NVR Wagon Group

This working session there was a good turnout to try and achieve a big job. We have been very lucky to receive a bequest of money from a member of the railway that passed away earlier in the year, so it was decided to spend the money on new springs for the, as yet unrestored, LMS Brake Van at Wansford.

Whilst Tim and Annika headed to the running rake to carry out a few little jobs, the rest of the team, lead by Steve, started to remove the old springs so they could be sent away and assessed for repair or replacement. Unfortunately, after a few hours of toil the nuts on the spring hangers couldn’t be removed, so the endeavour stalled for now.

Meanwhile, down the siding with the running rake, Tim and Annika set about the job of replacing the ropes on the tarpaulin covering the BR Shoc Open. The ropes have deteriorated over time and it was decided better to do it before the winter for fear of them snapping and the sheet blowing off.

Following the defeat with the springs, Tim and Annika were joined down the siding by Colin, Paul, Steve, Gareth, Mark, and Jason, for another team effort in ticking a job off the list. BR van B786075 has suffered from a leaking roof for the past few months and during the freight running weekend Tim noticed from the footbridge some rather large cracks in the roof canvass, which has caused the roof to get wet and sag in several places. With no facilities available to replace the roof it was decided to sheet it over to get through the winter. Hopefully this will allow the interior to dry out a bit and save further damage to the floor. However, before the tarpaulin could be thrown over the roof a small repair was needed, so it was opened out for inspection. It should be noted that no trains were running on Saturday……we would never obstruct the line on a running day!

Next on the list was a slight roof repair to BR Van B768248, so Steve and Tim tackled this, whilst some others made an early departure.

At the other end of the siding, Stu and Josh were putting the finishing touches to LMS Medfit M470944. A few extra coach screws were needed in the top rails, then the label clips were fitted both sides. This vehicle is now complete!

As we move into winter the pace of work will naturally slow, but we will carry on regardless to ensure readiness for next year’s running.

On Friday there was a bit of shunting and preparation to do whilst we got ready for our Goods Weekend.

With all preparations complete, Saturday morning we hit the ground running for some freight action. Tim was acting as Guard for the Goods Train, with the rest of the team helping with our guests from other wagon groups and participants for the driving opportunities.

We were really pleased to see our friends from the Great Central and Mid-Hants over the weekend.

On the Sunday we were at it again with more wonderful wagons and lots of happy customers, some of which were treated to a ‘behind the scenes tour’.

We were also very proud to honour our friend Paul Foxwell over the weekend with our headboard being carried on the train.

All in all it was an awesome weekend which finished our 2024 running in style….now for some winter maintenance!

Before getting into the update from this working session, a couple of weeks ago Tim gave a presentation at Peterborough Museum as part of the recent exhibition on the railways of Peterborough. His evening talk was in two parts, with a brief overview of wagon development, design, and usage, followed by an overview of the NVR wagon group and a bit about railway operations with an emphasis on heritage railways ‘doing it right’ when recreating history. The talk was very well received and appreciated by all who attended.

The next day Tim gave a condensed version of his talk at the NVR AGM, which was also very well received.

Also, during the week Tim managed to transport his scarab trailer to the NVR as a future exhibit once restored. The trailer was found at a local farm and purchased by Tim due to local connections. The trailer spent its working life at Peterborough East Station and still carries some of the BR lettering and numbering from those days. The front axle is actually the back end of a scarab tractor unit to allow the farmer to make use of the trailer, which will be removed for exhibition purposes.

Back to this weeks session….

The main aim was to get the rake oiled and inspected ready for our upcoming events. Steve set straight to work like a greyhound out of the traps and went down the north side opening axle boxes and syringing out any water.

Steve was then followed by Paul, Mark, and Alan, who topped up the oil and carried out visual checks of pads.

Meanwhile, Tim and Gareth attended to some fixings on Tim’s Conflat. It was found that some of the bolts holding the floor down were loose, so needed a bit of a tighten, with some lock nuts added for good measure.

At the other end of the rake, Stu and Josh added the final bit of metal to Stu’s Medfit. These were the metal strips that protect the top edges of the body sides. After a bit of paint on the newly fitted strips, the restoration of the Medfit is complete.

Every so often there was a green distraction passing the team working on the rake in the form of A1 Class No 60163 ‘Tornado’, so naturally there was a bit of stopping work to look!

At lunchtime Jason turned up just in time for a bit of lifting and shifting. Stu managed to borrow a van, with massive thanks to Simon at Teversham Motors near Cambridge Airport. This allowed Stu to bring up some thin tyres donated by Simon to act as period wagon loads once wrapped up. Stu also purchased two barrels and both him and Jason brought some more cardboard boxes. The issue was how to get this stuff to the siding, so with the consent of the signalman at Wansford we used a trolley to move the gear. With Tim acting as PICOW and responsible person, the team heading down to the siding and returned empty whilst Tornado was well out of the way at Peterborough.

At the close of play everything was much better than it was and the sun even came out!

Don’t forget our upcoming events. There are still places available by going to the NVR website events page.

https://nvr.org.uk/section.php/2/1/special-events/a8bb3e5d8af3e92f6781f3d183a0238d

A slightly late update on last Sundays activities with the running rake at Wansford…

Tim got in early to fix a leak on the roof of his Brake Van prior to public running. With the leak fixed he was joined by Mark, Jason, Colin, and new recruit Annika, to get a few jobs done on the running rake. A massive welcome to Annika 👋

Jason and Mark set to work on the long overdue job of having a tidy up inside some of the vans, whilst Colin got on with putting some experimental weathering on the hoppers in preparation for our NCB photo charter on 1st November. The top lip of the hoppers was painted with black poster paint in the hope it would run down the sides over the next few weeks. Unfortunately, looking the next day, the rain had washed it off! We have another plan for weathering though, so no harm done.

Meanwhile, Tim finished off the lettering on Medfit M470944.

Whilst all this was going on, Annika got the freight brown out and first painted a small bit of Tim’s Brake Van that was missed when it was repainted last year. She then headed down to the Medfit to paint all the bits that were still showing signs of grey after the recent repaint. These were mainly bits on the inside of the side doors.

During the lunch break the group took a walk to collect boxes from Annika’s car. Cardboard boxes are constantly being collected by the group as wagon loads and will later be wrapped in brown paper and string to look like parcels.

At the close of play several jobs were ticked off the list. Three vans were tidied, Tim’s Brake Van was watertight again, several bits were painted, and the Medfit only needs the metal capping strips fitted to the top edge of the body sides to finish it off.

Don’t forget that we have two events coming up…

Firstly, the House Coal Concentration Photographic Charter on Friday 1st November, now at a slightly reduced price and also featuring J94 No 68070 in Wansford Yard shots.

Secondly, our Before the Snows of Winter Goods Weekend and Driving Experience over the weekend of Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd November. This event will feature plenty of freight action, with limited places left to drive Class 45 No 45041 and ‘Driver for a Fiver’ with Sentinel Shunter DL83 in Wansford Yard on Saturday only.

For more info, visit :

https://nvr.org.uk/section.php/2/1/special-events/a009d75762f34ea596e6e28deef06838

With most of the wagon group away doing other things it was decided to try and finish off the LMS Medfit 3-plank wagon that is in traffic, but missing a few bits.

As a thunderstorm was expected at 3pm, Tim set straight to work on the lettering, whilst Stu and Josh started to fit some missing metalwork to the body sides.

After a while Phil arrived too and got on with some much needed tidying in some of the van in the rake. Once Stu had finished fitting the metal buffers to the sides which protect the side doors from damage, he got on with giving them some freight brown paint. Tim had finished the lettering on one side and just started on the other, when the rain arrived right on cue! Hiding under an old T-shirt, Tim managed to complete the lettering on one end of the north side, but then had to abandon the job and drop the side to protect his work from the rain.

At the close of play all concerned were heard to mutter the wagon group motto, ‘it’s better than it was’, as they walked away soaking wet!

We’d like to make you aware of two events in the planning, which will hopefully go on sale in the next few days…..so save the dates! The first being a photo charter and the second a goods weekend and driving experience. We’d like to extend an invitation to all wagon groups across the country to join us and bring a display/sales stand. We’ve contacted as many groups as possible, but if you’re a wagon group member at another heritage railway and would like to join us then contact Tim Hobman.

For more info visit – https://nvr.org.uk/section.php/2/1/whats-on

The session on Saturday was called off due to bad weather, so on Sunday there were five of us to crack on with the Tar Tanker and Van B780952.

Whilst Mark and Alan got on with some more cleaning on the tanker, Tim and Jason finished removing the north east wall in the van.

After a quick lunch break and a change of teams, Alan had to go and Paul turned up for the afternoon session. Whilst Mark and Jason carried on with the tanker, Paul and Tim fitted new wall planks to the van. First Tim had to profile the special middle plank and then the external boards were slotted into place and bolted.

Paul then refitted the original internal boards, replacing the hundred or so screws by hand. On the outside, Tim trimmed the coach bolts down, fitted the door catch and then a bit of red oxide paint was put over the bare metal. The upper planks and metal frame on this section of the van will need rubbing back then primer and undercoat before the whole side is painted in topcoat.

At the close of play the tanker was a bit further forward and Van B780952 only needs the same treatment to the north west wall, then a full set of doors to get it back into traffic.

This session we were back at Peterborough to continue work on the Tar Tanker. Whilst Gareth, Stu, Josh, Mark and Al got on with this Tim was welcoming new recruit Annika and showing her what we are about. After about an hour of Tim talking about how great wagons are she was still awake, so a very promising start!

After a spot of lunch, Tim decided to take a look at the north side of BR Van B780952. The usual problem was found, in that the bottom half of the body side planking was in poor condition. Tim then set about removing the internal boards ready to replace the external planks next time; though at one point he must’ve thought he was in ‘The Shining’ as he broke through a rotten plank and shouted “Here’s Timmy”!

It was also identified that B780952 will need new doors, but this was expected. However, a new roof was put on this van last year, so once the body is sorted it will be fit for traffic. We would ideally like to vacuum fit this van too.

By close of play the Tar Tanker had been cleaned of all the thick tar on the south side and one section of wall within B780952 had been loosened to be replaced next time.

With a shunt of wagons in Wansford tunnel imminent, it was decided to go and oil up some stuff to avoid damage. Several wagons are stored in the tunnel awaiting restoration, but even so, pulling them out without oil in the axleboxes might cause serious damage to the bearings or journals.

The first job was to open up the axleboxes, which according to most dates on the outside, hadn’t been inspected since 2013. This proved difficult in some cases and needed a bit of heat, but after a while we were in and inspecting the pads. All were found to be a bit dry, but in good condition. As expected some boxes had water in, which was sucked out, then a generous amount of oil was applied to the pads and the reservoirs filled.

The main issue with working on a Saturday was the running of trains. Tim was in charge of works and kept in constant contact with the signal box to ensure we were out of the tunnel for the passage of trains and suitable protection arrangements were in place. Unfortunately, after a train had passed we had to wait a while for smoke to clear, but this meant plenty of time for chatting about wagon matters.

Once all the wagons were inspected and oiled, we all packed up and headed to the East Coast Main Line to see A2 Class Locomotive No 60532 ‘Blue Peter’…lovely to see the loco back on the main line.

On Saturday we headed back to Peterborough and started our next project, the Tar Tanker.

Nothing has been done to this wagon since arrival at the NVR 18 months ago, so the first job was to get into the axle boxes for an inspection. The boxes hadn’t been able to be opened on arrival due to the nuts being seized, so Tim set about warming them slightly and in no time things started to move.

Meanwhile, Colin, Mark, Stu and Josh began chipping the hardened Tar from the surface of the tank. The tar had clearly overflowed a time or two from the filler cap and so not only was the tank covered in tar, but also the chassis.

About lunchtime, Jason turned up to add some extra muscle to the job and by close of play the public side of the tank was almost cleaned off of hardened tar. Tim also reported that all axleboxes were in a good state, with all suffering from a buildup of water and sludge, but nothing that can’t be recovered.

It’s been a really busy couple of weeks, so not much time for a news update. This update is going to be a big one, so brace yourselves!

12/05/24 – Loaded Test

On Sunday 12th after the last passenger service it was time to test the complete raft of wagons. Before this, there were a few jobs, so Tim, Phil, and Alan set about fixing the doors on van B786075.

A bit later, Paul and Jason arrived to help ensure all vacuum pipes were connected and couplings tight. It was then time for Class 45 No 45041 ‘Royal Tank Regiment’ to take the wagons for a round trip. Everything worked like a dream…every wagon behaved as expected and the rake seemed to glide along the rails in the early evening light. There were congratulations all round for a job well done and a sense of relief there were no problems.

17/05/24 – The Nene Napier

On Friday 17th we hosted a freight driving course with visiting Deltic No 55009 ‘Alycidon’, which was in disguise as No 55013 ‘The Black Watch’.

This was another triumph, with 20 very happy customers and the freight train completing five round trips without incident. Our own wagon manager Tim Hobman was the Guard and even sported a new uniform for the occasion…looking very smart!

19/05/24 – The Northampton and Lamport Railway

On Sunday 19th a few members of the wagon group visited the NLR to make one of their engines dirty. This was a return favour for the use of their J94 at our Boston event last year.

Colin, Mark, Jason, Alan, and Tim headed over and spent the morning weathering the loco, before a pub lunch and a train ride. Not a bad effort we thought.

24/05/24 – Auxiliary Action

Friday 24th saw another wagon group event. This time our replacement for the Tornado Photographic Charter, ‘Auxiliary Action’ with Battle of Britain Class locomotive No 34081 ‘92 Squadron’ in disguise as No 34111 ‘Royal Auxiliary Air Force’.

Tim devised a plan that was completely untested, but worked like a dream, with everything working well and no delays during the day. The event featured our own Colin Dewey as a ganger, and operating staff moving luggage around on the platform. All customers and staff went away very happy with no regrets in sticking with us following the loss of Tornado.

Such is the dedication of the group, that some of us stayed behind to ensure the rake was ok for further running over the weekend.

25/05/24 – 27/05/24 – Locomotive Legends

Over the bank holiday weekend something happened that has not happened at the NVR for a long time…there was some standard running of the freight rake!

So excited by our recent efforts in providing a fitted rake, the powers that be at the railway decided to run the wagons on each day over the bank holiday weekend.

This saw the wagons out with the home fleet and the visiting Deltic, with Brakevan rides and plenty of publicity for our achievements.

We would like to take the opportunity to recognise each and every member of the wagon group for the fantastic work over the last few months to realise our fitted rake of wagons…

Colin Dewey, Phil Halstead, Steve Parker, Mark Barton, Jason Isaac, Alan Berrisford, Jon Denham, Chris Bourne, Paul Bricklebank, Stu and Josh Northfield, Gareth Evans and Ed Cordell.

But especially our leader Tim Hobman, without whom none of this would be possible. For motivating the team, organising the events, managing the publicity and finances, and bringing the knowledge and enthusiasm to continue our great work.

We have achieved more than we thought possible, but there is still more awesomeness to come!