Tuesday 29 November 2016

November 2016 update

Progress on mark 1 RU, has been steady, held back by the need to do repairs on the service set prior to the Christmas running.
Here we see the corridor that runs along the outside of the kitchen. The plywood floor has been secured in place, followed by the placing of the aluminium checker plate on top.  All of the joints have been sealed with simpson IR70-03 sealant to make them waterproof.


On each side of the corridor there are blocks of wood.  These are triangular in shape with the hypotenuse being machined out to a concave shape.  These are screwed in place to support the aluminium kick plates that finish off the floor.


This is the finished floor area around the outside of the former staff toilet.


The corridor with the outside edge completed.  The gaps on the right are for the sliding door runners, apart from the one in the centre which is where the former serving hatch was.


At the saloon end the aluminium step which forms the corridor connection, has been fitted into place.


On the roof the vents have been removed.  The sealant that these sit on was found to have broken down badly and was allowing water to enter.


A close up of the vent opening.  The vents will be shot blasted and painted, the insides will be filled with fibre glass, aparently this is the recognised way to stop any damp getting in.  They will then be re-fitted using the rubber solution and new gaskets.


Mark 1 TSO, 5057 had to come into the shed to have urgent steam heating pipe repairs.  While it was in Bill tackled some of the threadbare armrests and side cards.  Below are some of the worst ones that were removed.


The picture below shows how many times the armrests have had to be repositioned.  Each hole was plugged with a dowel that had been coated in pvc wood glue and then hammered into the hole.  The next day when the glue had dried, the dowel was cut of and sanded flush with the arm of the seat.


A re-covered arm rest fitted in position.


The view from the inside showing the re-covered side card as well as the armrest.


The North British shunter which had been in the shed for painting was finally outshopped.  Pictured here on the shed exit track.


Monday 3 October 2016

The RU 1936 project

 
The saloon end reconstruction continues.  Here we see that the left hand panel as well as the panel above the gangway have been welded in place.


The corridor connection face plate has seen some attention.  This is the rear showing all of the renewed studs, these studs hold the rubber bellows in place.


A close up of the studs in place.  The rubber goes over the studs and then a steel strip moulding is secured on top to hold it in place.


A patch has also been welded into the curved panel at the left hand corner.


John Crook working on a steam heat coving panel at the top end of the workshop.


This shows the kitchen end corridor connection door, which has been refitted.  Behind the door we can see the bulkhead and doorway to the former staff cloakroom.  To remove it this bulkhead had to be cut into two halves and glued back together when putting it back in.


The cut line above the doorway, a piece of moulding over the top and you would never know it had been split.


This is the inside of the former staff cloakroom.  The picture has been taken from where the three lockers used to be.  We would be looking out from inside one of them if they were still in place.  The window on the left has been plated over and will have a new bulkhead from left to right, roughly in the middle of the former window.  Beyond the new bulkhead will be shelving for storage, this side of it will be an alcove to house the new fridges.


In our previous sessions on this vehicle we thought that all of the floor repairs had been completed.  However another area of rot in one of the steel top hat sections was found under the door mat section.  Here Jack has removed the floor panel and is stepping down through the hole onto part of the chassis.


Also during an earlier session on this vehicle, all the windows were removed by detaching the frame from the body.  These were then refitted using an adhesive similar to that which modern car windscreens are fitted with.  In doing this job it was found that the rubber holding the glass to the frame had perished and had been replaced with silicon in places.  A new rubber extrusion was sourced and 113 metres purchased which will replace the old completely.


A completed window.  The large pane as well as the two small ones at the top left and right have been removed, cleaned and refitted with the new rubber.  The two sliding windows have also been removed, the slides, and catches have been removed and cleaned.  Finally the draught strips on the sliding windows have been renewed with new rubber.


Whilst the glass was removed, the frame had all of the paint removed.  To finish, the frame surface will have to be built up with a high build primer to smooth the surface.


A pair of sliding window frames on the bench undergoing refurbishment.


A sliding window after it has received some attention.




The aluminium checker plate at the kitchen end vestibule has been refitted.


Also in the workshop is commonwealth bogie number B10.  This was removed from under its coach owing to having wheel flats.  It is now having a complete overhaul, brake gear, springs, axles etc.  Here Jack and Benny are heating up the pins that hold the swing links in place, prior to removal.


Also in the shed is North British shunter, D2774.  The carriage shed is once again acting as a paint shop.


Another view of D2774


Wednesday 20 July 2016

The next project

Mark 1, RU, 1936, the next project.

Here 1936 is turned prior to placing into the carriage shed.  This is the continuation of a project started some time ago.  The coach was withdrawn owing to a rotten kitchen floor, this has been replaced previously, together with one door and two windows being plated over.  These can be seen in the picture.


Previously one end, including the corridor connection had been removed, repaired and replaced.  Here the saloon end vestibule has been removed.


Richard dismantling the facing plate, invariably the mounting bolts have to be drilled out.


The usual rotten steel work that is found under the corridor connection  loop, when the loop mounting wood is removed.


A side picture of the connection face plate, after the rubber and metal mounting hoop have been removed.


Another of the same.


A close up of the rotten steel work after the mounting wood has been removed.


This is the staff toilet cubicle, in which the floor has already been replaced.  This will become a storage cupboard fitted out with shelving.


A view to the right of the staff toilet showing the corridor.  Again the floor and hardwood supports have all been replaced.


Again moving right, this is where the staff cloakroom used to be.  It had to be removed in order to renew the floor in this area.  The window has been removed and the area plated over (red oxide painted area).  This is because the area will be divided with a new partition, giving an alcove in the kitchen area and a shelved cupboard where the cloak room used to be.


This is the view of the kitchen area.  The partition between the chef's area (foreground) and the pantry has been removed.  The floor has all been replaced completely.


Another view showing the kitchen ceiling.  This area will need the wiring for extractor fans and ceiling lights fitting before any more progress can be made.


The saloon being stripped out.


This is the right hand of the saloon vestibule end, it is having the internal panelling removed to accommodate external panel repairs.


Saloon internal panelling removal in progress.


Another view of internal panelling.


This is the kitchen end vestibule connection, which had been refurbished earlier.


Mark 1 brake 35069, now part of the dining set, pictured in number 6 road of the storage shed.


Back to 1936 and the saloon end left hand panelling cut away.


Another view from a slightly different angle.


The right hand side, marked out for cutting.


The last plywood floor panel, between the end and first top hat support has been removed to accommodate steelwork repairs.


Window curtain pelmets removed and sanded down.


Internal window surrounds, sanded down awaiting staining and varnish.


Bill turned his hand to providing more cupboard space by converting these s + t  location cabinets.


Back to 1936, here the saloon interior has been completely stripped.  The pipes down the middle are the steam heating pipes that fit along the sides.


Another view from the other direction.


The right hand saloon end panelling removed , showing the framework.


We hosted an on board wedding recently, here are a few pictures of the SO tables laid up for the occasion.


Picture 2


picture 3


Picture 4


picture 5