In spite of the lack of recent updates, progress has been maintained on this project, as seen in these photos taken at the end of June 2009 by Richard Salmon. That on the right shows that the gangway connector has been attached to the north end of the carriage (as has that at the other end), and the exterior panelling has been given a fresh coat of paint.The next major jobs on the exterior are to recanvas the roof and to fit the side-lights. The external teak frames for these are almost finished. Both of these jobs await access to the carriage works since they are not things which can be undertaken sensibly out of doors. The side-light frames have been manufactured in-house, using timber salvaged from old school lab benches; some of the interior timber-work has been sub-contracted off the railway, but no contractor could be found to take on the external frames.
The interior photos below show the new corridor partition (the coach has six compartments). This structure has been manufactured from a mix of recovered original material (a little of which survived in the departmental conversion) and new timber (some utile, and some salvaged aformosia, again from old lab benches). The veneered plywood panelling is mahogany below waist level and sycamore above, as per the original. The plywood above head-height is not yet fixed permanently in place, and will be painted white to match the ceilings, whilst that below will be varnished in the near future.
The sliding compartment doors have been hung - these are all originals from Maunsell stock, from a variety of sources. The next major internal work will be the construction of the compartment partitions - originally the design did not have complete partitions behind the seating, but will have in the reconstruction, which will strengthen the structure and improve fire protection.
Over the last couple of years work has been progressing steadily on the interior of the coach. Here we see the interior of the brake van, with the reconstructed interior bulkhead, and refurbished ceiling and side planking. Of note is that due to the narrow vehicle width, the sliding door covering the gangway is bi-parting.
Below is the refurbished SR brake column from a BY van, salvaged when the van was dismantled to provide an underframe for a vintage coach body. The brake linkage has also been connected up underneath the vehicle.
Below right, the remainder of the brake van, with electrical trunking and light fittings in place on the ceiling. The brake doors, with all their interior woodwork and metalwork fitted, can also be seen.
The passenger doors have now had all their interior timberwork overhauled, varnished, and fitted complete. The droplights will be replaced later. To the right of the photo can be seen part of the corridor partition at the non-brake end. This has been reconstructed from cut-down original partitioning which remained in the coach from its departmental conversion.
Below is the reconstructed and overhauled toilet partition.
With all the steel panelling now on the sides and ends, the gangway structure is being built up, and butterfly control gear fitted at the north end.
Last updated 7 July 2009 by Richard Salmon