SVR Wagons 2015

Happy new year everybody. We had 13,000 hits last year so, here we go again.
Just to the north of the goods shed is GWR Conflat 39860. This 1935 built wagon is currently waiting for a new floor and hopefully new buffers, and although work has been slow it will enter the works shortly for attention. Just to put a few minds at rest, despite the rumours, this wagon hasn't been scrapped, it is alive and well, while the container on it has been dismantled with the steel being put aside to create a new container at a later date (The timber was so bad this is in effect what the repair would have amounted to).
Inside the shed is Vanfit, 65620, undergoing what was going to be just a repaint. So far she has had one complete new side and half a new end, although paint is now going onto it, with one side already in top coat with sign writing on too.
Built at Swindon in 1947, she was constructed with plywood body panels, easier to construct than planked wagons, but repairs to the body are not so simple as you have to change a whole panel.
Next to her is 1896 built Cone (Improvised Gunpowder Van) 58725, Built as an Iron Mink at Swindon, traces of SR livery have been found on her, suggesting she was one of the iron minks that were loaned to the Southern, before being converted to a Gunpowder van in world war II. She has had a new Riverside door lintel and a new skin on one door (The old one being mostly filler and holes). She again has top coat and sign writing on her river side.
Outside is Cadbury wagon number 346. Built for Cadbury's for use at their site at Moreton in Cheshire, NOT Bournville, and is of uncertain age, what is certain is that the body is mounted on much older frames. She is a product of Wagon Repairs and is just awaiting release to traffic.
Meanwhile, 1912 built Open A number 13154 will be in soon in order to unite the wagon with the growing pile of replacement parts for the brake gear, that are piling up in the tin shed. The wagon is still in service at the moment, but the four new push rods have no been riveted together a the Swiss Cheese (slack adjuster) holes drill them.
I hope you continue to read and enjoy / endure my ramblings for 2015!
Olly

 

Well here is my regular round up of the activities of the Wagon Department once more!
I didn't realise last week that a shunt was due to occur in the week, so you can imagine my surprise to see that the Cadbury wagon has now left the Works and the Gun Powder Van and Van fit are facing the other way. I'm afraid those of you hoping to get an early glimpse of the Cadbury wagon in the train will be disappointed as currently the wagon is not stabled in an area that the public can see.
In the Cadbury wagon's place is an Open B, can't for the life of me remember if its 108085 or 102691, but both were built at Swindon and both had heavy repairs about ten years ago using re-claimed timber which has now reached the end of its useful life, hopefully by next time I will not only have more information on this, I will have also remembered the number!
See you soon
Olly

 

Hello,
Possibly 102691?


Nick
813 Fund

 

Great to hear a bit more on the Conflat Ollie no suprises about the container though, that was a basket case when I worked on it in '97!

 

You were right Nick, the wagon outside is 102691.
This weekends activities saw more tired old plywood removed from 65620's sides. On the inside these wagons have bump guards at the bottom of the sides, these bump guards being planks fitted to the lower part of the sides in the same way that a planked wagon should have thicker timber lower down, this is to help the sides stand up to blows from sliding loads, and the knocks and scrapes that occur in loading and un-loading.
Removing these planks, we were then able to remove the life expired side sheet leaving only one of the original side sheets, however it did reveal some damage to the floor, while examining that it was noted that the one remaining original side sheet was also starting to rot in the corner. The decision was taken that leaving the old sheet in place would result in further work being required in four or five years so out it came as well. On the up side, the whole point of the plywood wagons was that they were less labour intensive to repair and build than a planked wagon, a huge consideration as the small matter of World War 2 was going on at the time and man power was needed for the war effort, so we should see the benefits of that in the re-instating of these side sheets. The other benefit is the effect on moral as these large sheets go up very quickly and have a moral boosting effect which helps push the job forward.
Hopefully next week I shall not only have more to report but will not leave it until the middle of the week!
Take care
Olly

 

Sorry for the lack of update last week, too many long days at work I am afraid.
Production of the new door lintel for what is now the river side door on the gunpowder van is going ahead steadily. It is not as straight forward as it looks, as not only is the cutting of the basic shape quite complex (The lads doing it have several process drawings to assist with where to cut and in which order)
At the other end of the goods shed, 65620 has had several new panels made, and now the hole in the floor repaired, which was not as simple as it seemed. The original plan was to cut the bad bit out of the river side end of the plank, and fit a new section between the river side kerb rail and one of the centre chassis members. We were lucky in finding an old china clay side plank of the right thickness that we could cut down, just about (we are talking by less than 1/32") cutting out the unwanted holes, and we should just about have enough timber to cover the hole. This was reliant on the rock side end of the plank being in good order (It looked ok looking from the top) however as this job started off as a quick re-paint, I'm sure you can imagine it was not as simple as expected, firstly, the rock side of the plank was not as healthy as we first thought, and by the time we had finished reducing the bad bits to lighting up wood for the stove, there was half an inch of good timber to spare!
To add to the issues we found the kerb rail had become bent owing to the build up of scale under the steel. This was rectified using our Kerb rail straightening tool.... A 28 lb sledge hammer named "Betsy"
I won't be able to bring you an update next week as if things go according to plan I should be visiting some friends at the South Devon, so hopefully I will bring you up to date in a fortnight or so.
Catch you soon,
Olly

 

-*This week the weather has curtailed what has been going on at Bewdley, as cold damp days like this prevent painting owing to its tendency for it to cause the paint to bloom, and increases the tendency to remain in 80982 drinking tea, however this urge was resisted and the lads have re-erected the south end of the Vanfit, this wagon came in for a "Quick re-paint" and so far has had the remaining original Side panels, and many other sections of timber replaced.
For myself this weekend has been one of tatting, doing odds and ends, some odd bits of finishing off on the new parts for 13154, a piece of 97398 and repairing one of our elderly decrepit needle gun, which on closer inspection, once the working parts were given a good clean, was in better nick than the once brought to replace it a few years ago..... they just don't make em like they used to.
With a bit of luck I will have more to report next week,
take care
Olly

 

Ah yes we know all about "Quick repaints" that end up being so much more!

 

Indeed, however, this one did appear to be the wagon least likely to need anything more than the repaint!

 

Things are moving on at a real pace at Bewdley, which unfortunately means that despite having some very productive days, there is little to write about as there have been a lot of hours put into a few big bits rather than little odds and ends. Progress on 65620 is that all her side panels are now on, and the bump guards on the inside are back in place, and the roof has had a coat of paint, those of you that saw a rather mucky looking object at Bewdley last Sunday will realise that work is now under way on the chassis, while it won't make gala (Before anyone asks) it will not be long (I hope) before 65620 enters traffic once more.

 

I don't have anything to add as I spent most of Saturday shunting and had a day away on Sunday, but the eagle eyed of you will have noticed a goods train taking shape at Bewdley, it is of course Gala weekend next week, I hope to see a few of you there!
Have fun,
Olly

 

I'll be there

 

Did you spot the Cadbury van? Looks good don't she!

 

The Cadbury, Mica and having things in the wagons have all been highlighted on social media as exceptional features in a wonderful train.

Patrick

 

Well it's been a while, hope you haven't missed me too much!
The gun powder van and the van fit have both taken huge steps forward, with finish paint going on several parts. It's not quite true to say the finishing touches are being applied but the tracings for the sign writing are on them both. Painting the chassis on the van fit hit a stumbling block when nearly finished..... we ran out of paint!
102691 has had a preliminary check around to identify which planks are rotten and which will go again, (yes some of them will go again or at least that is how they appear at the moment) and hopefully showing up any surprises before the job gets too far.
Hopefully this means I will have new projects to tell you about very soon.
Olly

 

Hello,
GWR 102691 can be found here:


http://www.gwr813.org/102691.htm

Nick

 

looking in better shape back then

 

Well, with the nice weather, 102691, outside in the yard has been getting a touch of TLC. This was done a few years ago using second hand timber, so we knew last time around that the body would only have a very short life span, and this has done more or less exactly as expected, she will now need a lot of re-planking and some repairs to the floor, but on the up side, the less timber on the body, the easier it will be to flat down for a re-paint.
While working on the frames, the condition of the brake gear was noticed, the drop links being heavily worn. Time for an unlikely hero, Step forward and take a bow Open number 13154, the new brake gear produced for this wagon was sitting in store waiting for the wagon to come into the works, and would not be used for some while, so in order to give a swift repair, this was diverted to 102691, of course this will mean that the next few weeks updates will look very similar to the ones earlier in the year, with me once again making brake gear for 13154, so if you get a feeling of De Ja Vue over the next few weeks you will know why!
See you soon,
Olly

 

Well Sunday evening is here again, so the lads at Bewdley have been busy again on the three wagons currently in the works.
While work continues on the frames of the Vanfit and the gunpowder van, the tops have had their sign writing traced ready for the application of paint.
Outside the same kind of work has been going on on 102691, while once more attention has turned to 13154's brake gear, to replace the parts pinched for 102691!
Hopefully with a long weekend ahead of us, we should have a bumper crop of work to bring you up to date with next week.
Olly

 

I shall have to keep this week's round up brief as I was only present myself on bank Holiday Monday so wasn't present when the rest of the lads were busy working away. With the Vanfit and Gunpowder van nearing completion, 102691 has moved up the priority list, one door now in a dismantled state, with the main steel members of the door in need of attention, mean while in the machine shop work has begun to replace the bits of 13154's new brake gear that we nicked to repair 102691!
I won't be about for a couple of weeks owing to other commitments, we are coming into our busy season now, so I hope you bare with me, and I will try to bring you up to date again soon.
Olly