SvR wagons 2010

Back by popular demand, Firstly, a happy new year to my regular (and less regular) readers.
From a point of view of existing projects, progress has been slow, this is partly due to the work on the goods shed, partly down to the weather, and partly down to demands on the members of the department from other departments, as most of us have at least one other roll, as a result, it has mainly been cleaning and painting of 40554s brake gear that has occured.
So, to bring people up to speed whith what we have got in for attention, firstly the two wagons outside.
The furthest south is China Clay wagon, 94059, which is in for a little bit of woodwork. She was built in 1914, with the single end DC1 brakes, with the handle at the non-tipping end, however, when these were banned, they were converted either at Swindon, or St Blazey, the Swindon wagons reciveing DC3 brakes, while the St Blazey ones (Including 94049) recived parts from condemed wagons in the area, mainly two sets of single side brakes.She finished her working life with the Port of Bristol authority, arriving on the SVR as early as 1975.
Next we come to 1895 built diagram T1 chaired sleeper wagon, number 40554. She has been rebuilt several times, loosing her long lever brakes, and gaining Dean Churchward ones, then later reciving high sides, and flat upright posts (the sides are noe gone, but at the moment, the posts remain) She is in for a new floor and repairs to the end bulk heads, as the old ones had rotted badley, but the rest of the wagon is in good order, as Steve keeps reminding me, they new how to make PROPPER iron and steel back then.
Inside the shed, in for new side and roof planks and the almost inevitable canvass, is British railways Oxfit cattle wagon, number B891054, built in 1950, and owened by the Highley station fund, joing the SVR fleet in March 1991. (can you tell that most of my knowlage / information / books are on GWR wagons???)
Finally we come to GWR Mica B105873.Built to diagram X8 in 1925, at the legendary Swindon works, she is a real survivor, having being condemed by BR, and sold to the Port of Bristol, becoming PBA number 8. Withdrawn agin, she moved to the Dean forest at Lydney, who also condemmed her, with her being on the point of being scrapped, when she was re-located to the SVR, arriving in 1973. Following restoration at Bewdley, she was one of 24 wagons to take part in the wagon department's finest hour, the run to Newport with 2857, in 1985.
So, that is everyone up to speed, all the best for the new year folks, wish us luck!

 

Great report Olly, interesting as always.
I have one query. My details for 40554 are Swindon 1899 to dia T2 lot 245. Could I have this as a later rebuild possibly?
Steve

 

Well, GWR Wagons by Atkins, Beard and Tourret has 40551 to 40560 down as diagram T1 in lot L245

 

I'd best go by that then and change my error. Cheers Olly
Steve

 

This week, the re-building of the Mica B has continued well, with Timber being fitted to both the inner and outer skin and some repairs being made to the door locking mechanism.
The chaired sleeper wagon has had another patch welded into her Northend although the cold weather has brought progress on her to a crawl.
The work on the goods shed is nearing completion too, normal service should be resumed very soon.
The two photographs show a different side of the wagon department, that is not often seen. Firstly, the machine shop in Bewdley in use for the machining of wagon parts, some of which ar to very close tollerences. Secondly, me keeping still long enough to be photographed!

 

I'm mightily impressed, Ian. I thought your skills were limited to waving flags and lifting bloody heavy shovels of coal! ; )

 

Trained as a tool maker John, sad though this may sound, I actually like getting on the old centre lathes, just so I can remind myself how to do it!

 

I appologise if this weeks up-date is a little sketchy, but I have only been there for part of the weekend, however, with the demands of other departments, that is a situation that is unlikely to change in the near future. The China Clay wagon has had a clean and paint of the top of the frames (the bits that you can't do with the floor in) while the Mica B had further work discovered on her, as one of the corner posts needing a section splicing in. The work on the goods shed is reaching the end too, so hopefully, we will not have to worry about that for a while.

 

Here we are again folks. I won't be at Bewdley tomorrow (Well, I will, but on a footplate) so I will post my up date tonight, before I forget what we have done.
The end, inner wall has been put back up on the Mica B, and the replaced section inserted in the corner post (By inserted, I mean sworn at and hit with a hammer), although a passing inspection has reveiled that the roof canvass is in poor health. We can patch it, but that runs the risk of other holes appearing fairly quickly, and the resulting deteriation of the roof, so it may get changed (another canvass!)
The cattle wagon has had a lot of the dammaged roof planks removed, suddenly, this little wagon is turning into a big job!

 

Hi
re 813 Wagons:
Info on the GWR 813 website is incorrect.The site was set up by a neighbour of Pat Goss. Dates, diagrams and lots are incorrect on some wagons!
Best to email Pat Goss for correct info.
I am in the middle of re vamoping the site with corrections and photos and all. Will be a while before it is uploaded.
MICA 105860 & Open Goods Wagon 117993 at Didcot are to be restored.Both 813 Fund wagons.
One 'survivor' owned by the fund are the Twin Mites at Didcot originally built in 1881.
Excellent collection of SVR and GWR wagons photos on FLICKR
nick


Nick

 

Thanks for the info. I get my diagram and Lot numbers from GWR Wagons by tourette, however, this thread is not just about 813 fund Wagons, but the SVR's whole fleet.

 

Hi, does anybody know if the SVR's three London Transport ballast hopper wagons are still in use?

 

Regular use with our P-Way, still doing the job they were built to do.

 

well, I actually managed a full weekend on the wagon department this week!
The Mica B's Bridgnorth end Wall was put back together and the ice tank went in, it actually took three goes before we got it right, although at least one of those was my fault. The lads did get their own back though, when I suddenly found myself with the full weight of the tank on me!
The floor of the china clay wagon got some attention too, although not as much as I'd like because of the ammount of work required to cut and shape the two outer planks. Hopefully, the weather will hold, that way we can have a better go next week!

 

Emphasis this eek has been on the china clay wagon, purely on the strength of the fact that we need to move the new floor planks to a different location, so the locical place would appear to be on the wagon! Unfortunately, due to not being very well, I had to leave early, but it looks like the new floor should be in by tonight.
These floor planks are big baulks of timber, beeing 3 inches or so thick, 9 inches across, and running, in a design unique as far as I know, to clays, they run the length of the wagon rather than accross the floor as is conventional.
The two outer planks have a number of very awkward cut outs, the cutting of which involves, measure, mark the plank, cut out, swear, try the plank, find it doesn't fit, swear some more, mark out what needs altering, some more swearing, re-cut, try again, repeate, and swear more just for luck!Needless to say, they are not easy to fit, the rest should fly in.

 

Nice to see the wagons out at the reunion gala. From the Traffic notes I gather the wagons involved were 68501, 97398, 25190, 108085, 93016, 93045, 13154, 65801, 65620, 82554 and 134290

Was there much work involved in getting them ready?

Patrick

 

I must agree with D1039.... the goods rake looked fantastic, over the Gala. Brilliant!

Also nice to see (and hear!) a loose-coupled rake too.

 

Depends what you mean by that! lol. There weren't any last minute rush jobs to get them into the rake this time, so just routine checks. Always a relife when they come through a gala with no problems though, as they don't go very dar as a rule between galas, with exception of the engineers wagons.

 

Right, lets try to bring people up to speed with what is going on at Bewdley.
The fence around the well in the goods shed is now up, and the work in there is almost complete.
So to the wagons themselves. The Mica B is coming along steadyly, both river side doors are off, and the north end of the river side is in undercoat. An alarming number of planks have been marked up as condemed though, so much wood wrk is going to be needed.
Work on the cattle wagon has een put on a back burner at the moment, and attention has turned to the wagons outside.
The china clay has had her floor replaced, and many planks replaced on the sides and ends, with Nigel and Dave working on the doors today.
The chaired sleeper wagon has had the plate work cut for the first section of new floor, and drilled ready for riveting, a process that has involved me, flat on my back, the underside of the floor inches from my face, swearing a lot. The geometry of this section has also caused some fun, as putting her in in one piece as we have attempted, means that it doesn't quite fit through the gap that it must pass through in order to drop into place.
That is your lot for now folks.

 

well, it has been a couple of weeks, owing to firing turns and a little trip to another railway with a good mate, however, the work of the department rolls on with or without me, and it has taken some catching up!
The outer skin on the rock side of the Mica B has been more or less completely replaced, while the bear has been busy doing the same with one side and the ends of the cattle wagon.
Replanking the china clay has revealed other planks that looked fine, once the tops are exposed, it was apparent that they were poorly too, oh well, no one ever said it was going to be an easy job.