London North Eastern Railway 1950 Brake Corridor Third E1866 (GOLD)
Brass window frame cleaning continues.
London North Eastern Railway 1938 Brake Third Open E16631E (GOLD)
Work to prepare the new vacuum pipework continues, with more pipes cleaned up and several now up to black paint.
British Railways 1961 Brake First Open (Kitchen) M14021 (GOLD)
A further section of paintwork has been mechanically stripped back to bare on the seaward side of the vehicle, a dirty job being performed admirably by Graham who has returned with a new knee following a time away.
The Holt end has taken a big step forward with the commencement of some contract welding repairs. So far, the corroded bottom plate has been removed and a new one welded and bolted in place. The lower sections of the four crash pillars have been chopped out where rotten and new examples welded in. This has included a new lower section of the facia plate that goers either side of the corridor connection opening.
British Railways 1958 Brake Corridor Second M35148 (SILVER)
The exterior of the coach has now reached primer all the way round, paving the way for undercoat to start next week.
On the interior, the toilet has become a focus which is being recommissioned. The plumbing has been reinstated but continues to suffer blockages so further work is required. The WC interior has had a good clean of all the paneling and fittings to see what requires any further cosmetic attention.
In the adjacent vestibule, ceiling repairs are ongoing ready to fit the panels back up. The supporting framework is now fitted into the roof space and the framework for the ceilings themselves having rotten sections replaced.
Finally, all of the former electric heater covers have been repainted silver to smarten their appearance.
British Railways 1957 Class 101 Railcar Driving Trailer Composite Lavatory E56062 (SILVER)
The work on the seaward side doors, bodywork and cab interior explained last week all continues to progress. The copper pipework for the redundant cab water heater, believed to be a Norwich depot modification, has all been extracted from underneath the vehicle.
British Railways (GWR Design) 1958 “Fruit D” W92097W (SILVER)
No progress to report.
Maintenance
Maintenance work has focused on repairing and servicing one of the generators for the Gresley Buffet car. A start is also being made on the annual C examinations of the running stock, and as part of this a worn coupling was discovered on CCT E94464. The hook has been swapped with that on out-of-service sister M94125 and the worn slot in the bufferbeam in which it passes has also been built back up with new metal and dressed as it was making a knocking noise towards the very end of the last running season.
