Turn 127 - Firing the 4MT: Norfolk Lights Express

 Here it is - the last turn of the season. It's the Wednesday before New Year and the railway is running Mince Pie Specials during the day and Norfolk Lights Express trains in the evening; after the Christmas festivities are over, Driver Christian, Third Man Henry and I sign on at 15:30 to relieve the Mince Pie crew on their third down trip.

The yard is choc-a-bloc with Horace the Crane, the B12 chassis on the exit road, Ring Haw's boiler and the B12 boiler, whose tubes are all out.

All we need to do is collect our lamps and jump on the loco when it comes down. Henry has not fired to dispose before, so to give him that experience we agree that I will fire down to Sheringham and first trip, and then he will take over for the second trip and the Light Engine trip. We have a chat about preparing for disposal, so that he can get ready.

There's half a glass and a cool fire when we get on, so I set about firing and getting it warmed up again to get some water in for the 1 in 100 up Dead Man's, but it's obvious the grate is clinkered.

We run around and take water in Sheringham before setting about the grate with the irons. It's no surprise that the fire is completely clogged with great dinner plates of clinker which are cold and black on the bottom. Fortunately we have plenty of time to rectify the situation and by the time we are off she is steaming well again and we sail up to Holt having a jolly time. 

We seemed to have a lot of visitors at both ends of the trip, with passengers on the footplate at Holt and at Sheringham whilst poor Henry was trying to prepare for the second trip.

Back in Sheringham again and after hooking off we took our photo-call, but by now it was getting late and we didn't have many footplate visitors. I piled into the tender, intent on helping Henry get ready to fire the Light Engine trip and making sure he had enough coal to prepare well for disposal. Christian offered me the driving seat which of course I relished, and I tried to take heed of his suggestion from last time that I should take it easy with the regulator.

He didn't say anything through the whole trip - I hope it was OK!

Henry was well prepared for disposal and we arrive with 200 on the clock, with the fire hot and the boiler well up. There was still a lot of clinker on the grate which he dealt with with the irons:

There was loads of ash. The ashpan sprinkler was put to good use, and I stayed behind on the pit to shovel it out:

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is that for 2022, my third year on the railway. The plan for 2023 is to crack as many turns in as possible, to bring my total firing turns up to 60 and to consolidate experience. No other aims, though it would be nice to achieve full Fireman at some point - I have to complete two more cleaning turns and do an assessment, but that's all.

Happy New Year!