Carriage & Wagon Report, April 2005
by Richard Johnson, 3rd April 2005

Restoration. That’s a word we use a lot in these reports, but what exactly does it mean in relation to our coaches? I thought that with all the work being done on the FK (Corridor First) 13329, it might be helpful to dig a bit deeper.

So, what do we start with? Well, in this case the FK was purchased from BR, Old Oak Common in 1993 where it had been withdrawn from use. It was built in 1963, so was 30 years old when withdrawn. Although virtually complete, it was looking very run down. Paintwork was faded, interior varnish was worn and peeling and it was damp, dirty and gloomy inside. The moquette was in good condition, but grubby and covered with a heavy layer of dust.

There are three main aspects to the restoration of such a coach. Work can be divided into the roof and exterior bodywork; the interior (which includes the panelling, toilets and moquette), and the running gear (which includes everything below the solebar).

Mk 1 S O (Open Second) 4798, which was refurbished early this year. It is now back in the Maroon rake.

Firstly, the exterior bodywork. After 12 years standing out of use at the GWR exposed to all weathers, the bodywork was deteriorating. The existing paint finish is unimportant; it is what it may hide. A check round showed that there was rot alongside a number of the main windows, where water had leaked inside around the glass where the seal had broken down. This had caused several holes to appear in the steel bodywork. These are either cut out with an angle grinder for new pieces to be welded in, or if they are less severe they can be repaired with fibreglass matting and paste. Rotten areas of bodywork at the ends need to be cut out, and new sections will be made and welded in.

Inevitably, the doors need a good deal of work. There are five on this coach; three one side and two on the other. None of them fit properly any longer. The bodywork surrounds have warped and distorted. The surrounds are basically a steel frame with a wooden insert. When this all gets wet, and begins to rot you can imagine the consequences over time. Happily, the doors on this coach are cast aluminium, so they will not distort. On earlier coaches, they are wooden framed with a steel skin, and this also distorts. Each door will need a substantial amount of attention before it can be made to close and lock properly.

Whilst all this is being done, work is being done on rubbing down the body sides and roof; treating rusted areas with anti corrosive paint, and starting the long job of filling any distorted and damaged areas, rubbing down again, and painting. Three or four coats of paint will be applied in all, up to and including the finish coat; excluding the lining out.

Secondly, whilst this is going on there is much work being done inside. As this is a compartment coach we have a routine which involves stripping each compartment completely; not only of the seating, but also of the racking, window frames, wooden trim and all light fittings. All these are cleaned up separately, whilst the veneered panelling is gently sanded to remove all previous BR varnish. When that has been done, the ceiling is painted white, and the compartment walls receive three or four coats of clear varnish. Then the restored components of the compartment are gradually refitted as the compartment is rebuilt.

In the corridor and vestibules the same procedure is followed, with all wood panelling being sanded down. The interior sliding doors are removed for the same treatment, and checked for operating efficiency. The small rollers which fit the bottom rails are often jammed and have to be stripped and freed up, to make the doors glide easily.

The wooden panelling on the inside of all exterior doors is removed for the same sanding and varnishing treatment. This gives an opportunity for each door lock to be removed, and stripped for examination. It is overhauled, and packed with grease before being refitted. At the same time, the door drop-lights can be checked and overhauled, to make sure that they are working freely. By then, we should be in a situation that all doors are working properly. Only then, can that part of the exterior painting be finished.

There are two separate toilet cubicles on this coach. As with the passenger compartments, each will initially be stripped. Everything taken out will be cleaned, varnished where appropriate and be made ready to refit. As this is a later build Mk1 coach the toilet walls are melamine, so they need just a thorough clean down ready for refitting of all components. The toilet tank in the roof at each end is checked and the cistern is examined to make sure that both it and the wash basin work properly. Here, some missing plumbing needs to be replaced, and the heat exchangers are removed. They provide hot water, but we remove them as if the electric train heating was ever used and they were empty, it could cause a fire.

Thirdly, work is being done on the mechanical parts underneath. The first thing to be done is the removal of the two large 21” vacuum cylinders. They are very heavy, and we have a hydraulic extending fork lift platform which we use to lower them down, and an engine hoist to lift and move them. They will be replaced with two we have already overhauled, ready to go on. Each cylinder takes two men one day to remove and refit. There is no dynamo belt, so one has to be made up and fitted. The dynamo generates electricity for the lights. For many years now, we have replaced the old existing 12 individual cells, with two brand new 12 volt batteries. They seem to work perfectly well, and since we started doing this on the coaches the lights have been a lot better.

The coach is mounted on BR 1 bogies, which have axles which are lubricated by oil. A woollen pad is pressed against the journal by a large spring. The pad has a number of wicks which hang in an oil bath, and which carry the oil to the journal as it rotates. The pads are filthy, and have gone hard with age. We have sourced a cleaning fluid which they are soaked in, and which dissolves away all the dirt and emulsified old oil. To remove the cleaning agent, they are spun in a domestic spin dryer, and when they come out they are as good as new.

Attention is also being given to the corridor connections at each end. These are quite complicated pieces of apparatus, and invariably a good deal of remedial work has to be done to repair the ravages of time, and the weather. We have our own in house ‘endologist’ who does this. He was introduced to Princess Anne as such, when she came to open the extension to Cheltenham a couple of years ago. She looked quite bemused.

By this time, both the interior and exterior of the coach should be ready for marking and lettering up. All internal signs are as the coach would have carried in the 1960’s, when built. The same is true of the external signs, with the exception of our very own GWR logo, which has been applied to all coaches since restoration first started at Winchcombe.

Finally, the coach is shunted outside, and placed on our carriage jacks. There the body is lifted into the air, to give us access to the bogies underneath. Everything will be thoroughly checked, adjusted oiled and greased as appropriate. When lowered back down, the brakes can be adjusted and the body height checked, and set if necessary by adjusting the springing on the bogies. You will appreciate that for the coach to run smoothly, it must be set at the correct height on each corner. For this operation, we have obtained our own hydraulically operated G Clamp to compress the leaf springs, to allow the adjustment to be done.  Buffers are examined and lubricated, and the buckeye coupler at each end is checked over, oiled and adjusted as necessary.

The coach has a final clean and polish; all windows are polished internally and externally and then 13329 will be ready to take its place in the operating fleet.

How long does all this work take? Well, from the initial start it will be at least six months before everything is done; about three months in the shed, and three outside. We are fortunate that we have a number of people who specialise in the different jobs, and are able to carry them through without having to be told what to do. We now regularly have over twenty volunteers on Wednesdays, and many more on Saturdays. The summary above is an indication of what is always done each time. There are of course, a myriad of other jobs which have to be dealt with as the need arises, during the restoration process.

So, when you get to ride in one of our newly refurbished coaches, you will be able to reflect on the fact that it is not just a pretty paint job; and will have a better idea on what went into making it into what it is today.