23956 – tantalisingly close!

The long – 15-month – overhaul of the NRM-owned Tourist Third Open (TTO) No. 23956 is coming to a close, with just a few jobs left outstanding.
The final coats of varnish are being applied, the roof has received its last coast of Durashield and the tables are being re-fitted. These are having new vinyl tops to smarten them up. It has been a through restoration and is being called the 10-year overhaul. This entailed removing all vestiges of the varnish down to bare teak and starting over again, sanding, repairing splits and applying a dozen new coats of varnish – plus the lining out, a job in itself.

Needless to say, the old bête noire, the toilet cisterns, were also the recipient of those who wield the spanners – a perfect flush being the ultimate achievement!

Once 23956 comes out of the Atkins shed, the NYMR’s C&W staff will be looking at its wheelsets to ensure all is well for another ten years.

23956’s place in the shed is due to be taken by Thompson Corridor Third 1623 which is to be scumbled by a York contractor who undertakes this specialised paint application. Prior to his administrations, attention will be given by the LNERCA volunteers to put right any defects. This includes treating the metalwork where filler has not adhered which has come adrift from its first restoration.