Turn 40 - Third Man on the 4MT

After a six week break I returned to the railway in jubilant mood, like finding a favourite old jumper at the bottom of the linen bin. It was a late start for we were to run two trips of the Norfolk Lights Express and as it’s rostered we have quite a lot of time to prepare an engine that is only seen in the dark. Cleaner’s Mike and Lewis were already on shed when I turned up and the smoke box was clean and the fire lit. I ambled about chatting - quite a departure for me as I’m usually the quiet one getting stuck in!

Fitter Bob showed me the lights we fitted in the pit, which he had finished and someone had made some mesh guards for - the Class 20 was on the pit. Wissington, whose wheels had just been refitted when I was last there had had it’s saddle tank removed as it’s boiler ticket has run out and the boiler needs overhaul; Ring Haw has it’s buffer beam off and valves & pistons removed for inspection. The WD is in the shed as the spare engine; the 9F is in the shed awaiting some rope lights to allow it to act as the alternative NLE loco. Y14 and B12 have been winterised.

So today, the Pocket Rocket 76084 is our weapon of choice. My first job is to sort out the pit hose to fill the tank, since it’s arrived on-shed with only 2000 gallons left. I take a look at the fire and add a little coal with the beast of shovels, my new Western pattern shown in the picture below next to the 4MT’s ‘company shovel’:

It’s certainly a beast and whilst its quite hefty I think I will be happy with it. 

I cleaned the footplate, until I heard someone teasing Cleaner Lewis for trying to fill the tank without the tap turned on. Admitting my guilt, I was treated to a training course from Fitter Alan in how to turn taps on so that the water will come out, promising that I wouldn’t hear the last of that. 

Finishing my job I went off to make eight cups of tea whilst Fireman Graeme and Driver Bryan settled in, and Lewis & Mike cleaned the boiler, tender and buffer beams. I’d got about 150 psig on the clock by and it was time to get onto the pit, for the driver to make his inspection. Lewis & Mike fitted the ash pan screens while I tested the injectors and brought the fire on to prepare for blowdown - Fitter Alan helped us blow down a full glass and she was still making steam with the blowdown valve open. The world disappeared in clouds of vapour. We blew down another half-glass and then moved off the pit leaving Lewis and Mike to clear out the mess.

First job on an NLE turn is to go up the line to turn on the generators, which gives you a couple more miles then it’s down to Sheringham to warm up the set. We were there about 90 minutes before the crowds were on board and we got the ‘right away’ from Guard David. Fireman Graeme was on the shovel on the first trip, with me doing the token, hooking on, and handling the water crane at Sheringham - we had a bit of topping up to do after my incident with the yard hose earlier.

At the top, Fireman Graeme let me know that I was firing the second trip and we were pulling in to Sheringham before I had a quick look in the box to see hardly any fire and only a third of a glass - there was a brief involuntary exclamation which brought a ‘what did I do’ look from Graeme, who was setting up a challenge for me. We had forty minutes to get ready for the return trip, and he and Bryan handled the water crane - all I had to deploy was to deploy the Western pattern JCB and rebuild the fire.

The foundation ring was becoming exposed so the sides were built up first, followed after a few minutes by the back and front, then some more back, then sides, front, more back until we had only twenty minutes to go and I had the blower running, the dampers cracked and I was able to get some water in it. A little later I started to fill in the middle, though not too much as closing up the hole in the middle brings this engine around very quickly. I still needed to add water, but by the time we got the 19:00 ‘right away’ I was  in the top quarter and the pressure was well over 200 psi. 

We moved off, and I collected the token and relaxed into the fireman’s seat for a couple of minutes whilst we moved the train over the crossing. On the way down the 1:333 I filled up the middle and front to let her go up Dead Man’s Hill and pull some air through my fire. Cresting the hill, I put the injectors on again to top up as we descended the 1:100 down the other side.

I’d been watching Graeme on the first trip and realised that he had fired completely normally, despite the extra 10 minutes scheduled on the diagram. I followed suit, firing and watering as I saw fit and we romped up the hill - or ‘struggled’ as Graeme put it, who by now I had realised spent most of his time with tongue in cheek.

However, adding another round at Bridge 299 raised an eyebrow and taking my eye off the fire as I dropped the token on the catcher at Holt, she blew off. “You just didn’t need it” says Graeme, proving to be, as most of the guys are, a valuable teacher.

Going down is usually quite easy for the fireman, since the only uphill bit is the 1:100 up to Bridge 304. I took it very easy, adding bits and adding water as I went down, but by Weybourne I was in trouble with only 160 on the clock and half a glass. Graeme opened the door and put his hand to the hole, demonstrating that there was no heat - I had already turned off the train heating to conserve steam and a couple of rounds were needed to get it going again. By the time we were in Sheringham I had 200 on the clock again.

A valuable lesson. Steam heat uses steam. Who knew?

Graeme fired the trip up to turn off the generators, and we were up to 30 mph on the 1:80 - going like the clappers. A magical end to a first turn back after six weeks.

More next week.