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ISSUE 68 - OCTOBER 2001
INTRO
Saturday 17th November is the deadline for Issue 69 of The Railcar.
TRA
Following on from the item in last month's issue, Ian McDonald has volunteered to handle any of our questions on NIRs (National Incident Reports) and to advise us of any which could affect our units. Ian also reports that while Chiltern are keeping their VMI (Vehicle Maintenance Instructions) up-to-date, this is on the basis of non-passenger use. Ian is in negotiations with RESCO about amendments to the VMI for passenger use in preservation and will again be pleased to be a contact for this.
NEWS
NEW E-GROUP At the DMU weekend Kevin Dowd brought up the matter of a dedicated e-mail group for the passing of more urgent information within the Association. John Joyce has now set this up. It is called '1st-gen', and can be found at 1st-gen@yahoogroups.com.
BUBBLE CAR Following last month's feature on the current status of the bubble cars, 960 012 (ex-55028) has moved to the Midland Railway Centre for body repairs and a repaint.
SUPPLIERS
ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS For anyone restoring their cabs, John Joyce has advised us that the following are available from RS:
589-890 blue lamp fitting (i.e. marker / main switch indicator)
589-991 big blue lamp fitting (i.e. engine / air light)
589-783 MBC lampholder (you need one of these for each fitting)
193-5008 30V 2W bulb MBC
339-2706 lamp remover — very useful at 15p each
316-642 DPDT switch centre off (marker/tail)
316-822 SPST switch (headlight, fan, etc.)
316-844 DPDT switch on-on (rpm changeover, heater panel; SPDT would do but if they have them) These are all 13mm or 1/2" fittings — most DMUs have these though there are some much bigger ones around)
MOQUETTE
Holdsworths now have a new range of heritage moquettes. The price is £17.60 per metre plus VAT (as opposed to the previous £35 per metre for specials) and the minimum order for these is 40 metres as opposed to the previous 350 metres. It is not yet known whether they will have anything suitable for DMUs!
PRESERVATION
CHURNET VALLEY 104 words & pictures by Paul Moxon
By the end of September 2001, M50455 (the Driving Motor Brake Second) had spent some 12 weeks in and around the shed at Cheddleton .
This was to allow the welding in of patches and supporting steel to replace the rotten metal that was keeping the remaining windows in.
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Welding repairs seen from inside the front saloon of 50455 |
Roger Spencer did a superb job (as usual) of welding in the various panels, and was aided and abetted by Dave Arrowsmith & Kevin Dowd, who used up a fair proportion of his holidays sanding and filling.
Other jobs completed whilst in the shed were the replacement of the centre cab front window, renewing the rubber seals on the other windows, re-riveting the gutters over the doorways and making, fitting and sealing a new strip for the roof to GRP cab joint.
The roof vents had been removed when the vehicle was asbestos stripped and refurbished (1980's?) and replaced with blanking plates. Over the last few years, these had lifted, and were leaking water into the saloon interiors.
Thanks to Matthew Smith who had removed the ventilators & plated over the roof-vents on his DMU, I was able to re-fit all but 4 of the original 'Air-Vac' type roof ventilators. The remaining 4 had the blanking plates removed, resealed, and refitted over the Guards area.
My sons & myself had previously painted most of the interior of the guard's van. The discovery of (yet more) corrosion, (by Roger Spencer) meant that further two windows had to come out for patches to be welded in. (This now means we have even more panels to repair, put back, wood fill and repaint…)
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Repaired bodysides & underfloor equipment on 50455 |
Kevin has almost completed the stripping and re-varnishing of the interior bulkheads, with only the vestibule faces at the rear saloon to complete, and has also stripped and repainted most of the solebar.
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Kevin and Christopher repaint 50455's solebar |
On the driver's side, the electrical and control cabinets have been cleaned and painted with red oxide and the first coat of gloss chassis black.
The front saloon ceilings were dropped, and the brass lamp holders carefully removed. Rob and Kevin then stripped the old soggy hardboard off and re-skinned them. Both sides were repainted, and the two halves put back up. The centre saloon interior ceilings are almost ready to come down to allow the same work to take place.
Kevin has been recently busying himself with stripping and cleaning the wooden window surrounds for 50455, a time consuming job, that was supposed to be subcontracted, but brought back in-house, after the contractor did a runner !
Frank Nicholas took a break from working on his DMU's (the same species), and came to Cheddleton for two weekends for a 'holiday' to rewire the cab controls on 50517. Most of this work is now complete with only a few auxiliary switches to finish off.
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Refitting cab equipment to 50517 |
50517 was coupled up to 50455, and vacuum and air systems tested as a complete unit, also to test that the rewired cab controls were working the correct things on both cars.
- Two problems appeared at this stage;
- A sticking throttle motor, (solved by Dave fitting a replacement)
- The main air tank under the rear bogie making a hissing noise, when pressurised.
Dave fitting a replacement item solved the first problem, but the air tank was altogether more problematical.
The tank securing brackets were removed, and then Dave realised that the whole of the back of the unit had to be lifted off the rear bogie in order to get the tank out. (we lacked about 8 inches clearance)
Between us, we spent two days removing the bogie pin, the air pipes, cardan shaft, and both Dave, myself and 2 sons, ended up completely black (chimney sweep variety) from grovelling under the bogies, removing various fixtures and fittings to allow the bogie to be separated from the chassis.
Two 50 ton jacks were borrowed from the steam lads, and the tank swap went very smoothly. A further problem that has come to light, is that of the blow-down valve fitted to the replacement tank, is now leaking. (- More grovelling for Dave, I think!!)
50517 has been (again) cleared of the accumulated rubbish (Sorry Kev, not really rubbish, actually valuable spare parts and patterns etc) so that the middle saloon ceilings can be recovered in the dry.
Also this will enable re-panelling and re-insulation of both vehicles to commence.
Since September, at the sand sidings, the sound of the steam engine's whistles can now be heard running round at the recently re-opened Kingsley & Froghall station.
(We'll have to finish these two units soon, or the railway will be re-opening the final stretch to Oakamoor!)
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The two cars (50455/50517) back at Oakamoor (53437 in the background) |
DEAN FOREST 108 During renovation of the guard's van of DMBS 51914 the original lettering was found on the tall locker. They have passed me a drawing of the lettering and its location, if anyone is restoring a van to original, contact the editor for a copy.
- If you can help any of the following groups with their needs or information, please e-mail us at editor@railcar.co.uk
EXCHANGE
Anyone out there want to swap destination blinds? We have a spare Tyseley DMU blind (black background, white lettering, fabric type), and a spare Devon and Cornwall Sprinter blind (white background, black lettering and narrower width, plastic type). Will not sell, exchange only. Dean Forest DMU Group.
WANTED
Start buttons — CAV standard type black plastic ones with 'START' engraved in white. We need eight of these to manufacture a driver's panel, as the Derby Lightweight had a start button for each individual engine in a formation. We don't expect anyone to have eight, but if each group could spare one or two? Derby Lightweight Preservation Group.
Horn — the large one (note unknown!) for a Class 108. Nottingham (GC) DMU Group.
Luggage racks — preferably from a 108, but any considered. Nottingham (GC) DMU Group.
Alternator — For a Class 108. Nottingham (GC) DMU Group.
Final drive parts — reverse bevel pinion and housing assembly required. Telford Steam Railway.
Mk I Spares — if any group has any Mk I coach spares, suitable for a SK or BSK, there is cash waiting for these. Telford Steam Railway.
Leaf springs — for a Class 121. Graham Petts.
Help — Would anybody be willing to purchase a 101 driving car for spares, so that I may obtain the cab section for display in my back garden? Obviously subject to the asbestos situation. If so, please contact me. Also any Class 101 observations from the Manchester area would be most welcome. Keith Mitchell.
Pictures — Any Class 101 pics, particularly ones of the Lowestoft – Ipswich sets with aerials on cab, or any ScR ones. Sharon Gray.
FOR SALE
Water pumps and rectifiers — 3 brand new unused water pumps suitable for Leyland Albion 900 series engines £75.00 each, plus 4 RUG IIA rectifiers (need cleaning) hence £25.00 each or will exchange for final drive casing (complete) and/or driver's window(s) suitable for Class 117 or 122. W55003 Group.