Rolling stock, restoration and new build projects

Looking really good

 

Yeah thanks it is starting to all come together now. I can see light at the end of the tunnel now !

 

If we're looking at sort-of-newbuild carriages, why not make them suitable for the more tourist minded way all the lines are run these days? Bigger toilets, easier access for the less able bodied, bit of space for buggies etc etc. You could still "dress" them in various ways with a bit of jiggery pokery (or dare I say heretically, with vinyl covers). I mean we're looking at coaches which only need to do a max of 25mph, so surely something could be learnt from the FR/WHR carriage building programs?

 

Nobody is looking at it.

Sawdust.

 

Posting a link to a picture of a beautiful newly painted LMS passenger coach. from Heritage Paintings well updated facebook page!

https://scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=cc824d0c9316e76aa5cfe6d9977eaa61&oe=5BA051C7

regards,
Knut

 

Today's passengers are also frequently somewhat 'wider across the beam' than their predecessors!

 

Back to this thread, Started getting some glass now in our toplight windows. Compartment ceilings painted too. I plan to get the droplights done next as I can do them at home in my garage, See pictures below.

 

Looking great - getting to a "sealed box" state is always a bit of a milestone.

 

Once you get to the fully sealed box stage it would be good to see a photo of it outside

 

Looking very good.

It is quite strange, I think, you can be as busy as the proverbial hive of bees, with only piles of bits, sawdust and shavings to show for all the efforts, then you start fitting them together, and suddenly, there's this coach appearing in the workshop.

 

Starting to get on with our 3rd class GWR toplight 7545 interiors now. Done some scumbling. Looks better than pics . Just took the pictures with my phone and a lot of lights
The first picture, the partition is all new in birch plywood, (as it was ripped all out in departmental days) so I routed some grooves with a v cutter to make it look like boarding, the opposite wall is original so genuine boarding. They always made it so in one compartment the boarding was vertical on each wall and in the next compartment horizontal on each wall. Only the top part is eventually visible, the part below will get covered by the picture frames and seats hence why I only routered the top bit as the rest isn't seen.

The tops of the doors there is an advert for lunches on the inside of each door, I have these as Didcot print new ones but I wont put them in until we are nearly finished.

 

Has there been any more progress on this carriage?

 

Just to say that NSR23 (Brake Third) with an accessible compartment has now entered service in the Knotty Heritage Train (at the Foxfield Railway) at their Victorian Gala over the 4th, 5th and 6th of May 2019.
It was very well received, by all accounts.

 

Sorry to borrow this thread but the title is fairly encompassing...

BR MK 2's are apparently expensive to restore because.....
but once restored are they more resilient than their MK 1 counterparts ? ( ie do you get a better return on the investment ? )

 

Yes we have been continuing with it, working on fitting out the compartments, making all new seats. I have been doing the seats myself, both the woodwork and upholstery. I was lucky to be able to buy two rolls of a 1914-1931 GWR pattern moquette from the Severn valley so have been using that. It is a design called Black Cauliflower. I would have preferred an earlier design with red triangles that you can see at Didcot, but they have long since used up some they had made in the 1980s. It has been a bit of a learning curve doing the upholstery but getting better at it all the time. Have been doing the upholstery part at home so getting more done now I am stuck in the house.










This picture below was taken some time ago. Has since all been scumbled and the inner window frames added.

 

Some news of the restoration of coaches at the Strathspey Railway: http://restoringcoachesataviemore.blogspot.com/

 

Long shot. Anyone on here know any group who have some Mk1 doors available for sale? If so could you pm me? TIA

 

Don't chuck them away when they are blunt, keep them to cut lightweight building blocks ("Thermalite" etc). if not, give them to someone who can use them for this purpose.

 

This is excellent idea as if you are starting from scratch they can be made excellent for people. They should build the new carriages with bigger windows too and rooves that won’t need painting

 

A few more recent pictures of the toplight rebuild, Other side and ends now filled and painted in primer and interior progressing steadily. I have made and upholstered more seats.