It feels like the firing test is a bit closer now, as today I had a full day on the shovel, the second stage in getting to 'Passed Cleaner' grade - a loco cleaner who is passed fit for firing, and who is able to roster as a fireman on his own.
The next step is the two written papers, followed by the test itself.
Checking the Facebook posts, the NNR timetable web page and the Volunteers website on Tuesday night it soon became apparent that we were likely to have the 9F and not the 7F as I'd expected. This unsettled me a bit as I had recently had some good trips on the narrow-firebox 7F and one or two more difficult ones on the wide-box WD, which has a grate very similar to the 9F though the breathing arrangements are very different. However, a read through recent blog posts and driver's notes on my performance on the 9F gave me a bit of encouragement.
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| 92203 Black Prince |
I drove our little FIAT 500 along the Weybourne Road in the pitch dark of 05:30 Wednesday morning with rain bucketing down. Cleaner Jacob, Fitter Alan and I were all wet on arrival in the SOP and gave thanks that no-one had chosen the open-cab Y14 for the day.
Leaving Jacob to get changed I went down to the loco to look it over and get started. Later, Jacob came down to clear the smokebox, assisted by Driver Joe who had arrived very early.
These locos are easy to prepare, with rocking grates that almost clean themselves. Unfortunately, the tender was 4" deep in water and after carefully draining each shovelful for a bit I hit upon the idea of raking the coal onto the footplate so that the water could drain away first; I laid the fire, adding extra wood after it failed to light very well the first time. There's actually a drain in the coal space about 4' back from the coaling plate which Joe uncovered - he unblocked it with a bit of welding rod from my bag.
That did the trick and she was soon raising steam; we were on the pit around 07:45 to blowdown and ash out. We rolled back for coal and took on 2 scoops from the loader. Around 08:30, Driver Joe and I were on the footplate watching Jacob and Inspector Nick operating the ground frame to let us out of the yard.
Minutes later, I am ignoring the verbal taunts from the rest of the crew as I infringe the mobile phone policy by ordering breakfast from the footplate - actually, there was no infringement - we were not moving and I had the driver's approval.
I had 3/4 of a glass in at this point and a hot fire that I had let go thin in the middle; the boiler pressure was around 235 and I had actually blown off while getting changed, though no-one seemed to notice. We trundled off Light Engine down to Sheringham.
After breakfast, I fired the first trip up to arrive at Holt with around 160 in the boiler, having under-fired especially at the front. The engine was cold, but I would obviously need a bit more coal next trip.
The second trip was better, arriving at Weybourne with 180 psig on the pressure gauge. At inspector Nick's suggestion I put ten more shovels across the front and we arrived at Holt with 240 psig on the gauge. The boiler was making enough steam to match Driver Joe's needs all the way up the bank. for the first two trips, the rain was still pouring down and I shut the roof vent. On a dull day, this left the footplate so dark I had to get my head torch out to see the water levels.
The third trip was a bit lighter, arriving with 220 psig and the fourth was back at 240. All day, I had the water levels where I wanted them - or at least, never below half a glass. No-one commented on the water level and apart from the one remark, or hint, no-one had commented on the fire or the boiler pressure. We had watered three times and each time Inspector Nick had deliberately kept out of the action, leaving Joe and I to unhook, run around, water, tie on and depart again with no assistance. This is important, because the fireman has to manage the boiler such that the loco doesn't blow off while in the station yet is ready to depart on time - all while he is off the footplate coupling or filling the tender.
Running around on the fourth, we had a chat with RO Peter who briefed us on a shunt move. We were to take a coach from the suburban set up to Weybourne for the paint to be refreshed on what would have been our Light Engine movement. On arriving back after the fourth down trip with the train, we ran around and waited outside the box while the station pilot hauled the coach back into platform two. We followed it in to take on water and pick it up.
Then it was back up to Weybourne with suburban, where we propelled it into the headshunt following Inspector Nick, who was acting as shunter. Since he was on the fireman's side of the train, I relayed his hand signals to Driver Joe.
Disposal next, and I was mildly surprised to find that what I thought was a full boiler was only 3/4 full - the headshunt, where I had topped it up, is on the 1 in 80 slope down to Sheringham. No matter - I still had 160 psig in the boiler and that is plenty to put a bit more water in. On the pit, which is level, I filled it up when Joe was clear of the ash pan. When I had washed down we stabled the loco leaving Inspector Nick, claiming he hadn't done much all day, to empty the ash pit.
And that was that - one of my best days on the railway. Tests next!
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