Working Party

After two days of Easterly gales and heavy overnight rain the team assembled under clearing skies in Wharf Yard and carried out some housekeeping duties first. Allan Black, Charles Benedetto, Andy Sheffield, Pete Thomas and John Olsen moved boxes of tools and parts from under the newly painted frame for the Corris Mail Waggon and then removed it from the stands to stand on its side, releasing space for drying out of parts of wagon no.164.

John had noted several nuts were pulling up into the wood of the frame on no.164 as he prepared it for the Heritage Weekend, so decided upon a complete stripdown to establish how much rot there was. John and Andy removed the final long bolts, lifted the two rings of wooden slats off and then removed the vertical axlebox fixing bolts to allow the metal floor plate to be moved aside to reveal the frame. This appeared to be in good order but to access the underside for inspection will require the removal of the wheels, axleboxes and brake gear in order to turn the frame over.

The metal parts of the Corris wagon had been brought out of the Gunpowder Store prior to upending the frame to allow Charles to continue painting them with black Hammerite. Allan began chipping and cleaning the rusty seams of the Corris body and Pete worked on the wagon end door, working Neutrarust liquid into the seams where rust had de-laminated the metal; we hope this will penetrate the rusted metal and help arrest further corrosion damage.

Ann McCanna took our coffee order and we adjourned to the sunny platform for a chocolate biscuits, caffeine and chat in the company of Ann, David Broadbent and Tom Place.

Back on the work site the floor plate of no.164 was moved into the Gunpowder Store and one of our plastic wrapped sterling board wagon covers extracted along with a Hippo bag from the loft space to cover over the frame outside, keeping it dry for next week. The wooden slats are held together with angle iron straps at the corners and the retaining bolts were loosened off with the aid of some WD40, ready for complete disassembly later, then they were moved into the Store too.

The protective cover went back over the Corris wagon body and the freshly painted and rust treated parts carefully stored in the Gunpowder Store, leaving the site safe for visitors to the railway yard.

Photos by John Olsen

The sun was shining on Wharf Yard this morning as the team assembled after very wet Wednesday in west Wales. The first order of the day was to turn the Corris Mail Waggon body over so that we can work on the sides and floor. Allan Black, Andy Sheffield, Pete Thomas, Keith Theobald and John Olsen were on hand to do the lifting and shifting. Keith drove the Bobcat with John as banksman and Andy on the strops arrangements.

The body was first moved out of the confines of the work space into the yard so that sleepers could be laid out to protect the paintwork as the turn progressed. By the time the first train departed the body of the wagon was safely turned over and atop a sleeper crib to bring it up to a comfortable working height. In another part of the yard the Corris Railways Clayton battery loco was unloaded from the trailer and set down on TR metals . Steve Thorpe squeezed into the cab to give it a quick test run back and forth; he enjoyed that from the grin on his face.

Coffee time was declared and we enjoyed coffee, biscuits and chat in the sunshine on the platform with Malcolm Phillips and John Alderslade, our duty attendant, who had kindly topped up the hobnobs supply.

Back across the tracks Keith, assisted by John, put four hooks into the barge board of the Weighbridge House ready to hang the banner advertising it being open over the coming Heritage Weekend. As all our wagons were marshalled in the goods train one of the TR wagons has been placed on the weighbridge; our thanks to the Outdoor Gang for that.

Pete put the second coat of red oxde on the wagon frame inside the Gunpowder Store while Allan and Andy made a start in knocking off the worst of the rust blisters on the Corris wagon body interior. John painted the Corris wagon brake operating arm, the drawbar and the two brake shoes with black Hammerite paint.

It was a bit of a squeeze to get the freshly painted metal work inside the Gunpowder Store as the brake operating arm was still too tacky to be taken out of the Workmate, but with a bit of shuffling it was achieved. The wagon cover went back over the Corris body to protect it from the elements and the site left tidy and safe for the Heritage Weekend visitors.

The grey skies over Wharf yard had thankfully shed their rain as the team assembled for this mornings working party; we dodged another weather bullet there! Allan Black, Andy Sheffield, Charles Benedetto, Pete Thomas and John Olsen first had to ‘rescue’ our Corris wagon ironmongery from the covered wagon, no. 146, which had been marshalled into a heritage freight train on the middle road in preparation for the forthcoming Heritage Weekend.

The axleboxes, brake gear and drawhooks were all due for attention to remove rust and old paint. As Allan, Charles and Andy got tooled up to use the wire brush fitted angle grinders, John attached the replacement wooden ‘jaw’ he had made for the junior Workmate during the week, so that we now have two fully functional Workmates. Pete got on with painting the upper and outer faces of the new Corris wagon frame inside the Gunpowder Store, starting with the many fixing holes using the bottle brush to achieve 100% internal coverage. John made a start on sanding down the second Gunpowder Store door; working on the upper half with a sanding block and small wooden block wrapped in sandpaper to get into the grooves.

With the first, well loaded train, waved away, we stopped to have coffee with Tom Place and Ann McCanna, sharing the biscuits with David Broadbent, on duty as museum attendant for the first time since his recent health issues, welcome back David, and Keith Theobald who was attending to the ever present museum ‘paperwork’.

Back across the tracks Andy continued removing old loose paint and rust on the Corris wagon door with a combination of wire brush and hammer and cold chisel, Charles finished cleaning the drawhooks and Allan finished the inside faces of the axleboxes. Pete finished the first red oxide coat on the frame and John primed the bare wood his sanding had generated, leaving an interesting zebra pattern for the visitors to look at until next week.

It was a bit of a squeeze to get all the bits safely under cover in the Gunpowder Store but the site was left clean and safe at the mornings end.

Photos by John Olsen

A very warm and muggy morning in Wharf Yard with rain showers lurking nearby. Allan Black, Charles Benedetto, Andy Sheffield, Pete Thomas and John Olsen began the session by emptying the contents of the floor of the Gunpowder Store, until it started raining! Clearing re-commenced after the rain moved on so that we could move the Corris wagon frame inside, safe from such inundations, to paint it.

With Rain still making a nuisance of itself the cover was left on the Corris wagon body and an early coffee break declared. We shared our table on the platform with David Broadbent and Ann McCanna before returning across the tracks.

To quickly get the second coat of red oxide on the base of the Corris body, Pete and Andy both worked on it, just in case a fresh shower popped up. Allan set up an axlebox cleaning station with a wire brush equipped angle grinder while Charles and John used the blow torch to persuade a stubborn nut to come off the brake lever so the arm could be completely stripped back to metal. The bolt still resisted being removed but a combination of hacksaw, hammer and drift finally removed the offending metal allowing Charles to continue his clean-up of the lever.

John cut a new piece of ply to fix the missing ‘jaw’ of a second ‘Workmate’ that Gerald Gudgings had obtained for us and marked up the holes for drilling out off site as they require a drilled rebate to allow the nuts to be below the wood surface; a job best done with a pillar drill. Andy and Pete moved from red oxide on the Corris wagon body to white primer on the top and outside surfaces of the frame inside the Gunpowder Store, using the patent bottle brush method to prime the many holes drilled through it.

The newly cleaned up Corris wagon metal parts were stored inside wagon no. 146 and all the boxes of bits and tools were returned to safe keeping in the Gunpowder Store, leaving the site safe for visitors.

Photos by John Olsen.

The weather was dry for us in Wharf Yard first thing this morning, but we had one eye on the sky as rain was in the forecast. Allan Black, Pete Thomas, Max Birchenough, Charles Benedetto and John Olsen first cleared the way for the ex GWR slate wagon steel basket to be moved out of the Gunpowder Store and placed atop its frame to make way for other objects to be moved inside and potentially worked on when it is wet outside.

That was followed by removing the cover from the Corris wagon body; John swabbed down the base with white spirits before Pete got to work painting it with red oxide paint. Allan trimmed the oak pegs in the new Corris frame flush, and then he and John put the frame on the ground on its side to drill out the second mounting hole for the brake lever assembly. Turning the frame over they repeated the drilling operation on the other side and then placed the frame back on the stands for Allan to liberally anoint it with more wood preservative, paying particular attention to all the fresh holes with our patent bottle brush applicator.

Max and Charles were tasked with removing the rust and old paint from the Corris wagon brake lever assembly and axleboxes using wire brushes in the angle grinders. John found a few minutes to put the cast iron ‘Stores’ sign back on the freshly painted door.

The arrival of Ann McCanna and the rain was almost coincident so we halted work and stowed all the tools and metal work away and put the cover back over the Corris wagon body before crossing the tracks for our coffee break. The rain was persistent so we had an extended break during which Charles ‘communed’ with a pair of dogs on the platform; the howling amused their young handler mightily.

Once the rain moved off we returned to the worksite and got on with further work on cleaning up the Corris wagon metal work, Allan taking over from Max, who had another appointment; Pete also had to leave early. John applied conservation wax to the ex GWR metal basket as an additional protective layer against the inclement winter weather to come before we wrapped up for the morning.

Photos by John Olsen.

Fortunately the grey skies were not a prelude to rain in Tywyn this morning, so a full mornings activity was possible. Allan Black, Max Birchenough, Andy Sheffield, Charles Benedetto and John Olsen were present this morning with a short appearance by Pete Thomas to deliver the two oak pegs he had made off site, before he had to go to attend to other matters.

The cover was removed from the upturned Corris wagon body so that Max could swab it down with white spirit in preparation for a coat of grey metal paint over the primer, which was applied by the double team of Andy and Charles. Allan glued the pegs into the unwanted holes in the Corris frame then he and John got the frame onto its side to drill out the 26mm diameter holes for the brake gear shafts. They followed these four holes with smaller diameter holes for the brake lever mounting plates. Max cut through the rusted bolts holding the brake operating arms onto the shoes so that he could then use a wire wheel to remove the few scraps of remaining paint and a lot of rust. Just before our coffee break we got the Corris frame back up onto the stands ready for the bolt head rebates to be chiselled out.

We had our coffee chat and chocolate biscuits with Ann McCanna, Keith Theobald and Grace Jordan, who is helping with the mammoth task of sorting and cataloguing the MRFS ticket collection, thank you Grace.

The sun was now out in the yard and Charles, Andy and Allan turned Chippendale to cut the bolthead rebates, replicating those on the old frame. Max cleaned the brake parts with white spirit and then painted them with black Hammerite, along with one side of the drawbar. John was also applying black paint, gloss black to the undercoated door of the Gunpowder Store; a second will probably be required for full coverage and long term protection against the Tywyn weather.

The cover was put back over the Corris body and the tools tidied away and the freshly painted brake and draw gear stowed inside the Gunpowder Store until next week.

Photos by John Olsen

The sun was shining and the wind was blowing strongly from the East but that was fine for the working party. Allan Black, Max Birchenough, Charles Benedetto, Oliver Jenkins, Pete Thomas and John Olsen were on hand to take the wagon cover off the Corris wagon body, turn over the ex GWR slate wagon metal basket in the Gunpowder Store and generally get work underway.

Max completed his primer painting of the Corris drawbar and then applied fresh primer to a corner of the ex GWR slate wagon frame, where the bituminous paint had fallen away and rust set in, after the rusty spot had been cleaned up with a with brush. John and Charles used the welders hammer to finish chasing out the seam between the sides and floor of the Corris wagon, which was very pitted, and then Charles used an angle grinder plus wire wheel to clean it out of any remaining loose material. He and Max then embarked on removing the rust from the second half of the floor underside, cleaning right back to bare metal.

Allan and Pete had to re-assemble the brake gear on the new frame as marking the position of the holes for mounting the brake operating arm had not been done before we took all the clamps off last week. Oliver painted the remaining parts of the metal basket that hadn’t had the second coat of metal paint while John applied grey undercoat to the zebra striped door of the Gunpowder Store in preparation for a black topcoat. We stopped for coffee when Ann McCanna took our coffee order and then packed out one of the platform tables as we were also joined by David Broadbent, Andy Sheffield and Mike Green.

Back at the work site Allan and Pete found that the central holes that Roelof had used when making the frame overlapped with the positions of the brake lever mounting bracket holes; to overcome this two pegs will be made from spare oak timber and fitted before drilling out the holes. Pete left site early to get the pegs made as a homework project. With the departure of the 11:15 train came the departure of Oliver from our ranks as his holiday in Tywyn is now coming to an end and we wished him bon voyage; he will return next year.

John completed painting the Store door in undercoat so that the Gunpowder Store now sports a fetching two tone finish. The new Corris wagon frame was dis-assembled and the metal parts stored under the upturned body; it is hoped to drill the remaining holes next week when the pegs are ready and we have a new 26mm wood auger bit for drilling the brake shoe hanging arm holes.

With Max Charles and John each wielding a brush the remaining half of the Corris wagon floor was painted with grey acid etch primer in quick order and the wagon cover placed back over it. The drawbar went into the Gunpowder Store along with all the tools and the site left safe and tidy.

Photos by John Olsen.

Wharf yard was very warm this morning and before work began John reminded everyone to drink a little and often to prevent dehydration. We had a substantial team; Pete Thomas, Allan Black, Oliver Jenkins, Charles Benedetto, Max Birchenough, Robert Morgan and John Olsen on hand to tackle several projects.

After the wagon cover had been taken off the upturned Corris wagon body and the metal basket in the Gunpowder Store had been turned over, work proper could commence. Initially Max, Oliver and Robert had their hands on the wire brush fitted angle grinders, with Max cleaning up the Corris drawbar and Oliver and Robert stripping the rusty base of the Corris Mail Waggon body back to bare metal. Charles was in the cool of the Gunpowder Store putting a further coat of paint on the ex GWR slate wagon basket while Pete, Allan and John discussed the steps required to get the new Corris frame onto its wheels in order to establish where to drill the mounting holes for the brake shoes and began laying out the bits in their correct positions.

Ann McCanna arrived to take our coffee and tea order and we stopped work just before the 11 am service departed up the line. We were joined by David Broadbent and Keith Theobald for our caffeine chat and chocolate biscuits.

There was a swap of jobs after the coffee as Oliver joined Pete and Allan as they finished putting temporary bolts in the axleboxes and used our suite of G clamps to hold the brake shoes in place on the wheels. The addition of the brake operating lever led to the first of many small adjustments, with additional clamps being employed, before the final mounting hole positions were centre marked. Max completed his cleanup of the drawbar and applied the acid etch primer to one side and the ends. John and Robert were not far behind as they completed the clean back to metal using an abrasive wheel to finish half of the underside, whereupon Robert did the honours with the primer.

Charles completed the painting of the basket with assistance from John ‘You missed a bit’ and the freshly primed drawbar was brought into the Gunpowder Store to keep the rain off it. With the cover back on the Corris wagon body and the new frame chocked to prevent it being moved the site was tidied and left safe for visitors to walk around.

Robert had brought along a selection of tools to offer the working party, which were gratefully accepted as they complimented and extended our current inventory. Thank you Robert.

Photos by Allan Black and John Olsen.

A shower drenched Tywyn not long before the team assembled in Wharf yard this morning and then we were untroubled by the weather for the rest of the morning. Oliver Jenkins once more joined Allan Black, Pete Thomas and John Olsen to work on the Corris wagon and the ex GWR steel bodied wagon.

With the wagon cover off the new frame for the Corris Mail Waggon we used the drill jig, made for the rebuild of wagon no. 136, to hold the auger vertical to drill out the three marked holes for the drawbar bolts. The frame was then turned over and laid upon the upturned Corris wagon body to mark the positions of the four fixing holes. Two of the holes in the wagon body had been opened up with a file to provide maximum ‘wiggle’ room later in the rebuild. Following Pete’s suggestion for getting an accurate centre hole, John took the cordless drill fitted with a 20mm flat bladed wood bit under the body and used it to mark the four hole positions; getting out was much harder than getting in!

The frame was then placed back on the supports and the four holes drilled out using the auger and jig. Pete and Allan measured and marked the rough locations of the pairs of axleboxes while Oliver set to work on the rusty wheels once more with a wire brush and John cut off the four remaining fixing bolts holding a corner bracket to an old frame cross member. With the rough locations established the positions of the axleboxes were fine tuned to less than 5mm deviation and the centres for the fixing holes made with the cordless drill and appropriate sized flat blade bits.

It was getting close to eleven am so we stopped to have our morning coffee and chat with a selection of three different types of biscuit, two chocolate covered; we had just about finished when Ann McCanna and Tom Place arrived for their morning coffee.

Back at the worksite Oliver went inside the Gunpowder Store to complete the first coat of metal paint on the ex GWR metal slate wagon basket while Allan, Pete and John went round the eight vertical axlebox hole positions drilling them out with the auger and jig. The frame was then demounted and clamped on end to repeat the drilling of the horizontal fixing holes, first in the north side then the south; Oliver being called forth from painting to assist with the lifting and shifting.

The frame was put back upon the supports and the wagon cover placed over the upturned Corris wagon body to keep it dry for next week. The axleboxes were stored away in the covered wagon, no. 146, as space in the Gunpowder Store is severely limited by the presence of the metal basket.

The tools were packed away and the site tidied and left in a safe condition.

Photos by Allan Black and John Olsen.

The cloud base hovered low over Tywyn this morning, but the wet stuff had gone inland so that work could proceed in the yard. This morning Allan Black, Charles Benedetto, Pete Thomas and John Olsen were joined by Oliver Jenkins, who having tried out being a museum attendant also volunteered to get his hands dirty on the working party.

The first order of the day was to move all the tools and sundry boxes of bits out of the Gunpowder Store so that we could bring the metal basket of the ex GWR steel bodied slate wagon inside for the next two coats of paint; thus weather proofing at least this job. This was duly achieved and then a sleeper crib was made up to support the basket off the floor at a more comfortable working height. The Penrhyn point lever, that has been getting under our feet for months now, was moved to the inside of the covered wagon, no. 146, for safe keeping, along with the four lower bearing housings from the ex GWR slate wagon.

The new frame for the Corris Mail Waggon was moved a few feet to give easier access all round and Allan, Pete and Oliver started work on adjusting the rebates to allow the drawbar to slot in place. Allan and Pete then continued by cutting new rebates to allow the drawhooks free movement on the slightly shorter drawbar, while Oliver got down and dirty knocking old paint and rust off the Corris wheel sets. Charles began to apply the first of two coats of metal paint to the basket and John sanded the top half of Gunpowder Store door leaf which was suffering from exposure to the Tywyn weather.

With the first train waved away, Ann McCanna arrived to collect our coffee and tea order and we downed tools for our break in the company of Malcolm Phillips and Mike Green.

Back at the work site Pete had to leave early leaving Allan to complete both draw hook rebates, Oliver knocked off more rust, Charles completed three sides of the metal basket and John painted the newly exposed wood with white primer. At the end of the morning all the tools were returned to the Store and the wagon cover put over the Corris frame to leave the worksite safe and tidy.

Photos by John Olsen