Gettin blinds

While considered these days to have limited creature comforts, the 620/720 cars were equipped with all the latest features considered to be required for the suburban and branch line operations of their time. With the exception of air conditioning and a buffet service, all features offered and expected on other trains were provided including padded rollover seats, arm rests, ash trays, vestibule fans, gas heaters, Iced drinking water, toilet and wash rooms, luggage racks, opening windows and shades.

On the later country cars metal shutters were fitted to passenger windows to help minimise the glare and heat of the sun which could make passengers very uncomfortable particularly on a long afternoon branch line run. It is believed shutters were selected for the later cars to simplify maintenance tasks for the country based maintainers and as they also allowed air flow whilst in the down position with the window up and without the flapping of blinds.

In the early cars intended for suburban and outer suburban runs spring tensioned cloth blinds were fitted. Evidence exists of several colours and patterns being used and the last style in use prior to the Cityrail makeover which saw the blinds removed used a gold & tan coloured cloth decorated with a “Scout” insignia like pattern and trimmed with brown edging.

Fortunately The Rail Motor Society managed to save some blinds from disposal many years ago and via a mutual sponsoring arrangement has made some available for the restoration of The 629/729.

Unfortunately most of the blinds bear stains from their in service life and while traces of Brylcreem are rumoured to have been found most of the dirt has been identified as “road crud” which has mainly rested near the bottom of the blind cloth.

With the blinds mostly secured in the raised position this crud has fallen down through the body cavity and onto the top exposed service of the tightly wound blind. While most of the blinds are in good order, these stains mean that the whole blind has to be dismantled for cleaning as well as any minor repairs required.

Repetitive jobs like these can be best completed in spare moments at home and being away from the “coal face” a more casual approach to their completion implemented.

After establishing a worksite in the shadow of the garage and consulting the GA “GA” it was assessed that CSB (Cold Stubbie of Black) working would be the best way to get through the repetitive chore of stripping the 52 blinds required for the passenger windows.

First the bottom rods which slide in the window runners and secure the bottom of the blinds were removed. These were found to be mostly steel but a few had plastic rods substituted.

The blinds are secured to the top spring rollers with staples, many of which have rusted from exposure to moisture.

These can generally be teased out using a flat blade screwdriver but many break and the remaining pieces have to be removed by long nose pliers.

With the technique refined and the throat lubricated time flies as the rollers are removed.

One end of the roller has a fixed pin which fits into a bearing casting up inside the window opening….

..while the other end has the slotted end of the spring ratchet mechanism.

A few blinds were found to have irreparable damage including this one which had a cracked timber roller and provided a rare glimpse of the spring arrangement inside.

The labelling of various manufacturers was found including Stewart Hartshorn of Renfrew Canada (dated 1934), Tiger from Sweden….

..and a few unnamed of Taiwanese origin.

Those of Swedish origin included instructions on the correct tack size to be used and the installation procedure….

…while some also wore NSWTD branding.

With the blinds disassembled the rods have all been inspected, straightened as required and stacked….

…as have the spring rollers which now wait for reassembly.

Next the cleaning process will commence. Has anyones Mum or Aunty got a Whirlpool?

Rain, rain go away……..

Life in preservation is mostly better for a vehicle than that experienced whilst running in regular service however there can be new challenges to manage to ensure reliable operation continues for many years.

Being of riveted aluminium construction the 620/720 cars are notorious for rain water entering the bodies via joins, rivets and cracks and to combat this the roof has now received 2 good coats of roof silver to seal the gaps and also reflect the heat of the sun.  The exhaust and fan openings in the middle of a 620 power car roof unfortunately cant be sealed with paint so different controls are being put in place to avoid damage and deterioration.

The fan assemblies have an unfortunate design feature which captures rain water when not used. In daily service  the fans turned regularly and ejected any water but when in outdoor stationary storage they become very effective water collectors.

 

To initially improve the situation the water was first sponged out..

…and the inside of the “bowl” scraped to remove surface rust.

The centre and surround were then wire brushed, the debris removed and the metal treated with rust convertor.

A coat of rust guard primer was applied to seal all surfaces and the bowl has been temporarily covered until the next visit when the second part of the fix will be implemented.

To protect the engine from rain water entering via the stacks exhaust rain flap covers have also been put in place temporarily pending final measurements and adjustments to ensure everything is “in gauge”.

Even with rain forecast again for the coming weeks we can rest easy knowing these 2 issues are under control.

Internal fittings

Sunny warm days have returned to the preserved DMU capital of Paterson and with The 629 & The 729 stored outside it dosnt take long for workers to warm up.

With the cars divided doors and windows can be opened to cool things inside and to catch any soothing breezes.

When Cityrail removed the window blinds a cover panel was installed to cover the remaining cavity into the upper body.

As blinds are to be reinstated these covers have been removed by unscrewing and drilling out the retaining rivets.

Someone went to a lot of trouble to fold up these now useless items..

..and with a rivet back in the hole….

…all thats needed is a touch up by the painter and the original configuration will be back in place.

The collection of original Brown and Green vinyl seats has been in storage for a while and as the day for their reinstallation is drawing near the sorting and cleaning process has commenced.

These seat cushions come in several different styles, stampings and condition so they have been catalogued and categorised so we know what configuration options we have for reassembly.

One thing they all have in common is dirt….

So the washing and restoration of the A grade samples has commenced.

After lugging the seats around for cleaning the workers are keenly focussed on the day that all they’ll need to do is sit on them. 

During the sorting evidence of previous history was noted including the former position of ash trays on the seat end panels…

…and a curious stamping found only on 2 seat frames. It appears that some conscientious worker stamped the car and seat position (622 – 18) on the seat frames that once adorned car 622. While this type of stamping was common carriage practise no other 620/720 seat frames have been found stamped this way. 

Other seat components including the back rods….

..and the end panel screws are stored cleaned and sorted ready for reassembly.

The seat frames have also seen some attention first being cleaned and greased prior to painting.

Several different paint colours have been used over the years as shown here with 2 shades of green evident.

Pete the painter has been busy first priming the seat frames…

..and then giving the second class ones a coat of brown….

..and the first class samples a stunning coat of green.

With the paint hardening nicely these frames are ready again for a second stint of service.

Bright spark

With the floor work well advanced and the interior still cleared of seats the services of former Sputnik Sparkie Ben have been engaged to ensure all electrical matters are correct on The 629 & The 729.

It was if he’d never been away from working on these cars when Ben lifted the floor hatches and got down to business on the terminal boxs.

A peek inside the above engine mounted box revealed a sorry sight with considerable corrosion and dirt around the terminal strips.

Fortunately the wiring and mounts themselves were found to be in good order under all the crud so the cleaning process commenced……

…and the wiring was soon looking like new again.

Bens next port of call was the centre control cabinets of 629 where labelling in his own handwriting was discovered still in place 10 years on.

These cabinets were also found to be very dirty and littered throughout flaking paint stripped by previously leaking coolant.

After a couple of hours of cleaning the cabinets are now in much better shape, you can even read the cable markers!

Moving onto the cab Ben got back in the saddle and after removing the controller cover..

…the throttle contact switches were checked for operation.

Underneath the car the engine control cabinets were found to need extensive work to bring them back to a suitable standard. After several hours all circuits and terminals were checked and the OK given for running tests.

With many loose connectors and again a dirty interior these cabinets will keep Ben busy for days.

Thanks Ben, come back soon!