Windcutter Wagons

Further progress as the second door has now been largely welded and the next job is to replace the corroded hinges..... the plate on the SE side has been part welded in place, top edge and verticals still to complete.

 

We have now finished the second door and finish welded the North end and NW lower side.

 

The remaining sheets of steel were delivered this week......so we have started to weld them in place. To maintain social distance, I did some prep and primer paint at the other end.

 

Like the buffer art,

 

Nice to see them out again!

 

Great to see her like this again. Reminds me of when I was allowed to drive her, but we had more wagons on then, and loaded!

 

They look quite at home in the Valleys.

 

The Windcutters will be out on the GCR for the August 14th and 15th Railway at Work Gala.....so now we will have 22 FTR exams to do before then!
We have been busy with the welder on B 279719 and now nearly all the welding is done and we can continue prepping and priming.

 

Glad you confirmed the date for the Railway at Work Gala. It was on a poster at Quorn a few weeks back, but I didn't make a note of the date, and it hasn't appeared on the GCR events list on their website yet.

 

Hi Johann - I got the date from the latest "Main Line", issue #187.

 

Hadn't spotted it was on the list on the inside front page in there!
Presumably they are only putting them on the GCR website as and when the details are all confirmed.

 

At the risk of tempting fate we do have a plan!
November 2022 will be the 30th Anniversary of the first run of the Windcutter wagons after the Steam Railway fund raising. It would be a great opportunity to have a commemorative event and the GCR are supportive.
We have 22 wagons at Swithland which are (.... were) "Operational", however they all now need "Fitness to run" examinations and the axleboxes splitting to drain out the oil, clean, check that the pads are OK and re-oil. The vac brake systems need to be checked and repaired where necessary. The Ops dept have said that they will be brought to Rothley 4 or 5 at a time before the August "Railways at Work" gala. Hopefully there will not be too many needing lots of work.

The wagon at Rothley should be finished by mid July.

That leaves 7 at Quorn.

One just needs the wheelsets swapped.

The other 6 have been "stopped" for various reasons, but were all painted in 2017/8. Mostly it is attention to headstocks, but one has never run on the GCR yet, so needs a new bottom half to its body, as per the current wagon at Rothley.

So "30 at 30" in 17 months time is not impossible and it should generate very useful publicity, running "That Lengthy train" of mineral wagons along the double track of the GCR ........We like to have a challenge!

 

One of the welding jobs was to go round the inside at the bottom edge...now finished. The doors have a primer coat as well.

 

More work done today with welding inside and on the end door, prepping and primering on the sides.

 

I found the tin of grey paint!

 

By way of a change for us, the Ops dept were able to bring 6 wagons from Swithland for "Fitness to Run" examination. The shed staff were needed to check the brakes and had to replace the odd hose(4) and seal (5), but all now ok. We did the pad exams, so 24 axleboxes were split or opened. All journals smooth and two poor pads needed replacing. Only another 16 wagons to do......

 

Some more finishing off jobs done and the end door is now in primer.

 

A good work day today with four of us busy getting more jobs done. We have painted the inside sides with black Bitumastic, the floor will be completed next.


Then we started on the hinge replacement which was mentioned earlier.


Whilst the hinges were being welded I was able to put some top coat "Windcutter Grey".....my previous painting had been undercoat which looked glossy only when wet!