Bluebell Railway General Discussion

I have a feeling that the page has been open for other appeals relating to OP4 and therefore the target will have been reset, maybe several times over the last year.

Keith

 

Normal behaviour from previous fundraising is that offline donations considerably outweigh online, but don’t show up in the published figure unless updated manually. My sense is that while construction work has been progressing, the appeal page has been active but largely unpublicised; but now there is a specific push for donations for the parts of OP4 covered.

Tom

 

News hot off the Press

The popular Behind the Scenes Tours of the Carriage Works at 2 o/c every Saturday at Horsted which were due to finish at the end of September are continuing through October, that is on 6th, 20th and 27th October. 13th October (and 12th and 14th) are Giants of Steam - tours being run on those days will be confirmed later on.

So if you have an interest in Carriage and Wagon, get on down to Horsted at 2 o/c on a Saturday. Tours are free to ticket holders although donations are of course always welcome.

David R

 

She’s on her way back

 

According to the Latest Steam Railway received today the Branchline Gala will be 15th-17th March next year, and the O2 will be visting , subject to final confimration from the IOWR by the end of the year.
They also mention 30587 as a possible visitor

 

Well that explains why the 4TC is reportedly in use for Steam On The District and not the Chesham set.

 

The Mets are still only two carriages at the moment AFAIK, so also conceivable that they don’t provide sufficient seats to make it worth taking them off the railway.

Tom

 

From the e-Newsletter:

C&W Update by the Numbers: 54, 328, 949, 1482, 4754, & 5768

Bulleid Corridor Composite No. 5768 has moved into the paint shop for the final coats of gloss and varnish to be applied, together with the sign writing. The carriage is all but complete internally.

The space where it has been sitting was taken by another Bulleid Open Third, No. 1482, which has been having an intermediate overhaul with attention being given to sidelights on the east side, some of which have been removed and resealed, and the interior.

The seats are in the process of being retrimmed, and this work will resume after the carriage has been used for the Giants of Steam weekend. A new battery box is also being constructed.

Work on Pullman Car 54 continues at a steady pace. At the moment the timbers for the new ends are awaited. Two new gusset plates have been drilled ready to fit to both the north and south ends of the underframe, and trimming work on the newly constructed seats is progressing well.

The consultation with A. Dunn and Son over the restoration of the marquetry panels has revealed a problem: the company does not have a way of lifting the marquetry and veneer off the old backing boards for it to be glued to new ones. The suggestion was that new panels would be produced, reusing the old marquetry when possible. We were not happy with this proposition as we want to save as much of the original interior as possible, so an experimental panel has been tackled in-house by contracted woodworker Kuristo Demans.

Kuristo has carefully removed the layers of the old backing board with a router and then glued the panel front on to a new birch ply board. The backing board showed signs of woodworm, so the remaining thin layer of backing panel was treated to prevent further attack. Kuristo then repaired the veneer and completed the job by applying French polish to give a beautifully restored panel. As a result, the option of marquetry panel repair and restoration in-house is being considered.

Lastly, BR Mk1 Second Open No. 4754 progresses; the bottom photograph shows the sidelights on the east side being prepared for removal by Chris Partridge. Stroudley Brake Third No. 949 is having its doors fitted; the double doors on the east side have had to be newly constructed. And the compartments of Stroudley 5 Compartment Third No. 328 are being painted and prepared for scumbling, to make best use of available light before the roof boards are fitted. These new boards are being stored under 949 for acclimatisation.

By Sheina Foulkes, Supervisor, Carriage & Wagon Department​

If anyone wants to see progress up close, this also from teh e-Newsletter:

Popular "Behind the Scenes" C&W Tours Extended Through October

The Behind the Scenes tours of the Carriage & Wagon Department every Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. have proven to be a hit with our visitors.

Initially, we were attracting about 25 people each week, but some of the tours during the summer have attracted upwards of 60 people, which has required them to be split into two groups with a second--and on at least one occasion a third--tour guide. We estimate that about 1,000 people have taken the tour.

These tours seem to attract a much greater percentage of "general public" than the tours we normally do on special days that are much more enthusiast-dominated. The feedback from participants has been very positive, with several tour guides receiving standing ovations at the end. Donations in the collecting box towards the Maunsell Restaurant Car are also up on last year.

As they have proved so popular, we are continuing the tours through October (originally they were to finish at the end of September). So if you're curious as to what goes on in the depths of the C&W works, you still have a couple of Saturdays to get down to Horsted at 2 p.m. for a peek behind the curtain at what we do. We are hoping to repeat the tours next year, probably from Easter to the end of September.

Well done all, and thanks to all those who have acted as tour guides.

By David Rhydderch


​

 

Thanks for that, Tom, nice to have an update. I don't know if you'd know, or even be able to comment, but Dave Clarke's Flickr site hasn't been updated at all this year. It used to be an excellent and finely detailed way of keeping abreast of C&W progress, and I for one really miss his regular updates.
Is he ok, do you know?

 

I saw Dave recently and asked about his flickr site, he said that he had been through quite a hectic period but hoped to resume his updates in the future.

 

Thanks for that Gary, that's good to know.

 

Bluebell used in a new TV advert for the latest Dreamboats and Petticoats album:



Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

 

This was another recent one - the commercial for which, briefly, a Mark 2 carriage was used.



No idea why in the closing shot Horsted Keynes has been reversed!

Tom

 

That’s what it is!!! I’ve only seen it in passing and I kept thinking they’d CGIed everything on the west side of the station out...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Likewise - I recognised it at once, but something didn't quite seem right... (or is that left?)

 

Just a reminder that the current "wall to wall" double donation appeal is still running; in fact (due to late arrival of Bluebell News), the closing date has been extended to the end of December. So far, £113k of the £250k target has been reached, which will go towards the next phase of construction of the OP4 carriage shed. Due to a generous benefactor offering to double each donation, every £10 donated will be worth £22.50 to the project if Gift Aid is reclaimed. See https://mydonate.bt.com/events/op4/453366 for details.

Also, there was an article in "Rail" magazine noting that a considerable amount of track work from the Euston carriage sheds, currently being demolished, has been donated to the Bluebell. This track work, including sets of points, will enable a full connection to each road in OP4 (previously, consideration had been given to providing access only by slewing, but now each track will be properly connected within the yard - see the bottom of http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/track_horsted.html for the proposed layout).

Tom

 

It's still no reason to buy an album with Cliff ****** Richard on it

 

From the e-Newsletter:

Double Donations Dash Is Racing Away & the Deadline Extended!

After a slightly delayed start to the OP4 Double Donations Dash campaign, the pace of donations has increased rapidly. At the close of business on 7 Nov., 2018, the Railway had raised a magnificent total in excess of £175,000. This total includes Gift Aid to be recovered, as well as the matching funding offered by our generous benefactor.

Every last penny of this fundraiser will be spent on the new Carriage Shed and the Heritage Skills Centre. If we hit our target of £250,000, we will have taken a massive step to achieving our ambition of getting 25 carriages in a dry and safe environment while each one awaits its turn in the restoration queue.

We are nearly at 70% of our target, a magnificent achievement and one for which we offer our grateful thanks to each and every person who has made a donation, large or small. Project leader Barry Luck can't wait to put the donations to good use!

If you have not donated to the Appeal yet, it is not too late because we have extended the closing date to 31 Dec., 2018. Remember, you can send a cheque with a completed Gift Aid form or make a donation via BTMyDonate.

 

And also from the e-Newsletter - you'll have to download or subscribe to the actual newsletter to see the photos refereed to:

OP4 Update: Turning Out

Work on OP4 has slowed a little in the past few weeks, following completion of the Heritage Skills Centre framework and roof, but there has been progress in the yard, with the completion of the turnout that will serve roads H and J.

A short length of track has been laid in the shed to complete H road, and there now remains only about 50m of plain track to complete this connection. We will not be laying track for the final road (J) until the east wall of the shed has been completed.

The Infrastructure Team is now very busy elsewhere on the Railway, completing more urgent work relaying sections of the main line, so progress in the yard will be slow over the next couple of months.

However, work is proceeding in the background finalising the last few details relating to construction of the skills centre floor and walls, as well as the walls of the main shed. Once these details have been agreed, we will be in a position to recommence on the skills centre, depending on resource availability and weather.

The two photographs show, above, the H/J turnout and, below, the stub of H road. Finally, a huge thank you to all those who have contributed so generously to the next phase of the project.

By Barry Luck, OP4 Project Manager

 

This was also in the e-Newsletter, an interesting point for anyone thinking they don't have skills to help run a railway - lots of skills are eminently transferrable:

Can You Help the C&W Department?

Let me describe how I spend a day and half each week volunteering at the Carriage & Wagon Department at Horsted Keynes, and then you decide.

Firstly let me list what I do not do:

• Carpentry/Woodwork
• Metalwork
• Painting
• Polishing
• Varnishing

None of which are skills I have acquired. Basic DIY is OK, I can recognise most tools and processes used in the shed and listen when the experts describe a task. I have no background in railways; I never even had a train set!

So how do I help?

For a particular project I ask the experts to tell me what needs doing, how long it will take, when it needs doing, how much it will cost, and who should do it. The experts are the skilled people-the volunteers, paid staff, and managers in C&W.

Armed with all this information I make up a project plan. The plan is reviewed by the experts and confirmed as "do-able". The project then proceeds according to the plan. The experts can relax and produce the perfect results they are renowned for, secure in the knowledge that someone (me) is keeping an eye on progress and confirming that the next task is ready and waiting.

If things are not going to plan, I can meet with the experts and come up with a solution, adjust the plan, or add more effort.

So, I ask questions, listen to the answers, construct a plan, watch what is happening, and make sure that I stay one step ahead of the current work and produce a report each month to let everyone know the progress.

In other words, I am a Project Manager. We need more project managers.

If you have always wanted to be part of the Railway's restoration team but don't think you have any skills to offer please think again.

Can you talk to people, can you listen to people, can you speak up when the plan is slipping, can you spend time with us? If so, then you can look forward to becoming a valuable team member at the Carriage & Wagon Works.

Contact me by email, and we can arrange for you to visit and have a chat.

By John Knight