Turn 55 - Third Man on the 4MT

Well, a turn on a Tuesday! It quite knocked me off my rhythm.

Today we have the delightful Pocket Rocket, number 76084 the BR standard 4MT - probably the easiest loco on the fleet. I'm on with Fireman Paul and Driver Graeme both of whom I know well. It's pretty clean and shiny, as Paul has been over it the day before and we have Cleaner Cameron here to buff it up further. I clear out the smokebox and busy myself on the brass, while Fireman Paul lights up. 

Down at the pit, we blowdown a full glass and I go beneath to swab out the ashpan, though it is quite clean and as it has a hopper ashpan we don't drop the ash. That done, we are ready for Fitter Bob who has the loader ready to give us a ton of coal.

It's a conventional yellow timetable with the two trains, and we go down to Sheringham for breakfast and the first of many footplate tours - there are a lot of people on the railway today. Paul fires the light engine trip down to Sheringham then the first & second round trips - he manages to blow off three times. This little loco can be made to steam very well, and he is firing to keep up with Driver Graeme who likes to use the regulator enthusiastically and make some noise up the hills.

I take over for the third round trip, building the fire slowly while the others take on water. By the time we are ready to go I have the boiler full, a good back end in the box and a hole in the middle. I fill the hole in when we get the 'right away' so that the loco is making steam as we go across the Golf Club crossing and up Dead Man's Hill; I keep firing, but I close the dampers and open the door to keep the boiler cool during our six minute layover in Weybourne. 

We carry on up to Holt, and she goes well though she is a bit thinner than I would have liked when we arrive. We stop for tea. On the way down, I am a little too late getting her ready and the boiler pressure  is between 160 and 180 all the way down to Weybourne, though I have recovered it by the time we get to Sheringham.

I have a chat with Driver Graeme about the best way to fire this loco, or indeed any BR Standard like the 9F, and indeed the WD is similar. The idea is to build a really deep back end, so high that it's up to the door - or, if you want to build more energy in you can lift the flap up and fire up to that. This gives a big energy reserve, much like you use the deep front on the B12. You keep the front covered since it runs to holes easily there and you allow holes to form in the middle if you want to control the heat. The pressure needs to stay above 160 psi, but it is easy to fire with a longish shovel as long as your shovel is cranked enough to get coal in the corners and you are reasonably good at firing left handed.

Graeme also says that if something is wrong, don't open the door for ages and look for the hole - you will just let a lot of cold air in. Flick the door open, send two quick shovelfuls into the front of middle and get it closed again.

This is actually very similar to the pattern I have been following, but for the fourth up-trip I make the back much deeper than I have done before and magically the boiler sits at something like 240 psi all the way - and doesn't blow off at all.

Up at Holt, I get some tea and chat to a few people - Fireman Paul takes the shovel on the way down to Sheringham and then back to Holt for disposal.

There's a lot of ash. They stable the loco and I spend the next 20 minutes digging it out the pit.

I will feel those muscles tomorrow.