Up at 05:00, I'm off to the railway just before dawn so it's fortunate that I've remembered how to switch on the yard lights this time. This should be a pretty ordinary day - it's a Thursday, a yellow timetable day with one Steam loco and the DMU on every alternate service.
Rostered today is the BR Standard 4MT 76084, owned by the 76084 Loco Co. Ltd. She's resident at the railway, and she's frequently seen on these mid week services because as a very modern design (by steam locomotive standards) she is easy to drive, fire and maintain - or at least that's the theory.
There's a few of us here today - me, Cleaners Jack and Peter, Third Man Rob plus Fireman Dan and Driver Fozzy so we can expect 76084 to go off-shed on time and looking excellent. I'm first on the loco, and after the NTBM board goes on and the safety checks are done, it's time to inspect the smoke box.
Nothing broken, no leaks and all I need to do is clean out all the ash and close the door. That done, the Third Man can clean the grate and make the fire - it's best to avoid opening the smoke box and the firebox at the same time, since the induced draft will cool the boiler, which is the last thing we want.
Next, Peter and I work on the paintwork, before it gets too warm. This is easy on this loco - the high running boards of the BR Standards mean that you don't need ladders to clean the paintwork - but the running plates are pretty high. Peter takes a brush to the smokebox to dust off all the soot from yesterday.
Down on the ground, my next job is with a wheel brush and a bucket of paraffin:
I took a few pictures while I was on the ground. Here's the left hand side expansion link, radius rod and lifting arm:
Something that goes unnoticed, especially as these things are not used on our railway - a steam sander gun. These use a steam jet to propel a stream of dry sand onto the rails to increase traction.
With everything clean, it's time to push back to the pit. Here, the driver completes his inspection & oiling up routine, and we can go underneath with the pit hose to dampen the contents of the ash pan and drop it in the pit, emptying the pan ready for the day. I haven't done this on the 4MT for a while, and make a bit of a hash of it leaving ash on the arch over the rear axle. I should have asked them to open the damper a bit more.
And that's it - the next job is for the crew to go and get changed into some respectable clothing to meet their public, so I'm left to look after the locomotive for a while.
The boiler is sitting at about 200 psi, with the gauge glass over 3/4 full. I have to keep an eye on the pressure gauge and try and prevent the boiler pressure getting to the point where it operates the safety valves - termed 'blowing off' and making a lot of noise and wasting both water and coal. This is not something which makes you popular with the neighbours or the railway.
So what do you do to reduce the pressure? You can cool the fire, or you can cool the water, by adding cold water. Fireman Dan has let the fire burn down and the fire door is open, allowing cool air through the boiler tubes - but still the pressure rises slowly. When it gets to 220 psi (it blows off at 225 psi) it's time to operate the injectors and add some cold water to the boiler.
These are the injector water valves - I start the process by turning on the water to No. 1 injector. Half open is enough and I look out of the cab to see the water escaping out of the injector overflow and onto the track below:
Next, I open the steam valve one turn, quite quickly - the injector immediately picks up the water flow and I hear it roaring into the boiler; a quick look over the side confirms the overflow has stopped.
After a while, we have another half inch of water in the glass and the pressure has dropped back to 200 psi:
While the injector is working you can see the surface of the water moving in the gauge glasses as the surface of the water in the boiler is stirred up by the incoming water:
I can then turn off the valve supplying steam to the injector, hear the injector stop and the water splashing out of the overflow onto the track again. I can then switch off the water.
The fire by now is quite thin, and fortunately Fireman Dan returns to build it up before they go off-shed.
The North Norfolk Railway operates dining trains several times a year, some of which run over the level crossing at Sheringham and onto the mainline network, passing through West Runton and terminating at Cromer. The 4MT 76084 is one of the locos certified for this mainline service and to achieve that certification it has both the Automatic Warning System (AWS) and the Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS )safety systems installed.
BR Standard 4MT 76084, like all rolling stock used on the national rail network has a TOPS number. TOPS is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock owned by or operated on a rail system. It was originally developed by the American-based Southern Pacific Railroad and was adopted by BR in 1973.
And that is it for 76084 today - she goes off shed to start her service, and we cleaners return to more mundane duties, such as breaking up wood for lighting up. We have a very handy, purpose designed pallet breaker:
These long pallets need to be sawn in two, but we soon have plenty enough to more than replace what we used today:
Once the daily jobs are done and the Cleaner's Record sheets filled in, we report to Fitter Mark for the next job; Peter is to help out with the Y14's routine washout; Jack will clean the B12 paintwork & brass, and I am to clean grates & smokeboxes on B12 and 9F.
Here's the 9F blast pipes, behind the spark arrester. You can see each blast pipe has four small holes for the blower jets:
I took two barrow loads of ash out of that smokebox. The 9F's firebox is quite easy - it has a modern rocking grate and all you need to do is run over that with the picker and most of it will drop out.
The B12, as I mentioned last time, is not quite so easy. She has a drop grate but, in the words of Fitter Mark 'you are welcome to drop the grate but you will never get it back again' - because the ash falls in the operating mechanism and jams it up. The handle for the B12 drop grate is now hidden away where no-one will find it. So, and we know where this is going, it's off to the workshop for a dust mask:
I'm getting the hang of this now.
And to close, the B12 after a bout of polishing from Cleaner Jack.
More excitement in a few weeks, when I have three Third Man turns in quick succession. I'd better get swotting..
Rostered today is the BR Standard 4MT 76084, owned by the 76084 Loco Co. Ltd. She's resident at the railway, and she's frequently seen on these mid week services because as a very modern design (by steam locomotive standards) she is easy to drive, fire and maintain - or at least that's the theory.
There's a few of us here today - me, Cleaners Jack and Peter, Third Man Rob plus Fireman Dan and Driver Fozzy so we can expect 76084 to go off-shed on time and looking excellent. I'm first on the loco, and after the NTBM board goes on and the safety checks are done, it's time to inspect the smoke box.
Nothing broken, no leaks and all I need to do is clean out all the ash and close the door. That done, the Third Man can clean the grate and make the fire - it's best to avoid opening the smoke box and the firebox at the same time, since the induced draft will cool the boiler, which is the last thing we want.
Next, Peter and I work on the paintwork, before it gets too warm. This is easy on this loco - the high running boards of the BR Standards mean that you don't need ladders to clean the paintwork - but the running plates are pretty high. Peter takes a brush to the smokebox to dust off all the soot from yesterday.
Down on the ground, my next job is with a wheel brush and a bucket of paraffin:
I took a few pictures while I was on the ground. Here's the left hand side expansion link, radius rod and lifting arm:
Something that goes unnoticed, especially as these things are not used on our railway - a steam sander gun. These use a steam jet to propel a stream of dry sand onto the rails to increase traction.
With everything clean, it's time to push back to the pit. Here, the driver completes his inspection & oiling up routine, and we can go underneath with the pit hose to dampen the contents of the ash pan and drop it in the pit, emptying the pan ready for the day. I haven't done this on the 4MT for a while, and make a bit of a hash of it leaving ash on the arch over the rear axle. I should have asked them to open the damper a bit more.
And that's it - the next job is for the crew to go and get changed into some respectable clothing to meet their public, so I'm left to look after the locomotive for a while.
The boiler is sitting at about 200 psi, with the gauge glass over 3/4 full. I have to keep an eye on the pressure gauge and try and prevent the boiler pressure getting to the point where it operates the safety valves - termed 'blowing off' and making a lot of noise and wasting both water and coal. This is not something which makes you popular with the neighbours or the railway.
So what do you do to reduce the pressure? You can cool the fire, or you can cool the water, by adding cold water. Fireman Dan has let the fire burn down and the fire door is open, allowing cool air through the boiler tubes - but still the pressure rises slowly. When it gets to 220 psi (it blows off at 225 psi) it's time to operate the injectors and add some cold water to the boiler.
These are the injector water valves - I start the process by turning on the water to No. 1 injector. Half open is enough and I look out of the cab to see the water escaping out of the injector overflow and onto the track below:
Next, I open the steam valve one turn, quite quickly - the injector immediately picks up the water flow and I hear it roaring into the boiler; a quick look over the side confirms the overflow has stopped.
After a while, we have another half inch of water in the glass and the pressure has dropped back to 200 psi:
While the injector is working you can see the surface of the water moving in the gauge glasses as the surface of the water in the boiler is stirred up by the incoming water:
I can then turn off the valve supplying steam to the injector, hear the injector stop and the water splashing out of the overflow onto the track again. I can then switch off the water.
The fire by now is quite thin, and fortunately Fireman Dan returns to build it up before they go off-shed.
The North Norfolk Railway operates dining trains several times a year, some of which run over the level crossing at Sheringham and onto the mainline network, passing through West Runton and terminating at Cromer. The 4MT 76084 is one of the locos certified for this mainline service and to achieve that certification it has both the Automatic Warning System (AWS) and the Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS )safety systems installed.
 |
| Enhanced TPWS Cab Panel |
 |
| The AWS 'Sunflower' showing 'Caution' |
And that is it for 76084 today - she goes off shed to start her service, and we cleaners return to more mundane duties, such as breaking up wood for lighting up. We have a very handy, purpose designed pallet breaker:
These long pallets need to be sawn in two, but we soon have plenty enough to more than replace what we used today:
Once the daily jobs are done and the Cleaner's Record sheets filled in, we report to Fitter Mark for the next job; Peter is to help out with the Y14's routine washout; Jack will clean the B12 paintwork & brass, and I am to clean grates & smokeboxes on B12 and 9F.
Here's the 9F blast pipes, behind the spark arrester. You can see each blast pipe has four small holes for the blower jets:
I took two barrow loads of ash out of that smokebox. The 9F's firebox is quite easy - it has a modern rocking grate and all you need to do is run over that with the picker and most of it will drop out.
The B12, as I mentioned last time, is not quite so easy. She has a drop grate but, in the words of Fitter Mark 'you are welcome to drop the grate but you will never get it back again' - because the ash falls in the operating mechanism and jams it up. The handle for the B12 drop grate is now hidden away where no-one will find it. So, and we know where this is going, it's off to the workshop for a dust mask:
I'm getting the hang of this now.
And to close, the B12 after a bout of polishing from Cleaner Jack.
More excitement in a few weeks, when I have three Third Man turns in quick succession. I'd better get swotting..
I hope you enjoyed reading about my latest adventure on the North Norfolk Railway. Here's a link to some of my past railway turns:
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