THE EMUPS WORKS
PAGE
First uploaded
Works already completed.
On arrival at the Dartmoor Railway, work got underway to repaint 1198.
We were told it had to be in Atlantic Coast Green, and we were able to get it
into the correct undercoat in time for their 2006 Diesel Gala. We are not greatly concerned about the colour
scheme, so long as it runs in service; one more coat of paint is, after all,
more protection, however, on arrival at Blaenavon,
some of the green was still in undercoat, and other green was rather faded so
the unit was quickly repainted in overall blue.
Whilst at
Future
Maintenance Plans
It
has become clear in recent months that, if we are to retain the unit in
anything like its current condition it is important that both the rain is kept
out, and condensation is controlled by good airflow. Most leaks occur at the cantrail
and round the windows. No Mark 1 coach
is immune form this failing, especially if they are not usually kept under
cover, and coaches in the heritage business are rarely afforded the luxury of
covered accommodation. Although the yard
at Blaenavon is over 1200 ft up, and the horizontal
rain can seek out the smallest leak, there is always at least a breeze, so
keeping the unit aired is not a problem – its usually possible to leave at
least some of the hopper windows partly open on the east side, since most of
the rain come in from the west. Anyway,
here is the work in broadly the sort of order we are anticipating, and
hopefully we will get moving as soon as the snow clears.
- TBC corner,
remove rusty areas, replace rotten crash pillar [if required], weld back
and make good - £300
- Window
lower corners, Cut away rotten corners and any struts behind that have
rotted; replace, weld in place and make good - £75 per corner. Prior to this we need to remove seats
and interior trim, plus the window assembly - a three man job. There are three or four window corners that
may need this treatment.
- As for
other jobs, we need to get the gutters sorted out, and are waiting for
available dates and better weather.
Part of this job also includes chipping off the old bitumen from
the roof, priming and then repainting with a lighter colour to cause less
expansion and contraction with heat.
- Other
exterior jobs are tidying up the underframe,
repainting etc, also work on the unit ends. Of course, the unit is to
eventually go blue/grey, and this will involve a sand
down and careful masking off of windows and so on. No estimate of cost
exists here as we have to decide if we are to do it as a team or pay for
it to be done professionally. Currently the unit is all blue sides with
full yellow ends, which it once carried anyway as 7175, so this is not a
high priority.
- Future big
jobs that will have a definite price will be the replacing of all or part
of the gangway shrouds, front and intermediate ends. This may include
similar works on the front ends as the CIG 1399 is having at
- Another job
with a definite cost will be if we need to add packing in one of the motor
bogies, which will need a crane.
- Minor jobs,
such as replacing steamed window glass are to be done when time permits. Spares are to hand
Future Development plans
Once we are on top of the regular
maintenance, then we can look again at all the projects which will enhance the
unit’s appeal in preservation
- Extend the ETH throughout the whole unit (ie to include the DMSB – at the south end) and a Blue
Star conversion so 1198 will work in multiple with more locos than just
the Class 73.
- We have cut a doorway from the goods area to the
standard compartment to allow a wheelchair user to enter by the double
doors in the goods area and access the standard compartment by way of the
new interior sliding door. Unit 1699 had this doorway, though our door is wider
than that of 1699 in order to meet modern standards.
- Another interior project, currently on hold
while maintenance jobs take priority is the designing and fitting of
removable tables in the DMS vehicles, so the unit can run as a wine and
dine service. The tables would fit over the existing trinket
trays and have a fold-back leg, to allow the unit to work as a dining
train, or as it was built, or as a combination of both. PBR has an RMB which is
dual braked, and it would be nice to couple that
to the CEP, open the gangways, and run four vehicles top and tailed during
a special.
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