Turn 67 - Third Man on the 7F

A surprise this week - after a message from Cleaner Nathan, I found that my cleaning turn was to be a third man turn and it would also be my first turn on the newly-released Fowler 7F. Two years ago, doing my first cleaning turn I prepared this loco for service and apart from disposing it before it went into the workshop for 18 months, had not touched it since.

Now released from the workshop with extensive work done on the springs, it is back in traffic and performing very well.

It’s got the typical Fowler pattern smoke box with six toggles & nuts retaining the door, and a between the frames grate, steeply sloped, with a dropping section and one damper. It lights up quite easily.

Her paint is in lovely condition and she really responds to the oil & paraffin treatment:

Here’s the view of the office:

This week, I was on the footplate with Driver John, who I know and Fireman Paul, who I didn’t. I handed over the steam raising to Paul until it was time to ash out, and Paul took us down to Sheringham for breakfast.

Paul fired the first and second trips, which were accompanied by a footplate visitor Terry, who looks after the Permanent Way on the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway. The trips were interesting - the loco is very coal hungry and the first trip resulted in an unexpected stop on Dead Man’s Hill when the vacuum suddenly disappeared pulling the train brakes on. I was spattered with water, and we put the experience down to water carrying over into the brake ejector steam feed.

I took over at Holt on the second trip down. We’d got some tips from new Driver Paul, who has a wealth of firing experience and has taught me many things in the last couple of years and so I knew that I had to build up the back, the middle and to avoid letting the front get too thin. My first up trip worked well enough, but it was a bit light and I resolved to ladle on more coal on the second trip. I also discovered that the firehole door, used to control the secondary air, would close itself as you rattled along.

Back in Sheringham, I had the loco ready to go controlling the pressure on the injectors - 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off and was ready to go. Fireman Paul had a look at the fire and said to fill the back up more; I planned to do that as we moved off. As usual, I followed the experienced man’s guidance and later wished I hadn’t - there is a theme developing here. I shovel a lot of coal into the back of the grate and we moved off, only to blow off as we passed the box.

This time, the effect was horrendous. Opening the regulator to speed up raised the water level further, and the water level was already very high - in the top nut of the gauge glass as I had been keeping the pressure under control on the injectors. Unfortunately, unlike all the other locos at the NNR the brake ejector steam feed is very close to the top of the gauge glass:

The effect of this is to introduce water into the ejector when the level is too high. This doesn’t happen on other locos because the ejector steam feed is taken from a manifold at the very top of the boiler, or at least from the crown itself - or from the steam dome. New Driver Paul says this ejector takes steam directly at a point above the gauge, so as soon as the water level gets too high the brakes will come on.

We were sitting stationary on the level crossing, blowing off, for several minutes. The most embarrassing and infuriating experience of my railway career.

Two things spring to mind here. One, you must not fire this loco with the water level above the top of the glass; secondly, be very wary when people take control of your fire. Whilst the water level was high due to my action, we probably wouldn’t have suffered from it if we hadn’t been blowing off - my plan was to use the water as I normally do on the way up Dead Man’s and to fire as I needed to…

Turn 66 - Third Man on the 9F

Another Wednesday, and another old friend to fire - the BR Standard 9F, 92203 ‘Black Prince’. The rostered cleaner is off sick, but Fireman Phil and Fitter Alan are both here so I head down to the yard to get started. It’s the first time I have had to use the yard lights this season!

One the usual checks are done, the smoke box clean and the fire lit, I set about cleaning the footplate. There’s 20 psi on the gauge when I arrive and we have a full glass so raising steam is a relatively simple matter today.

Driver Dave is here to oil up, so we are shaping up for a good day out. Fitter Alan drops a couple of scoops of coal in the tender, which Fireman Phil has levelled (with a bit of help from me - though he’s 12 years older than me he’s stronger & fitter) to make way for the coal lorry, and contrary to the usual sequence we wash out the pan and blow down next. Or Phil does - I have gone to get changed, so that I can look after the loco while he and Dave change.

We plan to swap over at Holt every other trip, to make a change. It’s a good place to swap as the trip down is considerably less demanding and it gives you time to prepare the fire for the up trip. So, Phil fires the Light Engine trip down to Sheringham to get breakfast and pick up the train and take it up to Holt, and I fire down to Sheringham and the second trip up. This is a bit light, finishing with just under 200 on the clock at the top of the hill. This low pressure is caused by a big hole in the front right corner of the grate, and tells me that I need to pay attention to front as well as the horseshoe at the back. Phil then takes over to fire down, but Driver Dave has an alternative plan for the third trip - he wants Phil to drive, so I take the shovel back at Sheringham and hastily prepare for the third up. This is a lot more successful and I am relaxed and enjoying myself as the big loco pounds up the 1 in 80 hill, and I stay on the shovel repeating the performance on the fourth up trip.

A surprise awaits at Sheringham on the run around - my wife's school friend Sarah came down to the footplate to see us and took this picture:

So another turn comes to an end, and another turn with no blowing off, though it was by the skin of my teeth before the fourth run around - I had near 250 psi on the clock, distracted again - I didn't get the injectors on in time to put some water in until we were rolling back, and you cannot use injectors on Ottendorf Green. I opened the door, turned the blower right down and shut the dampers, which kept a lid on it until Driver Dave could use full forward gear to run around which made a great noise and used some steam.

In fact it was a good day for visitors. We'd seen Fireman Steve at Holt and had given a couple of his friends a footplate ride as we ran around. Steve was at Weybourne for the fourth up and took this picture of us:

Fireman Phil fired the fourth down and to dispose, while I resumed my normal pit clearing duties.

De-briefing with Driver Dave, who had asked earlier why I had not put in for my test (which I had, but just asking was a clear vote of confidence) wrote on my report that he had had a 'superb day's firing'. It doesn't get much better than that.

Next week, it's a quiet cleaning turn for once. We'll see what that brings.

Turn 65 - Third Man on the 4MT

This Wednesday, it's time to take the BR Standard 4MT out for a canter. Cleaner Cameron and I are on shed at 05:50, changed and ready to go but since there's no one else there until Driver Dave turns up at 06:20, we can't do anything. Driver Dave is scheduled to sign on at 07:00, so it's handy that he is there early.

The 4MT is easy to wake up as she is pretty warm from yesterday and we have no problem getting her ready on time. I take the dirty wet job on the pit.

We pick up Fireman Josh in the platform and he takes her down to Sheringham and out for the first round trip. I take over in Sheringham for the second trip, and make sure that I am on the ball for Driver Dave, who I don't know very well. We've never had a turn together, but I fire the second trip quite successfully until I overdo it in Weybourne and blow off on the way up to Kelling.

Back in Sheringham, Fireman Josh takes the driver seat and I'm still on the shovel. Guessing Josh might make a bit more noise on the way up, I fire as I have done before - but Josh is taking it easy and we blow off again - my bad. Driver Dave tells me that I need to get that under control - it was blowing off for a while.

I'm still on the footplate, and doing the hooking on and the watering for the rest of the day. I make sure to be gentle with the shovel for the fourth trip, and we have a good run up with no further wastage.

Josh takes the shovel again back in Sheringham for the last Light Engine trip back to shed, and once we are over the crossing I take the driving seat. I've got a much better feel for this now as this will be the sixth time I've driven a loco.

Back on shed, I clean the fire and dispose the loco - Josh takes the dirty job in the pit.

During disposal, I noticed this valve behind the injectors - I must find out what it is:

The bend pipe on the right is a drain, so this is a vent valve of some sort. There is a poppet in there operated by a lever on the top - vacuum release?

Later, when it's all quiet, I get a good debrief from Driver Dave. He's told me about the over firing and blowing off already, but he also says there was a couple of times when he had deliberately tried to distract me - successfully.

Despite not having had a turn together before, he knew that I was close to my test and was kind enough to say that if I had a good day on your test tomorrow, I'd pass and that I could fire for him anytime.

I was very pleased with that.

Turn 64 - Third Man on the 9F

The nights are drawing in! Up at 5:00, and it's still a bit dark though it is pretty overcast here in North Norfolk. Cleaner Jacob & I arrive on shed at 06:00 to find we are rostered to the 9F; Fireman Phil is already there. Phil decides that I should light up so we head down to the loco where Jacob sorts out the smokebox before I build the fire and light up. He moves on to the running boards and boiler next, though it's not a very happy place - I can hear him coughing as he works through the belching smoke from the cold fire. Opening the firehole door for a quick look reminds me its best not to attempt to clean the footplate until the blower is working:

For a change, I stay on the footplate to raise steam. The fireman's job amongst other things is to clean the footplate - the backhead, brass, windows & floor while he goes about his duties tending the boiler.

I concentrate firing around the edges of the grate, warming the firebox but keeping the hole in the middle to avoid raising steam too quickly.

Since the 9F was washed out last week, there is no blowdown to do. I test the injectors anyway, and pull the coal forward - if you get the Duty Fitter to drop the new coal as far forward in the tender coal space as possible, you will have less raking to do during the day which saves a lot of effort.

Fireman Phil asked what I want to do. I haven't fired the first trip too often, and this can be tricky as the fire is new and the engine is cold, so I elect to do the first and third trips. We go down to Sheringham on time for our breakfast, giving us 40 minutes to get there, tie on, eat, make up the fire and get off at 10:00. Guard Seb is there to meet us with five coaches and the CCT - 156.5 tonnes of train to haul around all day:

Guard Seb, making sure we are hooked on

The trip up was fine, and we arrived in Weybourne with over 200 on the clock and a full glass. I had fired heavily as we left Sheringham and maintained the pressure at just under 240 while we waited for the 'right away'. At Weybourne, we sat under the bridge with the door open and the fire raging, and me running an injector every 30 seconds to keep from blowing off. I fired again as we went over the points and ran an injector for the last time as we cleared the crossover - and then Driver Graeme started to use the steam as we charged up the hill. By now the door was shut and I sat back relaxing in my seat.

The water went back on halfway up the cutting and stayed on until Aviaries; we arrived in Holt with it in the top quarter and the boiler pressure still over 220, though she was hardly making steam - ideal, for we had a 25 minute layover to run around.

As has become usual, I kept adding to the fire lightly all through our stay at Holt, in the back corners, at the front, and down the sides towards the back leaving the hole to form in the middle and leaving the area immediately under door to thin, so I could see what was going on. On the way down, I kept this up but filled the middle in - you use a fair bit of water on the down trip and you can't put it back with a cold fire.

At Sheringham, we ran around while I made the fire up; Phil jumped off to get some tea and Graeme and I took on water. When I'm Third Man, I try to behave as though the Fireman is not there - so I'll prepare the fire as though I am uncoupling, taking water or fetching tea to prepare for the days when I am on my own. On this trip, I handed over to Phil after watering for him to fire the second trip.

I took over from Phil again at the end of the second trip, before we ran around at Sheringham, and I took on water and fired the third trip. This was a bit disappointing - going up to Weybourne was fine but the pressure had dropped to 180 psi by the time we had got to Holt, though no-one said anything and in many peoples eyes this would be fine. To me though it was an indication that I was not in control and a look in the firehole revealed a big hole in front right, which I had not seen because the back was ablaze. I need to concentrate on the mental picture of fire - I had a notion that I was firing the back & sides and that nothing was going forwards.

No matter, it was recovered by the time we were back in Weybourne on the way down.

Phil fired 4th trip up and asked me if I wanted to fire to dispose - I agreed (of course) and he handed over the fire at Holt, saying he had set me a bit of a challenge. I don't think he meant to really, but there was half a glass and a thin fire. Phil always fires thin, which he has taught me before and in many ways it gives you a very flexible fire; I fire the BR standards by the book - big horseshoe around the back and sides.

Graeme, Phil & Me

Anyhow, I know how to deal with a thin fire and started making it up gradually as soon as he handed over - little bit on the back and sides, let it catch, do it again; a bit more around the edges of the gaping hole in the middle and that will catch and the pressure will come up - then you can get some water in. The fire was blazing by the time we started back to Sheringham and I had the water on whenever Graeme was not using the steam.

By the time we reached Sheringham the boiler was full again, and the pressure was around 220. I used small bits of coal, and the dust to keep it going without adding much to it and Graeme was gentle with the regulator on the way up.

We arrived at Weybourne as planned, with the boiler still full and around 180 on the clock, though she was still making steam slowly. As usual, we had to wait for the down train to arrive and depart before we could get into the yard, and I continued to feed the fire gently - you can get rid of the fire quite easily, but if it's not there you can't add water. By the time we arrived on the pit we had over 200 on the clock and she was still making steam.

As we tidied up the footplate and Driver Graeme made his checks, the pressure was getting close to 240. We were using no steam, so it sat there while Fireman Phil washed down the ash pan and I cleaned the fire; for once, I didn't jump off and clear out the pit but stayed on the loco as we stabled it outside the shed. I added more water to fill the boiler completely knowing that the level would fall as it cooled overnight, and by the time I had finished the pressure had dropped to 180 psi. Graeme & Phil collected their kit as I brushed the last of the coal dust off the footplate.

At disposal - picture by Steve Allen

And best of all? No blowing off all day!