Turn 86 - Third Man on the Y14 - Spring Gala

 After the Thursday cleaning session comes the gala proper. I hadn't volunteered for anything on the first day, the Friday, but I was rostered Cleaner 3 on the Saturday which was to be two and a half trips on the Y14, with the vintage set initially and then half a trip with the mixed set.

This year, there is an evening shift and a night shift - the night shift starts at midnight and when I signed on a 04:15 Cleaner Nick had the boiler at 120 psi and a thin fire in the grate. I started polishing - in the pitch dark at 04:30 in the morning, looking after the fire while Nick went off to oil up one of the other five locos being prepared for the day.

By the time dawn broke over the yard I had finished the boiler and we were still at 120 psi, though with a full fire covering the grate which I could use to bring the boiler around very quickly. Passed Fireman Paul had arrived and right after I took this shot, we steamed down onto the pit to ash out and finish oiling up.

Fireman Steve signed on about 07:00, and together we cleaned the soot the Westinghouse pump had thrown over the boiler, and oiled up the smokebox while Steve polished some brass; we were scheduled to wait in the headshunt for half an hour, which gave me time to polish up the running plates.

She looks very smart.

As it was a gala turn, I wasn't, as a cleaner, allowed to do any firing so I spent the day engaged in the usual banter with the crew and with hooking on & off and taking water.

I did learn something new today, observing Fireman Steve and speaking to Driver Paul about the flap above the firehole. Hitherto I'd seen it as a bit of an irritation and habitually fired with it up - but of course it's purpose is to control the secondary air such that the incoming air is taken from the warm area around the fire door, which will have less of a cooling effect on the boiler.

The day ended just after 13:00 when we relieved at Weybourne by the afternoon crew, and we spent the next couple of hours milling about & chatting with the other volunteers.