Our good friend and main blogger keith Taylor is taking a break away for a few weeks so I am adding a few updated photos of GWR Bow ended Collet coach 4777.

One compartment is starting to look a lot more like a passenger coach now that the upholstery has been made up by the GWSR Carriage and Wagon Upholstery department.

The team of volunteers at Winchcombe are leading the way in a skilled and challenging area of preservation and restoration work.

Nineteen new luggage rack brackets have been cast in aluminium at Madeley Brass Castings and these are adding to the period look.

 

The bulkhead under the seat has been cleaned down and painted, very soon there will be no evidence of the blue and silver paint that once marred every internal panel.

Pictured, are the window panes and frames I made up for the toilets.

After fixing all the gutter leaks in January, today we had the first real heavy rainstorm since then, and gladly there were no internal drips.

 Tuesday 26 th May a hotter than normal May day in the heat wave the blog may be quieter until july as Germany then Italy beckon  but we will be back up to speed after.

 Wednesday 20th May 2026 a dry start and a warmer day as it should be in May.

The stove in the Honeybourne signal box is dusty and rusting as well as a home to insects so time for the rotary wire brush to get into action followed by some graphite stove paint then a rub over when dry and then a coat of lanolin.

 The brass poker needed a coat of acid cleaner then a wash off and some time on the brass wheel before a polish and coat of lanolin.

After a good clean it is now back in the stove.

The British Rail notice board has become detached from the wall in the museum coach so needed to be remounted, it appears damp is getting in behind the panel and the wood going soft released the screws with the weight of the board.

New nails were fitted to secure the top rail which was then drilled for mounting screws to align with good wood in the coach frame.

                                                        

The buried electrical cable signs are proving to be problematic for some reason one has ballooned and cracked two weeks after it was moulded.

                                                                      ballooned

As they were cast.

The new office has arrived in flat pack form so another job for the future.

The line wagon interior paint has been lightened with white and then the tone adjusted with addition of yellow and red.

                                                          last weeks dried even darker

The new mix looks a lot better and the litre went a long way but we still need another mix.

The end of another day.

 Wednesday 13th May 2026 a chilly start and a day of heavy thundery showers.

                             

A walk down to line side wagon to empty out tools and fitting belonging to the owner and start painting now the paint has been mixed to suit.

The first load of rail handling tools and high pressure filters as the light went down Betton Grange pulled in.

                           

Now we have cleared the tools and parts out it looks better but the new paint on the dark background is only a bit lighter and nowhere near the dark stone colour even though it matches when on the brush.

                         So add white to the tin or paint the walls white before applying more stone colour.

                   before                                                                                      after

                        

The front boards on Honeybourne had dropped so a long screw now holds them in position.

                   

                                           A coat of light stone and the signal box looks better.

                                         

The mystery tool has been soaking in oil via the oil points and screw holes, the side screw nut is now moving more but the screw is seized into the posts,even with the guide plate out it will not move.

                                       More oil applied to soak into the rust during the week.

                                              

Next on the list are the buried cable signs that are hardening up as time passes but still need support so a backing plate of brass sheet was cut and shaped. We now need 6mm slot head counter sunk screws to mount them.

                                             

After a dressing and cleaning a primer coat was applied to the signs which will end up black with white lettering however there has been a reaction with the paints so they will need a light rub down when dry and some more paint.

                                                

The post one sign will go on is an original GWR one so a flap disc on the angle grinder got the worst corrosion and debris off then a wire brush in the drill cleaned out the rust in the pitted areas before a coat of rust preventing undercoat followed by some black top coat, now we need to source another post for sign 2..

                       

Then time was up.

 Wednesday 6th of May 2026 a cooler but dry day.

                                        

First task was a simpler one the we had thought it would be namely relocating a fig tree this was near a shed and house and the book says it could achieve 30ft high and wide in 30 years so it is now over 20 ft from a building.

                                                        

A copper and brass crop sprayer which belong to dad has now got a new home in the Fosscross building so it needed a bit of a clean this also revealed some information. A wash with brass cleaning acid solution got it cleaner then it was down to the brass wire wheel,  wire wool,  thin oil, brasso and few cloths.

                   before                                                                                After brass acid cleaner

                          

                  After                                                                                   once hidden information

                         

The second buried cable casting id done but forgot the release agent spray before the pour so it was well stuck to the mould. These will be mounted on a brass backing plate attached to a steel pole to replace the garish plastic ones scattered around the station.

                                        

The 2T 5CWT Morris has had the right hand front painted and is now reassembled, after a chat we have decided to get the motor running before refitting the wings.

            

THe paint repairs on the Honeybourne Signal box building are on going today was more sanding and painting on the window sills and lower light stone coloured boards.

                                                  before primed and one before sanding.

                   

                                                                        After with more to do.

                   

We need more storage and office space so an 8ft X 14ft shed is on order so today Mike and myself have marked out the plot and dug down so we could ft levels pegs and string this enabled us to work out a guesstimate of the amount of old ballast we need to get from Winchcombe yard after we had visited to check availability this morning.

                                      

Another productive day but we could do with a few more practical volunteers on site as there is still a big work to do list on top of the general maintenance of exhibits already out on display. As an extra now we will have a shed base to do then assemble the shed then there is a tin lineside hut and sectional concrete western railway building both in a garden at Pewsey that may need moving to Toddington to save them from destruction by the house builders who have the site.