A gentle prod from Pete Briddon (see links) reminded me that it has been over a year since I last updated this blog! Thanks Pete! All the usual excuses, a 14 month old child, a 109 year old ship and, of course, work on our 99 year old railcar. So, what have we been up to in the last 12 months?
Bengt and Lasse finished applying an 8th coat of varnish to the exterior, this railcar is going to glow when we get it out in the sunshine!
I moved on to the ceiling in B-end saloon, the last major area of the interior to require painting. Note also that we have covered in old floorboards with a skin of hardboard in order to provide a clean and level surface to apply the lino.
Once I had finished throwing paint around, we refitted the luggage racks that Micke had been cleaning up and painting on the other side of the tracks. This did require a little routing of the trim I had fitted between the wall and the ceiling. The wall boards are new in this renovation, replacing 50s hardboard (as seen in B-end saloon) while the ceiling is original with hardboard removed. Trying to line up the new trim with the surviving trim in B- end and the drivers compartments ment the luggage racks didn't line up with the 50s vintage holes, something I didn't spot at the time. Easiest solution was to rout out a recess in the new trim
Luggage racks in place in A-end.
Exterior doors have been refitted with new rubber seals and new or renovated metal strips.
Lasse reattaching a renovated metal shield to the base of the door.
Interior doors are also being worked on. Here a new (salvaged) oak strip at the base of the door.
In order to both expedeite process as well as ensure a top quality job, we brought in an outside contractor to lay the lino throughout the railcar. The results are well worth the expense. We are now under strict instruction to only step on the protective paper from now on! Henrik is refitting the last of the light fittings.
Interior doors going back in as well. This is the door to B-end drivers compartment.
Passenger doors also being re-hung, here one of the NW corner (B-end) doors,
and here, complete, the SE corner pair.
Lasse and myself have been making up these oak blocks, again from salvaged timber, to space the radiators off the floor while others have been renovating, repainting and setting up the wiring for the radiators.
About those distractions. I am also involved in the group that maintains and operates Constantia, a 109 year old Danish built schooner based in Stockholm. Last winter saw the ship in dry dock for an extended period while we replaced a number of planks in the hull as well as renewed all the bulwarks. We also re-caulked many of the seams, renovated the foremast and many of the blocks, had the propellor built-up with new bronze and machined back to size, and generally repainted and fettled the ship. Here she is under full sail doing approx. 11 knots during her first run out of the year in the outer Stockholm archipelago.
Myself at the helm, one of our regular captains looking on. All the crew are professionally qualified and we even get paid to sail her when we are doing charter or kids sail training trips. Not much but pays for the days we sail for ourselves! Note the T-shirt supporting another heritage sgip still in active service, the Glenelg Ferry, the worlds last turntable ferry
So I leave you with a picture of Constantia moored up for the night against a rock outcrop in the Stockholm Archipelago and a promise of more frequent updates!
best regards from Stockholm, George!
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