SVR wagon's 2009

To bring people up to date with what the boys and girls of Bewdley Wagon Department have been doing for a while.
Firstly, Stafford Road Van number 143, built in 1913, and based on a mink D. She has had several large patches welded into the Kidder end River side corner, and some re-planking at the south end. Up top, she has had two new Sky lights, made at our Oxfordshire branch, and a compleat new roof canvas. She is now finally out in the sunshine,(?) and waiting the finishing touches to the paint job and sign writing.
Mink A, 101961, which rolled out of Swindon in 1920, and was brought in to our part of the down yard by mistake, has recived a full re-paint, and some repairs to the doors using parts of another canibalised spare set of doors, and is at the moment, having the sign writing applied.
Finally, another Mink A, 93016, a 1913 built product of the Wiltshire job Creation Scheme, has just arrived in the good's shed for another roof canvas (yes they are becoming a re-occuring problem, as most of them are of the same age) and a light repair (we hope) already, the roof hoops, rain strips, finishing strips and canvass are off and there are one or two small issues with the roof, which, hopefully, won't be as nasty as they look to fix.
Wish us luck folks.

 

Just HOW long is the SVR? That's one large branch line! :smt107

 

Lol, that is a polite way of saying in my mate's Shed in Abingdon.

 

Finally Stafford road van number 143, and Mink number 101961 are finished, and go out of the works in the week, Can't remember what is comming in next, but I'll let all you good readers know as soon as I remember!

 

Olly - you and Steve Peplow (if you are not Steve Peplow) do a brilliant job - I just wish we still had the Heavy Freight Weekend - looking at my pics, the last one was in 1993!

 

No, last time I checked, I was not Steve Peplow, how ever, there are more than just me and him, there are a few of us. I'm not going to name check them all cos I will miss some one. Thanks for the compliment, we try our best with limited resources and even more limeted money.

 

Finally, I have the relevent information, un-usually for us, we have four wagons all more or less at the start of a repair in the down yard at the same time.
Starting at the Kidderminster end, down by the crossing, we have 1912 built Open A, number 13154, she is in for some replacement planks, repairs to the sole bar, and the obligtory re-paint.
Inside of her is GWR Mink A, 93045, which recently arrived from Gloucester, so is entirely new to us. An inspection on Gloucester Docks revealed that she needs little more than a re-paint, and the work has begun to put her back into traffic as soon as possible.
Inside the goods shed, another mink A, this time 93016, has had her roof canvass removed, and the loose screws in the roof, screwed back down. The rain strips and door lintles should go again, but the canvass is shot, and a minor repair is needed to the roof its self.
Finally, in need of a lot more TLC is 1924 built Mica B (Refridgerated Meat van) number 105873. She has had a trapaulin over her for a while now, to prevent water getting in through a huge hole in the door. She is a fortunate survivor, as several other societies, including the Dean Forest Railway, from whom she arrived in 1973, considered her to be beyond repair, how ever, she was considered to be do-able by the lads at Bewdley, and had been in many gala goods trains since.

 

Nice to read about all these vans being sorted, Ian. It's 2 or 3 years since I dragged you around on a goods. It would be nice to have 20 vans or more, instead of 12...and I'd still give you a nice, smooth trip! :smt078

 

It has been a few years now John, was cetainly before the flood. I don't know if it will ever happen, but it would be nice if for a gala goods one year, we were to use all the wagons that went to Newport (or at least the ones that are still on the valley) with 2857 as the motive power again, 2035 perhaps? the 50th aniversary of the Newport run?

 

Works for me, mate, but it could do with being a little earlier...I'd like to be still driving, or, at the least, still breathing!

 

Well, we should have the Twenty-eight back soon, that is half the battle, and B.R.'s only unfitted support coachis still very much in fit condition too! Shame the closest to Newport those wagons will ever get again, is Dai Phillips' car!

 

Don't think Dai Phillips would approve of wagons being towed behind his car... Would be a great laugh though, would we be able to make any of the wagons road-legal? :-k

 

Making the most of the good weather, 93045 is now mostly in undercoat, while Steve has spent most of today grinding Cracks out and welding cracks and holes in the head stocks and Sole Bars of 13154. Not much of to write about but plenty to see!

 

Actually the 'short and to the point' news updates are precisely what a lot of railways and groups should be doing, but don't bother, leading to members getting frustrated at lack of information and then withdrawing their support.

So I say keep up the news snippets and good luck with your restorations!


Keith

 

Thanks Keith, I'll try to keep people up to date, but also keep it meaning full, although please bear in mind that I am also a guard and fireman, no news may simply mean that I have not been there for a while.

 

A coffee drinker hence no T

 

The good weather has provoked some movement out side the goods shed, on 93045, and 13154.
93045 is now in topcoat, and is just awaiting touching in, and sign writing.
13154 is undergoing surgery top it's sheet supporter rail, as well as some replacement planks. Work has started on the sheet supporer rail, with the top bar being seperated from the uprights, and the hoops being removed. Some of the compnents have already been made for the replacement, but it looks like I may have a few days work in the machine shop coming up.

 

Well, rain stopped play on van number 93045 owing to the fact that all she requires is the sign writing on her, however, Open number 13154 has has all the rotten planks removed from her, ready for replacement.
Some one comented to me today, that it was not till they saw for them selves, what was actually involved, that they realised how much work was involved when they read that we had 'just replaced a few planks,' belive me, these are some fairly large baulks of timber, with the nuts and bolts either seized in place or usually just rotateing in the plank and needing serious surgery to remove them. Of course, the up side to this 'Grunt work' was the sight of little James hanging on one end of a spanner, with his feet totally clear of the floor!

 

Sorry for being a Little vauge, but I have not actually been on the wagons for a couple of weeks, but as I understand in, Mink, number 93045 has recived the first coat of sign writing all round her, open, 13154 has been attacked with the needle gun, and tin of Oxide primer. I will give a more thorough report as soon as I have the info myself.

 

Do you know what is happeneing with what looks like the remains of a Queen Mary Brake Van in the P-Way yard between Bewdley and Kidderminster? (I believe that it is in the company of an even sicker looking BR 20 Ton Brake Van).

Keep up the good work!