A Suburban Story: Part I Outside

Since it's arrival much work has been undertaken on the Mk1 Suburban E43145.  This short post will give an idea of the current status of this restoration project.

We start off with an archive picture from Andy G of the coach just after arrival in Oswestry in January 2018.  The moss coloured coach is blending in to the surrounding scenery.

A year later and the coach is looking a lot different, there is still plenty to do but Reg and helpers have been making solid progress recently on the restoration of the body.  Like most Mark 1 coaches of a certain age there was a fair dose of tin worm present, this required some steel surgery with new panels in various places where the water had collected and rusted through the body.  Here is the passenger end showing off it's smart new colours.

It's not easy trying to get a perfect surface finish on the coach with all of the other work going on in the shed so various parts of the coach are covered whilst the work on adjoining areas goes ahead.  Work on this side is progressing along from the passenger end towards the brake compartment.

Reg has almost completed another section on this side moving towards the brake end.  Still plenty more surfaces to rub down, fill, prime and rub down again.

 

The other side has not been forgotten and is also progressing well.

Thanks to all who have made donations to the project and we hope you are pleased with the progress so far.  Keep watching (and donating..) to see how we are bringing the railway back to life.

Thanks to Guy for the recent pictures and for the team members who are undertaking the restoration work.

Next time in Part II we will take a look inside.

Work Around Oswestry Yard

Apart from the track laying there are plenty of other jobs being progressed around Oswestry.  There will be a couple of future posts on the work on the suburban coach but to start off let's have a look at the work on the tamper.

Keith and Alan P have been busy tracing through cables to find any issues and also cleaning out the years of assorted muck that has built up around the unit.  In the first picture Keith is looking at the spaghetti and tracing the wire to rectify any problems.

With a lot of head scratching and pondering it's now sort of clear which cables should be connected where and when a button is pressed what should happen.  We were hoping for a Haynes Manual but they seem to be out of stock at the moment. 

Already the tamper is looking better after a first brush up, Keith and Alan have been very busy.

The next picture shows one of the first rules of preservation, whenever you see a gate you should lean on it and watch someone else work.  Here is proof that CHR follow this important rule.

Actually several items of plant and future restoration projects were cleaned up, overhauled and given a protective coat of paint.  Noel and Davey here are active on the brushes.

 Still some more of the saddle tank to do but the red oxide colour has been turned to black.

Many thanks to all who continue to give up their time to work on the CHR project and thanks to Guy N for the pictures.

Until next time.

Double Valentine

Today we have a double dose, work from both Tuesday and Thursday

Tuesday started with laying in and clipping up one more panel heading south.  In the first picture Glyn(n)s, Tom, Dave and Steve are on hand today and are about to start inserting the keys that have been laid out on the sleepers to the right.

Steve then gets to work on a fishplate, others came by foot, car and bus.

After the panel was completed work moved to the southern section where the team are spacing out the next lot of sleepers.  Glynn is off fishplate hunting as it is now open season and these little creatures need to be tracked down and rehomed.

Thursday started out with freezing fog.  "Anyone seen a railway round here?"
Glyn in the JCB positions more sleepers whilst, Glynn, Steve and Dave set out the positions to give the final nudge in to place.

Just an hour later and here we have found the railway and it is growing.  Pleasant sunshine as the team continue with tracklaying, here the first rail has been inserted and clipping up is about to begin.

Glyn, Steve, Dave and Tom about to perform the fully choreographed clipping up dance.  We are not sure that even the winners of 'Strictly' could work out a way to do it better.

After the clipping up it's time for an open air picnic admiring the track, weather and sunshine. Lunch alfresco you might say, though in Italy 'alfresco' is usually used to describe a prison sentence.

Here we are at the end of the day, the gap is closing.  If you look hard you can see Glynn standing on the final sleeper of the track panels heading south.

Before we can connect the two parts there needs to be some drainage work at the crossing behind Travis Perkins.  This will be completed shortly and then we can think about the golden bolt.

Thanks to Andy G for all pictures and to all the volunteers who turned up to help.

Until next time.

Rain Doesn't Stop Play, Thursday Gang

There was a bit of liquid sunshine today around Oswestry, but being on a mission some of the hardy souls pressed on with work outside.  The rest kept busy indoors in a variety of places.  Andy G was on hand with the camera to capture pictures of what was going on. Thanks to him for the first set of pictures.

Down beyond the bridge Steve, Glyn W and Dave continued with clipping up whilst Glynn S was off hunting fishplates, these elusive creatures need to be coaxed out of hiding and mated with bolts and grease to form a lasting partnership with the rails. In the first picture the spike visible in the middle of the track is the start of the left hand curve.

The key element of the Thursday Gang is the adaptability to any job in any situation. plus the sheer devotion to the art of brewing up anywhere, anytime.  Here the bridge is pressed in to service as the tearoom as another collection of rain clouds pass over, providing another test to the drainage under the bridge.  All is looking good and tea can be drunk without sinking in to a puddle. At one point it almost seemed as though one side of the bridge was in sunshine whilst on the other side it was raining, the solution?  Another mug just to be sure it's passed.

By the end of the day another two and a bit track panels had been assembled and Glyn is seen collecting up the tools to return them to the stores.

Out of the rain the signal box was being used as a varnishing shop as yet more door panels of the suburban coach were rubbed down and had yet another coat of varnish applied.  With having a door on every compartment it does make for a lot of door panels to restore.

 At the end of the day it seemed like there were more door panels than signal levers.

Guy N was on hand to take the following set of pictures of work at Oswestry.
Reg continued in the shed with rubbing down the coach body ready for another round of filling and sanding.

Work is progressing and it should not be too long before the first undercoat goes on to this section.

John continues with the woodwork, here the inner door panels are about to have another coat of varnish whilst on their winter holidays in the signal box in the dust free zone.

 Outside Keith starts on the clean up of the tampers, arrived recently for work on the extension.

Alan P gets stuck in as well, there's quite a bit of muck to come off to see where repairs are needed.

And here is a view of the two faithful workers ready for their new lease of life.. and behind Keith and Alan are the two tampers.

There are many bits to clean and check so first an action plan is discussed.

This is the second (non-working) tamper which will be used as spares and as a guide when we need to understand where all the pieces go.

 Time for action and Keith is cleaning one side.

 Whilst Alan attends to the front, or is that the rear, we are not totally sure.

The engine needs some TLC before it will start but Rob seems confident of success.

First we need a source of energy to turn the engine over so the batteries were placed on charge. Extra Alan and Extra John get everything ready.

We also started to prepare for the season with an inspection of the coaching stock, Davey and Noel about to enter the coach

Thanks to Guy N for the pictures

Until next time.

Tuesday Progress

The Tuesday Team were in action once again working on the extension.  A number of jobs were ticked off the list and a further track panel was assembled.

The day started off with some housekeeping, or a game of Mahjong. The objective was to pick up and re-stack the same types of sleepers from the trackside so that the JCB could gain access and also relocate sleepers to points where they will be needed.

Glyn W does the driving whilst Glynn S and Dave M plan the next move, who will have the honour to arrive at the last matching pair of Mahjong pieces sleepers?

Once the JCB could gain access, the next rail going south on reclaimed concrete sleepers was swung into position. Tom has joined in and the process of clipping-up is in progress.  You can see we are just about at the point where the line curves to the left before the long straight to Weston.

With the first rail in place it's time to install the second one, Tom, Dave and Glyn(n)s getting ready.

Further south Keith E and Steve C tackle the fencing around the cattle creep.  Fencing is being positioned around the south side to prevent people from falling into the gap.
First job is another Cambrian speciality.  Dig holes and fill them with concrete.  Here the fence post hole is being checked for depth.

Keith and Steve continue with hol(e)y orders

All three holes have been dug and with a final tweak it's time to position the final post.

The fence has been assembled and Jim has joined Keith and Steve to tidy up and help push the work trolley back to base.  The tops of the rail will soon be nice and shiny with the continual movements of the trolley.

Back at the bridge Glyn is putting the equipment away after another successful day.  The completed track panel can be seen and materials have been moved to the right place ready for the next working party.

Many thanks to all who joined in and to Andy G for the photographs

Until next time.

Weston Station

January has come and gone and it's been a busy month for progress on the extension.  The weather might slow us down a little but we keep on pushing.  Whilst waiting there is also a great deal of work going on under cover in the shed and with planning for the future.

The first issue of the CHR Newsletter has been published and contains lots of information and news about what is going on.  If you have not yet done so you can Subscribe Here

The details for the Weston station site have now been made public so we can take a quick look.  The image is from the Newsletter.

The track layout will consist of a run round loop and siding.  To start with there will be one platform alongside the current goods shed.  This will be a first for Weston as this was previously only a goods depot and never had a passenger service so there was no public platform.  The office at the north end of the goods shed will become a waiting room and display area.  There will be a separate toilet block  building which needs to be connected to the drainage system, a first for the site.  There will need to be a fair amount of earth moving which when complete will also provide a landscaped area.

All of the track on the station site will be laid in wooden sleepers to recreate the days gone by. Where possible the rest of the extension is being laid with concrete sleepers to maximise their working life. The previously prepared wooden sleepers will be used also in Oswestry to relay the centre road and other sidings as appropriate.

Weston station will be further developed in the future with a second platform and a footbridge, a genuine Cambrian Railways one no less! Additional station facilities will be provided in coaches parked in the bay platform.

All of this will come at a cost to CHR, we need to raise thirty thousand pounds for the completion of the basic station. If you have enjoyed reading the blog and seeing the progress please consider a small (or even large..!) donation using the link in the top right hand corner.

Thanks to CHR and Guy for the information.

Until next time.

Thursday Gang

Thursday saw the team work on several jobs around the site.  Andy G went with the group down beyond the gasworks bridge to where an extra panel's worth of sleepers were laid on the section towards the cattle creep.

At the crack of dawn (well almost!) the weather was a bit fresh and it took some coaxing to start the JCB and Transit van.  The first job was to get the machines to the work site and perform some running maintenance.

After the pit crew had been in action and with the machines now in position it was time to burst into action.

And the first job was..... get the kettle on.   Glyn, John, Steve and Dave are already warming up with a brew whilst Ryan is the last to fill his cup. 

Glyn then started on bringing in to play the concrete sleepers whilst Ryan contemplates the ballast and the frost.

Further to the north extra sleepers were laid out and all the material prepared for the Tuesday Gang to carry on with assembling track panels

Looking towards the north the line of sleepers ready for rail has grown. 

Thanks to Andy for the pictures.

Until next time.