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.