Page last updated 16-7-10
PROJECT 120 - Completed (see below)
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!
By the end of October all the metalwork had been scrubbed and the rust, with layers of paint, scoured off. The wood is now with me and parts of the wooden underframe being prepared to fit into the bed of the wagon. Doesn't marine ply weigh a lot? The wagon was moved out to the front of the carriage shed, making it easier to work on.
The first lot of woodwork has been produced, and after a fair amount of 'tweeking' of the timber, I was able to get the pieces 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 11th March 2010The 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 this isn't a bad shot. 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. Now I have coated all these with gloss paint. This will hopefully keep the wood from rotting as any water should now run off the gloss. It has also been decided to coat the inside of the wagon with lots of wood preservative - as, when in use, the track gang are likely to tip ballast and rough stuff in it - and paint won't like that.
Yes, it will be a bit of a shock to see it being used by track maintenance people. I'm not building a wagon for people to use!!!
I don't see Easter as a completion date, do you?
UPDATE 17th March 2010
Today was the first time that I have seen 'the wagon'. In other words I have put it all together so that it looks like how it will turn out in the end. The base is now screwed down in place and the sides and ends positioned. Bits have had to be cut so that it all fits together and the loose end board seen in place, together with the side pieces that will keep this in place. The loose end has hand-holds cut into it so that it can be lifted out, for ballast to be emptied out onto the track - or for cleaning (Yes! I can see that taking place!!) A photo will follow soon.
Next step is to assemble it all, using nuts & bolts and screws. Then I need to take it all apart and begin the serious painting.
UPDATE 21st March 2010 (A red-letter day)
Actual construction has finished (all bar the shouting) and now begins the final process - the painting. Whilst most of the body has been painted in primer on the outside, there is still some to be done on the inside, around the top. The bulk of the inside will be treated with wood preservative, as any paint will be immediately scratched off by ballast being loaded into it. 
The core colour will be a deep green colour with the lettering in a golden yellow - hopefully shaded black.
The second photograph shows the wagon with the end board removed, which will allow easy access and also easy cleaning! #
UPDATE 11th June 2010
I have now painted the side panels with the name details and, being brave I have decided to try out the shading in black. This was quite successful, so I will now go and do the same on the other side!
The wagon is to be unveiled at the Teifi Railway Gala on July 17.
UPDATE 1st JULY 2010
So having placed the wagon in such a place that I knew the two people named on the wagon would never go to (you know what's coming) then sure enough one of them went there!
Gavin Foster wandered down to feed the cats, or something similar, and spotted this!
As on July 1st, the wagon just needs a coating of wood preservative on the inside bare boards before being ready for the official naming ceremy (if we have one) on the Gala day on July 17.
For your information, Gavin and Esme Foster have been volunteers for nearly twenty years on the railway and have made it known that they are unable to continue doing as much as they have been doing. They will be sorely missed, but I suspect that we shall still see them down the yard regularly. They are pictured above with the wagon, before it was loaded with coal.
# - a ballast wagon - clean??? "Are you having a laugh?"
Wagon 371 - here we go again!
On a separate subject there are two more wagons lined up for my treatment. One is number "121" and is almost an exact copy of this one - though of course the measurements aren't quite the same!! The other, currently bearing a number "371", which was what it was in Trecwn, is a plain flat wagon, used for all manner of reasons, but mainly to transport items down the track. Most of this woodwork is rotten, but it won't need any painting. Only the chassis will need a coat of paint.
As you can see in this photo, the woodwork is so bad, I can pick most of it out using my fingers. The condition warrants urgent work, which is what I intend to start soon.
Wagon 121 - what name shall we use?
I will need permission of the powers that be, but I hope to find a sponsor for the second wagon that looks like 120 above. I am hoping that if the Board and the Society agree, the sponsors name will adorn the wagon! Might you be interested?