The Duke of Sutherland brake saloon, 58A, is continuing to receive attention in readiness for a return to service in 2025.  The old canvas was stripped off, and all fittings removed, in order to assess the necessary repairs and prepare it for a new canvas and roof repaint.  Quite a lot of work has been carried out on fittings and trim, and the level of preparation prior to applying the new canvas should mean the new roof covering lasts as long as the old one.

Below: The coach is receiving attention to the saloon body and roof, with all of the canvas having been stripped and the roof flattened (to make it a smooth surface for new canvas) and repaired where necessary.  In the background you can make out the North London Coach, which will be painted into Highland Railway green (a shade of olive) this winter too.

Below:  Some new timber has also been let into the roof, to replace damaged boards, but this work has been relatively restrained due to the very good condition of the coach overall.  It led a cosseted life and this has been amply demonstrated by the very good condition that we have found it to be in, both during the 2018/19 restoration, and the current programme of work.

Below: Despite appearances, the surface of the roof boards is now very smooth and this will provide a good base for the new canvas.  A great deal of care is being taken around the preparation and execution of this work, as it is something that, with care, we won’t have to revisit for very many years to come.

Below: The roof ventilators have been removed, cleaned and are being repainted.

Below: The beading has also been removed, repaired and is being primed in readiness for painting in black or green respectively.

Below: Matt Bedard, who carried out the repairs, supplied some photos showing the work carried out.  Below we see one of the rings that sits on the roof and acts as a location for the oil lamps.  These were quite badly rotten and damaged, as seen in this first view.

Below: Tyical of the repairs carried out to the rings, this shows new sections of wood inserted and the old sections cleaned up prior to filling and painting.

Below: More examples, with filler in place.  The smaller ring is from the side of the clerestory (for the ventilators) on the roof, where several similar examples were removed for repair.

Below: Returning to the roof, this view shows the rot that had established above the guards compartment. It also shows the aperture around which the rings seen above are located.

Below: Rotten sections removed…

Below: … and new pieces let in and secured.

Below: To achieve the work safely, the coach was scaffolded.  The end of the coach can be accessed using our own mobile tower scaffold.  Once 58A has been completed, the GW goods van will be admitted into the scaffolding ward for the roof to be repainted and some other work carried out.  This will then be followed by the NER Birdcage Brakevan.  Meanwhile, 58A will be re-varnished and the North London Railway coach repainted – quite a lot to accomplish by Easter next year!

Setting up jobs like this certainly helps inform the ‘one-day dream workshop designs’ that float around in my head!  A dedicated (and heated) paintshop, for use by road and rail vehicles and complete with extraction and high-level work platforms is the ultimate goal.  Being able to work in the winter would also be of considerable benefit as already we are greatly restricted by what we can do in the current cold snap.

Below: A surprisingly large quantity of roof and exterior fittings have been removed from the coach for stripping, repair and repainting.  Here are the lamp lids, which sit in place when no oil lamp is present.  The bezels surround the lamp chimneys on the roof.

The next stage is to create a tent over the coach in order that the temperature can be raised (it is a very cold space at the moment!) in order for the canvas bonding adhesive to be applied.  Once this has cured, the roof can be painted and all of the fittings replaced.