Turn 49 - Third Man on the B12

 After a tricky turn last week which made me think about whether I was really going to be ready for my firing test this year I determined to relax and enjoy myself, and if I didn't put in for the test until next year, so be it. Firing the WD for the first time made me realise that my shovelling technique was poorly developed and what had been developed over the past two years was pretty rusty, so when I learned that the B12 would be rostered this week I resolved to concentrate on that technique since before firing the WD I had considered the B12 to be the most difficult loco in the North Norfolk Railway fleet - for me at least.

I made sure to light up so that I could get some shovelling practice in before the day began. There was a lot of fire left in the grate - the disposal the previous day had been rather sparing to say the least, as we found later when we discovered the ashpan had not been cleaned out or the pit cleared.

Cleaning the grate was a struggle - it was very hot, so I could not get all the way to the front and there was a lot of ash. The ash pan was not much better: 

Fireman Josh, as I may have mentioned before is a thoroughly good chap - he offered to let me fire the first trip, which is a tricky one because the engine is cold. In the end, I fired the light engine trip down to Sheringham rather enthusiastically as we arrived in the station blowing off and with the boiler full - I had made sure to keep the fire hot on the way down.

The first trip up was much the same - we romped up the hill, never low on water but wasting more water and coal than would have been desirable.

The second trip, which I also fired, was a much calmer affair and I was getting a lot more relaxed. For the the third trip, Driver Fozzy gave up his seat to give Josh some driving experience, so I fired the trip too after shovelling down a hot pasty from the Sheringham buffet.

The up trip ended in Holt with a bit of the Pennine Way across the firebox, which I should have let burn down. Instead, I used the clinker shovel to push the burning coal forward to the front of the box.

This was a mistake. The trip down was not so good, as I had let the front get too low (I didn't rebuild it after raking it over) and we ended up coming down just below 150 psi, with the vacuum ejector struggling to keep the brakes off. I realised what was going on, but with 25 minutes layover in Sheringham I didn't want to do too much - I put a few light shovelfuls down the front and it was recovering by the time we were ascending Dead Man's Hill.

We stopped for water and tea in Sheringham.

I was pleased to see that Josh didn't immediately do anything to the fire - in fact, it had recovered to a normal level for arrival at Sheringham - so essentially I messed up, but I knew I had messed up and fixed it myself.

I made sure to do all the run-arounds, all the watering, and all the hooking on while I was on the shovel - and for the rest of the day in fact. I was pleased that Josh fired the fourth trip while I ate a Cherry Bakewell and had some tea.

And to top off a great day? I got to drive the light engine trip from Sheringham back to Weybourne, and take the loco into the yard and onto the pit.

Training - Weybourne Signal Box

As you know, part of my Cleaner-Passed Cleaner training is to spend some time in each of the signal boxes. The prerequisite of Weybourne is that there are two trains passing when you visit the box, to demonstrate how the tokens are operated with two trains in the station limits having come from, and about to enter, two different block sections.

I tried this on a Tuesday and we witnessed the light engine go down to Sheringham and the DMU come into the platform ready to go down to Sheringham as the second train - unfortunately, it failed in the platform and was hauled back onto the shed.

I went home and came back a couple of days later, where I was bombarded with questions by Signalman Chris. I'd arrived just before 10:00, just as the first up train was due to leave Sheringham; I must have convinced Chris that I knew what I was doing, as he had me set the road and the signals for the next couple of hours whilst he handles the bells and the token machines. I learnt a couple of things about this box - that the shunt signals at WB have to be cleared before main arms, whether the station is occupied or not (there is very little track circuiting at Weybourne), and that you can't signal two trains in at the same time - up token has to be replaced before down signals can be cleared.

Turn 48 - Third Man on the WD

This regular Wednesday turn is the first of several in sequence where the rostered driver is a steam inspector - which could be both nerve wracking and instructive. To add to that anxiety, checking my notes reveals that this is only my second third man turn on the WD, and that I have never fired this loco on the road!

Before we start though, my pre-flight checks reveal there is very little water in the boiler - it's been leaking through blow down valve and there is about 3/8" in the bottom of the glass. Fitter Alex fixes the washout hose onto the driver's injector drain to put an inch of depth in before lighting up.

Fitter Alan has showed me how to light it up in the past, and I know i have to leave a lot of air space on the grate otherwise it will smoke out the cab, or perhaps choke up. I mention this to Fireman Ralph, who helps me lay a thin fire which I light up using a lot of wood and rags - I have no intention of letting this get the better of me today and indeed it gets going well.

However - half an hour later the smoke is pouring out of the firehole, thick and black. They tell me the blower won't do anything until there is 40 psi on the clock. I spend the next hour cleaning the boiler, buffer beams and the brass.

We move onto the pit with about 40 psi on the clock. The WD has a hopper ashpan - we didn't drop the pan but just washed it down - we would use the ashpan sprinkler through the day. We blew down 1/2 glass.

Ralph fired the first trip, and we picked up Fitter Alan on the way down through Weybourne - Alan was due an annual firing assessment, so he fired the second trip.

Driver Nick, a steam inspector, gave up his seat to Fireman Ralph who drove for the rest of the day leaving me to fire. 

The WD blows off at 225 psi, and Fireman Ralph was running it between 200 and 220 with occasional dips to 180. On my first trip, I managed to let it go down to 160, but I also managed to keep the water on adequately. I closed the damper when cresting Wind Pump on the way up thinking that I would keep the heat in until we got to Holt but actually I succeeded in wasting an opportunity to recover the fire.

Arriving at Holt I had a Pennine Way in the middle of the box with very bare front corners - I had lost the technique to get the coal around the flame scoop and toward the front. If you don't get the swing right, the path correct (so the shovel doesn't hit the ring) and the momentum sufficient the coal will hit the scoop and fall in the middle of the box.

The second trip was better, and I didn't drop below 180 psi. I was still leaving holes but it was better, using my own western pattern shovel I was occasionally hitting the front of the box - it was frustrating though, Driver Nick was using fire irons to recover between trips, as he was concerned my holes would leave the firebox cold, which indeed they would. My own shovel is better than the loco's own shovel for length but it's too wide at 9 3/4" - it hits the firehole ring too often, and it's so heavy that it's difficult to concentrate your aim when you are tired. It needs more thought - maybe a modification, or a smaller shovel with a long handle.

I can fire right handed and left handed easily, so switching locos is no problem for me in this respect. However, on a big loco I tend to fire each side of the box using both hands - an approach which produced a comment from Driver/Inspector Nick as I was getting in the drivers way...

In the end, we had a good trip back to Sheringham & Light Engine to shed for disposal - the water was very high all the way back and no-one else touched the fire.

And no blowing off all day!

Turn 47 - Third Man on the Y14

Wednesday mornings, 06:00, sun out and a loco to prepare: a great time of the week as Cleaner Oliver and I get to work on the Y14. I'm the senior man here and Fitter Rudy and Fireman Paul are happy to let us get on with it. We start with an inspection of the firebox - cap on backwards, torch in hand and lie on your back to look at the crown stays and the fusible plugs. I close up finding nothing amiss and Cleaner Oliver sets to work ashing out the smokebox:

The driver's side water gauge drain is blocked again and I don't have any boiler pressure left to blow it out, so Fireman Paul finds a bit of welding rod to have a poke about through the drain connection:

With that sorted, we can light up - but not before I have been in the firebox to clean it out. It's got a drop-down door, which opens near the cab floor and makes it quite easy to get in and out. Being small, it's easy to light up; Paul reminds me that opening the damper will result in the fire coming around too quickly and that we light this one with a small chunk of wood to hold the damper partially open.

The Quads have been stabled in our spot overnight, so the Y14 is already on the pit and Oliver & I wash down the pan and ash out. Here's Cleaner Ollie raking out:

Fireman Paul is training to drive, which means turns with him are always good for me. Not only is he a great mentor, but I get to fire frequently. This time, Paul fired the first two trips and I fired the second two, and fired to dispose. After the last turn on this loco, I made sure that I got the water on much sooner, and discovered that I could get the fireman's side injector to flow more water by turning the water up after I had started the injector.

It was better, but not all good. I had it blowing off in the station on the fourth trip. I had the water well up in the glass, the fire was ready to go and there were still passengers arriving as we were due to out - sometimes you just have to let it go.

In this view, you can just make out the scaffolding around the West box - the roof was being replaced. There was an engineering possession on the main line in front of the box and we were using the loop to get around it.

Here, Driver Dave is pulling some coal down for me as we wait for the green flag:

After some advice from Fireman Steve on a previous turn, I made sure that when I had the shovel I was doing all hooking on, calling all signals and handling the token - I need to be ready to handle all the fireman's duties for when I eventually fire on my own.

During disposal, Fireman Paul taught me something I'd forgotten - how to fill the boiler to the top nut -  you isolate bottom valve, drain gauge & fill boiler with only the top valve open. When water appears in the gauge, you know the boiler is full to the top nut.

More next week.

Turn 46 - Cleaning the B12, disposing the 4MT and fitting a running board to the 9F

 Another Wednesday, another cleaning turn. A very nice morning, unseasonably cold but little wind and very sunny saw myself, Fireman Paul and Third Man Sam turn out with Fitter Rudy for a routine green service day. 

Fireman Paul had been on site since 05:30, and was frantically getting the B12 ready - odd, as the 4MT was supposed to be in service. We learned that hero Fitter Rudy had spotted a broken spring on the trailing axle on the drivers side during disposal the day before, so they had hurriedly lit a warming fire in the B12, which was what Paul was raking through.

With plenty of hands on deck, and being assigned to the cleaners role I left Paul and Sam to the fire and set the yard hose to filling the tender, before moving on to the boiler with a bucket of paraffin with 25% bearing oil added to it. Now that the B12 is in the last year of it's boiler ticket, we have dispensed with the usual traffic film remover and car polish since the condition of the paint is now so poor.

She scrubs up pretty well for an old girl.

Once they had gone off shed at 09:18, I spent a little while chopping rags, and put together a barrow load of wood for the next morning.

Then, back in the shed and back on to the 9F. The pipework we had started two weeks ago is now finished and Fitter Alan asked if I would help re-fitting the running board. We manhandled it back into place, and set about fitting the bolts and the various straps that keep the pipework in place:

That took most of the morning, but wasn't too difficult. We finished about 13:00

Not ready to go home, I volunteered to dispose the 4MT. I scooped a barrow of ash out of the smokebox and cleared the fire on the rocking grate, a half hour job.

More next week - back to the footplate but which loco?