Wednesday the 17th Jan 2024 a lovely clear day but a bitter cold wind and outside all the time so our hands got cold which made tasks a bit harder handling small nut and screws.

Greg has been busy buying Lidle magnetic tool holder strips these should make tool location easier and save searching once we are used to the relocation.

From last week I did not get a photo of the start of the old tool labeling in the Foss Cross building, carbon print and sealed from the environment so they should last.

The museum coach corridor connection was the first target as Greg had used some old timber just to hold the canvas on, now we had some hardwood strips it was time for a change the outer new one is fitted in this photo.

                                                  

the completed task and a replacement out top cover is being made to go above the top so daylight will not be visible through the wear holes.

                                                 

It was time for a trip to the old railway yard at Beckford to see the owners representative Jim about the possibility of saving Taylors old shed which is from before 1866. A fruitful conversation on it was followed by a look at the old engine/loading shed and a site walk which has prompted the need for a search for old photos and information on the yard area.

The west side of the engine/loading shed wall has a angle in it where the extension was fitted as it was beside the tracks and the extension needed a taper on the side to clear the railway lines

                                     

The original west platform remains the blue curved edging stones were removed by GWSR a long time ago and are now on Toddingtons platform. There is a fully wooden lorry/cart bed on the top of it with shaped edges on the timber which posibly denotes it as pre world war 2.

                             

Looking north up the track bed towards Ashton Underhill and Evesham from the platform area.

                             

The site is surprisingly long and wide for a small village showing how busy it must have been with produce and cattle from the Vale of Evesham. This is the track bed view north from the end of the yard.

                             

A perimeter walk turned up a lot of Dumbleton bricks which were made by Taylors at the Dumbleton village brickworks and a fitted end on and tapered to make an arch.

                                       

https://www.blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/GB145_p_1701

By Taylors shed is an old waste oil tank this may be available to the trust for restoration

Final task of the day was to refit the modern wiring conduit to the end of the pay office

                                              

 A post I put on the Banbury Cheltenham Direct Railway facebook page (a very good historical source of information and photos)

 Wednesday the 10th Jan and back after the Christmas, New Year break a sunny clear day but a bitter cold NE wind put paid to some outside jobs.

Another skip rescue, a signal arm that had been previously painted but now being tatty it was in the skip

A good going over with a scraper blade got most of the paint off revealing the enamel under it.

A time consuming job but it is getting there, after paint removal a clean with rust remover then a polish with cutting compound and water.

It now looks useable, apparently the painting means green algae starts growing on them so they get binned.

It was then outside for a clean up in Foss Cross building and labeling the tool displays of which I did not get a photo but carbon prints in laminated packets should last. We also refitted all the signs to the pay office

It was then time for the museum coach where the top  trim panels had been removed and refitted by electricians using cross head screws some years ago so it was time for crosshead brass screws to be fitted in keeping with the age of the coach after a good clean and restoration of the wood..

Then it was out in the cold to paint the corridor canvas with thinned down UVA glue, just around the holes and weak spots to strengthen it ready for patching in the future.

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Whilst quiet over the Christmas period Greg has been visiting Lidl stores to purchase the magnetic tool storage strips from the center aisle and has been busy fixing them up and moving tools around.

Last task for the day was a trip to Beckford station yard to assess possible moving of the shed in Gregs last post should we be successful in getting it. 

 James Taylor's Beckford Station, Coal office, to be saved

Happily, I have at last, had a result over the acquisition of James Taylor's former Beckford Coal, Brick and Tile office, approx 150 years old.

It is about 40 years since I made my original inquiry, I noticed the building had been cleared as an oil store and is due for demolition.

It is a quirky building displaying,many features of the Victorian era,it sitting on a small footprint of simple wooden construction ,with a brick chimney and tiled roof (probably supplied by J Taylor) access is super and should be easy to dismantle,

If my memory is right, I remember seeing the original signwriting on the exterior before it was painted brown, I am hoping to get a team together to return it to The Rats HQ, or if ideas for a permanent location could be considered that could be good.,

One view I have is that it could add to the new Usk bay and diorama, at Winchcombe, as another asset for the public to access, and enjoy.

Lyndon Knott, who moved the Monmouth Troy building stone by stone to Winchcombe is eager to be involved, and anyone interested in becoming involved with our restoration work can get in touch with me Greg Wigg, on 07917666040

The Beyer Garrett, O Gauge kit.

Keith mentioned in a previous post, the restoration of an O Gauge metal kit.

It was found in a bad way,and the original builder had obviously had difficulties in assembling it.

These metal kits are very hard to make, as they rely on parts being soldered together.

We did not know what to do with this model as attempts to give it a facelift ended up with parts falling off.

I gave it a blast off to remove poor paint and rebuilt the motions as they locked up when attempting to move the wheels.

To make a working model, I mounted the restored loco on a wooden base allowing it to run in situ.

I am pleased with the result as it now runs perfectly at the push of a button.

We can now trial it on display to see if it will be durable enough to withstand the attention of our visitors.

           Restoration of the corridor connection of GWR Ocean Mails van.

After many years stripped of its identity, Andrew Goodman's Great Western parcel mails van, looks like it should be after replacing all the corridor end steps, roof rails and finally its missing corridor end connection.

The steps, handrails and suspension hanger for the corridor bellows were made from scratch by Ian Carpenter, who's talents are amongst  the best in the land, the bellows frame, we bought from Tom Wright from the DMU group.

After remounting the frame, for expediency, we used a second hand canvass, which will have any damage repaired, in due course.

The Ocean mails were a service provided by the GWR, to speed on, mail from trans Atlantic Steam ship services arriving in the country.

The Liners would dock at Plymouth, Neyland or Fishguard, unload the mails on to express trains to London and other destinations arriving faster than if the ships continued on to their final destination Southampton.

The City Of Truro, locomotive set the Great western's rail speed record of 106 miles per hour on an Ocean Mails run.

We are proud to have taken this vehicle on a restoration thus far and hope to tackle a roof paint in the future. 

Close inspection of this end of the PMV shows how it was, pre restoration

The corridor end, now complete with new door, steps and hand rails. 

Getting there.

Whilst working on the PMV, I noticed that the cream paint on a panel had faded and chalked off,

clearly I had missed it when I varnished the vehicle three years ago, and after the sun had had its fun

it stood out.

I rubbed down the panel with Scotch Bright to give a key and then, using an old cotton towel, I wiped on a coat of thinned down Yacht varnish, it restored the colour, and the gloss with no brush marks,

before

After

 Monday the 18th a warmer than it should be dry day and my last before Christmas.

A quick look from the workshop across the Trusts exhibits that have been worked on over the last few years and then back into the workshop

Over the past week and a half the facia boards have misaligned so a quick realign and ad more screws 

                                            

Then it was gutter bracket time and refit a clean gutter a quick test with the watering can proved it flowed away nicely.

                                     

Ian and the Heritage Team dug up a fire bucket hanger whilst at Broadway this need a good clean and repaint then fitting to an old fire bucket board we have in stock.

Nature is taking over the sign outside the Honeybourne signal box

                                        

                                The Signal box and Scammel from the visitor car park.

                                

It was then Scammel time as it has been parked for six months plus so needed a full fuel drain to clean out the water and time on the battery charger,  New fuel and 12 volts a quick sort out of the plug leads as the resistor caps have now gone and copper connections fitted so we have a good spark at last and we have a runner.

A terst drive failed as the righr rear brake was seized but the application of an hammer on the handbrake linkage freed it off so it was a drive around the yard for Greg

Greg has got the LNER 2395 on a model base so it can be run at the touch of a button.

Whilst Greg was draining petrol I got on with shelving in the lamp hut the support bracket was hot riveted on and corroding but structurally sound enough to be used.

The battery angle grinder went flat before I could cut the rusty end of the original shelf

We have received more donations one being this GWR line map that just needs a light restoration it may then be displayed at Broadway Station.