Early in May the wagon underframe was moved by Mark Hailes to a position nearer the workshop, allowing access to air and electricity supplies.
The frame was subsequently lifted and the wheelsets were run out. This will allow the open-spoked wheels to be needle-gunned, together with parts
of the underframe which were previously obstructed by the wheels. The two cracked axle-guards can be examined and repaired if possible.
Once the ‘continuous’ drawgear has been dismantled the two headstocks can be removed for welding up and re-drilling to take original-pattern buffers.
Additionally a number of the existing securing brackets will need to be replaced, as a result of holes being in the wrong place or having been badly gas cut oversize.
The similarity in design between this and the later SECR underframe for 567 is quite interesting. However, the more one looks at the frame, the more
one finds things that need repair or replacement – not unexpected on a vehicle that will be 100 years old this year, and which has suffered several bodges
during its career! It is therefore extremely unlikely that 87782 will be completed during 2011, but we expect to make significant progress. (MS).
Work has been continuing on the buffer components. One remains to be dismantled.
The two non-GWR body end tees from 87782 (having been extended – again courtesy of Eddie Carter – to modify them to the correct GWR pattern)
were trimmed to length on our mechanical hacksaw at HK and new holes were drilled using a broach bit mounted in our small radial drill (shown below).
In order to ensure that the dimensions were correct an original GWR tee was bolted to the back of the modified tee and the holes drilled through.
We were lucky enough to be informed by Ollie Holmes of the Avon Valley Railway of the existence of a set of four GWR buffers, of the correct pre-1915 pattern.
These had been at Washford on the West Somerset Railway for some years. The Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust
very kindly sold them to us and C&W members Paul Hailes and Robert MacMillan kindly collected them from Washford in their van.
Tom Simcock, Robert and I started dismantling them, one by one.
Paul Hailes has been needle-gunning the buffer components. A member of the management remarked that he had never understood what went
on at HK on Wednesday evenings until 10pm – well, this is one of the jobs that is best done outside normal working hours in
order not to disturb too many people.
Buffer casting after needle-gunning.
The other component parts of the buffers.
Robert MacMillan at work!
The results of his work: two primed buffer castings.
One needs a good sense of humour to spend an evening needle-gunning! Here is Paul Hailes grit-blasting some small
components for another project after working on items for 87782.
Tarpaulin rope cleats for 87782 removed from scrap sections of a tube wagon. These have been in stock since the early 1990s.
Photos by Martin Skrzetuszewski except where indicated
Following a spell inside the carriage shed at the end of B-road, during which a fair amount of work was carried out, the underframe was moved to a
spot outside the paint shop. Whilst inside the underframe had been needle-gunned, primed and some sections undercoated. Wasted sections of the top
flange of the solebars were repaired by Eddie Carter and extraneous holes were filled in. Much of the brakegear was removed for overhaul.
Some of the brakegear brackets and safety loops will need to be replaced.
GW 87782 outside the paint shop.
Roger Barton’s door pillars (with welding courtesy of Eddie Carter), almost complete, are now in primer.
The existing GWR door hinges, which were cut short at Bristol Docks, have been lengthened and now await drilling.
The other set (not shown) were non-GW and will have to be either modified or replaced with new.
Eddie Carter has machined up some new brake pins and spacers from steel bar purchased with funds from our generous donors.
The drawings for these were produced by Andy Prime.
Photos by Martin Skrzetuszewski
At the end of October GW 87782 was moved outside the paint shop to allow easier access with air and electric tools. The first job
was to finish removing the non-original door stanchion fittings on the east side, nearest the camera in the picture below.
Needle gunning of the underframe then commenced with the nearest GWR OK ‘F’ axlebox and axleguard.
Upon cleaning up the axleguards, a stamping was observed ‘GRC&WCo’ which confirmed that this axleguard originated from the Gloucester Railway
Carriage and Wagon Company, the original builder of GW 87782. It is always nice to confirm which parts are original on vehicles of this age, and if
there was any doubt about the original number of GW 87782, it was confirmed by a further stamping of the vehicle number on the left hand end of both solebars.
The final two pictures show the current progress of needle gunning and priming. Tom Simcock is shown cleaning up the solebar and I
have indicated in this picture the position where the vehicle number is stamped into the solebar.
Photos by Andy Prime
15th October saw the arrival of GW 87782 from the up yard at Horsted Keynes.
Photos by David Chappell
Over subsequent weekends all the old and rotten timber has been removed, several pieces being retained as patterns. The door pillars on one side and the end tees at
one end (all Port of Bristol Authority repairs) have been removed and put into stock for modification to correct pattern or re-use on something more appropriate in the future.
Since metrication and the diminishing of the British steel industry, many steel sections are no longer available. Two new door pillars will be made from these four end stanchion tees (probably from a BR tube or pipe wagon) which have been on site for at least 15 years – perhaps everything that looks like junk or scrap at Horsted Keynes is not so?
Photos by Dave Clarke (left) and Andy Prime (right)
Page updated by Jon Elphick, 7 June 2011 from text by Martin Skrzetuszewski