Hello, you join us again for a weekend update. I write this from a hotel room in Poland due to having to travel for work today. The railway is currently cut into 3 bits with the bridge renovations starting in earnest this week. The engineers fleet is seeing lots of use over the next month, this weekend was the Grampus and Rudd’s turns, removing the spolied from the bridge decks.
In the week, Nick has been to look at some wheelsets for the Coal Hopper and one of the Dogfish which has failed its annual exam on both wheelsets. 3 have been selected for our use, so we await their arrival to progress both wagons.
Its been a quiet weekend and Nick and I have used it to have a bit of a tidy up and a sort out around yard now that we are back at Quorn. I concentrated on tidying up the Yellow Coach, checking all the power tools, while Nick concentrated on tidying the general yard area and Charlie cleaned and hoovered the workbenches in the GUV. This culminated in a Volvo bucket going to the skip.
Due to a last minute move of the Plate wagon into the main car park, Nick, Dan and Tom continued project tidy up. They made good progress on sorting out sweeping out and wiping down surfaces in the Yellow Coach, sorting out the tools in the tool van and carrying on the general yard tidying.
That about covers it for this week, a bit photo light and a bit wagon work light, but sometimes to have just have a weekend sorting out. Join us again next week, we’re we’ll be stripping the old floor out of the Plate wagon.
Hello everyone, weclome to this week’s update. This week, we’ve been concentrating on finishing the hopper but did find our way back to Quorn briefly to work on one of the Rudds.
I started this weekend by making a start on the West side signwriting on the Coal Hopper, chalking up and taping the boxes for the Data panel and the Number panel.
Thomas’s job for the day was to carefully apply white gloss to the hand rails, while Oliver and Dan applied white gloss to the corner steps, door trip levers, handbrake lever end and the swan necks.
At this point, we left for Quorn to look at one of the Rudds, DB972608. This had an annual exam in the week which found one wheelset below the minimum flange thickness. Thankfully we had a spare sat at Quorn and in an hour and a half, we had the failed wheelset dropped, removed and replaced. To finish the job, the underkeep/tie bars were straightened and re-attached.
We returned to Rothley so that I could continue the signwriting, this time the east side solebar details, and so that Thomas could finish the handrails on the North End of the wagon.
Dave joined us on Sunday, meaning he and I could finish the signwriting on the West side. Dave started with the number panel.
I took the ‘House Coal Concentration’ legend. This side has a special nod to Brian Hallett, who sadly passed away recently. Brian applied the legend on this wagon’s last repaint, and having completed the signwriting was found to have painted one ‘N’ in concentration backwards. Brian corrected the mistake, but as a little nod, I thought I’d replicate it this time in memorial. Rest in Peace Brian.
Dave had finished the D plate on the solebar as I finished the legend. Dave started some touching in with the bauxite gloss, while I painted the Wheelbase on the solebar.
What was Nick doing all this time, I hear you ask? Nick had the black gloss out, painting areas of 3711 which looked patchy now it was in the daylight. He then moved on to do the same with the hopper.
That about wraps up this update, and with it our time at Rothley. Its been very handy and has allowed us to complete 2 tanks and the hopper, bar its wheelset swap (though hopefully more news on that next week!). Thanks for reading, and I’ll catch you next time!
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!
This week the team has been split, with Madge getting the attention at Quorn whilst the Coal Hopper saw progress at Rothley.
The Coal Hopper has been at Rothley for a while now and the decision was taken some time ago to get it painted before we move back to Quorn. A few weeks ago, Dan, Tom and Oliver scraped the wagon down. During this week, Thomas painted the inside of the hopper which then leaves us with the outside and the underframe. The underframe painting will come later, so Ross and Nick focused on the outside of the hopper. With Nick spotting, Ross made good time in spraying the hopper into the now familiar pink dark red undercoat.
Matt and myself were joined by Jack to make a start on Madge’s restoration. The garage was tidied and our collection of Scarab spares sorted through to see what may or may not be useable.
Once we had the garage workspace cleared we got stuck into the careful dismantling and labelling of parts from Madge. The first goal being to remove the cab so the terminal tin-worm that has taken hold in some of the panels can be attended to.
The cab doors were removed followed by the nose end, bumper, windows, seats, cab floor and nose end partition panels. She is now looking somewhat naked.
The next stage will be to unbolt the cab structure and remove so we can fully assess the panel work required, especially around the lower edges.
Back at Rothley Ross with Mark spotting, painted the hopper with 2 coats of Bauxite Gloss.
Nick with Dan and Tom took the wheelset swapped out of 3711 back to Quorn. When back at Rothley, Nick with Mark, Dan and Tom got the paint bruhses out, painting around the top of the hopper, and touching in some areas not easy to get with the spray gun. The team then moved onto black gloss on the underframe.
Ross took a look at the bearings on the ‘new’ wheelset fitted to 3711. A visual inspection and a grease purge is all that was required.
Lilibet helped out with some rubbish removal trips to the skip, showing off the new yellow British Railways livery on the shortened trailer that Matt has been working on.
Thanks for reading, join us again next week, all the best; Dave
Hello, and welcome to our update from the Winter Gala. From what we’ve seen its been quite a well attended one, and for us as seen the debut of 5209!
Both 3436 and 5209 rejoined the tank train, which then got formed as part of the mixed freight. 3711 also hasn’t stood still. The wheelset taken to Rothley last Sunday was taken into the shed and fitted on Monday (thank you to the Rothley lads!) Nick painted the bearing adapter in black on Saturday, and also undercoated the yellow end cap. Sadly, niether Dave and I could be there.
Sunday saw Nick and I there but Dave also popped in for an hour or so before going to other commitments. The main object of the day was to fit LED Batten lights in the garage, so that it can become more than a storage building. I must say it’s nice to actually be able to see in there for a change!
While Dan and I were sorting out the lights, Nick, Tom and Mark sorted out the wooden vehicle crossing which had been slowly crumbling. They’ve now made something a lot more stable which should stand up to the rigours of 3 wheel lorries, and vehicles moving across it at all angles.
I finished up looking at a few of our extension cables to investigate reported problems some breaks were found in the live in both cables so these will either be joined back together with the appropriate equipment or cut down to make shorter cables.
That’s where we’ll leave this week’s update, sorry for the lack of pictures! Next week we’ll pick up where we left off on the coal hopper, making start on the painting. There is also some work planned to kick off Madge’s repair so join us then to see where we get to!
Hello again,, we’re back for another weekend of tank action. The job list on 3711 is certainly now dwindling, leaving only a wheelset to change and the replacement of 2 buffers.
Dave and I started off with the last 2 jobs of signwriting, those being the Commuted Charge symbol for me and the OLE warning flashes for Dave.
I moved onto the north end axle, checking the roller bearings and purging them with grease using the very handy air powered grease pump.
With the greasing done and the OLE flashes finished, Dave looked for areas of signwriting to touch up and I fitted a new vacuum relase chord.
Sunday morning saw me at a very cold Quorn, prepping for 2 jobs. One being a bit of welding on Matt’s trailer, which was the reattachement of some angle irons for the brakes after being shortened. The other was moving the wheelset intended for the tank at Rothley. The latter involved encouraging the Test Car’s generator to start, to get air to pump up the loader’s tyre. The former was rather straight forward!
Nick ferried the wheelset to Rothley and unloaded it from his lorry, Tom painted the vacuum cylinder on the tank wagon whilst Oliver did some tidying. I joined later to have a look at the brake carriers on the tank to make sure they were fit for traffic. (The split pin was later opened out!)
Next weekend is the Winter Steam Gala, so expect to see the mixed freight out with the 3436 and making its debut will be 5209! See you next time!
We’re thankful to be out of the elements in the workshop at Rothley again this weekend. This means we have been able to progress the paintwork on 3711 and also take a look at the brakes on sister tank 3436.
With the shed foreman keeping a close eye on things throughout the weekend, Ross & Nick got stuck into the removal of the vacuum cylinder from 3436.
The vacuum release valve was removed and dismantled to find an amount of wet sludge inside, so Ross cleaned and rebuilt this with new seals.
The vacuum brake cylinder was dismantled and apart from cleaning this only required a new rolling ring and dome seal.
The vacuum cylinder was re-fitted and the branch pipe re-connected.
Whilst Ross and Nick were busy with 3436, I concentrated on the signwriting on the west side of 3711.
Then the tank-end numbers.
Sunday, and Ross joined me with some signwriting on 3711, finishing off the bodyside numbers and the solebar details.
Tom also helped with some detail painting, whilst Dan and Mark helped Nick with the removal of the vacuum cylinder from 3711. Although we had overhauled this cylinder a few weeks ago, when tested we found a problem with the partial brake application suggesting that the rolling ring was leaking past, therefore it was likely to need an oversize ring. An appropriate rolling ring was fitted and the cylinder re-instated under the wagon.
With the Class 10 shunting locomotive being operational today to move some grampus wagons to Swithland sidings, we took the opportunity when it returned to use its vacuum to carry out a brake test on the tank wagons.
Despite the showers the tanks were shunted out of the workshop.
5209 was also still at Rothley, so was duly coupled to 3436 and 3711 making this the first sight of our ‘TRIO’ of Esso tank wagons together.
The vacuum brake tests then being carried out successfully on all three tank wagons.
With a few small jobs still to do on 3711 before it can be released to traffic, but I think you’ll agree it does look a little different from when it arrived from Meldon Quarry in September 2021.
Join us again next week to see how we get on; all the best, Dave
Hello all, and welcome the first update 2023 update from Quorn Wagon & Wagon.
We started this week on New Year’s Day. As Matt mentioned last week, Nick and Thomas were there but I was there too. Nick and Thomas concentrated on the tank underframe and painting any bits missed.
I concentrated on the details, all the standard stuff. White gloss on the hand brake end and lamp brackets, red on the vacuum swan necks and yellow on the roller bearing end caps. Only one axle at the moment as the other is planned to be changed due to the flange thickness on one wheel. I also painted a second coat on the Esso plates after flatting it back, and undercoat and gloss on the OLE warning plate.
Tuesday saw Dave and Matt on site. Matt concentrating on the Esso plates, with Dave setting up the other signwriting and making a start on the east side solebar.
Saturday saw Nick, Dave and I on site, also joined by Dan, Tom and Oliver. Dave was again on signwriting duty, with me assisting.
Nick had to go and do a shunt with the Class 10 to move the Grampus to Rothley for their annual exam, and the other Esso tank 3436 came back with them for some planned work. The Esso plate removed as a template before Christmas got put back on as well.
Dan, Tom and Oliver made a start on the next wagon, the 21t Coal Hopper. Out came the scrapers and the wagon body and underframe was scraped to get it ready for paint.
While Dave was signwiritng, I taped up the big stars, keyed the paint and applied the first coat of white on both sides of the tank. This will need another coat on another day. I also taped up and applied some undercoat for the Commuted Charge symbol.
Dave got one side of the ‘Esso Petroleum’ lettering applied, which leaves the other side for next week.
Unfortunately, nobody was on site on Sunday so we’ll have to leave the update there. There is more planned for the tank next weekend, so join us then and see where we get to.
B781908 was transferred to us becoming rail vehicle 100
Vehicle 101 arrived number 5209 and received brake overhaul and a repaint as well as 2 replica Esso plates, more on that below
3711 also had a brake overhaul including a new train pipe and a paint, again more on that below.
We repainted a 16T Mineral from the Windcutter group into a NCB livery for pairing up with the Class 10 at Rothley
Bogie Bolster D B928135 received overhauls to brakes, bearings and bolsters as well as a complete repaint
B954546 received a new stove and stove pipe as well as completion of the internal repaint.
While sister B954268, after 4 years of waiting, went to Rothley to have its damaged wheel sets removed for modification to receive new tyres and currently sits on accommodation wheelsets.
Also all Oleo buffers on the van train have been removed and overhauled, although we are awaiting the return of 784409s
and our first open weekend, where we got together with friends from a number of other railway wagon groups.
We assisted the Great Western Society with a piece about Colico Containers, C&W with a Brake Open, and the Nene Valley Railway with their new Scammell box trailer.
A flag pole was raised, and we talked to the Leicester Area group of The Friends of the Great Central Mainline.
However, we received serious damage from high winds, lost 2 tins of green paint a scraper and a mug.
That’s 20 rail vehicles, 7 road vehicles 2 trailers and 5 arrivals awaiting work, what a year.
Not finished yet however, lets talk about last week.
Tuesday and final touches to 5209, Nick and Ross carrying out a roller bearing exam.
Once reassembled the covers were painted Yellow then some areas tided up with Black.
Painting of the Esso plates for me, using enamel paint to the correct 1960s Esso Pantones.
Wednesday and with 5209 complete it was replaced in the shed by 3711.
Dave and I sanding the barrel. Whilst Nick, Tom, Dan and Oliver, tidied up the main frames.
After manufacturing brackets, Ross and I positioned the Esso plates and tack welded them, using the plate it’s self as a guide. Top brackets first, then with the aid of wood and ratchet straps the lower brackets were brought into position.
Plates then removed for the final welding, followed by prime both to the new brackets and the back of the plates, the plates then receiving a Gloss.
Next task the removal of the west side rotten tank support side plates. After dressing, replacements were manufactured.
Thursday, and the manufactured plates were welded on by Ross, farmer welding as he puts it.
I popped into Quorn to remove the angle iron floor from the soon to be no longer long trailer.
Then once I arrived at Rothley it was on to undercoating the tank and prime and undercoat the front of the Esso plates.
Airfix kit anyone?
Friday and a split group.
Nick, Mark, Thomas,Tom, Dan, Oliver and Charlie, scraping and preparing the inner frames and the wheel splashers of 3711, the splashers receiving primer once done.
Ross and I at Quorn, removing the coupler from the long trailer. Once removed, a template of the bolt holes was manufactured and new holes drilled using the head rail as position reference.
We then made our way to Rothley, Ross spraying the prepared areas and I glossing the Esso plates.
New Year’s eve and a split group again. Nick, Ross and Thomas at Rothley applying the gloss coat to 3711.
Quorn for me, raising the Scammell coupler to its new position. Slowly and carefully winched in to position and the bolts fitted.
With the coupler fitted the centre floor supports were fitted as well as angle irons to support the headboard. Ross came back from Rothley and made the “no turning back” cut.
A little tidying required but we now have a 15ft trailer and just over 9ft of spare frame to go into the Killamarsh Trailer
With the light failing, that sees the end of 2022, Nick and Thomas went in on New Year’s Day to apply white to the lamp irons, handbrakes, and Yellow to the axle boxes. We will as always let you know what’s been happening Next Year.
Happy New Year from us all at Quorn Wagon & Wagon.
First as is the custom at this time of year, Merry Christmas, our usual end of year review will follow this update then it’s on to 2023. What better way to celebrate than working on wagons, on to Monday, and a Scarab day as 5209 had not fully cured to accept topcoat. Three fronts as we battled the Scammell tasks on the list
Ross stayed in the warmth of the mess coach with sewing machine, leather, wadding and thread. Sorting the upholstery for Lilibets seats, with Dan who I had given the task of identifying the Killamarsh Trailers running number, flecks of BR Crimson and what looks like British Road Service green but unfortunately no number remains.
Nick and Tom’s focus was also on the Killamarsh trailer, trying to unseize the right wheel and the Scammell coupler. The coupler was a success and works, although a little remedial action is required, namely replacement springs and lubrication. The wheel however remains stuck.
For me a task I have been looking at doing for sometime. The 25ft trailer really is too long for our use. So out with the grinder. Measuring the kurb rails to the proposed 15ft I found a manufactures mark in the same area.
Rails shortened, planks removed and head board and head rail moved back to its new position. Do we play the colour scheme game again? It will also get a renumber I have taken the original serial number 86256, divided it by 25, giving me a number per foot of 3450.25, which when multiplied by 15 gives 51754, rounded up. So HT 51754 E will be the new running number.
Tuesday and back to Rothley and with the undercoat dry it was out with the Gloss.
For the first time this year, Ross sprayed a wagon, despite this being the 17th wagon to receive paint.
Dan, Tom and Nick applying underframe black to…………well the underframe.
The Esso plates also received paint to the back
Wednesday and another Scarab day. Ross attending to a few items on Lilibet, new rocker cover seal, fan belt and completion of the wiper wiring.
Nick and I focusing on the NVR trailer, wooden framing replaced as required and bolted in position.
With the new cladding having arrived in the morning it was laid out ready for fitment, Danny was used as an anchor for a ratchet strap to straighten the frame. Then the right hand sheets were fitted and nailed to the new wood as would have originally been done.
Thursday and back to Rothley with the tank now dry it was time to start the finishing touches.
Ross and Nick fitted the Esso plates and then applied primer and under coat
Nick then painting the chassis steps black, touching up missed areas and painted the swan necks red.
Ross then applied undercoat and the first coat of yellow to the commuted charge symbols.
What was I doing? Signwriting, lots and lots of signwriting, Running numbers, Wheelbase, Load, Tare, solebar plates, traffic stars and release cord stars.
Still a little more to do but its starting to come together.
On to Friday and more signwriting for me, Builders plates, OLE warning, foot valve plate and Commuted Charge symbols.
Ross worked his magic on the Esso plates, sand, a further under coat and gloss.
Dan and Oliver scraped and painted under the tank.
Whilst Tom, applied gloss to the lamp irons, foot valve handles, hand brake ends and ladder.
Finally Ross freed off the axle end cap nuts, in preparation for exam after the big day.
Christmas Eve, leaving the tank once again, as we await gloss to cure and paint to arrive, it’s another Scarab day.
Tail board removed from the big trailer then all of the remaining floor boards, as I want to return the floor to its correct position and only having to remove 15ft worth of additional steel work is more manageable than 25ft worth.
All the farmer applied supports were cut and the kurb rails and head rail moved forward.
The rear over hang was then cut to the correct 17 and a bit inch from the rear axle support, and the tail board fitted.
With the outer rails complete, they were centred on the chassis, drilled and bolted to the 6 supports, 3 each side. The east side first as the west had a little bow. The east rail being used as an anchor to pull against whilst the west was bolted.
With the light failing and after raising the front of the trailer in preparation for the removal of the Scammell coupling, I was able to get a few poor images of the final size of the trailer.
