We have been kicking goals since our last blog post almost 12 months ago (Apologies for the long silence). Louvre Van VLBY 108 has been repainted into VR wagon red with large VR logo, The ZLP’s timber was ordered with 80% of it turning up in June. The most important pieces were the top and bottom plates of the timber frame. These were ordered at the ZLP’s full length. After almost 12 months on order, they finally turned up a few weeks ago on a semi… All 13 pieces at 11.4 metres in length
But, as the wait for the ZLP’s new timber was so long, we recently decided to start a new project to fill in the time…
F212 was our target, with works starting promptly. The underframe was attended too first with a few doses of heavy duty degreaser to eat away at 70 odd years of grease, oil and dirt. Followed by a good blast from the pressure washer.
We then got stuck into stripping the paint off the body. We found the needle gun was the best tool for the job, flaking the paint off with minimal effort.
Being a yard shunter for many years, the F classes all copped a decent flogging. This is evident with all the dents and bent pieces of body work. We decided that the worst bits will be cut out or straightened to make it look just a little bit better.
The battery box on the fireman’s side had an extension added on a number of years ago to make room for the large loco starting batteries. As the F now has smaller batteries, the extension is no longer required. The extension was removed, hinges cut off and the end of battery box rebuilt as shown above.
We have had a steady number of volunteers turning up on weekends and weekdays to work on the F which is great to see. The majority of the works seem to happen on weekdays… (Most of our regular volunteer base are shift workers and working on the F on days off) So if you are free on weekdays.. please feel free to get in contact with us if you would like to help out.
There is still heaps to do on the F before we think about getting any sort of paint onto it. This includes more metal works, removing the last of the paint on the body, removing cab interior paint, polishing rods, sand body work once needle gunning is complete, degrease and pressure wash engine bay, scrape and wipe out generator room and much more!
We provide regular updates on our Facebook page, but we will try and post here at the same time!
Since our last post, the YVG have been busy doing a full structural assessment of 16ZLP’s timber body frame.
This consisted of stripping all external timber’s off the van to access the timber frame work.
Most of the North side timber’s removed
The corner and door posts all had tin covers fitted which were done by the VR. This worried us, as we had no idea of the condition of the posts.
These were all removed, which revealed that most of the posts had been victims of water damage and rotting.
North east corner post
All the bottom plates of the frame were inspected and found to be in an extremely bad state of repair. Unfortunately, the top plates weren’t much better.
After digging out most of the rotten bottom plate on the south side, it came to the point that the wall between the Guards door and South west baggage compartment door was now floating in mid air.
We very quickly propped this wall to avoid someone grabbing onto a door post, and pulling the wall out.
As the timber frames were built with mortise and tenon joins, it’s essentially a big IKEA kit. So to remove and replace the bottom plate, the entire body needs to be lifted.
As the condition of the rest of the body is average, we have made the call to dismantle and rebuild the entire body.
We are currently in the planning stage of gathering original General arrangements for reference, materials required and of course, funding.
We have estimated we need $15,000 to build a brand new body. We are looking for people willing to make $1000 or $2000 donations towards its rebuild.
The donations will be complimented by a plaque inside the van with all the peoples names that have put a donation towards the ZLP.
Please email- yvg@vgr.com.au to find out where to donate and how much you are looking at donating.
It’s been a while since our last blog post… or last project for that matter.
But we’ve certainly had enough time to recharge our batteries to get ready for our new project! 16ZLP
We were lucky enough to receive another $10k donation to undertake this project.
On Friday 4th August, we moved the ZLP to one of the turntable roads at Maldon, so it’s close to air and power but also, so it’s not in the way.
We then started ordering all the Materials we needed for the job, and then started stripping the interior.
The plan is to re-stick the entire van and paint it into VR wagon red. The current stick wood is by far life expired and suffering from water damage.
Our timber man Shane Lennon is already in the process of machining up all of the hardwood timber for this job. We should see all this arrive in a few weeks time.
On closer inspection, some of the door and corner posts are showing signs of deterioration. When we get to stripping the outside, these will be properly inspected to see if they will require replacement or not. (Fingers crossed it’s only cosmetic)
Damage to one of the corner posts.
The roof also requires repairs as it leaks. The VGR fitted new roof timber boards and a flat tin roof to the ZLP many years ago and used a fibre glass coating over the tin. This seems to have cracked in a few places and now lets water in. This is a major problem as a few of the roof timber’s are showing signs of water damage and rotting. The joys of softwoods………
But, the ZLP has only had 4 or 5 repaints and a tin roof fitted in the 30 odd years it’s been with VGR. So it’s served it’s time well.
The interior will be fully overhauled. Including repairs to some timber work & repair/rebuild a few doors and a full repaint,
Works are progressing well on the interior which we started the day after we moved the ZLP.
Guards compartment
The wall panels that hide the sliding doors when they are open, have been removed and cleaned up ready for painting. One of the bottoms had seen better days. We had the choice of spending more $$$ and building a new panel, or go for the trusty bog option. This isn’t a structural part of the van, so we can bet away with the patching up here
The above still needed a clean up and filling all the holes in
While the interior is apart, we will use this opportunity to rewire the van, to hopefully get all the marker & interior lights working again! (This is only a low voltage system)
All the paint for this project has arrived. So once everything is prepped… there should be no excuse as to why paint can’t be slapped on.
After successfully trying out this new brand of paint on T222, we were amazed by the results. So we have decided to use Carboline coatings once again for this project.
Keep an eye out over coming months to see the progress on the ZLP’s restoration. We will try our best to update this blog as much as possible
We can’t wait to see how this van transforms over the next few months.
The YVG are always working on exciting and unique projects! If you would like to support us on our ventures, please consider donating – http://www.vgr.com.au/donations.php
Like the T van & ZLP, you are more than welcome to donate towards a specific project. Feel free to get in contact with us and have a chat about what vehicles you would like to restore and/ or see restored.
As with all our projects, we are always looking for as many people as possible to help out. Just because it’s a project run by the YVG, does not mean it’s restricted to YVG members only. Our projects are open for anyone of any age to help out. So please, email- yvg@vgr.com.au – if you are interested in helping out with any of our projects.
As always, If you or someone you know is aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG, Contact Fletcher for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
With J549’s return to traffic tomorrow (3/3/21) after it’s annual boiler inspection, it was decided last week to give the cab a much needed makeover.
The cab was originally given a quick paint job at the start of 2016. Unfortunately later that year, some extremely flammable liquid was present in the fuel oil, which the workshop team was not notified about from the oil supplier. On a morning light up, this liquid made its way to the burner mixed with the sump oil, resulting in a fire (Nooo not the fire in the firebox!)
On a side note, after that incident we changed oil fuel suppliers and now receive good quality fuel oil.
Showing most of the blackened cab! Photo: Rob Lee
The fire caused major cosmetic damage within the cab, resulting in a jet black finish throughout.
Now.. back to work , We started by needle gunning the entire cab back to metal. And removing all valve handles etc etc
While all the needle gunning was happening, all the valve handles etc were all cleaned and stripped ready for painting.
After a few days of needle gunning and preparing for paint, it was time to prime. Unfortunately with only a couple people working on the cab, we couldn’t get any photos of this stage.
It was then time for the Cumberland stone.
Showing most of the Cumberland stone within
We have returned the cab to the more traditional VR colour scheme. Cumberland stone above the base of the windows with black below the window line.
With the main colours all complete in the cab, and the fittings painted. It was time to put it all back together. Resulting in a very very snazzy looking cab!!
We even got both the drivers and fireman’s seats reupholstered! Which was desperately needed. A massive thanks goes to Nigel from “Hale Upholstery” in Bendigo for getting the seats completed in a day!!
Much better than the burnt look! The speed recorder has never looked so good!!Drivers side, showing the new seats!! Fireman’s side, showing the new seats and arm rests!
All in a weeks work for the YVG!
The YVG are always working on exciting and unique projects! If you would like to support us in our ventures, please consider donating – http://www.vgr.com.au/donations.php
If you or someone you know is aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG, Contact Fletcher for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
Well, about a week ago, we revealed a completely restored T van! And what a surprise many got.
The part of the project we kept a secret, was that it was going into an original T van advertising livery. There were 3 to choose from. The donor and the YVG discussed these options, and it was decided to go with W. Angliss & Co Imperial interstate chilled meats.
Since you last saw the T van on the blog, the van was primed and the ends wagon red. This post will show what happened after that. So.. let’s begin…
After the wagon red was completed, all the doors were rehung, door locks refitted, drip edge above the door fitted, way bill holder fitted and new nuts for the bolts on the body were purchased and fitted.
North side doors and locks fitted Way bill holder
When all the way bill holders were fitted, we ensured we used period slot head screws, but also that the slot heads all lined up the same way.. a small detail that’s usually overlooked, but a sign of good tradesmen who take pride in their work.
Drip edge fitted above the doors.
Once everything was fitted and masked up where required, it was time for some colour. The first colour to be applied was the “Antique White” as the primary colour of the van.
North side sprayed with the top coat
The white isn’t that much different to the primer, they are both essentially an off white.
Once all the white was complete, came the painstaking task of marking and masking the stripes and diamonds.
Lauren putting the final bits of masking on the diamond.
Being a timber van, you’ve of course got all the grooves for the joins. So simply running a bead of masking tape and bobs your uncle wasn’t gonna work. Once the lines were masked, we then cut every groove, pushed the tape into the grooves and then when this was all done, run an extra piece of masking along the same line.
Doing this prevents overspray from getting in the grooves. The process took a little longer, but reduced the risk of overspray and extra touch ups.
South side ready for some more colour
Once the van was all masked, we started off by spraying the red stripe on each side
Fletch “cutting in” around the masking
The first thing we did with the colour, was run a quick spray around the edges to essentially “seal” the tape and reduce bleed when the heavier final spray went on (it worked!)
Riley spotting while Fletch starts the second coat of red
Once the red was done, we masked it up and started the blue. The same process was done with the blue, “cut in” around the tape, hinges, locks etc before the proper spray run started
“Cutting in”
Then came the Joy of marking all the locations for the stencilling. This didn’t take very long though as we had a scale drawing of the livery which we could refer too.
While our Signwriter, Paul Blake from Mort signs was designing and printing all the stencils, we moved on to starting the roof.
Lauren with the fun job of scraping
When 222 was converted to a works van in 1974, it had its hatch lids, frames and Ice troughs removed. They then fitted a corrugated iron roof, so the old canvas was of course in an extremely bad state.
A few solid days were spent on the roof scraping as much of the old canvas and adhesive off as possible.
We tried a method of removing the adhesive by getting a heap of water soaked blankets and dropping it over the roof for a day. This actually softened most of the adhesive and made it so much easier to remove!! Of course, it didn’t get absolutely everything, but hey.. who’s gonna see it under the new canvas!
New canvas!
We then moved on to the new canvas. There’s a few groups out there that have apparently discovered the next best thing for roofing.. But we decided to stick with the traditional VR method of Canvas.
Once the canvas is cut to size etc, we roll it back up into position, and start applying the contact adhesive, and slowly roll the canvas out, smoothing out as much of the creases as possible. It’s a Slow process, but that’s life.
Now, before we could paint the roof, our stencils arrived!!
Paul makes it look easy.. Ready for colour
Instead of heaps of masking and mucking around with 3 colours, we decided to roll the colour on for the letters. It worked out much quicker, which is what we wanted as our 6 week window was rapidly coming to a close.
Now for the satisfying part!!
And there we have it!! A livery not seen for 60+ years.
But wait, there’s more.
Once all the signwriting was complete, it was back onto the roof. It was time to paint the roof!! For this, we use a roof tile paint. It’s thick, flexible and waterproof.. prefect!!
All Painted and currently having the trip rails installed
The last job on the roof, was installing the “trip rails” and the hatch chains.
Rails and hatch chains completed Ready to go!!
One final touch to the van before it was released
Logos of our paint supplier and Paul from Mort Signs
Then, as most of you have seen on facebook.. it was done
Possibly one of the most extensive restorations of a goods wagon in preservation!! It has been a massive project, but totally worth it.
Many thanks go to all the volunteers who helped out through this extensive restoration, The Anonymous donor for making this possible, Paul Blake from Mort Signs for supplying the stencil stickers, Chris Pearce who supplied Paul with the artwork, Kelvin from Carboline Coatings for supplying all the paint, Shane Lennon for supplying all the timber, Peter Skilbeck and Michael Swyrydan for donating the Ice Troughs and Steamrail Victoria for supplying us with the roofing materials.
A few final touches and fittings are needed before it’ll appear on our goods train, so keep an eye out for it the near future.
The YVG are always working on exciting and unique projects! If you would like to support us in our ventures, please consider donating – http://www.vgr.com.au/donations.php
If you or someone you know is aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG, Contact Fletcher for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
Some excellent progress has been made on the T van since our last post!! Since you last saw it, only one panel had been sticked and the ends sanded.
North side 98% complete
We have since completed sticking the entire van!! Once we worked out the pattern and routine on the easiest way to put the boards on, it was a breeze with the entire van being done within 3 days!!
As mentioned in the last post, we ended up removing all the old tin behind the boards. We replaced this with sisalation. This is commonly seen on housing as a moisture barrier between the insulation and either bricks or weatherboards etc etc. The same theory is applied here, to stop any moisture in the cow hair from sitting against the boards.
South side while the sisalation was being fixed.
The sisalation also made it much easier to fix the new boards on, as we didn’t have to screw through metal, and also, it’s much thinner than the tin, therefore any overlapping doesn’t make much of a difference in thickness compared to tin.
Lauren needle gunning the crash protection bracket
The last of the needle gunning was also completed on the crash protection brackets and all the fittings for the doors etc. An annoying but essential job to the restoration.
Adisson needle gunning all the door fittings
With all the new boards fixed on, it was time to bog up all the screw holes and imperfections. With that done, the bog was then sanded flush with all the timber to give it a perfect flat finish. While this was being done, everything was rubbed back in preparation for primer.
Lauren sanding the south side.
With both sides ready for primer, our attention turned to the ends. Before we bogged anything, we timber sealed the ends, door jambs and doors. This was all done in a couple of hours.
Fletcher is seen rolling the last bit of sealer on the west end. Lauren rolling the sealer on one of the doors.
With the boards on the ends being so old and dry, it sucked the sealer straight in, leaving next to nothing on the surface. The ends took about 3 thick coats to seal properly!!
East end Bogged up and ready to sand.
Once the ends, doors and door jambs were bogged and sanded, it was time to prime!!
Most of the vans brackets, door fittings and handrails.PriimmmeeeAll primed and ready for some colour
Today (17/1/21), we fitted all the crash protection brackets back onto the sides and welded them back on. Thankfully Riley was able to assist with this bit
Welding one of the brackets
As we used a majority of the wagon red on the underframe a few months ago, we only had enough to do the ends. So while more wagon red is being ordered and delivered, we sprayed the ends with what we had.
We expect to get our shipment of wagon red this week, so we should be able to complete the sides this week at some stage.
Look absolutely gorgeous
But before we do that, there’s a few things to put back together!!! Keep an eye out for more progress.
The YVG are always working on exciting and unique projects! If you would like to support us in our ventures, please consider donating – http://www.vgr.com.au/donations.php
If you or someone you know is aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG, Contact Fletcher for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
Saturday 2/1/21 was a busy day on the T van. We had 5 people all over the van doing heaps of different tasks.
Lauren & Henry sanding the No. 2 end.
We had 3 people sanding different parts of the van all at once. The No.2 end saw about 85% of it all sanded yesterday, with only a small amount to go… which of course…. is the highest part of the van.
One part of the van has almost been re sticked… bearing in mind, it’s broken up into 6 sections. In 2 days one section was completed, with only the end boards of that section needing to be cut in… but they are the annoying ones… so that’ll be done once all the other sticks are on.
New panel with most screw holes bogged up.
We even got the chance to bog up the screw holes on the new panel, and sand it all smooth!
Mini Baz sanding all the bogged holes
Another task which was also tackled yesterday, was some more dreaded needle gunning.
While all this was happening, Fletch pulled the last couple of boards off above the door on the “non platform side”, and also most of the tin cladding.
The Tin cladding is only there as a barrier between the cow hair and the timber, so if the cow hair gets wet, it’s not sitting directly on the timber.., which over time, would cause it to rot.
Stay tuned for more updates!!
The YVG are always working on exciting and unique projects! If you would like to support us in our ventures, please consider donating – http://www.vgr.com.au/donations.php
If you or someone you know is aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG, Contact Fletcher for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
So following on from our previous Blog post… Our day didn’t go quite as planned.
But, we were able to get all the new boards primed and a little bit of sanding done on the No. 2 end.
Riley spotting while Fletch primes the new boards
While in the middle of spraying, we discovered we’re not going to have enough primer to complete the entire van. Luckily.. we had enough to put one coat of primer on all the new boards (which was our aim).
Fletch spraying the last row of boards.
With this particular brand of paint we are using, they currently have no primer available in the country. So we have to wait until mid jan before we can get anymore.
Having to wait until Mid jan shouldn’t be a problem, this gives us time to fix all the new boards on, complete sanding and bogging before the final coat of primer is needed.
All the soldiers standing proud
With a few of the YVG members on holidays now.. we should be getting stuck right into the Van. So stay tuned for more exciting progress over the coming weeks!!!
The YVG are always working on exciting and unique projects! If you would like to support us in our ventures, please consider donating – http://www.vgr.com.au/donations.php
If you or someone you know is aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG, Contact Fletcher for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
Since our last post about getting the T vans underframe and parts all painted up, work has slowed down due to various reasons.
But, we are back into the swing of things. All Brake rigging was connected back up after a few bushes were replaced and some new pins were sourced, which then allowed the P.V. (Brake Piston & Triple Valve) exam to be completed. As expected, it passed this exam with flying colors.
All the new boards were given a sand and stacked up ready to be sealed, 2 of the 4 doors have been removed. One door needed to be pulled apart and rebuilt because part of the frame had broken. Our chippie, Fletch quickly machined up some new pieces, reassembled and clad the door. The next 3 doors only require a few cosmetic bits to be replaced, Nothing major!
Starting to look more like a door. (New piece can be seen under the hammer)All back together & screw holes bogged upJust after all the cladding was finished. Screw holes still needs to be filled in.
The workshop crew went on holidays from the 18th December, So in true YVG fashion, we very quickly moved the van into the workshop and took over!! All the tarps were removed within 5 minutes of the van being in the shops.
Over the past few nights, 90% of the old boards have been removed in preparation for the new sticks. But, there’s a few jobs to do before this can happen.
No.2 end still requiring sanding, Most of the “Platform side” boards removed
All the new boards were set up along one side of the van and both sides of the F so they could be timber sealed. We’ve used a 2 pack epoxy sealer which penetrates the timber pores, Preserves the timber and also maximizes the timbers strength.
Riley looking like a stick while sealing the sticksFletch sealing the short boards for above the doors.All sealed and ready for primer
Tomorrow, we hope to prime all the new boards, so they are ready to bang on the van as required. We might also be able to get some sanding done on the No.2 end, Bog the No.1 end and remove the last 2 doors… might be a bit ambitious.. but check back tomorrow and see how we progressed.
The YVG are always working on exciting and unique projects! If you would like to support us in our ventures, please consider donating – http://www.vgr.com.au/donations.php
If you or someone you know is aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG, Contact Fletcher for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
Some said it couldn’t be done in a week… But, today we got the T van back on its wheels!!!
It was a massive week of hard work but we did it!! Last Sunday, the call was made to get the underframe and all it parts painted and the van back on its wheels by this Wednesday. This was to allow the stands the T van was sitting on to be used for this weeks crane day!
So as of last Sunday, the underframe itself was only about a quarter needle gunned. So a few solid days needle gunning saw this job completed. We then pressure washed it to get all the last little bits of rubbish. The wheels had their final clean and wash, then all the other parts were wire wheeled and cleaned.
Friday, we set all the parts up in the workshop, the sprayed the rustbond (as mentioned in the last post)
All the underframe parts with a fresh coat of primer
Saturday we applied the primer to all the parts, to which a few problems came up with that! But that’s another story
Underframe looking quite odd all white!
Sunday it was time for the topcoat of VR wagon red. The colour was matched off Fletcher’s Z van which has original Wagon red in the door jambs. So a sample of this was taken and matched. What an amazing colour!!
Looking snazzy after one coat of wagon red.. just before receiving the next coat
Today was the big day… all the springs were put on there hangers and greased. The wheels were then put into position to allow the jacking to start. Once we had the van jacked to the correct height, we rolled the axles under and lowered the van down.
All the horn slides were greased which made it a lot easier for the boxes to locate into the horns. A few problems were encountered with the springs as they lowered onto the top of the axle box, but nothing a bit of persuasion couldn’t fix!
Looking much better back on its wheels!Looking good!! Probably the best looking underframe around!
By the end of day… we were able to stand back and admire what we were able to achieve in a week!! A solid effort.
Keep an eye out for more progress!
The YVG are always working on exciting and unique projects! If you would like to support us in our ventures, please consider donating – http://www.vgr.com.au/donations.php
If you or someone you know is aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG, Contact Fletcher for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
Work has continued on the T van over the last few weeks at quite a pace. The entire underframe has been needle gunned back to metal, then all the unseen bits underneath was pressure washed to remove rust scale and grease flicked up from the wheels over the years.
Just before the last pin was removed & the spring lowered out
All 4 springs were removed at the start of the week, so we could needle gun and clean the entire spring, but also, so the W guards could be cleaned and painted entirely. The bonus with removing these parts, all the bushes and pins could be inspected and replaced if defective. All the brake rigging has received the same treatment. Out of all the bushes, only 3 out of 30 odd bushes required a new bush to be turned up.
Bek attacking the very annoying task of needle gunning the axle boxes.
The wheel sets and axle boxes also had the last bits of muck needle gunned and pressure washed ready for painting.
Adi prep washing the underframe.
As of Friday 30/10/20, the underframe and all the underframe parts were all ready for some form of paint. The first step is to apply the rust bond penetrating coating, which we were able to apply today. All it is, is a clear coat rust converter with a light green dye in it. (Just so you can see where you’ve been), but it also acts as a primer/sealer to stop the actual primer from frying any left over enamel or acrylic paint left on the job.
Fletch in the middle of spraying one of the buffer beams.After having the rustbond applied. All of the T vans underframe parts strategically set up in the workshop with the rustbond recently applied.
We have a big few days ahead of us. We have to prime everything, and then topcoat it with VR Wagon Red AND…. have the van back on its wheels…. before Wednesday!!
Stay tuned for more updates!!
The YVG are always working on exciting and unique projects! If you would like to support us in our ventures, please consider donating – http://www.vgr.com.au/donations.php
If you or someone you know is aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG, Contact Fletcher for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
Unfortunately in early June, Our first class carriage Macedon was the victim of a graffiti attack which covered one side of the carriage. The Young Volunteers Group took to the clean up and it was decided a full repaint was needed. (Which was desperately required)
The above photo is after all the graffiti had been sanded off.
So the huge task of sanding, Bogging, masking etc began.
While we were sanding one of the door posts on the non platform side. A large rust hole was discovered. Thankfully Mick was quick onto the repairs, the old piece was cut out and a new piece rolled and welded in.
Mick standing proudly showing the before & after.
After a few weeks of prep, it was time for a couple of coats of primer.
Macedon was then transferred to the carriage shed at Castlemaine so the primer had time to cure, and Mick was able to utilize the workshop again to catch up on some carriage exams.
In late August, Macedon was once again back at Maldon so we could sand all the primer and get ready for the application of the beautiful red top coat.
After Top coat was applied, it was onto underframe detailing while the body had some time to cure
After a couple of weeks of detailing, it was time to wrap the whole body up so the roof could be sanded, Primed and Top coated.
It was decided to do the roof last, instead of first so the Red had a few weeks to properly cure before any sticker stencils was applied. Just in case the red wanted to come off with the stickers.
Once the body was wrapped up, we gave the roof a quick rub back. Once this was complete, the roof was primed. We had to hire in a scissor lift for this job as the OHS risks of working at that height on planks was too great, it also sped up the process enormously.
Above shows the roof just after all the Silver was sprayed. How snazzy!!!
It was also decided to put the air vents back on the clerestory. Macedon originally had these when it was a sleeping car on the Overland.
We also decided to break up the silver with a splash of red on the vertical part of the clerestory. Now it doesn’t resemble a boat hull as much.
Once the Roof was all done, it then came to the sign-writing. A number of hours research was done to track down all the original Pullman Fonts. Many thanks goes to Fran Philips from the USA who helps run Pullman Car ‘Dover Harbor’, who also helped us with tracking down original Pullman drawings.
If your ever in Washington D.C., We certainly recommend you check out Pullman car, ‘Dover Harbor’. Check out the website for details: https://doverharbor.com/
Paul Blake from Mort Signs kindly designed and printed all the sticker spray stencils, Then came all the way from Traralgon to fit all the stickers.
Paul posing with his awesome work!
Once Paul had finished, the uncovered parts of red was quickly masked back up and we got straight into spraying the Yellow.
The next morning, we unwrapped the big present and got straight into the final detailing on the car. Ready for its wash and polish on the Friday.
Saturday 3rd of October, It was finally all finished and bought out for the Official YVG photo in front of Maldon station and of course the group photo with everyone that worked on it (A few people couldnt make it for the photo)
Im sure everyone will agree, the finished product looks absolutely amazing.
Looks a bit snazzy!!The small group who made Macedon look a million dollars.
Over the last week, in between another exciting job on the go, work on T222 has been progressing.
Both wheel sets have been needle gunned, degreased and pressure washed. So these are now ready to get a coat of Rustbond. What this will do, is kill any form of rust on the metal and allow the primer to get maximum adhesion on the metal. Once this is done, itll be ready for priming and topcoat.
The currently East end timbers of the van have been sanded right back. Revealing the timber to be in extremely good condition! We reckon that this van has never been resticked! Usually you can tell if a van has been resticked in its life, the battens where the boards are screwed too, usually have heaps of holes from being resticked once or twice in its life. This van only has a set of screw holes from the current boards on it. Which, if that’s the case, makes these timbers 109 years old!!!
The west end should be sanded within the next week or two, which will then allow a timber penetrating sealer to be applied before priming.
Needle gunning the underframe has also been continuing at a steady pace.
The YVG are always undertaking very unique and exciting projects, Please consider donating so we can continue preserving Victorian railway items of yesteryear.
As mentioned in the previous blog post, the YVG had a generous donation towards the restoration of the only surviving operational ice refrigerated T van.
T 222 was built at Newport Workshops in February 1911 as a 6 wheeled ice refrigerated van with screw couplers. Throughout its life T 222 would have travelled all over the state of Victoria carrying meat and other perishable foods such as butter and fruit.
Above: As built T Van. Circa 1910. Photographer Unknown Below: Interior of a Ice refrigerated T van. PROV, VPRS 12800, Item RS1320
T vans were iced regularly at the Ice house in north Melbourne. The VR had a dedicated “ice road” where all the T vans would shuffle through receiving new ice as shown below. The reason for using salted ice, was that it lasted longer than your usual ice. So they could be taken up to Bendigo and return to Melbourne, and still remain cold enough to take perishable goods etc.
Above: T vans being loaded with salted ice 1958. Image sourced from victorianrailways.net Below: Blocks of salted ice being loaded into the Ice House at North Melboune Yard. PROV, VPRS 12800, Item H 5162
In May of 1933 it was again at Newport workshops for a period of approximately 3 weeks. In that time the centre axle was removed, and the screw couplers were replaced with auto couplers. After these modifications T 222 continued to travel the state carrying perishable food items. In 1974, T 222 was reclassified and renumbered HD 239 and at such time would have had its ice trough removed. The HD classification was the railways classification for wagons in non-revenue traffic and were used by railway departments as rolling stores and workshops.
Above: HD 239 (T 222) at Castlemaine. Circa late 1980’s. Larry McGrath
In the early 1980s, HD 239 (T 222) was acquired by the Castlemaine & Maldon Railway Preservation Society (Now the Victorian Goldfields Railway, VGR) and transferred to Castlemaine. Since arrival at Castlemaine the van was used for storing various signalling parts. February 2020 saw the donation arrive. On the 15th of Feb, T222 was transferred to Maldon for restoration, surprisingly with no problems. It wasn’t until August that works would start due to various reasons.
We had the van moved into a turntable road, so it was located closer to tools, power, air, etc. But this also allowed us to lift the van off its wheels. We decided to do this so we can needle gun and clean everything. It also makes the cleaning & painting of the wheels so much easier. At the time of writing, the under frame is about 50% needle gunned. Going to be a pretty tidy under frame for a goods wagon!!
We striped the corrugated roofing off, which revealed the ice hatch holes. We then cracked into rebuilding the hatch frames, then the hatch lids. The curve in the roof proved a challenge, but the new pieces were beautifully hand crafted. We think you will all agree, the new hatches look pretty sexy!!
We have also decided to re-stick both sides of the van due to many of the timbers being rotten. Many thanks goes to Shane Lennon for machining up all the new timbers to the unusual VR sizing. Once we receive all the paint, all the timbers will be primed and receive one topcoat prior to fitting.
Some more exciting news to share, we had an email a few weeks ago from our local fire spotter from Mt Tarrengower. He revealed that he purchased an ice trough from the railways 40 odd years ago, with the idea of using it as a Stock feed Trough. This never happened, so it sat upside down in his yard for 36 years. That was until September 2020. The trough has found its new forever home in T222. The photo below on the left, is how the trough was found. And it’s last home for the last 36 years. The photo on the right shows the trough eyeing off its new home.
Stay tuned for more progress on the T van over coming weeks.
Its been a while since our last blog post. But, after a bit of a break, the YVG are back into the swing of things and kicking more goals than before!!
Late last year the YVG were approached by a generous donor that was looking to donate towards the restoration of Ice refrigerated van T 222 (HD 239).
T 222 shortly after been transferred to Maldon for restoration. The Restoration will involve a complete Re stick of the two long sides along with rebuilding of the doors as they are in poor condition. T222 is an extremely rare and unique piece of rolling stock, this is the only T van left in operational condition. Plenty of van body’s can be found on farms across Victoria, but this is the only one with all its underframe etc.
We are attempting to return it to as original condition, or close too. A further post will show all the little bits and pieces that have been done thus far on the van. Stay tuned
In March the YVG were invited to attend Steamrail Victoria’s 2020 Newport Workshops Open Days. As part of this, two of our Trolleys were taken and put on display for the weekend.
But, before the open weekend, a few things needed to be done on the trolleys. Here we see Bek completing the final touches on 8W26 & 8W25
Certainly an interesting position to sign write in!!
In recent times, the YVG have done the Civil Gang a favour by doing some lineside clearing of trees and branches that are inside the loading gauge. This is mainly to stop Y133’s paint job being scratched, but also to stop further new paint jobs being scratched too! (Stay tuned)
It also improves passengers Safety while riding the train!
Now that we are back into the swing of things, Keep a look out on the blog with more regular updates.
On Friday night Riley finished welding another trolley seat frame for 8W26 which is a trailer so there was no need to take any fancy measurements for it to fit an engine.
The lengths of RHS on the top of the frame are for the next seat frame which will be for 8W27.
The plan was to paint and clad the frame with Timber but that didn’t end up happening as a slightly more important matter arose Saturday morning
Something that has needed some attention for quite some time has been the gang shed door. Since the YVG rebuild the Gang shed in mid 2017 the side door had dropped quite a bit to the point it was scraping on the slab and getting quite tough to close. An attempt was made to correct this but this ended in the door falling apart.
So after a quick trip to get some timber, Fletcher began building a new door.
And with a Coat of paint Sunday afternoon the Gang shed had a new door.
We’re around almost every weekend so feel free to drop by Maldon Station and see what we’re up to! Or even better if your aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG send Fletcher an email for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
Over the past few weeks, a lot has happened not only in planing and getting ready for the YVG operating day but also the Gang shed has had a bit of a remodel and a few other things.
A new bench and shelves have been built. Over the next few weeks, everything will be organised and work on the trolleys will be back in full swing.
Last week Riley Repainted two of our Civil wagons NN125 and QB4
And the weekend just gone the YVG begun on there next project.
Repair and Repaint of 63BW. Here we see the cracks marked and the roof has been washed ready for patches to be applied and the roof painted
Whilst Fletcher and Riley Worked on repairing and painting the Roof Ryan, Brendan and cleaned the windows and begun sanding the north side
Tom and Adision also un tarped G828 in preparation for its repaint
Stay Tuned for more photos from the Young Volunteers Operating Day.
We are around almost every weekend so feel free to drop by Maldon Station and see what we’re up to! Or even better if your aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG send Fletcher an email for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
This afternoon a few of the YVG members washed Y133 ready for the big day tomorrow, Y133 with be helping J549 on tomorrows train.
There are still Tickets available for tomorrow. Book tickets online at http://www.vgr.com.au or buy tickets on the platform at Maldon or Castlemaine.
Trains Depart Maldon at 10:30am or 2:45pm and Castlemaine at 12:00pm or 4:00pm
Come along to meet the Young Volunteers and see them in action! Maybe you would like to get involved with volunteering as well!
We are always welcoming of new volunteers looking to work with other fantastic young people to learn new skills and develop new friendships. If you are between the ages of 16 and 35, you can ask them about becoming a YVG member on the day or simply send them an email to ask about volunteering: yvg@vgr.com.au
The Young Volunteers Group are delighted to announce that once again, on Sunday the 29th of September, the Young Volunteers Group will take the reigns and run the railway on their own for a day. This will be the second Young Volunteers operating day. Their first one in March was a huge success, so big that a second engine had to be added to the train to assist the steam engine due to the large number of carriages that were needed to accommodate all the passengers. It was one of the railways busiest days so far this year.
The young volunteers all loved working together to make the day happen. By the end of the day all the Young volunteers had huge smiles on their faces and there was a lot of positive feedback from the passengers who joined them.
Once again Young Volunteers will be carrying out all roles including driving, serving passengers, selling tickets and more.
The Young Volunteers Group (YVG) work together as a great team and love to hang out with each other. The group is a fantastic way to get involved with something a little bit different and do your part in helping preserve a piece of Victoria’s history, which would otherwise fade away. As well as learning new skills and doing your part to help bring something special to the community, the YVG is a great place to form friendships.
Come along to meet the Young Volunteers and see them in action! Maybe you would like to get involved with volunteering as well!
We are always welcoming of new volunteers looking to work with other fantastic young people to learn new skills and develop new friendships. If you are between the ages of 16 and 35, you can ask them about becoming a YVG member on the day or simply send them an email to ask about volunteering: yvg@vgr.com.au
Last weekend our good friends from Steamrail Victoria ran there annual Maldon Goldfields weekender.
And with SRV around not much happened in the way of trolleys. The only project that happened was our friends from Steamrail requested that for the dinner train our steam locomotive J549 wore a Steamrail headboard and we were happy to oblige. So J549 is now fitted with headboard mounts.
With J549 now fitted with headboard mounts and our friends from Steamrail headed home that was the end of a long weekend.
Fast forwarding to this weekend Saturday was VGR’s AGM, so Friday night we set out to make VGRs first official headboard.
After drying overnight, We see the ‘AGM Special’ headboard waiting against the point lever for J549 to pause during shunting to have the headboard fitted.
With the AGM now over and YVG Leader Fletcher elected as a board member. J549 sits waiting in Platform 3 at Castlemaine while the members and volunteers headed over to the Railway Hotel for lunch.
With the AGM Special now back at Maldon 8W25 is seen sitting in workshop compound. Over the weekend 8W25 underwent testing around Maldon yard. with a few problems overcome 8W25 is very close to been completed.
We would like to thank those that have donated to help us reach our goal of $3000 to complete the restoration and return to service of our gangers trolleys. if you haven’t donated already and would like to click the link below. http://www.vgr.com.au/donations.php
We are around almost every weekend so feel free to drop by Maldon Station and see what we’re up to! Or even better if your aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG send Fletcher an email for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
We have been busy over the past few months dedicating hours of time working on rebuilding and restoring our trolleys and getting them back into operational condition. We’ve rebuilt engines, built new seat frames and given them a fresh coat of paint! Once the trolleys needed are restored to their former glory, we’re hoping to begin running passenger trolley rides!!
But to do this we need your help. We are asking for your help, to complete the restorations they need to raise $3000.
Click the link below to donate and help us reach this very exciting goal!
This weekend saw yet more work happening on the trolleys. Most of the work was focused on 8W25. Here we see the new seat frame freshly painted before Fletcher got started to fit the side and seat timbers.
K200 soon to become 8W?? before and after a quick paint.
8W25 Soon after receiving a fresh coat of paint.
After many attempts trying to start the engine on 8W25 it was decided to change the magneto. This still didn’t help after a few hours of trying we decided to leave it for the day and move on to the next task.
Saturday night Fletcher turned Master chef and cooked an Amazing Roast!!
With dinner done attention turned to seat and side timbers.
With side timbers on we called it a night.
Sunday morning Fletcher finished the seat timbers and Riley spent the morning sandblasting another 8W under frame (Forgot to get photos). After a few hours blasting the sandblaster blow a hose which put an end to blasting for the day.
Attention then turned back to the engine… After another few hours attempting to start the engine we gave up thinking that there may be no fuel getting into the engine. So the decision was made to complete the engine from a few weeks ago.
With the missing parts back on and the gearbox from the other engine on, It started on crank number 3!! Just goes to show an engine that has sat around from a number of years will still start as if it was new with a bit of TLC!!
After 10 minutes of adjusting the engine, It was running great and the finished Seat frame was placed on!! All thats left now is some painting, Staining and sign writing.
YVG are around almost every weekend so feel free to drop by Maldon Station and see what we’re up to! Or even better if your aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG send Fletcher an email for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
Well Saturday was an early start with Adission, Fletch, Riley and Ian (A volunteer that has been around since the early days of the Railway) making there way to Daylesford Spa Country Railway.
When we arrived the Volunteers from DSCR were just getting started moving there goods train so that the GY could be accessed with to backhoe to pick out a couple of trolley axles.
Loading an 8W Trolley frame and Axles onto the Truck.
The YVG would like to say a Huge thanks to the Board and Volunteers from DSCR for allowing us to obtain theses much needed items.
Back at Maldon were the weather was just a bit nicer then Daylesford, The Trolley parts were unloaded into the compound or into the Gang shed.
From here its a bit all over the place as there was lots of odd jobs and cleaning up happening
Next one the list was to Number the shed roads, So now we have road 77 and road 81
He we see Fletch checking over 6W19. just before this it had been started for the first time in a couple of months and in true Wisconsin engine style it started first try.
6W19 was moved out of the shed and placed into the container to make room for K200 to be moved from the container into the Gang shed
To get K200 out of the container everything in front of it had to come out this included the Trike and MTH. Here the Trike and MTH are sitting off the embankment in what would have been seen along many of the VR lines in their heyday.
As always YVG are around almost every weekend so feel free to drop by Maldon Station and see what we’re up to! Or even better if your aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG send Fletcher an email for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
Well Due to a few things that you’ll see a bit later, We missed last weeks blog so lets start with last weekend. Last weekend saw the YVG working on trolleys again.
First thing was to paint the side timbers for the new seat frames. Above we see Fletcher rolling on the first coats of paint and below Ryan is rolling on the last coat of paint.
Whilst Fletcher and Ryan were painting Riley was busy welding up the new seat frames above we see the before and after. Not long after this this seat frame was yellow as well.
Siahna watches on as Fletcher stains the seat timbers
That was about as far as we’ve got with the trolleys for now
Some of you may have noticed that over the school holidays one of VGR’s first class carriages ‘Macedon’ was missing from the train’s. That was due to Fletcher and Riley installing the Projectors and Speakers to improve the quality and hopefully in the future the frequency of our movie trains.
Not many photos were taken due both being busy trying to get it all installed and forgetting to take them
Here we see the box that fletcher made for to house the Amplifier, Dvd Player, Remotes, Dvd’s and the Computer.
Riley Striping and installing the plugs on the speaker wires
With all the all the wires and power cables and hdmi cables run Fletcher and Riley plug all 35 or so wires and cables into the amplifier
And then after an hour or so of playing with settings it time to test it all and what better way to test it then to watch a movie. The movie picked was The Polar Express and little to say it looked and sounded amazing
Here we see the finish product.
On Tuesday the 26th Adisson, Bek and Riley helped out with the transfer of rolling stock from Maldon the Muckleford and Castlemaine and a couple of wagons from Muckleford back to Maldon. It was a pretty impressive train to say the least. But… we forgot to get a photo but we did remember to get one the way back. Here Y133 waits in Muckleford platform for the photographer to get back on board before departing for Maldon.
On Wednesday Riley and Kristian (YVG Member and K160 Project Manger) ventured to Newport, With the aim of removing the Connecting Rods.
With the pins, bolts and big Ends removed the fork lift was called on todo the heavy lifting
Kristian with a big smile now that work has finally recommenced on 160
Thats It for this this time with most of the regular YVG members being rostered on over the weekend not much happened. Over the next few weeks things should pick up a bit more with the trolleys and then it’ll be onto the next project.
And as alway remember the YVG are around most weekends so feel free to drop by Maldon Station and see what we’re up to! Or even better if your aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG send Fletcher an email for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
On Friday Afternoon all the timber for the trolley seats arrived at Maldon ready for the YVG working bee this coming weekend. There will be lots of Sanding and Painting to be done and a few other things are on the list if time permits.
If your interested in helping out this weekend send Fletcher Email: yvg@vgr.com.au
Bek has now started on the last seat at Castlemaine
And the Second Last Royal Train Shunt was preformed by qualified YVG Members
Bek and Riley are seen here plugging the Multiple Unit (MU) cable in to the B and S
A short time later S303 and B74 are seen sitting in 3 siding while the driver walks the length of the train to complete his brake exam
And below we see the 4 YVG members that have been involved in the royal train
Left – Right: Rebekah (Fireman/Shunter), Kristian (Driver/Shunter), Riley (Shunter), Adisson (Fireman/Shunter/Steward)Please Note: ALL Photos have been taken by Qualified Safe Working Staff whilst on duty and at NO point did anyone trespass to take a photo
Remember the YVG are around most weekends so feel free to drop by Maldon Station and see what we’re up to! Or even better if your aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG send Fletcher an email for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
With no sign writing jobs around the railway Bek went looking…
And well she found the seats at Castlemaine.
The seats on the platform at Castlemaine were repainted a few years ago and they’ve just been missing one thing and that’s the station name of course!
So Bek decided it was time to do just that, and I think you’ll agree they look great.
With the works on getting trolleys operational work has started to pick up with the seat frame for 8W25 now finished here it is fitted. Over the coming weeks, another frame will be completed and timbers painted and fitted .
Remember the YVG are around most weekends so feel free to drop by Maldon Station and see what we’re up to! Or even better if your aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG send Fletcher an email for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
The task for the weekend was beginning the overhaul of one of the 2 Wisconsin AENLD engines that were brought inside last weekend. The first task is to remove the Flywheel cover and Air shrouds. But before that we need to remove the Carburetor.
Before and After the Carburetor, Flywheel cover and Air shrouds were removed
Then its on to removing the head. As you can see it was quite black, This is a build up of soot and carbon from the engines lifetime of use.
After a quick clean with the wire brush and it looks new!
While the head was off its a good idea to check that the Fuel and Exhaust valves aren’t stuck. Which they weren’t!
After the Head is back on it the next job is to drain the oil from the sump. This is done for a couple of reasons. Those being, We have no idea how long the oil has been in the sump, we also don’t know if any water has made its way in without draining the oil and removing the main bearing plate (The red cover)
With the Plate removed we get a good look inside and it didn’t look to bad!!
The only rust to be found is on the bearing and it looks alot in the photos then it acutally does. It’s only surface rust aswell!
After most of the oil was drained the oil pan was removed to clean the last of the oil and sludge from the pan this is as simple as wiping it out.
While the oil pan is off you get a good look inside
With the oil pan and Main bearing cover back on that’s all that we had time for this weekend.
One of the big things that the YVG have been taking part is the Royal Trains
B74 and S303 Completing MU tests before joining the train in the platform for the ‘Royal Train to Bendigo’
S303 Headed to drop the cars off in the platform and then it will join B74 to complete MU tests before rejoining the train
Bek looks like she’s enjoying been second person in the S
A view not seen by many B74 and the rest of the Royal Train waiting to cross over to the V/Line network
That all for this time.
Remember the YVG are around most weekends so feel free to drop by Maldon Station and see what were up too! Or even better if your aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG send Fletcher an email for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au
Over the past month many of the YVG members have been busy with other things such as filling the rosters to keep the trains running and helping out in the Workshop or out on the track with the Civil department but like always we are around.
Here we see Fletcher arranging the tape and paint brushes on the side of the freshly painted shelf this is all part of a bigger plan to set up the Gang shed a a workshop for the Young Volunteers Group to work on maintaining and restoring VGR’s trolley fleet
Above you can see ‘Moon Buggy’ at the back which is striped awaiting Overhaul works to begin which should start soon. Also in the shed is trolleys 6W19 and 8W25. 6W19 is in the shed waiting for repairs to an oil leak and 8W25 is awaiting seat frame timbers and some tuning to the engine once these works a finished it will receive a repaint.
Headed out side here we see 6W359, 6W13 and 6W38. 6W13 and 6W38 have there seat frames off to allow for the Engines to be removed and put in the shed for storage and eventual overhaul.
Here we can see a quick mock up of the new dash board for the moon buggy
Over the coming weeks there will be more cleaning up and organising of the gang shed and maybe work might just start on the moon buggy!
Over the Past few months the YVG have been working on VGR’s Trolley Fleet along with cleaning up the compound across from the Gang shed.
In Mid February the YVG put the ‘Moon Buggy’ into the Gang Shed. Since then it has been striped back to its bare frame and body with everything from seats to hydraulic hoses even removing the Axles.
Almost Striped. Still needing to remove the Seat bases and the last of the Hydraulics Riley removing the TurntableOnce the Turntable was removed it was time to remove the Hydraulic Piston after a few attempts and many words be said it was finally out and with that the Moon buggy has had all removable parts removed. The later that day Fletcher and Riley are spotted hanging tarps from the celling in preparation for sandblasting
For Many years now the compound across from the gang shed has been well a dumping ground for things that weren’t needed when the railway acquired them but might be needing in the future. Well little to say it was an eye sore, with the ever growing trolley fleet it has out grown not only the gang shed but also the container so the it was decided that we shall lay a siding next to the container in the compound which means cleaning it up.
Drone Shot before cleaning startedClearing is progressing
With clearing and cleaning progressing the gates are open most weekends now with great deals, so feel free to stop in and grab your self a piece of VR history.
Il leave you now with some photos of Y133 Receiving a wash over the weekend!!
The Young Volunteers Group was formed in late 2016 when the railway’s 4 young volunteers decided to repaint the Steam Locomotive J549
And well the result was an amazing!
Since then the group has grown from 4 members to over 15!! The YVG has undertaken many more projects since. They have also been training to become qualified in all the roles around the railway for Station master all the way up to Driver!
Here’s a few photos of the YVG’s Previous Projects!
Above: Fletcher Writing on the Smokebox. Below: Ryan Polishing Y133’s Number Plates.
Repair and Repaint of 63BW. Here we see the cracks marked and the roof has been washed ready for patches to be applied and the roof painted
VGR Young Volunteers Group Blog 