The photo shows the two maroon CCT's (Covered Carriage Trucks) 94486 and 94557, being run with the service coaches in the May steam gala earlier in 2005. As two operational CCT's, these are possibly unique in preservation. The lettering down the side gives all the dimensions.  

The festive season has started, and as the old year draws to an end, so the refurbishment of the P/way Mess Coach is also nearing a conclusion. Only a few short weeks ago, there seemed a vast amount still to do, and now we are reaching the end of a long road. It turned out to be a much more difficult job than we first anticipated.

Originally when built, all doors had the usual droplights with the familiar strap to allow the window to be lowered. When the coach was converted, many of these were sealed up. When we got the coach into the works, we found a variety of different things. Some windows were fixed, some were loose and some were just jammed in place. Droplight windows are now either fixed permanently, or will lower correctly. We are just currently short of one leather strap. All flooring is being replaced throughout. In the kitchen, new vinyl flooring has been laid and this is a vast improvement on the dirty carpet tiles which were there before.

On Saturday 17th December, the coach was shunted out of the shed, and onto the jack road, ready to be lifted the following week, to allow the bogies to be overhauled. The vacuum brake system was tested and appears in good order, following some repairs and the replacement of a leaking hose. All being well, the coach will be back on duty just after Christmas.

The Barry Railway Mink Van 1388 is also nearing completion. Two new pairs of doors have been fabricated, which are essentially to the original pattern. They were fitted last week, and the only jobs now outstanding are to paint them, and finish the refurbishment of the axle boxes. This van is now no less than 91 years old, and is of course, unfitted. We do not plan to run it, but rather to use it as a store for all our spare toilet fittings; especially the ceramic washbasins and toilet pans.

Work has already started on our next wagon project which will replace it in the shed. It is a standard BR Brakevan, which after refurbishment will reappear in all over bauxite. Significant repairs are required to the bodywork. It has been specially requested by the diesel department, so that they can run it in demonstration freight trains. Understandably, they think that ex-GWR or ex-SR brake vans look out of place behind a blue diesel. More on that next time.

Work has continued steadily throughout the summer and autumn, on our RBr 1675. This has also turned out to be a much bigger challenge that was first anticipated - no change there then. After more than two years of effort, the vehicle is now essentially complete. When arrangements were made for a CORGI gas fitter to certify the gas system, he identified that the system was leaking, but could not find the leak. Efforts continue to deal with this problem, but subject to certification, it is ready to go. All being well it will be in use from the start of next year's timetable.

Work is also continuing steadily on the TSO (Tourist Second Open) 4763. This is the second of the TSO's that we purchased from the Paignton & Dartmouth Railway two years ago. The other one, 4772 has been in use now for twelve months. 4763 is being thoroughly refurbished internally whilst it stands outside the shed. The exterior will be started upon in earnest when it comes inside next year. All seats have gone away to be upholstered, and the majority are already back and are looking very smart indeed.

There are three projects in the pipeline which will hopefully benefit all our service coaches in the course of the next year or two. In no particular order:

1. We have joined with four other railways and ordered a special run of moquette to enable the seating in three of our compartment coaches (one SK and two BSK's) to be reupholstered. In each of these three coaches, the seat backs are in a reasonably good condition, but the seat bases are badly worn. This moquette will match the backs, and ultimately give a big cost saving as it avoids the need to reupholster the backs with armrests. It has to be made specially, as it is no longer commercially available.
2. Plans are in hand to locate a steam generator at Winchcombe. This will mean that by having our own supply of pressurised steam, we shall be able to get each of our coaches up on the jacks in turn, and ensure that each is steam tight and that the steam heating is working efficiently. Until now, this has just not been possible. Repairs have necessarily been difficult and haphazard. More on this in due course.
3. There are plans to arrange for a contractor to visit and lay replacement vinyl flooring in the toilets of the service coaches. This will make them much more hygienic and they will be easier to keen clean. Most of the coaches arrived on the railway with toilet flooring which was made up of separate vinyl tiles - many of which had begun to break up.

All this is going on, to try and ensure that our coaches remain in first class condition for our travelling public. We are conscious of the fact that all visitors to the railway spend over an hour in our coaches. As such, their impression of the railway as a whole is very much coloured by their experience actually on the trains.

Currently now back in the shed, is the Carmine & Cream FK 13229. That is getting very close to completion, but it will have to move outside again in a few weeks as we have to overhaul and refurbish the Elegant Excursions Kitchen Car this winter. It has just finished its 2005 programme, and is required again in March 2006, so only a relatively short time is available to do it. We will bring it inside in mid-January.

It just remains to wish all of you who read these reports, a happy Christmas and a good New Year.