Wednesday, November 19, 2025

Wednesday 19th November winter is here with snow on the hills and decidedly cooler temperature.

                                            


Not the ideal day but the workshop door has been dragging the floor and rotting for years so it was removed for new wood on the bottom and rehanging so it is clear and swings easily.

A new brass lower hinge replaced the heavily corroded steel one and the side and bottom got new wood it just needs treating now to preserve it..




After a couple of hours a fully working door

                                                   


The Morris van has been a dump for parts and mice had moved in at sometime so a clean out and reorganise the contents with some moved to other places for ease of access and future work.






The workshop floor also got a good clean so we can move around freely and find stuff




Smoe old faded AA books got treated to a clean up and a coat of lanolin these are now in the AA box and hopefully the lanolin will stop degradation from the damp weather.




Then the time got the better of us.

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

 Wednesday 12th Nov after a very wet stormy night we had to change the plans.


The station master coat looks better after the dying done a couple of weeks ago.





The touring England board  has been stained and clean and look new.



The process of refurbing the exhibits in the 1874 building is progressing the cash box has been cleaned off as the stain had gone grey and brass looking sorry.
A strip down and scrape over followed by some new stain and the brass polished it looks better.

                                           


The little stocks style holder also got the same treatment



                 

The bed frame off the Morris got one coat of hammertite on the bottom after it dried before the next rainfall.


The table in 1874 looked very tired so a clean then treat with linseed oil before cleaning and placing the artefacts back on



the drums and bottles on the floor also got a make over but do you preserve the history or make like new, we like to preserve if possible.



A lower shelf also got the full treatment with one iron being stripped to clean leaving one to do.




Then more cleaning of the artefacts on the floor.

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                                 The Morris cab has been treated to interior de rust, preservation and priming.

                                                         


                                                                        The time was up.

















































Wednesday, November 5, 2025

 Wednesday 5th November no fireworks today just a damp start and milder than it should be so outside it is.


The Morris bed frame has not been on since we repaired the boards and a trial fit showed the front was a mm or 2 too wide and the rear boards a fraction to long so some planing and cutting ensued.






After a light trim it dropped on nice and snug then came off for de rusting and painting

A rearrangement of work platform and saw bench meant it was at a good height and clear of the floor to enable stripping with a rotary wire wheel  before sanding down. 
It was then sprayed with an undercoat



The drivers door all nicely painted was catching the frame top rear so a simple tweak to get clearance turns into a marathon task every slight adjustment brings foul in other places but we got there in the end'




The ivy on the tree was cut in the summer and has died back ready for removal but the were still some green spurs growing up so some more cutting completed it should all die now.


                                  The falling leaves are still playing havoc and there are plenty more to fall.

                                                   



Three inner light units from signals were found in the scrap bin so saved by RATS and the best one has been cleaned up it now sits inside the outer lamp on display in the museum

                                                             As salvaged with the glass removed

                                                     



                                                                      After stripping 


                                                                     
                                                     After an application of brasso to clean the glass

                                                                    

 

After a clean  wire wheel then a scrubbing pad the GWR Reading was clearly visible,  brass was cleaned with a weak acid then polished. The whole thing got 2 coats of lanolin applied before it got put inside a signal light outer case in the museum coach.



That's all folks time flies when you are busy.










Wednesday 19th November winter is here with snow on the hills and decidedly cooler temperature.                                             ...