A close up look at the area removed from the bottom of the bodyside. (Photo: Richard Johnson)  


A general view of overall work need. (Photo: Richard Johnson)  

A lot has happened at the Railway since my last report. In October I reported that we had just started on a plan to refurbish several of the chocolate & cream set of coaches for 2011. This set had been in almost continuous daily use for several years, and was looking the worse for wear.

The plan was to take as many of the coaches into our workshop as possible throughout the winter one after the other, and smarten them up. We started with the TSO (Tourist second Open) 4763 because whilst it was in basically good condition, it was painted carmine & cream. We brought it into our workshop in October and work began immediately on a fresh external paint job. 

The opportunity was taken to give the interior a heavy clean and generally freshen it up, as the coach had been in use for three years since first being refurbished. Repairs were undertaken to the seating, the lino flooring, and the toilets were given a thorough clean.  4763 went back into use at the beginning of December in time for the Santa trains, fully painted lined and varnished.

We then had to complete the refurbishment of the FO (Open First) 3045 from the Elegant Excursions set. This coach had been worked on for virtually the whole of 2010, after it was taken out of use at the beginning of the year, for what was optimistically thought to be a 'repaint'. In the event it had a huge amount of work done to it; not least 6 brand new external doors were manufactured by the department, and it was completely repanelled internally. We completed it one day before it went back into use in the dining train in mid December.

It was replaced by the FK (Corridor First) 13329, which again was carmine & cream so needed a repaint. An initial inspection showed that there were a number of areas where the bodywork was in need of repair, and quite rightly the decision was taken that it was better to do the repairs properly, rather than just a quick fix. So, two external windows with their frames were removed so that rotten sections of bodyside could be cut out, which in turn revealed that leaking had rotted the internal woodwork which had to be replaced.

The vestibule floor at the south end had always been a bit 'bouncy', and had been patched up a couple of years ago. The opportunity was taken to have a good look. It revealed - inevitably - that not only was the flooring largely rotten, but so was much of the steelwork underneath. It was all caused by a leak from an adjacent toilet cistern. It was all replaced, and a flooring contractor fitted brand new marmoleum flooring. Following a full repaint, 13329 was lined out, numbered and varnished, and went back into the operational rake in mid February.

We extracted the other TSO 4772 from the chocolate & cream rake at the same time, and that came into our workshop to replace the FK. We knew that there would be some bodywork repairs, but have found more than we expected. This coach had been in continuous use since 2004, when it was first refurbished and put into use.

The pictures show the area of one of the toilets. The floor was rotten, and it had been locked out of use. Once the floor was taken up, it revealed rotten steel bracing, and as more investigations were made, rotten bodyside members and panelling. This will all need to be replaced before the wooden floor can be replaced. At the other end, we found the vestibule floor to be rotten due to a leaking radiator. The flooring has all been removed and is being replaced.

As before this coach will have a thorough job done on it, and it will be repainted in chocolate & cream, lined and varnished. The plan is to try and get it ready for mid April when services from Winchcombe start. It will be a close run thing. Once again, we have taken the decision to do the job thoroughly and properly, rather than give it just a rushed 'quick fix'.

Work has been progressing on the RBr 1672. It went into our Barn in November and has been jacked up ever since, so that the steam heating pipework underneath could be replaced. Whilst not quite finished yet, it is nearly so. Some secondary connections from the main pipe to the radiators remain to be done. We intend to try and finish this coach by about the middle of 2011, so that it can go into use and replace 1675 which needs a rest.

Our plans for the new season have been thrown into a bit of turmoil by the collapse of the embankment at Chicken Curve. What it means to us is that the new timetable provides for one train a day from Winchcombe to Cheltenham; five days per week. The plan is to use the chocolate & cream set every running day, so we need to make doubly sure all is Ok, and work out how we can deal with routine maintenance and servicing. Our maroon set which is also at Winchcombe, will be kept as a strategic reserve, and will be used for firing and driving courses.

Returning to our workshop, we have been working on a standard GWR box van No. 124589. It was built at Swindon in 1936. The van was a wreck when work started. Much of the bodyside planking was either rotten, or was missing. Also, there were large sections of the wooden roof which had been missing for some time, leaving much of the flooring rotten.

All defective woodwork has now been replaced, and the van is being painted GWR grey, with a light grey canvas roof. Underneath, the brake system has been stripped, overhauled and has been rebuilt. When it is completed, not only will it be another operational GWR van, it will also provide more dry secure storage.

That really just leaves the BG (Gangwayed Brake) 92350. This vehicle was acquired some months ago by the Permanent way department, for use as their new mess coach. The initial problem we had was the state of the bodyside doors (of which there are 18). Many have had to be stripped, and repaired, with two being completely replaced.  One section internally will be converted into a kitchen. It is currently being built as such and fitted out.

The BG will be turned out in all over maroon, as it was when first built in the 1950's. There is still a lot to do to it before it can be used. It will have to shunted onto our jacks, and be lifted so that we can sort it out underneath. We need to reinstate the vacuum through pipe initially. In due course, the full braking system will be rebuilt.

As you will have read elsewhere the railway has suffered the minor inconvenience of another embankment slip; this time between Toddington and Winchcombe. This means that we shall be playing host to several steam locomotives and their crews at Winchcombe this year. The sidings were congested at Winchcombe last year, so this coming year will be 'interesting'. 

The first major indication of the imminent arrival of the loco department is that a pit needs to be built to service the locos, whilst at Winchcombe. Work is going to start on 6^th April, and it will take 6 weeks.

This means that for the whole of that period, shunting will not be possible, so we have had to make urgent plans to make sure that the stock is where we need it to be before the workshop is isolated. All being well, 4772 will be ready to emerge chrysalis like from our workshop, just as the concrete has set and the pit rails are laid to connect us back with the outside world. That, in any event is the master plan.

Finally, as our contribution to the current difficult financial situation the railway faces, the Carriage & Wagon department has decided to organise two public Open weekends on 25^th / 26^th June and 2^nd / 3^rd July. There will be demonstrations of the various different types of work we do, and sales stands with a wide variety of different railway items on sale. We hope both to substantially increase passenger numbers, and see a good many visitors over the four days of the event.

Please put these dates in your diary, and come along and see us with friends and family. There will be no charge to come in to our event, but you may well want to make a small donation to our funds as you leave.