Toplight News winter 2008 

Since the last update, work on the Toplight can be pretty much summed up in one word – mouldings! Now I should say that this has nothing to do with cheese that is past it’s best, nor is it a statement about the personal hygiene of the restoration team! However it is everything to do with keeping the rain out of 7545 once it is back in service and stop it rotting back to the sorry condition of a few years ago. As well as being decorative, the mouldings perform the important role of covering the joins in the panels and sealing the bodywork from the elements. Heavily moulded bodywork is a feature of most carriages from this era due to the fact that they were panelled using solid timber and 2-foot wide boards were probably the widest that could be reliably obtained in either mahogany or teak. Lower bodywork was panelled with the horizontal boards running lengthways along the coach, which creates the distinctive waistline just below the windows. Placing the lowest boards like this also meant that the grain was running the correct way to help with the curve of the tumblehome of such coaches. Upper bodywork was panelled with vertical boards, which gives rise to striking vertical moulding between the windows and in enclosed sections such as van ends. Finally the mouldings run horizontally below the roofline to frame the design and complete the effect. Fitting the mouldings is a very time consuming and careful exercise as even slight misalignments are easily noticed in a long straight line. Accurate marking out of each panel is essential using known reference points such as the edge of the bolections, position of striking plates and commode handles. Simple jigs and templates are used to ensure consistency of spacings.  Corner or junction pieces are the first to go on, then the gaps are filled in with straight lengths sprung into position for a tight fit. Each piece is pre-drilled with clearance holes for the panel pins spaced about 2 inches apart. A bedding layer of flexible acrylic sealant is piped onto the back of each piece as further weather protection before being nailed into position. The pins are punched below the surface before the whole piece is given a thoroughly good whacking with a heavy hammer, cushioned by a piece of scrap wood, to even out the bedding layer. A final punching of the nails followed by a dab of filler and that’s it! – Now just another 116 foot of body side to do and it will look magnificent! Apparently it’s over fifty years since Ken last fitted these types of Toplight mouldings. Luckily he was paying attention and can still remember how to do it, just like riding a bike I suppose! Elsewhere on the coach, Nick has been continuing with the paintbrush on the chassis, Norman has been fitting more brass draught strips to the doors and Tony has been doing sterling work supporting the production of masses of mouldings together with cleaning up afterwards – an often overlooked but much appreciated task that takes a bit of pressure of everyone else. Unfortunately Brian has not been able to continue his work machining lock castings due to medical treatment. We wish him well and look forward to hearing the whirr of the milling machine again before too long. In the meantime if anyone is able to help out with a bit of machining we would love to hear from you.

Mike has been busy preparing items relating to the Emergency Brake Gear to fit on the end of the carriage, and Internal Compartment Door fittings for machining by a local model engineer. The existing Emergency Brake Gear has been cleaned up and new pins and bolts fitted together with new operating arm and 'tell-tails' made. 

Mike is also looking into the supply of the flexibles for the Gangway Connections. The steelwork being complete and sitting in his garage awaiting transport to the railway.

Looking forward to 2009, there is the possibility of moving the coach, but not too far though, just across to no.1 road in the shed so that we can set about the roof. This will be a major and expensive task, but is one of the last significant hurdles in the restoration, which then opens up the opportunity for work to start on the internal fit out. Over the years we have accumulated a stock of finished wooden fittings and trim and they will take up less storage space fitted in their proper place.

Well that’s about it once again, do feel free to drop by when we are working.  Support and encouragement is always welcome. If you can hold a paintbrush and chat at the same time even better! 

Andrew Creaser