It is some considerable time since this vehicle featured in restoration news, however it is now pleasing to report major visible progress. This started late in 1998 when the body pillars recovered from Scotland, still in complete chunks of body side with two or three pillars connected by waist, cant and other rails, were cleaned and prepared for re-use.
This work entailed the removal of old knee irons and bolts, which required drilling out to remove them because the corrosion was so bad that they could not be driven out without damaging the pillar. The old rails were cut off and the remains removed from the various joints on the pillars and old screws dealt with, before the pillar was sanded clean. Thirty-two pillars and half pillars were thus treated.
Because the damage sustained by the body framing (both during conversion and in the rough shunt) was so severe, particularly on the former corridor side, the opportunity is being taken to redesign the body layout. The passenger saloon will now have three windows on both sides of the coach and these are to be 4'-0" wide with ventilators as opposed to the corridor size of 4'-6", the size of the seating bays is to be the first class spacing of 7'-3" rather than the third class spacing of 6'-2". The double doors are being retained to provided a degree of disabled access, although both sets of doors are being moved slightly so as they line up on both sides of the coach and so the saloon vestibule partition can be located in the position of one of the original compartment partitions. The kitchen body side is also redesigned to include windows, one of which will be a 4'-0" window with a ventilator. A door is also likely to be reinstated to provide an access directly in to the kitchen.
Before work started the entire length of the new section of body was 'set out' which means drawing a section through the framing full size along a board, of which the position of the pillars is marked onto the new rails.
The recovered pillars were sorted and numbered for their new locations. New rails machined, Teak obtained from LNERCA for the waist rails and sapele for the other rails. Joints were then fashioned in the new rails to marry with the existing joints cut in the pillars.
A complete section of body side is then dry assembled on the bench in the workshop, before being flat packed for transport to Pickering. So far two sections 13'- 6" long and one 14'-0" long have been prepared, along with most of the blank components for another 12'-0" and 14'-0" sections.
Installing the new body section starts with approximately five to eight feet of old framing being removed at a time. Additional support is given to the cant rail if needed with an acro prop.
Any good pillars are recovered intact, then bolts and screws are removed from the bottom side rail before the front edge of rail is cut off using a hand held power saw with a straight edge as a guide. Then a rebate is formed in the bottom side rail with a router this rebate lines up with the back of the mortice holes for the pillars. The new layout is then set out on the
bottom side and cant rails; new mortice holes are then cut in these rails. Groups of pillars and short rails are the fixed in place and the process is repeated until a complete section is in place. Once this is done the waist rail fitted in position, then any half pillars can be fitted before the waist batten (the rail beneath the join between the 14" & 19" panels) is fitted.
So far on the former corridor side 27'-4" of new framing has been so installed in 23890.Then a new front can be fitted to the bottom side rail, this will also be rebated but to key with that on the bottom side. This is so the weight transferred to the rail from the pillars is not carried by the glue joint and screws alone, and to increase the area of the glue joint.
There is shortly to be an another site meeting with the owner, who is keen to see more progress
in the near future.
During the May Bank Holiday coach week and with the assistance of John Curtis, Ian Varty, Ray Sowerby and Stuart Hiscock three quarters of the knee irons were fitted to the frame and the tie bars tightened up. Two split uprights were identified and repaired by clamping up gluing and securing with zinc screws.
The East Side bottom rail was stripped down, bleached and varnished. The roof canvass that had started to peel at cornice level was folded back, cleaned out and stuck back down with silicone mastic. The cornice was then stripped, bleached and varnished.
Weekend of 8th/9th May with the assistance of Stuart Hiscock further knee irons were fitted and the remaining East Side windows reinstated. Further coats of gold size and varnish were applied to the main body panels inside the coach (waiting to fit).
29th/30/31st May several knee irons removed at waist level, cleaned up repainted and refixed. Much exterior teak varnished. One external main body panel has been fitted temporarily.
It is hoped that 24109 may be repanelled this year but there is a requirement to extract this coach from the isolated siding so it can be moved into the shed when the need arises.
Andrew Daniel completed the major construction of the toilet partitions over the May coach week. This has enabled replacement of the toilet floors to and other repairs to the corridor floor around the rebates where the partitions stand. The plywood panels have been cut and screwed into place at the Four Corners of the coach and the screw heads have been filled and sanded. This just leaves the walls in the toilets to be panelled out.
We are now in a position to sort out the ceilings in the vestibules, which at the south end all the original timber and millboard exists but the north end requires a number of curved supports machining up.
The ash for the seats has now been machined up and they are ready to assemble. We have LNER pattern moquette in stock so the next stage is to source springs and a filling material. As for the internal wall coverings and seat backs we now have a very good match to the original samples of rexine. These will be a heavy-duty fabric backed material, which should last well and similar in quality to the dark blue used in the Gresley Buffet but in a brown shade. (The light blue in the Buffet from the waist to ceiling level was a lighter material, which has shown signs of wear).
The current painstaking job is rubbing down and polishing the brass luggage rack supports that we have had cast. These have got to be prepared for sending away to be chromed so have to be a near perfect finish. One or two people have taken a few away to do as 'homework' but John Curtis would love to hear from anyone else who would like to assist in finishing this task. You can contact him on 01751 474874.
At the time of writing negotiations are taking place to have 1623 located in the yard to replace 23890 so that contract frame repairs can start at the north end of the vehicle. A further shareholder will definitely buy into this coach when it moves into the yard and there will also be a significant volunteer labour input should it stay there over the summer.
Depressingly still no sign of a power supply to the workshop. Currently one single 13-amp socket provides power to 24109, 56856 and the workshop, which is not satisfactory. The whole of the floor is now painted and over a half of the ceiling is now insulated. The inside is now much tidier due to a major sort out of spares and timber. Completion of roof insulation, fitting ceilings is likely to be a winter job.
David Cullingworth 11 June 99
Read last newsletter (February 1999)
© 1999 L.N.E.R. Coach Association.