Well it's been a while since I have done a cleaning turn, four months in fact. I had a read of my older blog posts in order to remind myself what to do!
I was rostered as Cleaner today, with Dan rostered Third Man - so there are effectively two of us on cleaning duties. We both signed on just before 06:00 with Fitter Bob, and set about preparing the WD. The B12, which had been rostered all week, had failed with a poor air pump the day before, so the WD was already warm. I took the front end, Dan took the firebox. The smokebox had a barrow load of ash in it; I remembered to brush down the sealing surface around the door for once:
It was just getting light as we got to work:
Smokebox done and the fire under way, I turned my attention to cleaning the paintwork with paraffin & oil. I took care to rope my ladder on:
I worked my way around the loco and tender.
Fireman Paul and Driver Dave turned up to do their bit, and Dan moved on to cleaning the wheels. By the time I had finished, there was enough pressure to get on the pit. While the footplate crew finished oiling up, asking out and blowing down, I busied myself cleaning up the cast brass nameboards a bit. That done, we stood back while Fitter Bob loaded coal into the tender. As we neared departure time, the crew departed to get changed. I stayed on the footplate chatting with Fitter Alan, and kept an eye on the fire.
I must work out what this lever is for. The one on the left is the drivers side injector water valve - I think the other one is the cylinder cocks, though I am not sure what those two catches are for.
My time on the WD was drawing to a close. I had a last look at the fire, added some coal at the front and back corners and waited for the crew to return. I was pleased to see it flaming nicely as I climbed down to go and find another job.
With the WD in service, I turned my attention to the B12, which was going out the next day. The bits and pieces I need were to be found in the cleaners store:
The B12 is cleaned with citrus cleaning fluid and wax polish, which takes a long time if you are to do it properly. The citrus cleaner loosens oily soot nicely, but you have to get it off the paint and onto the cloth which takes three cloths used in sequence and of course these need to be replaced as you get around the loco - probably twelve cleaning cloths will do the whole boiler cladding. You then need two further cloths to apply and buff up the polish. I started at about 09:45; by 12 I had done one side. My excuse is that I had been out with my grandsons the day before which is always pretty tiring! I cleaned the soot off the other side but didn’t get time to polish. By the time i was done Fitter Alex had lit a warming fire for the next day.
When the WD returned just before 11, I made sure to meet it - it was carrying my breakfast!
I ate my bacon & egg roll on the footbridge watching the Class 37 heading off to Holt to pick up a good train:
Just before 13:00, the rain began to fall. Fortunately I had got as far as I was going to go with the B12 and it was time to clear up the Cleaner’s Store and the yard. I filled in the Cleaner’s check sheet to record what I had done and went to get changed.
Next turn is a Third Man turn on a wedding train, next weekend.
I was rostered as Cleaner today, with Dan rostered Third Man - so there are effectively two of us on cleaning duties. We both signed on just before 06:00 with Fitter Bob, and set about preparing the WD. The B12, which had been rostered all week, had failed with a poor air pump the day before, so the WD was already warm. I took the front end, Dan took the firebox. The smokebox had a barrow load of ash in it; I remembered to brush down the sealing surface around the door for once:
It was just getting light as we got to work:
Smokebox done and the fire under way, I turned my attention to cleaning the paintwork with paraffin & oil. I took care to rope my ladder on:
I worked my way around the loco and tender.
Fireman Paul and Driver Dave turned up to do their bit, and Dan moved on to cleaning the wheels. By the time I had finished, there was enough pressure to get on the pit. While the footplate crew finished oiling up, asking out and blowing down, I busied myself cleaning up the cast brass nameboards a bit. That done, we stood back while Fitter Bob loaded coal into the tender. As we neared departure time, the crew departed to get changed. I stayed on the footplate chatting with Fitter Alan, and kept an eye on the fire.
I must work out what this lever is for. The one on the left is the drivers side injector water valve - I think the other one is the cylinder cocks, though I am not sure what those two catches are for.
My time on the WD was drawing to a close. I had a last look at the fire, added some coal at the front and back corners and waited for the crew to return. I was pleased to see it flaming nicely as I climbed down to go and find another job.
With the WD in service, I turned my attention to the B12, which was going out the next day. The bits and pieces I need were to be found in the cleaners store:
The B12 is cleaned with citrus cleaning fluid and wax polish, which takes a long time if you are to do it properly. The citrus cleaner loosens oily soot nicely, but you have to get it off the paint and onto the cloth which takes three cloths used in sequence and of course these need to be replaced as you get around the loco - probably twelve cleaning cloths will do the whole boiler cladding. You then need two further cloths to apply and buff up the polish. I started at about 09:45; by 12 I had done one side. My excuse is that I had been out with my grandsons the day before which is always pretty tiring! I cleaned the soot off the other side but didn’t get time to polish. By the time i was done Fitter Alex had lit a warming fire for the next day.
When the WD returned just before 11, I made sure to meet it - it was carrying my breakfast!
I ate my bacon & egg roll on the footbridge watching the Class 37 heading off to Holt to pick up a good train:
Next turn is a Third Man turn on a wedding train, next weekend.
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