Tuesday 24 December 2013

Christmas 2013

Not much news for this week, the three way bogie change was completed.  5149 was found to have holes in the vacuum brake pipe feed to the passenger emergency cord mechanism which Richard repaired.  All other activity revolved around preparing and providing shore supply chargers to the Santa service set.
 
 
Dave Grantham is on his usual Christmas visit.
 
Seen here working on removing and replacing the wooden panels along the corridor side of Mark 2 BFK 17101. 
 

 
A view of the side of the coach with the panels removed, fortunately no structure damage found so far

 
Another view, slightly different angle.

 
From inside a compartment looking out.

 
Another slightly different angle.
 
 

A Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year to all

The next post will be in the New Year

Thursday 19 December 2013

Divine intervention


Is this a moment of divine intervention?  Fireman Alistair Foden who has the nickname "Jesus" is targeted in a shaft of sunlight.

Tuesday 17 December 2013

The best laid plans......


The train ran on Sunday 08 December bearing a wreath in memory of John Morley
 
 
Mike Insch as Train Manager with Santa
 

Is Santa aspiring to be part of the footplate crew?
 


The bullion van has had the broken windows boarded over with plywood to try to keep it watertight


The cavernous interior of the bullion van


Whilst it was in the shed we finished off the patches in the floor.  The vehicle was originally purchased for the bogies and came to us with most of the windows vandalised.  The weather had deteriorated the floor in these areas and needed replacing.
 
 
The floor patches in the toilet
 
 
The other side suitably patched
 
The next vehicle in was BR Mark 2 BFK 17101, which had previously had its compartments taken out of use and was going to donate its bogies to BR Mark 2 TSO 5149.
 
BR Mark2 BFK 17101 being turned on the turntable.
 
The plan was that when this bogie swap had taken place, we would then work on the vestibule floor in BR Mark 1 SO 4477.  On the first day of the Santa season we had to provide an extra coach at very short notice, as 4477 was the first vehicle on number 7 road, it was commandeered.  This will now be the spare vehicle until the New Year, putting an end to the repairs for now.
 
 
This meant that we could turn our attention to the compartments on mark 2 17101.  Some time ago we removed the tables and the carpets, which had become wet and mouldy owing to the window leaks.  A compartment is pictured in this condition.
 
 
The compartment after stripping.
 
 
A closer view reveals the true condition of the frame.
 
 
More views
 
 
The wooden floor support
 
 
Slightly better on the other side
 
 
Probably the biggest culprit, a hole in the panel under the window.
 

The condition of the internal panelling.
 
 
Even the armrest backing had disintegrated and needed replacing. 

Monday 9 December 2013

Twas the week before Christmas (services)

Tuesday was shunt day.



The day started by putting the bullion van and dogfish wagon to one side, this allowed 5057 to be removed from the repair shed.  5057 was taken over to number 7 road in the storage shed and attached to the rake of coaches.  We required 17101 which was the third coach in, behind 5149 and 1928, these four were shunted out onto the main line and propelled up to Speyside box, where 17101 was detached.  The move then returned 5149 and 1928 to road 7 in the shed.

 
Numbers 6 (right) and 7 roads in the carriage storage shed.
 
 
The move, with 5057 attached then went to road 8 and detached 5228 from the rake and placed it on number 7 road.  Returning 5057 to number 8 road it was attached to the rake to take its position at the south end.
 
 
Another view of number 6 (foreground) and 7 roads in the storage shed.
 
The first 5 coaches were then drawn out of number 8 road and attached to 5228 in number 7 road, these were then returned to number 8 road where 5228 was detached.  The five coaches were then shunted back to number 7 road where the last vehicle 4477 was detached.  The remaining four coaches were returned to number 8 road, picking up 5228 on the way and were attached to 5060 standing on the block at the rear of the siding.  These coaches then form the six coach set to be used over the Christmas running, from the south; 5057, 4777, 35069, 1928, 5228 and 5060.  5149 in number 7 road is to be the standby coach.  Are you confused yet?
 
17101 standing on the main line at Speyside box was then collected and placed in the repair shed
 
 
Completed just in time, the company putting up the Christmas decorations arrived during the afternoon.
 
 
17101 is in need of an internal make over, which we do not have the time or resources for.  We have brought it in to the shed to borrow its bogies, it will be a three way swop.  17101 will be placed on a pair of spare, unserviceable bogies, this will release its bogies for use under 5149, whose own bogies are suffering from flats.  We will end up with the pair of bogies from 5149, which will later on be stripped down and the wheel sets sent for turning to get rid of the flats.
 

The night of the big storm.

When we finally arrived on Thursday morning, battling through high winds, fallen trees and snow storms.  We found that the tarpaulin covering the bullion wagon had been blown off, as it doesn't have any windows in it, we had to bring it inside.  Another big shunt in bad weather.  The only other damage that we could find is that one of the Speyside station signs had been broken in half and one of the three posts ripped out.
 
 
The view through the carriage shed door on Thursday morning.
 
 
The bullion van inside the shed, we are going to board the windows over instead of using the tarpaulin.  We hope that this is the quickest way to make it weather proof.
 
 
Later in the afternoon 46512 was in steam for a test following a repair, it was dispatched to go for coaling at Boat and utilised to check the line after the winds had died down.  She is waiting patiently up the head shunt for the points to be cleared, during a gap in the snow showers but the skies threaten more to come.
 






Wednesday 4 December 2013

Is the role of the Guard extinct?


I couldn't resist this one, our skeletal friend has made it to the Guard's seat. 

It reminds me of all the RMT posters "save the role of the Guard"

 
with apologies to all of my former colleagues.

Monday 2 December 2013

Another busy week

The activities this past week have been concentrated on the repairs to BR mark one TSO number 5057 and continuing to paint the dogfish wagon.

 
Richard continued to connect the toilet radiator pipework, all that can be seen of him are his legs and spanner in hand.
 


One of the toilet radiators, the holes for the pipes had to be created and the wooden battens which hold the skirting rail, had to be shortened.
 
 
The pipe work from underneath.  The diagonal pipework already existed and is for the corridor radiator.  Two tee pieces were inserted and feed the radiators via the horizontal pipe furthest from the camera.
 
 
Regular Tuesday volunteers, Helen and Jamie, carry out some internal cleaning on 5057.
 
 
John carried on with the painting of the dogfish wagon.
 
 
By the end of the week, the dogfish painting was well advanced.
 
 
The new door pillar insert in place.  This gave us tremendous trouble, whilst on the slave bogie the door shut perfectly.  However when lowered on to its own bogie the body must have twisted slightly as the door would no longer close.  This resulted in a lot of sanding and adjusting.
 
 
Just back from the upholsterers, a seat cushion for 5057 and a side trim for 5060.  We would give anything for a volunteer with upholstering capability.
 
 
5057 up in the air during the lift to replace its own bogie.
 
 
Juliano spent a few days shot blasting and painting these springs.  They are for the commonwealth bogie that we have stripped down for overhaul.


Monday 25 November 2013

Week commencing 18 November 2013

Apologies for the picture quality this week, the weather has taken a turn for the worst, covering the sky lights and making the shed dull, the yellow / orange light from the sodium lamps doesn't help either.

The week started off with a mammoth shunt to replace 5060 with 5057, 5060 was in the repair shed, whilst 5057 was at the end of number 8 road in the storage shed, you couldn't get any further apart.  Whilst we were doing this move, which included turning 5057 on the turn table, the weather threw constant snow showers at us, with around one inch of the white stuff on the ground.


BR mark one, TSO, 5057 was in for repairs to a very bad steam heat leak.  The leak was coming from the main two inch pipe situated above the bogie, at a point which was hidden inside the draw gear casting.


The coach was lifted, the bogie rolled out and then lowered onto a slave bogie, this was to give access to the pipe.

 
The south end bogie rolled out from underneath, it also makes for easier servicing this way.
 
 
The south end of the coach sitting on a slave bogie.
 
 
The new steam pipe in place, the red oxide painted pipe disappearing into the box section top right, then re-appearing in the galvanised 90 degree bend, centre left, behind the toilet soil pipe.  It was in this box section where the leak was, this point also had a difficult bend in the pipe that had to be re-created.
 
 
The new pipe had to extend further than planned, going through to the next joint further back.  Whilst we are doing this work we are reinstating the toilet radiators.  When the coach was refurbished a few years ago we did not have the lifting capacity that we now have, subsequently the toilet radiators were placed in position but not piped up.  One of the new pipes to these can be seen top centre.
 
 
Julinao has joined us on a three month scheme that the Belgian government is running, he is seen here working on 5057's batteries.
 
 
Julinao has also carried out a job for the S+T dept, they wanted the key lock fitted to the third lever.  The frame is then due to replace the one at Aviemore north.  This will then allow the frame to be unlocked with the single line token (lock to be fitted to number one lever) or when Aviemore Speyside box is switched in, with a key that will be released from the box that will operate lever number 3.
 
The bad weather brought in additional help in the form of Georgie and Craig of the P-way dept, they helped move along the dogfish ballast wagon by giving it a coat of paint.
 
 
Georgie applying the grey undercoat.
 
 
Craig on red oxide primer duty
 
 
No its not a ghostly appearance, just the reflection from Craig's high vis jacket.

 
Looking much better by the end of the day.
 
 
Richard climbing out of the pit after carrying out brake adjustment on TSO 4777
 

Then along came Saturday!

Things are improving in the C&W staff numbers department, we had seven members of staff in on the same day, unheard of!  long may it continue.
 
 
Roger getting to know a buck-eye coupling, which together with Ralph, they had stripped cleaned and greased.

 
Richard, pipework in left hand, operates the press with the right hand.

 
Ralph and Roger, looking as if they have lost something.
 
When not behind the camera I was trying to fix this door on 5057.  The door was the subject of an earlier defect report about not shutting properly, it was locked out of use until now.  When I inspected it I couldn't believe how big the gap was between the door and the frame, especially when you consider it was all replaced (by me) some four years ago.  There was nothing else that could be done other than replacing the door pillar insert with a new one.