Windcutter Wagons

I have some pictures of 92212 and 92203 from the GCR in the 90s both had been allowed to accumulate grime, 92203 in particular had a very “end of steam” look about it.

Chris

 

Hi Chris
Could you post one or two up? I have one of 92212 hauling the freshly painted Windcutters but it is all too clean and shiny!
We had a good workday today with the two North bottom side strips welded in place and most of the North end lower strip tacked in. The West side door was also bolted in place so one more week should see this wagon #16 finished.

 

Here is that North end bottom strip being welded in place.

 

Here is a picture of a pristine 9F (92212) hauling the freshly painted Windcutters around 1996.

 

I took this one at some sort of GCR special event at the end of June 1995. It was long before Swithland signalbox was commissioned and there was a shuttle bus, I think from Rothley, with an "enclosure" for photographers to stand in and take photos of passing trains. It shows some of your wagons in use in an unrestored state........



There must have been another similar event held there on another date as I think I've got some shots taken from the signalbox itself somewhere.

 

I'll look them out when I'm home in a few days.

Chris

 

Just found the other event, it was June 1996........

 

Here are the unrestored wagons behind MN Canadian Pacific so 1994 ish

 

If that was the one with 5224 present then I was in the box on June 4 1994.

 

One of my earliest memories is standing on a pile of ballast or sleepers at Swithland with an 8F and black 5 double heading on the windcutters on the down line at one of these events. It could well have been when this was taken!

 

Here is a much more recent image (courtesy Mr R Warren)

 

Really bad photo of a photo, I thought I had a picture of the pair on the windcutters but apparently not.

I *think* it was a gala- I also have a pic of 30777 on the Windcutters- looking very shiny like the picture above, the N2 sat outside Loughborough shed and 34039 looking quite scruffy from the same day.

Chris

 

The two dirty 9F's were at the Winter Gala in January 1997. I'd just aquired a telephoto lens for the first time so was seeing how it worked......


On the same day in June 1996 that I took the picture of 30777 from inside Swithland 'box, I took this one from the steps and it shows the crowd control measures in place for the photographers......

If you look hard enough, you can just make out the metal posts and the rather thin solitary strand of blue rope!!

 

Wagon #16 had the finishing touches done today by a team of four people. Two welded inside, one attached the flexible pipes to the vacuum pipe and I splashed primer and underseal around!


Oooops - I didn't realise that there was some welding to be done on the top corner and the underseal was still wet under it!

 

Another one finished as #16 had the final bit of painting done inside. The Axleboxes were also split for annual pad exams with the brake linkage checked and lubricated ready for its "Fitness to Run" exam. We are now waiting for the next unserviceable wagon to arrive....

 

The PO black wagon was still awaiting the FTR and so I popped along to Quorn and found my brake van in the yard. It was a bit damp inside so needed an airing ...and fire lighting...and GCR brunch from the Butler Henderson Cafe

 

Now it can be revealed!
We and the GCR have been working with Accurascale and they are producing a range of 00 scale 16T mineral wagons of the major variants. There is a video and more details on their website as they were filming during the recent "Railways at Work" Gala.

 

Stove ?

 

That might have been from about 1996 as 45231 ran like that (LMS lining but BR markings) for the closure gala in September that year, the BR totem was peeling off the tender!