week. Locating holes have also been drilled in the doorways to accept the new wheelchair ramps that are being rolled out across the railway. These are the last jobs in this area other than cleaning the lino floor so that is another area of the coach interior that we are finished with.
In the compartments and corridor all of the sliding windows have had their anodised aluminium frames and runners cleaned up to stabilise a decade ort so of grime and oxidation. They can only be cleaned up so far as the alloy corrosion is not reversible, however they are still much improved following attention.
The replacement varnished wooden lower door cards have now reached a point where three out of the four have been cut to size and test fitted.
On the exterior, the body preparation is now complete and painting will start in the New Year. The corridor end faceplates have been de-greased and primed so some minor painting has started already.
British Railways 1957 Class 101 Railcar Driving Trailer Composite Lavatory E56062 (SILVER)
More people are increasingly being transferred from 35148 to 56062, as the former gets closer to completion, so appropriately progress on 56062 is now picking up.
All three hinges of the leading passenger door on the seaward side have now been mounted permanently and fitting of the door continues. The wooden door jambs are being repaired where required and fitted back into the currently bare doorway, with the fit of the door being rechecked and adjusted where required at each stage.
Work is also now ongoing on metalwork renewal around the cab front, which is taking the form of patches over corners and around the windscreen wiper where the previous metal had rotted away.
Work on the cab refurbishment has also continued with the fibreglass cover that holds the automatic warning system components in place and the cab-to-saloon blinds both swapped out for better examples held in stock.
Preparations for getting new window rubber designed and ordered to replaced perished originals inside the frames are progressing well, and will hopefully see further progress in the New Year.
British Railways (GWR Design) 1958 "Fruit D" W92097W (SILVER)
The team have removed a number of rotten timbers ready for replacement in due course. The M&GN dray has come in useful as a resting place for trestle tables etc. stored inside the vehicle that blocked the entrance to the inside. They still have a small amount of paint stripping to do on the landward side, waiting for drier weather.
Maintenance
Maintenance has focussed on keeping the winter Santa and Lights trains running. Unfortunately the generator on the Gresley Buffet had a suspected major failure just before Christmas so has been withdrawn from use, and will be dealt with when the Gresley comes to Weybourne for other planned works later this winter. The other generator previously fitted to the vehicle is being repaired at Weybourne and results look promising, so hopefully this replacement can be fitted back onto the vehicle.
Workshop
The Mark 1 BSO seating being re-upholstered for our friends a the North Yorkshire Moors Railway has now practically been completed and they will be returned to them soon.
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