Welcome to another one of our updates. We are still at Rothley, completing work on the Coal Hopper, B425356. Before I get stuck ino that, some other news from the week. The Bogie Bolster D has left Quorn yard to rejoin the Mixed Freight train and the Van train has been moved from Quorn Yard temporarily so that the engineer’s vehicles can be pushed into the main yard for the impending bridge renovations.
Onto this wekend then! After last week’s effort in getting the hopper into Gloss, the effort continues now on the underframe and details. Thomas and Nick took care of the black gloss to the underframe, platforms under the hopper ends and tops of the inner and outer solebars.
With Dave at Doncaster with West Hill Wagon Works, I was the sole signwriter this week. I started by assemmbling the templates from the A4 pages. After this I chose to start with the post-1964 number box, moving onto the data panel.
Sunday saw us joined by Tom and Dan, who also finished off some of the black underframe painting. Once this was done Thomas, Tom and Dan moved onto the white undercoat. Thomas took care of the end handrails and made a superb job. Tom and Dan made a good job of the handbrake lever ends, the door trip levers and the vacuum swan-necks. Nick kept hold of his black gloss brush and completed any areas missed on the underframe, and where I had finished signwriting.
For me it was the large legend, ‘House Coal Concentration’. I assembled the template and then spent the day on that, feeling very crossed eyed by the end of it.
We’re now nearing the end of the work on the hopper, leaving that at Rothley for its axle repair for us to go back to Quorn for the Plate wagon. Next weekend will be more of the same on the hopper though, with the west side solebar signwriting to do and then the whole east side still to tackle. See you then!
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