L516 has 44 timber framed windows, all of which were in need of a little TLC. To make sure that the windows are painted properly, we followed our usual lead and slipped all the windows out, before our volunteers started removing the old felts to avoid them getting paint on them as well as identifying old felts that need replacing.
The old screw holes were dowel plugged ready for when the window latches are re-fitted later on in the project.
Following a thorough sanding, a good paint system starts with 2 coats of undercoat.
L516 will be painted in Indian red with a custard stripe across the window line. This colour scheme is a slight variant of the “blood and custard” colour scheme that the railways employed.
Painting onto the glass guarantees a firm durable seal to protect the timber, with the excess trimmed off when the paint dries.
Back at the shed, Mark and Thomas work together to attach new felts. The felts allow the window to slide freely in the runners.
While Brett and Todd attack the massive task of servicing and polishing all the window latches. TAM cars have 22 full size windows, 22 half sized windows, 44 right hand latches, 22 left hand latches…and a handful of other nickel plated sundries.
We’ll probably take a break from all this monotonous work before we start work on the 88 timber shutters!