Turn 74 - Third Man on the 4MT

 Another week, another night turn on a Norfolk Lights Express service. Today I'm on my own to prepare the BR Standard 4MT 'Pocket Rocket' but it's an easy day which starts just before midday. There's a barrow load of ash in the smokebox, and a little in the firebox - the coal we have currently burns quickly and completely, which is easy when you are preparing the loco but catches you out on the road.

I light up from the front of the box with lots of wood, using some of the small bits left by the Youth Development Club session last Saturday. Before I start though, I check with fitter Alan that it's OK to light up - there's less than half a glass in the boiler.

She goes quite successfully - there is definitely less smoke than last week.

Fireman Josh arrives, and he leaves me in charge of the fire. The pressure gauge starts to lift in an hour or so and with Driver Andy on board we are ready to go on the pit in a bit more than two. Fitter Alan wants two full glasses blown down - the loco is almost ready for a water change. He asks me what I want to do and, assured that the pit drain is clear, I elect to do the blow downs before we ash out. Blowing down will leaves lots of hot water in the pit if it's not draining easily and we won't be able to clean the pan until its empty - we could clean the pan now, but then we will have to move the loco and clean the ash out before we blow down. 

Either way is good, but we go for two full glass blowdowns before taking coal or cleaning the ashpan. This goes fairly well, and the boiler doesn't take too long to recover. We are not taking coal anyway - the tender is almost full, and I pull some more forward for the first trip.

Josh checks the pan while I recover the fire, fitting the screens as I operate the dampers. We go and get changed with plenty of time to spare and I have the boiler over 200 psi and sitting steady.

I'm doing the first trip, so Josh takes the Long Section Staff and heads to the ground frame, while Driver Andy and I take the loco down to the headshunt and leave the yard. We head up the line where Fireman Josh gets off to start the generators.

Next it's down to Sheringham buffet for chips, pasties and tea. I've forgotten my billy can. We've got about 2 hours until we are off, and I make sure I am on top of the fire as the demand for carriage heating is taking water out of the boiler and heat out of the fire - I don't want to let it get too cold. In the event, I get it ready a little too early and am full of water and well up to temperature by the time we get the 'Right Away' at 17:30. 

I head out of the station letting the firebox heat make steam and I fire again when we are over the crossing. We are slow up Deadman's through the lights, and I keep the doors shut as we accelerate away up to line speed. I should have fired again by now, but I am planning to fire when Driver Andy closes the regulator on the level before Bridge 304. Before I know it we are down the hill and approaching 303 without enough fire. I put a quick round on, and then another as we slow for Weybourne which is just enough to recover to 220 psi as we start on the second part of the 1 in 80.

Andy charges up the hill, but I'm paying the price of missing firing coming down the 1 in 100 off Deadman's and by the time I am at Bridge 299 I've got 160 on the clock and half a glass. I recover a bit and leave the injector on until we are at a stand at Holt, but I'm annoyed that I've missed my footing. My new Bulldog shovel is great though, it really bites into the coal in the tender and I don't notice the weight until I clang it into the doors once or twice when I'm not concentrating. It's easy to be accurate with it though.

I build the fire at Holt and we are soon topped up and ready to go down - so much so that I've got a full glass all the way down and Fireman Josh is worried that there is too much water in it for the wait at Sheringham and the next trip up, which he will fire. He takes over near the Golf Club and I tuck into my pasty, appreciating the break.

We run around and take our photo-call, then take on water. The next trip is uneventful, with Josh firing little shovelfuls around the box and making it look very easy, like he does.

Back at Sheringham, we take our last photo call and head up the line to switch off the generators.

It's got pretty cold by now, and we are pleased to be heading back to Weybourne for disposal and home.

Next? On Saturday I have six hours of Steam Induction Day for three young volunteers - A day of talking about the railway, walking about the yard and climbing on locos. Life is hard sometimes!

Turn 73 - Third Man on the 4MT

This week, I've booked a turn on a Tuesday and it's the first Norfolk Lights Express for me this year - the service started on Monday. I'm on shed at 12:00, and start the prep on our rostered loco, BR Standard 4MT 76084.

Driver Fozz and Fireman Phil are soon on board to oil up, and I carry on bringing the fire round whilst generally being heckled from the yard due to the black smoke pouring from the chimney.

She comes around nicely and we are soon on the pit to clean the pan. Fireman Phil was on it yesterday, and he's not dropped the pan the evening before - you get back about 22:00 and it's just as easy to drop it in the morning when you can see what you are doing. 

There was about half a glass in the boiler overnight so I waste no time in starting the injectors so we can blow down - a whole glass. We've got about an hour to go, and I stay with the loco while Fozz and Phil go and change; I settle the fire so I can also leave it.

There's no signalman at Weybourne today so when I have my Sunday best overalls on I head down to the ground frame. Phil takes the loco up the line and we all climb off to learn how to switch on the lineside generators. The Operations Department have provided an instruction book which is pretty clear, so when we have done the two generators around Aviaries Curve we head down to find the third on Dead Man's hill. With that one on, it's down to Sheringham to shunt the set into platform 1 and get the heating going in the train.

We have a couple of hours to wait, so we get the tea on and set some Cornish pasties warming above the fire.

At 17:30, Phil takes the first trip non-stop up to Holt with no drama, and I take over for the down trip. Phil's been talking about how much coal the and water the steam heating is using, so I ladle a bit more on than I would normally use for a down trip and promptly blow off, though it's little more than feathering and it's soon under control. I fire down, run around and get a good trip back up without any trouble.

Phil fires down again, and we take the second curtain call as we run around - the loco is booked to stop for five minutes at platform 2 for the visitors to take pictures:

Then it's back up the line to switch all the generators off again, and back to the shed for disposal. 

Phil's firing, so I am on duty at the ground frame to let the loco into the yard. It's eery seeing the enormous loco moving about almost invisible in the moonlight.

My next stop is back on the footplate as Fozz goes beneath to check over the motion, frame and springs, and with his permission I put some water in. Phil's fire is now very thin and hardly needs any cleaning, and he stays at the pit once we have emptied the pan as Fozz and I stable the loco and start to shut everything down.

A cracking turn.