Turn 102 - Fireman on the 9F: Evening Dining Train

 Another evening turn, this time a dining train. This is actually my tenth firing turn, so I am no longer considered the new boy and I can actually swap sides on my next turn which will be interesting!

Arriving on a Saturday afternoon at 16:25 there is predictably no one about. Pete Waterman's Class 25 is here though, and very smart she is too:

The 7f is in the shop for washout, and the B12 is slowly coming apart for her 10 year overhaul:

On my way to the mess room, we see the WC 'Sidmouth' boiler which is progressing nicely; the foundation ring has been repaired with new sections:

Next stop, fill the tea can. As we are on an evening service, there is no buffet and no tea!

Chatting to the platform staff, I learn that apparently the 9f has been back on shed for much of the day, and the 37 has been used for the second and third trip - the 9F brakes have been sticking on, though they appear to have been fixed. Third Man and Shed Fitter Tom later complains that his day job has caught up with his weekend job as he has spent most of the day fixing the brake valve...

I divert to the loo before I join the loco. It's the original, restored station toilet:

The 9F arrives with the boiler sitting at 220 psig, a full tender water tank and very few ovoids in the coal space. I take the bent dart and clean the fire - there is quite a lot of clinker at the back.

Sitting in the headshunt having dropped the ash pan, we wait for the 4MT to come in to the yard before we can leave.

Our train is waiting in Sheringham Platform 1. I build up the fire and fill the boiler, and leaving at 19:00 manage a good trip all the way up arriving with 3/4 of a glass and the boiler at 210 psig. I remembered to go heavy on back corners and lighter in the middle. A very successful trip.

Dinner is served.

We arrived back in Sheringham in good time after a delay at Holt, related to the generator in the dining set, and took on water. The second up is a bit too light on the front, running up at just over 200 all the way but making more steam after Wind Pump - I added some extra coal around the middle and front going in to Averies, and when we got in to Holt I could see that the very front of the box was a bit thin.

We lit the lamps for the run down as it was getting dark.

Back in Sheringham it was time to say our goodbyes and get ready to return to shed for disposal. The pilot, which had been waiting in Platform 1 ran on to our train to pull off the stock and as he pulled away I built the fire up a bit while waiting for the platform starter. Building it up some more as we went up, and filling the boiler, we arrived 190 psig with a full glass and Driver Fozz set me down at Platform 2 so I could go back to the ground frame to let us in. 

Running over the bars with the irons, it was clear there was no clinker - we had been running predominantly with fossil coal, with very little Wildfire. The boiler was still at 160 psi after disposal and filling boiler.

A very good turn, with no problems on my side nor for the loco brakes -  I think we had the best of the day.