The sun was still hidden deeply under the horizon as I made my way to shed on Wednesday. Expecting to have an easy day firing the 4MT, a little foray onto the NNR Volunteers Facebook page revealed that the 9F would be out for a week to test the newly repaired No. 1 injector. I didn't hang about as I guessed she might not be too warm...
In the event, prep was very easy, as it is with the BR Standard locos with their rocking grates and hopper ashpans. The smokebox was spotless, having received the attentions of the NNR Youth Development Club at the weekend, and the spark screen was clean too - I made sure to check it, after waiting for hours for her to wake up several weeks ago when the screen was sooted up. Learned that lesson!
I lit up under the arch and then when that fire was going I built it out and back with more wood and small coal, feeding the fire with small coal and with the scoop out until I could get the blower working.
She was getting through the coal very quickly, but I wanted to make sure she was good and hot for the first trip up. I dropped the pan on the pit as it was pretty full - I guess she had had a lot of yard testing as the tender tank had been a long way down as well.
Whilst I had her up to the red line when we were on the pit, with a hot fire, after our run down to Sheringham, hooking on, collecting the tea and having a bit of breakfast she was very thin again so I set about building a big fire; in fact, I was feeding her on the down trips much as I would on an up trip, it was burning so quickly.
As we were testing the exhaust injector, Duty Fitter Alex came out with us for the first trip, and it was very handy for me to have him along as he performed the 'Third Man' duties as I worked the fire. We got up to Holt OK, but the run up Kelling took it out of her and I was down to 160 psi by the time we got to the top. Thin in the middle.
The No. 1 exhaust injector had been OK - Chief Engineer Keith asked us to favour it, and for the first part of the trip it started well enough, though by the end of the first trip Alex and I had spent a lot of time hanging out of the window, watching the overflow and fiddling with the steam and water valves. Here's another of Mick Ladner's pictures:
I was very glad Alex was there to witness it playing up - it would be up to him and Driver Andrew to fail the loco as we couldn't carry on with an unreliable injector - you are obliged to have two independent means of putting water in the boiler, and if injector No. 2 had failed we would have been in a risky situation.
Sitting under the bridge at Weybourne we decided enough was enough and called the RO. We would head up to Holt, come back down to Weybourne and the Class 31 would relieve us there.
Back in Weybourne I unhooked the 9F and we took her into the yard; I transferred my kit to the 31 and while Alex and Andrew put the 9F on the pit for disposal Driver Peter and I hooked on to the train.
You don't have to do much as a second man - basically its the fireman's job without the boiler and fire management, so just observation, hooking on, and handling the token. And the tea of course!
A very easy afternoon - or so it seemed. Having completed the 2nd down trip to Sheringham, we heard, when we arrived in Weybourne on the 3rd up, that the 9F might be OK and that we should prepare to come off the train on the 3rd down - this would be a short day for Driver Chris who had arrived to replace Driver Peter, who had to resume his many other duties. In the event, the 9F's injector was still playing up and Chris and I finished the day on the 31.
Back in Sheringham though, Driver Chris relinquished his seat and gave me the opportunity to drive the Class 31 back to shed - which I leapt at of course, taking it into the yard and stabling it nose to nose with the Class 37.
That's another 15 minutes on my Second Man Driving Record.
The poor 9F is on the naughty step again. Will I see her when I am back on the railway in a month's time, for the first of the Norfolk Lights Express turns for 2022?
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