Multiple Roofs and Doors to Nowhere!

Great Eastern Railway 1899 4 Wheel Brake Third 853 (BRONZE)

No progress to report.

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

The two main areas of progress have been tables and door skins. The tables have now been prototyped and following some feedback and ergonomic testing with chairs inside the saloon, it has been decided that the former school tables can be used with little modification on the single seat side, but will have a new leg design for the double seated side. These new legs are now in production, along with stripping back and revarnishing of all the table tops.

After a long period without attention, the exterior is being looked at in the form of replacement door skins. Originally, Thompson carriage doors had steel cladding on the lower halves of passenger doors and fully over luggage doors, which screwed to the front giving a smooth appearance. A design flaw of these skins is water getting in round the edges causing corrosion of the skin and rotting of the timber frame. This skin design is now being modified to wrap round the edges of the door offering greater water protection whilst maintaining original exterior appearance. So far, two new skins have been fabricated, with their curved folded edges, and trial fitted to doors on the landward side of the vehicle.

London North Eastern Railway 1938 Brake Third Open E16631E (GOLD)

No progress to report.

London North Eastern Railway 1945 Gangwayed Brake E70621E (SILVER)

The vehicle has now lost its position in the shed and will be berthed outside for some time. Before it exited, efforts were made on jobs to make the vehicle as watertight as possible. This included the sealing of the new exterior cladding on the seaward side, matching those on the landward. Cladding has also been cut and fixed to the two ends, meaning only the doors now remain.

On the subject of doors, the two inward opening examples have continued to progress, with new lower panels being fitted, the woodwork sanded, filled and primed ready for full repainting in due course.

A brief window of opportunity to house the vehicle in the staging area emerged, allowing the new roof covering to be fitted. The old roof was first prepared before the new PVC covering was stretched over and secured around the perimeter, with low maintenance recycled plastic rather than the original wooden sections.

Work on the interior has slowed as resources were diverted from this area onto the tables for 1866. However a start has been made on undercoating the ceiling, with the first sections at the Sheringham end being treated.

British Railways 1961 Brake First Open (Kitchen) M14021 (GOLD)

Exterior bodywork has continued to progress. Both ends are now ready for reskinning, following the completion of all structural framework repairs. This includes a new floor plate at the Sheringham end and replacement lower sections on all four crash pillars, mirroring the contract repairs that were undertaken 12 months ago at the Holt end. Hidden steel is being painted and protected before it is covered over.

Work is also preceding on the fake doors and windows along the seaward side of the luggage area, that will house the cooking range. This has been a fascinating project of deception, involving the welding in of an old upper half of a door skin to give the original relief to the former droplight, bolting hinges to the outside of the skin, adding fixed door handles and adding strips of steel to provide relief where the doorway weather strips and window frames would have been.

The effect is not fully finished, as some of the details will be achieved via the use of matt black paint and lines to represent gaps and folds, however a good idea of what we are trying to achieve can already been seen. The end goal is for the coach to look as original as possible on the outside, despite the massive interior changes we are making to the original Brake Corridor First interior. Once the second window frame has been welded on, the main metalwork for this part of the body will be completed, and we can start on sanding and filling.

Internally, the second of the two replacement bulkheads has now been fitted, bookending the main passenger saloon. The second example is similar to the first in changing the doorway from being just off centre rather than on the far side, as part of the conversion from side corridor to open configuration. Unlike the first bulkhead, the second was able to be formed with parts of the old bulkheads joined together and cut into new shapes, with one half even remaining in situ during the conversion.

The vehicle is now due to spend a period in the staging area where we will no doubt make use of the platforms and overhead safety lines for the next areas of restoration.

British Railways 1959 Metro Cammell Railcar Driving Motor Composite Lavatory W51505 (BRONZE)

The newly arrived DMU vehicle has seen the most dramatic changes of all during the last month. The roof has been a major area of attention, as we knew it was leaking badly in several areas. Many BR era roof vent blanking plates were replaced and/or resealed, along with the removal of former water tank fittings and breathers which were all letting water into the interior.

All the old roof paint was also scraped off by hand, before two coats of fresh paint were applied, completing this vulnerable area.

The interior will be improved further on a future works visit, however initially we have deep cleaned the entire area from floor to ceiling to reverse the five years of damp storage and water damage as best as we can. Loose paint has been chipped off to stabilise it, missing panels glued back on or replaced and the toilet locked out of service, as we don't use them on the Class 101's. Now that the roof has been resealed, all of the seating under the roof leaks (which had been removed by a very forward thinking volunteer at the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway where the coach had been stored) was returned into its correct position. A single seat base had been damaged too much by the water ingress, so was sent down to upholstery and recovered. Although not award winning, the interior is now fit for human consumption once again!

Again, corrosion repairs are not being tackled this time, however we spend around a week temporarily improving the cosmetic condition of the exterior. The 1990's high-intensity headlight has been removed backdating the appearance of the cab front by 20+ years.

This was followed by some patch painting and then several coats of gloss on the front end and cab doors to freshen them up, a trick we also employed on powercar 51192 earlier in the year. The rest of the bodysides had patch painting where the paint had fallen off in large chunks, followed by a rub down and varnish all the way round. Despite the quick and limited nature of the work, it has transformed the exterior appearance of the vehicle and it can now enter service without embarrassment.

The final stage of the works prior to an entry into traffic is mechanical. Normally in the hands of the Loco department, we are assisting in this case whilst we have the lifting capacity and whilst the vehicle is already inside our shed for the other works. A wheelset swap is required to repair damage to the front bogie which suffered wheelflats at its previous home. The vehicle has now been lifted in order to undertake this.

Other works completed have included the changing of a buffer and fitting of replacement vacuum cylinders. We do not envisage 51505 requiring to stay with us much longer as the remaining mechanical work is all that is now outstanding in our original schedule for the vehicle. It is anticipated that further work will be done to it in 12-18 months time all being well.

Maintenance

A start has been made on steam heating repairs, with at least four coaches throwing up issues after testing. Unglamourous but essential work each year!

A prettier task was the recommissioning of the L.E.D. lighting systems on the vintage train, which have never been used before despite being incorporated into the restoration of the set. It was very satisfying to see the system in action, which was enjoyed by a private charter run into the evening last month. The vintage train is available to hire, day or night, for anyone who wants a special train along the North Norfolk coast!

Generator Car Launch

Another long overdue update, however it is worth celebrating the (re)entry into service of another vehicle (back) into the fleet...

Great Eastern Railway 1899 4 Wheel Brake Third 853 (BRONZE)

As with all well thought out projects, a good assessment of the tasks ahead has been the first thing to do. The bad news is that despite 853 being the youngest of the vintage train in terms of preservation service, only being launched in 2019, it has sadly suffered during the relatively short time since externally. What we had planned to be one of the easier refreshes on the vintage rake will regrettably now require much more stabilisation works and the bulk of a full repaint. 

However, the good news is that our fantastic satellite team out stationed at Holt is willing to take on the challenge. We have ordered some paint (853 has its own special Great Eastern shade of Crimson) and agreed for the exterior rectification to start. Hopefully we will see more news on this over the autumn before the cold and wet of winter takes a hold.

It is planned to cease the use of the extra tent/shed at Holt following 853's completion, as it is not in keeping with the Holt Goods Yard ambiance and was only intended to be temporary in order to get through some of the required vintage set refreshes in any case.

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

The work to the toilet plumbing introduced last update has been continued with the Brighton Belle Pullman tank now in place on the wall. I must admit to being skeptical initially but the chrome finish does have an LNER Gresley feel to it (and yes, this is a Thompson not a Gresley but they are related!). Connections have been made and valves installed, including the wooden handle which fits over the modern sprung loaded valve to give a more 1950's feel.

The team have also been looking at the table design for the main passenger saloon. The saloon style chairs came with the vehicle having been provided for the incomplete previous restoration at Llangollen, whilst the tables were donated from a school being upgraded. The challenge now is to fit both tables and chairs from different sources into the coach in such a way to be ergonomic whilst maintaining tables that are robust enough to withstand the mighty force that is the public traveler. A set of chairs has been mocked up in the coach and now the tables are being dismantled. One team is cleaning back old varnish on the legs and table tops that will be reused, whilst another is looking at making up jigs and trial tables out of spare material to test the leg and support designs that are being proposed.

London North Eastern Railway 1938 Brake Third Open E16631E (GOLD)

No progress to report.

London North Eastern Railway 1945 Gangwayed Brake E70621E (SILVER)

The new side cladding has now been fitted to the landward side meaning both bodysides are now covered. With everything correctly in place, the landward side has had all the edging on the panels sealed with mastic to discourage water from entering the gaps. The seaward side remains to be similarly sealed. A trial panel has also been fitted onto the first of the outward opening double doors successfully, so more of these are set to follow. A shunt of the shed on a sunny day allowed a great view of the exterior cladding process.

The inward opening guards doors continue to be steadily improved, with more woodwork repairs and a good filling and sanding session to get them smooth ready for repainting. The smashed landward side droplight window glass has been sealed into the old frame and now awaits refitting.

Internally, all of the remaining museum coach era equipment, displays and wall panels etc. that had been stacked loose inside after being unscrewed have now exited the vehicle. Some has been disposed of, some has been returned to storage for reuse on other future projects. It does leave us with a nice clear vehicle however which was needed by the team restoring the inside. This has been progressing well in the two main open areas remaining the focus. Attention has shifted to the side walls, which are having all the old holes and missing chunks filled and sanded smooth. It won't be long before the walls match the ceiling in terms of being rubbed down ready for repainting.

The guards compartment has seen little attention other than being stripped out ready for similar repair and sanding work.

British Railways 1961 Brake First Open (Kitchen) M14021 (GOLD)

Progress has continued to be really strong. The metalwork repairs to the landward side of the passenger saloon have now been completed with all replacement skin now welded in. Three of the four window apertures have been primed with more paint to follow which will allow the window frames to be fitted. Unfortunately a lot of stored items were moved against the side of the coach before I could get a picture, which has spoiled the effect slightly, however rest assured this side has really been transformed in appearance!

The kitchen end of the vehicle has reached a very similar point, with a lot of skin work being done to clad the renewed framework that featured last update. Both landward and seaward sides have had all new skin fitted where required, which looks particularly drastic on the seaward side owing to the fact the doors and windows have been covered over to accommodate the cooking range in due course.

The landward side has additionally had its final window prepared and fitted in place, leaving just the double doors to refit on this side.

With the sides getting close to completion, attention has turned to the final area of bodywork on the entire vehicle: the ends. The Sheringham end has now had its old bottom plate chopped out along with all of the rotten crash pillars around the lower end. The surrounding areas have been rust treated and a new bottom plate is now on order so that we can start building this end back up.

Meanwhile, at the Sheringham end (which already has had its bottom plate and crash pillar replacement), the rotten door edges and top cantrail framework repairs are progressing. The landward side doorway is now complete, with a brand new door pillar having to be put in along with corner stiffeners, whilst the seaward side is now in progress. All of these end repairs should bring us closer to the point where we can skin the ends (with brand new pressings supplied by the South Devon Railway) and reach the important milestone of bodywork completion!

British Railways 1958 Covered Carriage Truck M94125 (SILVER)

One of the most intense projects has been the completion of the CCT generator car. It can't easily be described how many small and snagging jobs are undertaken when a project is being readied for its final push and completion, but it's fair to say a lot of attention was given to sorting out all of the "little bits". This was in parallel with the completion of the paint job with two coats of Crimson gloss, lettering and varnish being applied. When we first sanded down the vehicle we found original BR lettering stating "GUV" (General Utility Van) rather than the expected "CCT" (Covered Carriage Truck). Some research revealed that the first built CCT's were to be designated GUV (Y) meaning "4 wheeled General Utility vans". As 94125 was the 25th CCT built (which is early given nearly 1000 were produced) it now makes sense that it carried this early designation. However the (Y) was not present on our example at least, so we have accordingly reproduced the "GUV" lettering on this vehicle for historical interest.

The Sheringham end set of windows have been replaced with the ventilation louvre units, to serve the generator. This arrived earlier this week and has been positioned inside the vehicle, utilising the resorted end doors which now open and shut once again. Once arrived the generator exhaust and electrical connections were made, along with a securing raft that bolts to the sides of the vehicle to stop the generator set sliding anywhere.

A C examination was then given to allow the vehicle to return to use following a fair number of years out of traffic. The handbrakes have been made inoperable as the vehicle's semi-permanent coupling to the braked kitchen car makes the handbrakes as good as surplus. The vehicle was quickly tripped down to Sheringham where it was attached to the rear of the dining set and commissioned into traffic.

British Railways 1959 Metro Cammell Railcar Driving Motor Composite Lavatory 51505 (BRONZE)

This has been moved into the shed following 94125's departure, for work to the leaking roof to commence along with some limited bodyside cosmetic repairs.

Welcome Back Picnic Saloon

The previous update covered our farewell to Corridor Composite 15997, pleasingly this time we can welcome back a coach into service following a spell away, which hopefully is more representative of our style!

Midland Railway (later M&GN) 1886 6 Wheel Picnic Saloon 3 (BRONZE)

The vintage train now has both of its genuine Midland & Great Northern coaches back in action following the final completion of the Picnic Saloon. With lining and finishing touches under our belts, No3 has been swapped back into the train in time for the resumption of steam services and summer holiday Victorian Sundays. It becomes the second of the planned vintage set refreshes to be delivered, following Pigeon Van 6843 earlier this year. 6843 is now required fully on the vintage train as No3's place in the Holt tent is being taken by GER 853 (see below), making 6843 the only available 4 wheel brake vehicle for the set.

Great Eastern Railway 1899 4 Wheel Brake Third 853 (BRONZE)

Despite being the last of the five vintage train coaches to be completed, as late as 2019, one side of 853 has been showing minor signs of distress, so it has been selected for early rectification. The first challenge however was getting it inside the tent at Holt, with initial efforts having to be abandoned as it would seem the Great Eastern's use of the loading gauge by 1899 was more ambitious than the Midland Railway's interpretation 15 years earlier! After a brief visit by the scaffolders, sufficient boards and poles had been adjusted to receive the new 4-wheeler. Work will be commencing on the rectification works soon, and (famous last words) all being well the scope will be smaller and therefore quicker than that of the Picnic Saloon.

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

Interior work continues, with the beading a trimming work continuing into the bar and toilet areas at the Holt end of the coach.

Also in the toilet, period cisterns and associated pipework salvaged from ex-Brighton Belle Pullman stock is in the process of being fitted. Some plastic pipework is also being incorporated, but will be disguised with a chrome style cover to give a more heritage feel.

London North Eastern Railway 1938 Brake Third Open E16631E (GOLD)

No progress to report.

London North Eastern Railway 1945 Gangwayed Brake E70621E (SILVER)

Exterior progress continues with the new side cladding being fitted to the body all along the seaward side. This is being done carefully to minimise obvious gaps between the panels which will need to appear as seamless as possible when we go for the illusion of horizontal planking.

The two inward opening guards doors are advancing steadily, with replacement cladding being fitted in place of the rotten plywood examples and the droplight windows being attended to. The landward side window has been fully removed and a replacement sheet of glass has now arrived to replace the smashed original.

As the exterior cladding is being progressed by a dedicated team, others have been available to progress the interior. All of the old remnants of the museum usage have now been fully stripped out, including the track display at the Sheringham end, additional side wall display boards, all of the old wiring, and finally all of the lighting rigs. The latter was a particularly eccentric mix of different lighting types and styles, presumably to light up displays differently as required (e.g. spot lighting or ambient).

On the "work top down" basis, the ceiling has now been stablised, rubbed down and primed where required, and now awaits repainting. The centre guards compartment has also had its outer walls rubbed down. A single ceiling baton (salvaged from the many that have been removed!) has been treated, primed and refitted in a simple, central position, ready to receive replacement lighting in due course.

British Railways 1961 Brake First Open (Kitchen) M14021 (GOLD)

This vehicle has been turbocharged over the past month, with serious resources being directed back towards it, with a resulting spike in visual progress. Almost all of this is in the steel and bodywork department, which is essential to the future wellbeing of the coach despite sometimes appearing mundane in nature. Firstly, the landward side of the main passenger saloon is now being tackled in an identical fashion to the seaward side achieved last year. As always, stripping out and framework repairs are being done before skinning. A lot of floor support repairs have been required around the lower end, but following an intensive few weeks, all of the framework for this section is now completed and all skin removed ready for the replacements to go in.

In parallel with the landward side, the former luggage compartment (now kitchen end) is also being worked on with exactly the same aim. Being of a smaller length than the saloon, the decision has been made to do the whole compartment at once (i.e. both sides) meaning once the area is complete, we will only have the ends remaining. On inspection of the floor supports, it was discovered that severe and previously undetected corrosion has gripped this end of the vehicle, so the (arguably quite drastic) decision was made to strip out the whole concrete floor and steel corrugation below and go again. This proved to be the right call as the scale of hidden corrosion was immense, proving that the floor would not be fit for a long service life of any kind, not least one where very heavy kitchen equipment is being brought into the mix! Following a very dirty few days, the old floor was broken up, extracted and the rotten steel removed. This allowed the exposed chassis framework to be treated and repainted before a brand new set of "top hat" floor supports were welded to the chassis, sound and ready to receive a new floor. The concrete will not be replicated, as a traditional lino floor with suitable kitchen-quality covering is what is planned for this area.

The remainder of the sides in this compartment have followed a similar pattern to the saloon side, with framework repairs being made where required, with a focus on beneath windows and towards the bottom of the vehicle where water has sat in the past.

One thing that is different to this area in comparison to the rest of the coach is the seaward side having most of the door/window apertures welded up to suit the new kitchen role. This has required additional framework to act as bracing when the new skin over the old doors and windows is welded in, to hopefully eliminate future water leaks. One of the worst features of our current kitchen car is the insane number of doors and windows that are out of use, and in some cases paneled over on the inside preventing maintenance access. This creates water entry points that can't easily be repaired or eliminated, and has contributed greatly to the decline in body condition of this vehicle.

Finally, work on the Holt end bulkhead continues with trail fitting of the sliding door and jambs, something requiring great precision to ensure it is in the right place once all of the carpets, wall panels etc. has been fitted in the future.

British Railways 1958 Covered Carriage Truck M94125 (SILVER)

The main body repairs to this vehicle have now been finished, with the final two doors repaired and all eight rehung onto the vehicle successfully, after some adjustments. Further sanding and filling work was then completed on the vehicle before being handed over for painting.

The painting of the vehicle is now over half way there, with a primer, and undercoat and a first gloss all being applied around the vehicle. It is currently rubbed down ready to have a second Crimson gloss.

The roof has also been painted black, two coats, which finishes this area.

The Sheringham end doors have also been completed and repainted gloss black, ready for use when the new generator arrives.

The interior of the vehicle has received two partitions to split the vehicle into three compartments: a store at the Holt end, a central area that is to be used for Commercial Department storage, and the generator compartment at the Sheringham end. These partitions were recycled with removed components recently salvaged from the surplus museum coach (70621), so cost nothing.

British Railways 1959 Metro Cammell Railcar Driving Motor Composite Lavatory E51505 (BRONZE)

A few days have been spent removing the damaged ceiling panel that sits under one of the worst of the roof leaks. This panel will be replaced once the roof has been resealed.

The other focus has been cleaning with the alloy window surrounds being treated of their stains, water marks and moss growth! They already look much better for it.

Maintenance

CCT 94464, currently on the dining train in use as a generator car, was extracted from the train this week in order to swap the hired generator for the bought one that will in time be located in 94125 in the workshop. Unfortunately after splitting 94464, moving it to Weybourne and removing the hired generator, it was discovered the bought generator had a differing plug system so the hired set had to quickly be plumbed back in! Such are the trials of running a railway... The required modifications are now in hand to allow a second attempt in the near future. 

Workshop

The area of cleared yard land has now had a track panel built and positioned ready to receive our spare bogies. Many thanks are due to the Pway department for quickly doing the track panel for us.