Wednesday 9th October are dry warm start then the light rain came in.

In the last week Greg has added more to the Hayles Abbey Sign and started on a wooden box refurbishment.

The legs on Malvern Well sign have rotted off and the frame needs repair, so unbolt the sign and get repairs started however rust and rot meant the coach bolts needed cutting off and driving out with a punch and trying to lay the frame down rot meant it fell to bits so a major job not the perceived minor one

Laying it down on the ground resulted in one end falling off.

                                                 

Optimistically the wooden parts were all numbered so we could save and reuse good parts.

                                                

This sign was assembled with all new wood five years ago and painted but it has rotted beyond repair

                                            

                                                        So cut it up for fire wood

The enamel panels are in need of repair so a wire wheel to remove the rust and loose pasts then treat with a rust converter but rain stopped play,

Using the wire wheel killed the drill after a few minutes so a strip down and replace brushes

The Morris roof was then porta powered up  and reshaped with the hammer after getting it hot with a blow torch  cooling it instantly with a wet cloth stress relieves it. Forgot to take a photo now the roof is back in shape.

The final 15 minutes or so were used on the unidentified machine possibly a pipe thread cutter which is a solid rusty lump.

A good application of the propane cutting torch got the 2 locking lever handles moving freely  but the clamping screws are solid so a good soak with a penetrating oil will hopefully free things off in the next week or two.

Wednesday 2nd October

 A damp start as it rained overnight but dry to start and not cold so outside it is.

                    Greg has been busy practising his sign writing on the Sign for Hayles Abbey Halt

The laurel boundary hedge needed finishing up to the road bridge so a lot more to cut off and then clear the path of any hardcore item so the mower can go up there in the future.

                                            

The large pile from last week was also the and took a bit of lighting but one in flame it consumed most of todays cuttings.

                                                

Due to the Autumn weather the leaves are changing, dying and falling into the buildings so a good sweep around was needed.

                                                    At least the workshop floor is tidier now.

We then had a short break in the Trust office as Mike had found loads of old newspaper editorials about the Midland Railway and GWR from the early 1900's including the collapse of the viaduct during construction, Malvern station in Cheltenham, general line construction ones and the  people involved in the project. An interesting 15 minutes.


Last week we removed a GWR fence post that was hiding in the flower beds,this is needed for a future project so some time with hammer and chisel then washing the debris off with the watering can got it presentable

                                                       Looking better with a clear U channel.

Then it was onto the Morris 2T 3cwt roof distortion using a block of wood and the porta power as support then as Greg had found on the net warm the top with the gas torch and dress with a dolly hammer immediately douse with a cold. wet cloth, the method worked well and the roof is a far better shape so we can hopefully avoid any use of body filler.

 Wednesday 25th September a dry morning with warm sun at times before a wet afternoon.

                         Greg rescued some scales in need of repair so a job for the future

This was rescued but it is an unknown item that is rusted solid including the tools seized into the bed plate so another future job.

           An easier repair a gas lamp the just needs the bowl before being displayed in a period building

Then it was outside for a few more hours  filling the gaps in the path paving blocks

                                      before                                                            after

                               Looking better and it may tempt more visitors to take a look around

 Then it was Morris time Greg has been busy with the cab and we had to try and get the distortion out of the roof where the new metal had been welded in this involved the gas torch, dollies and hammers.

The Laurel boundary hedge is starting to get in the way of the mower with  branches and suckers sticking out over the boundary line. 

Clearing around the stumps to see what needs trimming

After a good session with a reciprocating saw and  secateurs it looks a lot better

now it needs some warm dry weather so the foliage can dry and be reduced to ash.

 Doing the right thing

The Morris cab roof has suffered, originally holes had been drilled in it to accomodate indicators and it has generally suffered from 64 years of rust.

I welded up the holes but that distorted the roof somewhat , taking keith's advice I cut out the troublesome area and welded in some fresh steel plates. the result is a lot more satisfactory.

 Wednesday 18th September a nice warm sunny day so outside it is.

The Trust shop at Toddington runs with an honesty box and is where we sell donated and sourced items some from the skips on the railway other from the trusts work.

The blue brick block paving has moved over the years due to natures influence both animal and vegetation have got in between it, so time to clear the weeds clean out the gaps and fill with block paving sealing mix. We use natural sand colour first then put a thinner layer of dark grey on top to match the original work GWR would have done.

           

                            Weeds and over hanging plants have been removed or trimmed back

                                                

                                      Then a good wash down with the jet on the pressure washer

                                                   

                                 It was then fill all the joints with the natural colour mix

                                                  

After a few hours working the mix into the gaps and sweeping off the residue it looks a lot better, but there is much more to do over the next few weeks.

It was then time for some more welding on the Morris to remove pin holes and rust in the cab roof.

The cab floor is progressing well with the battery hole cut in it and a stowage bin sunk in for tools and alike when it is useable.