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Page last updated 26-1-10
PROJECT 120
This is an exciting project for me - to actually rebuild a railway wagon!
Admittedly it is narrow gauge - however one has to start somewhere.
On the Teifi Valley Railway behind the carriage and engine shed, there is a row of wagons, some of which are in a good state of repair, but not used much, whilst others, like open wagon 120, are a wreck.
Project 120 is to restore wagon 120 to an immaculate working open wagon.
120 is one of a pair of wagons - the other is numbered 121 - that have one end open. A board was used to slot into the sides in order to have the fourth side of the wagon, but have the flexibility to open it up - like, for example, when loaded with ballast and wanting to tip it out over the track bed.
121 is currently located in the main carriage shed holding a variety of the larger tools needed by the engineering department.
With much of its woodwork rotting, 120 was 'parked' at the back, partially loaded with sandy gravel. It has been there for some time, which is why it was covered in brambles.
On October 1st 2009 work was begun to restore the wagon and create an open wagon, suitably endorsed with a name relative to the Teifi Valley Railway. It is my intention to do this before the beginning of next Season - Easter 2010
 The second photo shows the wagon with all the gravel taken away (9 barrow loads) and also reveals how bad the woodwork had got. Rot does not show easily on these photographs, but when my hammer got to work, most of the woodwork fled the scene in haste.
The third photograph shows the wagon now stripped bare of all woodwork, ready for rubbing down and painting. The board was left on the wagon, as it showed the number 120 from part of the side - this does not show up on the photo though.
Hopefully, Dave James, the engineer, will be able to move it into the shed for this task, which I suspect will take longer than a day!
Surprisingly, there was quite a lot of grease on the axles and I don't see much wrong with the metalwork - which is just as well as I have no experience with that side of things at all!
Keep watching this page as things develop.
Michael Martin 01-10-09
UPDATE 21st October 2009
All the metalwork has been scrubbed and the rust with layers of paint scoured off. The wood is now with me and parts of the wooden underframe are being prepared to fit into the bed of the wagon. Doesn't marine ply weigh a lot? The wagon has been moved out to the front of the carriage shed, makes it easier to work on.
UPDATE 27th October 2009
 The first lot of woodwork has been produced after a fair amount of 'tweeking' of the timber to get over the lumps of welding that impeded the way it lay. It is upon this framework of two H shapes that the base itself will be screwed into position. Most of the metalwork has been scrubbed clean, ready for a coating of primer paint. Anyone want to give a hand on this?
UPDATE 25th January 2010
Following some delay due to the activities of running Santa Steam Specials on the railway, and then the bad weather, I have now finished painting the red-oxide undercoat onto the wagon. At least the wagon is now under cover in the carriage shed. Next will be the black paintwork and a start on the wooden body.
UPDATE 28th February 2010
The black paintwork has been applied to all the metalwork - as the wagon is now parked at the back of the carriage shed, it is difficult to take a good picture (but I promise I will try). Also the base has been cut to shape and tried out in position, and the wood framework you see in this picture, plus the underneath of the base have been painted in primer, along with the end boards.
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