SVR wagons 2014

Sorry its taken so long to get round to bringing you all up to date, I hope everyone had a good Christmas and a fantastic new year, 8700 views last year, lets see if I can persuade 9000 people to read my wafflings this year!
So, to bring people up to date with progress....
In the shed is 1913 built GWR CC7 tool van number 80982. This wagon was one of the last round cornered wrought iron vans built for the GWR, and is feeling her age a little. She is sometimes refered to as 2857's support coach after her trip to Newport and back in 1985, however in more recent times, she has been in the shed for a large ammount of her roof to be replaced, and two new skylights have also been fitted. The riverside door is under repair with all of the timber replaced on it, while she will be recieving four new step boards. Underneath the brake gear has been refebished, and work on the chassis is progressing slowly.
Outside, work on the two balast wagons has been halted by the weather, you can't paint while its cold or lashing down with rain, so lets hope we can restart work on thesew two by late March, while immidiately south of those is Steeel bodies Cadbury's van number 346 awaiting a repaint, hopefully we won't find any horror stories on that.
Wish us all luck!
Olly

 

Good news that the Cadbury's van is to see attention, it's always a bonus for me for a railway to be able to evidence it's significance to the local area. The highley mining co wagon is another good example of the valley doing this.

Thanks as ever for your updates Olly!

 

I will look forward to seeing how the cadbury van goes, are there any more scattered about? would be brilliant to get a rake together, then all you need is Cadbury No1 back in steam! perhaps for when gwsr gets to broadway or honeybourne, would be fitting to have that loco haul the first train... *drool*

 

Or even the old Fry's sentinel based at the AVR?

 

Wrong on both counts Andy2857, the Cadbury van was from the plant on Merseyside, while the Highley Mining Wagon was an LNER conversion of a NE low sided open, into a high sided open (Via van I belive) arriving with us via British sugar at Foley Park, the livery she is in it fictional.

 

I was aware that the wagon in the engine house wasn't an original, but I admit I did think the van was ex bournville. I meant more In that these two items of rolling stock evidence the links between ourselves and significant local firms. To an extent the originality isn't the most important aspect here as, especially in the case of the highley wagon, it is an educational resource above all. It is there to show the railway's role in local business (I imagine, like myself, very few members of the public will be aware that the 'local' Cadbury's van is from Liverpool!)

 

I disagree, the Highley Mining wagon's real history, in my oppinion, is far more interesting than the false one bestowed on it by the Engine house. It DID have a local industrial connection finishing up at BSC Kidderminster. We have a far more substantial link with local firms in regular service on the line which most of you will have ridden on!

 

The Cadbury factory here was adjacent to Moreton station , Wirral.
The former diesel shunter from this factory is now displayed at the entrance to Bournville.

Bob.

 

Indeed Bob, just didn't want to show my ignorance by not being 100% sure where Moreton was! lol

 

Indeed Bob, just didn't want to show my ignorance by not being 100% sure where Moreton was! lol

 

Anyway, if we can get this thread back on topic, this weeks progress at Bewdley sees several changes. The repaired door on the river side of 80982 is now back in its righful place on the wagon, it has certainly improved the working conditions inside, as it is rather warmer now! The work on the door has involved the total replacement of all of the timber on the door.
All of the window frames are now back in the wagon although the glass has been removed to be replaced. We have had to replace one cracked pane, and while the old glass would have been fine had it been left in place, it has to be replaced with toughened glass, and it is as cheap to replace the whole lot as it is to replace one cracked pane.
Down underneath, the work carries on on prbably the least glamerous part of wagon work, under the wagon on the chassis, although struggling with ailing needle guns and bad light although at least one of those problems should be solved first.
We are having some low level lights fitted on the rock side wall of the shed, by which I mean lights mounted at a low level in order to illuminate the underside of wagons, not mood lighting!
Wish us luck folks.
Ian

 

The sad thing about this job is that good progress rarely makes a good article, this blog writes its self when we do lots of little bits of tatting, but I'll give it a go.
80982 now has glass in all of her windows, we were going to reuse the old glass in new frames but one of the panes was broken and had to be replaced. Although ordinary glass would have been fine if we had put the old panes back in, any replacements have to be toughened glass, rather than changing one pane we have elected to replace the lot, this job now being finished.
The door now has a handle back on the inside so we can close the door while we are in the van, consequently, with the door closed and the windows back in, its now possible to get warm in there now!
Work on the chassis continues to be hampered by tired equipment, one needle gun packing up on us, and both of the halogen lamps have blown bulbs, a simple fix until you get the new bulbs off the shelf and find that someone has trodden on or dropped something on them while we were doing the roof!
Never mind, there is always next week!
Olly

 

What breed of Needle gun do you use?
We normally use a couple of 110v versions but have just bought a new Air powered one?
Which is better any ideas?

 

Have only ever encountered air powered ones and have always found them to be useful, if noisy ! Not even heard of 110v versions, intrigued are they any quieter?. Who makes them please?

 

I've never seen an electrical one and I, too, would be interested.

For air powered needle guns, Our three Trelawny ones have been around for the best part of 30 years (and weren't new then) and I recently bought a new one to replace one that has finally given up the ghost. They are expensive though at £250+. We've also got cheap and cheerful Kobe ones, much smaller but also much lighter and cheaper! Can't give a life span as we've only had them about three years.

 

I've used both types. The air powered ones are superior, but the electric ones are more convenient when there is no compressor available.
You can hire the electric 110v ones from plant hire companies such as A-Plant .

Bob.

 

Ours are all air powered, but we brought some cheep ones a few years back, they were good when new but the older ones that they were purchased to replace have been brought out of retirement and put back in action, not sure what make they are though.

 

I have a 110V one, from memory a Hilti TE-104. I got it off ebay (other sources of dodgy second hand tools are available) and the main problem I have is that the needle guide is plastic and has broken, so the needles fly everywhere. In other words it is now useless; I contacted Hilti and they don't supply parts for the head, so a complete new head is the solution (but not until I next need it as they're expensive!)

This problem existed when I bought it but has got worse. It did survive in a semi-usable state for long enough to de-scale some wagon dragboxes which I was repairing at the time.

In short, if you do buy a 110V needle gun, check its condition carefully!