Turn 79 - Third man on the 9F

We are near the end of the season now and I've only two booked turns left - both Mince Pie Specials, which are early starts with four round trips - much like a green or yellow timetable, but starting a bit earlier - the first train is a bit later as well, which gives an extra hour for carriage warming and having breakfast.

All the crew were on shed early - Driver Paul, Fireman Sid and Fitter Alex, so as befits the rostered cleaner I went down to light up. The 9F had had a warming fire in it the day before, but was relatively cold. She lit up easily though, with a lot of wood and with a few air gaps - I had already been sternly told by Driver Paul that I wasn't to make clouds of black smoke - and with the blower wide open, I didn't.

With the fire going, the lamps ready and the pit hose in the tender, I joined Fireman Sid who was already hard at work cleaning the paintwork. Sid puts a lot of effort into cleaning locos and they always look immaculate when he is on duty.

She came around in good time and we were soon on the pit, and I filled the axleboxes as directed by Driver Paul. Next, we ashed out and as they set back to take on coal I cleared the pit. Getting close to time, Fireman Sid handled two glasses blown down and we went off to change.

I was last out of the changing room, so I made my way to the ground frame to let them out. Down in Sheringham, the buffet staff had laid on a full English breakfast for us, plus a fourth one for Fitter Alex - which he wasn't to see for a while...

While we were down in Sheringham, I took the opportunity to quiz the crew on a couple of points from my Route Knowledge exam that I didn't know the answers to.

Sid fired the first up, and the 9f showed how cold she was by refusing to exceed 160 psi for much of the trip. Sid showed me a new technique - he covered the front and built a really big back end, right up to the top of the flap, filling in the middle as we went over crossing. This was not to Driver Paul's taste - he keeps it very thin - but it works. We slowed through Weybourne attempting to deliver Alex breakfast, but it took a phone call to drag him out of the shed to collect it on our way back. It must have been pretty dry, having spent an hour on the warming plate protected by a wet cloth.

Sid fired very lightly on the way down, burning the fire through to get rid of ash & clinker. 

Back in Sheringham, Sid handed over the shovel for me to fire the second & third trips while he swapped sides with Driver Paul. On the second up, I had the fire ready apart from my usual controlling hole in the middle which I filled in between the box and the AOCL - much to the consternation of Paul and Sid: this is any easy way to fail your test in a few seconds. You should let firebox heat take you out of the platform and over the crossing, so you can concentrate on seeing the train out of the station, collect the token and see the train safely over the crossing.

We got up OK, with no dramas - I was a bit heavy on the second down - too much coal. There was no blowing off but had to take avoiding action - the blower was all but off, the dampers were screwed shut and the door was open as we ascended the 1 in 333 up to the crossing. It's best not to do this - the fire could end up clinkered if you don't burn it out.

I had no pressure or water problems during the day but  Driver Paul was critical of my coal placement - I was being too heavy handed & imprecise, like I needed to use the jeweller's screwdrivers, not the impact wrench. Next time I'll make an effort to put less coal on the shovel and be very deliberate about where I put it. You can fire a loco heavily and it will get you there but you will waste a lot of coal.

From 'Good Firemanship':

On the third up I had a hole in RH front corner - but short of the corner. I was concentrating on getting coal to the front, but failing to moderate my shovel action so it would fall just short of the corner. The result was 210 psi all the way up which wouldn't have been noticed by many people but Paul & Sid are both very experienced firemen.

There's people who can fire, and there are good firemen. I can make the engine go but I need to do some refining to be good at it.

We watered on the fourth up, which Sid fired, and back in Weybourne on the down trip we were relieved by the second crew who would provide the Norfolk Lights Express service.

Next one, and last one for the 2021-2022 season, next Sunday. It's another Mince Pie with Fireman Sid and Driver James, on the 4MT.

Turn 78 - Cleaning the 4MT and a bit of spannering

Well, it's almost Christmas and the Santa services are coming to an end; today I am cleaning the 4MT for Third Man Jacob & Firing Inspector Joe, who makes it very clear that I am responsible for steam raising. The loco has not been out the previous day but there is a warming fire in it - there isn't much in the smokebox. It's icy in the yard and the coal has a delicate frosting: 

We load some wood on board and Jacob lights up, very quickly and successfully:

The fire is nice and thin and the coal ignites quickly. Once it's going, I add a bit more to the back corners and when the smoke is thinning Jacob starts on the cab cleaning; Driver Joe arrives and I go for tea.

On the pit, Driver Joe and I go beneath to check the axleboxes and remove the screens to prepare for hosing out the pan. Once we are done, I head back to the footplate to bring the fire on, test the injectors and operate the dampers for Fireman Joe and Cleaner Jacob, who are underneath probably getting a bit wet.

We go back for coal, and Jacob & I clean the pit. Once we are done, the loco comes back on the pit; the crew go to get changed leaving Fitter Alex and I to blowdown. I leave the loco with a full boiler and a bit too much pressure - I screw the dampers down, open the door and shut the blower as far as I dare - and it still blows off five minutes after Fireman Joe takes over the fire...

There's a signalman today so they can go off-shed without my help, though I switch the points in the head shunt to save them climbing on & off.

There's masses of rags in the store - bags and bags of them, and I spend the next hour sorting them out and binning stuff that is unusable - like waterproof coats for example. I'm saved from a morning of guillotining dead men's trousers by Fitter Alan , who comes down to ask me to remove the pressure gauges & injector cones from the WD:

It's a simple matter to disconnect the impulse lines and remove the gauges, which are held to their panels with wood screws.

The injector combining & delivery cones live under this cap. Like the gauges, these will be damaged if we allow water to freeze in them over winter:

Then it's bag to rag chopping duty, followed by a session on the lamps, many of which are damaged. I inspect them all, fit wicks where I can and combine parts to make as many working lamps as I can. 

The Terrier boiler is almost ready for hydraulic test:

Soon, the first train is back up with my breakfast:

With breakfast and a cup of coffee disposed of, I set about tidying up the oil store and picking up loose bits of coal about the yard. I complete the cleaning record to make sure we know what's missing so it can be ordered.

The train stays at Weybourne for over an hour on a Santa service. Here Cleaner Jacob is getting some hooking-on training from Firing Inspector Joe:

There's plenty of time to talk to visitors as it stops on platform 1 during run round. Driver Joe hauls some coal forward.

Nearing home time, I'm lucky enough to spend a bit of time with Inspector Joe chatting about my training schedule. There's a revision for 2022 which means I have two additional items to get signed off which I need to go through.

With the training schedule complete, we agree that I will arrange a Day On The Shovel with Joe before I can arrange my test, hopefully early in May 22.

Bring it on.

Turn 77 - Third Man on the 9F

 This turn is my last NLE for the 2021 season - next week it's a Santa, followed by two Mince Pies

Fireman Alan had cleaned the smokebox and laid the fire - all I had to do was fetch some rags and paraffin and light it. I spent a happy couple of hours cleaning the cab while raising steam, and fending off friendly banter from Driver Paul. Cleaner Jacob, meanwhile, was pulling coal forward and filling the tender.

Next stop, the ash pit and Jacob and I are treated to a lesson in draining and topping up the 9Fs many axleboxes from Driver Paul. Fireman Alan is topsides, preparing for blowdown. 

Driver Paul breaks from the usual routine and we ash out; he moves the loco back for coaling and we clear the pit ready for the loco to come back for blowdown. While Fireman Alan recovers from losing all that water, I head off to get changed and collect the token to let us out of the yard.

Re-joining the loco in platform 2, we set off up the line to switch on the generators, and this week remembered to switch the lamps on the front and rear when we changed direction - last week we had an impromptu stop part way down having forgotten - fortunately there was no-one to see us.

Down in Sheringham, we took on water before tying on to the train and stopped to order our dinner. Unfortunately, with 240 visitors, we had to wait - we should have ordered it much earlier. No matter, we all had sandwiches with us and plenty of tea, so it was the usual routine of chatting to passengers and building the fire. We agreed that Alan would fire the up trips and I would fire the down trips.

And so it was, and I learned something new: Fireman Alan likes to play chicken with the safety valves, and so we spent the trip up with a big wedge on the grate and the needle near the red line - no shortage of steam here. My first down was a bit lighter, around 200 using the dampers to keep the pressure up, but I laid it on a bit thicker after dinner on my second down, around 220. No blow-offs, but it was a bit close on run around at Otterndorf Green (where you are not allowed to use the injectors) - I had the dampers tight shut, the door open and the blower almost closed to keep it under control.

As usual, the last bit of the day was to head up to Aviaries to switch off the generators. It's at this point I wish I was a bit taller - climbing off a loco onto the sloping ballast is tricky for someone with short legs! We were signed off by 10:30, and a good time was had by all. The evening was pretty warm, cloudless and heading toward a full moon which produced some great views of the landscape and stars, with plumes of steam from the loco as we charged up the hill. 

Magic.

Turn 76 - Third Man on the 4MT

 We are well in to December now, and after several days of 50 mph winds and rain I'm very pleased to arrive at the railway with a day of relatively calm weather. Jacob and I have to prep the loco which isn't a lot of fun in the wind and rain, until you get the fire warmed up. I'm surprised to find we are rostered on the 4MT - it turns out the loco roster has been rearranged to make better use of the time remaining between washouts on the 4MT and the 9F.

There's not much in the smokebox today, and when I am done with it Jacob cleans the grate and lays the fire. We make sure a lot of wood and rags goes on and it lights up well; Jacob moves into the tender to pull some coal forward for the fireman to raise steam.

It's a Norfolk Lights Express day, and we don't have to clean the paintwork as the locos are covered in fairy lights. The weather however has not been kind to the 4MT which has been standing in the yard for a couple of days having a water change - the motion is quite rusty on the seaward side so Fitter Alan has asked that Jacob & I clean it up with some Scotchbrite & oil:

Since Fireman Dan and Driver Keith are here to look after the footplate activities, Jacob and I can both get on with this job which leaves the loco looking very smart.

I had a go at 'quartering' the buffer heads:

It worked to a point - I was using 60 grit Scotchbrite, and it may have been better to use emery tape. The quarters are not very distinct.

With the loco heading for the pit, I head to the mess room to make a round of tea. When I get back, Jacob & Driver Keith are under the loco draining axle boxes & oiling up; next, we blow down and then it falls to me to swill out the ash pan. The pit hose is doing its usual thing - blowing as much water backwards as it does forwards and pretty soon my boiler suit is well and truly 'flame retardant' as are my trousers and boots. The crew go and get changed, while I stay on the loco to receive a bucket of coal and help Fitter Alan take a water sample. Jacob empties the pit:

I go and get changed and then head to the ground frame to let the loco out of the yard, and we are off up the line to start the generators.

Down in Sheringham, we get ourselves tied on and I go and organise some food - pasty and chips for me and Driver Keith, cheesy chips for Fireman Dan.

Dan fires the first up, which is a steady trip at over 200 psig which Dan makes look easy; I untie at Holt and run around. Back on the loco Dan stows his shovel and I fire the first down, which is just a matter of having enough fire to accelerate the train away from the stations and the 3 mph sections, and to replace the water we use. We arrive in Sheringham again with over 180 on the clock and 3/4 of a glass. Heading up, I'm trying to keep some water space for a change and take care to fire on the slow section up Dead Man's - this is where I let the fire get too low last time on this loco. It works more successfully and we don't lose pressure - I fire again on the way down to 303 for the 1 in 80, and then again in Weybourne. The crew warn me to fire more heavily in the back, which I do, but they are both concerned that there is a hole - which they can hear as a deep throbbing roar. I will have to listen for that in the future.

We get up to Holt without any embarrassing pressure issues and Dan takes over for the rest of the trip - I busy myself with hooking on and off, generators, and the ground frame. Back in the yard, ashing out we find unburnt coal in the pit - this is unusual. There may be a hole in the grate, and we leave a note for the prep crew on tomorrows shift.

FoBP News - a new book

Standard class 9F No. 92203 Black Prince is due to come out of traffic at the North Norfolk Railway in around three years’ time. Its support group, Friends of Black Prince, is already focusing on boosting its coffers ready for when work starts.

The latest fundraising project is the self-published ‘The Story of ‘Black Prince’: How art saved a spaceship’ and tells the tale of the celebrity 9F’s history from British Railways to the present day – and to help raise funds for its next overhaul.

No. 92203 is well known for having been preserved by artist and conservationist David Shepherd, who ran the locomotive at railways around Britain before selling it to the NNR.

‘The story of Black Prince’ covers the engine’s days in Mr. Shepherd’s ownership at the start of the preservation movement, including its spells at the Longmoor Military and East Somerset railways, right up to its present career in the NNR steam fleet.

The booklet also delves into the fascinating history of the 9F class, including the various experiments and modifications trialled on the 2-10-0s – such as mechanical stokers and the ungainly Franco-Crosti boilers.

Putting the 9F into perspective against the standardisation programme devised by designer Robert Riddles, a final selection discusses the other standard locomotives.

Simon Holyfield, from Friends of Black Prince, said: “We’ve put together The Story of ‘Black Prince’ mainly to help raise funds for the engine’s overhaul in a few years’ time, but also in response to many of the questions we get asked about No. 92203’s history.

“It’s been a regular performer during the preservation era, gained great fame when named and owned by David Shepherd, and has a connection with the much-lamented Somerset and Dorset Railway - so there is always a lot of interest in its life both pre- and post-preservation.

“We hope anyone with an interest in Black Prince, or 9Fs in general, will find it an entertaining and engaging read, as well as feeling they are contributing to its future as an operational engine.”

The booklet can be bought for £3.99 (+p&p) from the Friends of Black eBay shop (search ‘The story of Black Prince’ in the eBay searchbar). All proceeds will go towards funding work on the engine.

Friends of Black Prince was set up after the 9F was sold to the NNR to champion and fundraise for No. 92203. You can find out more about the group, including how to join up as a regular supporter, by emailing friendsofblackprince@gmail.com or by searching ‘Friends of Black Prince’ on Facebook.

Turn 75 - Cleaner on the 9F

 Every so often, I get rostered a cleaning turn which I rather enjoy. It's a lot less stressful than a footplate turn, mainly because I'm fully confident by now in all the things a cleaning turn entails. Secondly it's very sociable, because you get to reconnect with all the folk in the shed.

Cleaning turns on NLE days are a bit short though. You sign on at 12:00, and the loco goes at 15:18 or so which means that by the time you have cleared up it's almost dark and the shed guys are getting ready to go home. I decided to go a bit early - so after I had walked Max on the beach I headed down to Weybourne, arriving just before 11:00.

Max, chilling on our bed

Cleaner Jacob was rostered to do his third Third Man turn today, and I was wondering how to give him some experience he would get value from, rather than shadow what I was doing. I decided to clean the smokebox and the grate, so he could come straight in and light up - hopefully gaining 45 minutes or so, so he could go at his own pace and we would still be on time to get off - this is not the quickest engine to get into steam!

I had a look a the brick arch and showed it to fitter Alan. It's falling to bits, and she will need a new one before next season. While Jacob lit the fire, I put the hose in the tender and raked a load of coal forward.

With Fireman Alan (Fitter Alan in a different hat) and Driver Bryan on board, I was becoming a bit of a spare part, so I went to make some tea. Time was getting away so Driver Bryan (who is also a diesel driver) fired up the Class 08 D3940 to move the 9F onto the pit, so that we could complete the oiling up. I followed along to revise my knowledge of these fabulous little beasts. This one will give you 35,000 lbf tractive effort, which is almost as much as the 9F - but it is half the weight.

By the time we had the shunter ready, there was about 40 psi on the clock - almost enough to go under it's own steam. Driver Bryan had used the bent dart to push the fire around the box and bring it on a bit faster, followed by a round of coal. 

With oiling up complete and the ash pan washed out, there was about 45 minutes to go with 160 on the clock and 1/4 glass in the boiler. Since I wasn't going anywhere, I stayed on the footplate whilst the crew went to change, putting another round on the very hot fire which served to bring it up to 200. By the time they were back I had the boiler up to 3/4 and had shut the dampers to calm the fire down - she's a big loco - she takes a while to get going but when she goes, she goes.

And that was it for me - a bit of pit cleaning and yard work, another tea and a chat, and it was time to head home.