The door that has been clogging-up the workshop at Ruddington for the last half-year is now securely hung in its frame at Hotchley Hill.
This morning, we got the north door into the van, and drove it over to the signalbox. There, we eventually managed to manoeuvre it across the line, up the stairs, and into place. I've no photos of this, because all hands really were needed to get it done without injury. Those old Crittall doors are very heavy, and present no handholds. That the stairs at Hotchley Hill fold back on themselves is no help, either!
Anyhow, we did eventually get it in place, and with a little percussive adjustment, persuaded the hinges to fit. These had been straightened and repaired 'blind', so the fact that three of them aligned without issue is perhaps worthy of note in itself. Though the door is up, we did learn a few things which will prompt and inform further work.
- One, that the bolts of mortice locks have got longer over the last fifty years. While this does improve security, it means that the recess in the frame is too shallow to accept our modern lock. Some little modification will be needed, but we get added strength for our trouble. At present, the door cannot be locked, but it is simple to climb through the window adjacent anyway!
- Two, that the hinges were intended to have washers to hold the door slightly higher than it now rests. The door currently catches on the cill, but this should be easy to fix. We have washers.
- Three, and most importantly, that it would have been wiser to leave the blue paint until the door was up, and the weather warmer. While handling the door, we scuffed the still-soft paint in more than one place. Just a firm grip was enough to mark it!
In the same movement, we took down the door opposite, on the south side of the operating floor. This has not seen the abuse the north one had, and is still very close to being flat. After a little trouble getting the bottom hinge-pin loose (It being too close to the floor for a hammer and punch to be applicable), the south door came out, and we retraced our steps to the van. This door was a little lighter, without its top-panel, and easier to hold for the same reason.
In between all this, we also took the opportunity to take down and stow the small scaffolding tower that has been sitting on the operating floor for years. Doing so removes another opportunity for trespassers to cause trouble, and discourages birds from leaving a mess on our "pristine" floorboards.
We also noted that the Cutting 'Edge gang have availed themselves of the old sleepers that were lying just south of the box, and that more of the embankment has been cleared of bushes. A definite improvement.
The door came back to the workshops at Ruddington. On a trolley there, we positioned it just where the other one had been, and split up. Part of the team took a diversion to strip some scrap coaches of useful parts and spares, before they leave site (and free-up valuable siding space). The rest set about the south door with a wire wheel, cleaning-away assorted muck, though much of the original paint remained so well-stuck we decided to leave it be. The last people to paint it did a good job! Then, we primed the inward-face, flipped the whole thing over, and repeated the trick with the outside. Red oxide primer dries much faster than gloss in this weather! Since painting metalwork is our favourite occupation*, we proceeded to fetch the steel plate, already cut to size, that will fill the hole where the glass once was. Checking for fit (Was there ever any doubt?), we wired-brushed it and gave it a coat of primer too. Even the small plate to fill the outside of the the lock-hole was primed! Not content even then, we gave the brass hinge-pins a scrub-and-fettle, and cleaned-out their oilways. A trip to the bolt store found some appropriate washers to hold the door at the right height.
Having rushed ahead with such exuberance, we now have a few more materials to source, viz. a single plywood sheet to back the steel plate, and a block of brass stock. The former because we realised that the wood will 'breathe' slightly with the seasons, so our previous plan of using two smaller boards would result in an ugly fit. The latter because the original cast brass striking plate on the south side was broken, and needs replacing before the door can do any good. We can, of course, work on the lock fitment: cutting a plate to cover the inside, drilling a keyhole and fixing points, as previously. That should take a day or so.
On the horizon, too, is painting the window frames. These will be white or pale cream, but we intend to use the WC window as a trial to make sure we have a colour that looks good. Our lesson learnt, this will wait for warmer weather!
Next week is a Second Saturday, so we shall have to have another go at clearing some of our cast iron from the yard. Ruddington sometimes feels more like a scrapyard than a railway depot, but it's unfair to complain of that without doing our part to fix it!
Before anyone asks, we are going to get some doorknobs to fit in due course. We have tracked down a supplier of period-appropriate fittings, based on other signalboxes of a similar type and age - but for the moment, using a carriage key to withdraw the latch is good enough, and leaves fewer targets for vandals.
As a last note, we found a little discarded food packaging littered around the box, but no noticeable damage. Is somebody travelling all the way out there just to eat their lunch? In January? There must exist infinite mystery in the minds of trespassers!
* Or so you would think from the time we spend on it...
