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Restoring IVAN in 2008
The final two weeks before launch
Photos by members of the restoration team.
After the roof canvas was fitted, the push was on to get IVAN fully fitted out and ready for the enthusiasts and friends of the RPSI at the official launch on the 30th July 2008. Doors, windows, the stove, and a lot of painting was needed if IVAN was to be complete on launch day . . .
Part funded by the Northern
Ireland Museums Council.
|
Sunday 13th July |
 Edward
applies the last coat of cream undercoat to the interior. In case any readers
are wondering, the colour was based on traces of paint found on the original
wood, before it was removed and replaced. |
 Mark
fitting the first verandah door, which was still unpainted. |
 The
roof canvas was stapled into place before more substantial clouts were
used for a permanent fastening. |
|
Monday 14th July |
 Edward
and Mark trial fit the second verandah door. |
|
Tuesday 15th July |
 Ben
boring out the corebox for the stove. This was used to make the hole down
the middle of the stove - otherwise the casting would have been a solid
lump! Pretty but nowhere to put burning coal. |
|
Thursday 17th July |
 James
nails on strips around the doors. Because of the urgency of the situation,
James found it was quicker to use Whitehead's tools to cut the strips out
of leftover tongue and groove, than to try and find and buy the strips. |
 Suffolk
latches from B&Q were modified to their new purpose. These will be
the handles on the cabin doors, while the thumb levers were discarded entirely
in favour of IVAN's originals. |
 The
catches were modified to suit their new role, to hold the verandah doors
shut. |
 The
cabin was being prepared for the major job of painting all surfaces gloss
cream. |
 Dave
primes the roof canvas with a special paint intended for PVC downspouts
- which should work well on the PVC roof canvas! |
 Getting
the paint right into the corners. |
 Adam
applied himself to applying some door handles to IVAN. |
 IVAN's
interior, all cream for the first time! Once inside the cabin, the only
original parts are the two doors, the brake pedestal and handwheel, and
the steel roof girders. Everything else was made by the youths at Whitehead. |
 Mark
trims the canvas roof covering to size. |
 A
verandah door sits waiting to be installed. |
 The
screws go in on the third verandah door to be fitted. |
 Glazing
is still required - the glass was on order. |
 The
door stop material was again cut from leftover tongue and groove.. |
 Mark
sands down one of the cabin doors in preparation for its final coat of
gloss cream. |
 Edward
adds isopon to one of the verandah doors. |
|
Friday 18th July |
 The
corebox for the stove substantially complete, with only the chimney bore
remaining to be finished off. |
|
Monday 21st July |
 The
two halves of the pattern were also approaching completion. |
 Much
isopon was used to create the neccessary rounds on the pattern. |
|
Tuesday 22nd July |
 Dave
fitting the door latches. |
 Nathan
polishes the brake handwheel with a flap wheel. |
 The
lettering was applied in one day! As before it is white undercoat, which
will be sealed with gloss varnish before IVAN goes near a dirty steam engine! |
 Not
to be moved - but not for much longer. |
 James
seals in the lettering with some yacht varnish. |
 In
the foundry, firebar moulds for the next casting session are prepared.
The stove would be next . . . |
|
Wednesday 23rd July |
 The
completed stove pattern sits atop the rapidly forming stove base pattern,
which is made from isopon, MDF and leftover tongue and groove wood. |
|
Thursday 24th July |
 Laminated
glass goes into the windows. |
 As
Dave fits some trim to a door, James presses putty into place for one of
the window panes. |
 Nathan
applying flortred paint, covering up any number of paint splodges, and
giving a good surface for the guard to stand on. |
 Inside,
the cabin doors now have their handles and strip round the edges. |
 The
roof got several coats of paint as a protection against UV light and hopefully
against sparks from any steam locomotives in the vicinity. |
 Floor
paint looking smart - and unlikely to be as clean again! |
 Inside
IVAN is a warm rosy glow. |
 The
wonders of eBay - two hurricane lamps for internal illumination and a handlamp
which the Guard would have used to signal to the crew of the locomotive
hauling his train. |
|
Saturday 26th July |
 Success!
IVAN being a static exhibit on the first train rides of the season, 26th
July. The window slips were still in primer, but that didn't take away
from the sense of achievement. |
 Inside,
finishing touches have been applied to make the brake van look more like
itself. |
 The
open road beckons IVAN - well, at least as far as the gate. |
|
Tuesday 29th July |
 IVAN
was shunted into position ready for his big day on Wednesday 30th, and
didn't he look well? |
|
Wednesday 30th July |
 The
plaque unveiled by Catherine Mason, chief executive of Translink, on IVAN.
To see the events of the launch day, please
click here. |
 Almost
all of the IVAN team posed with their creation along with the RPSI's president
and chairman. From left to right - Lord O'Neill, Nathan, Robbie, Edward,
David, Adam, Mark W, Johnny, Philip and Michael. Standing in the verandah
are James and Ben. Youths missing from the photograph are Phillip and Mark
K. |
|
Saturday 2nd August |
 Casting
was put off a week, so the stove wasn't ready in time for the launch. However,
on Friday 1st August, molten iron was poured into the carefully prepared
moulds. By Saturday the iron was cool. This is stove number one fresh from
the mould. |
 Michael
grinds off the runners and risers. |
|
Thursday 5th August |
 Edward's
roll up display blinds are finally in place, and rather good they look
too! |
 The
second display blind charts the restoration, and will tell visitors to
IVAN just how much work went in to the van they are standing in. |
25 months after starting the brake van project, the youths only have to install a stove and they can consider their first project finished. They have established themselves as determined, enthusiastic workers, willing to take the initiative and also open to accepting advice and help. With the skills learned on the brake van project, what will they do next? Only time will tell . . .
View our Helping Us Page to see how you can volunteer in Dublin or Whitehead and get involved.
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