Spring 2020
Once we got the hang (ha ha) of fitting the exterior doors, they were all fitted in place within a couple of weeks. However, Don spent quite a lot of time getting the doors to close properly as various repairs to the framing had slightly modified the door apertures. Five of the doors had lower panels missing so these were manufactured then pinned and glued in place with the doors on the carriage.
Jim Pairman continued with the seemingly endless task of removing the pink protection paint from the south side of the carriage. A heat gun and scraper were eventually settled on as the most efficient way of getting the paint off. It was still a struggle though....
As well as working on the exterior, the missing side panels for the north end of the compartment seats was being manufactured. After creating the basic shape in wood, padding was glued on the "customer" side whereas the "window" side was treated with intumescent paint to protect the formed cavity between the panel and the exterior boarding. The final moquette upholstery was edged with brown leatherette piping before being applied to the panel during final fitting to the north exterior wall.
Graham cut teak upper panels for the first two we had to replace, starting at the NW corner of the carriage. Don made up the surface mouldings which secure the upper panels in place. These mouldings required a "scoop" joint at the bottom end where they met the waist rail. At the top, a simple butt joint was used where they met the cantrail moulding.
New toughened glass was ordered and was delivered rather faster than we had anticipated. The pressure was then on
to manufacture window mouldings so we could hold the glass in place - the sooner it was in its final resting place, the smaller
the chance of breakage. Don discovered a bundle of window mouldings which had been made several years ago (pre-asbestos and lift periods)
- there was a sufficient stock to do one side of the carriage, so this was rapidly pressed into use.
Then along came Covid-19........
During the site lockdown, Don manufactured the remaining window mouldings at home so we'd be off to a flying
start when allowed back on site.
Please don't forget the Gresley TK appeal:>
During the Covid lockdown, a brief visit was made to deliver the window mouldings and also collect some teak to make window frames for the cab of the 8F 2-8-0 loco. At this time it was noticed that some of the recently fitted teak panels had split. We surmised this might be due to the very long gap between fitting the panels and the subsequent addition of half round mouldings which cover the gap between the panels and the framing and also support the panels along the vertical edge where the splitting has occurred. Could have done without this! The upper panels are not really curved much at all so pinning back in place after glueing was fairly straightforward. The lower panels have a much greater bend, so Don decided to "truss them up" on the bench to the correct radius by glueing curved ribs on the back prior to pinning back on the carriage.
