This is going to be a short post, because there are never many pictures on a firing turn.
Today, I'm out with Driver Steve and Fireman Cameron - I'm rostered Third Man, as there's only a few turns this month all concentrated into half term week. For a change I'm on shed first, at 06:00. I'm booked for eleven hours and fifty minutes today, one of the longest turns in the timetable.
Today we have the BR Standard Class 4MT, No. 76084 which is in it's last ten months of it's (extended) boiler ticket. It's a great loco for this railway. I clean out the smokebox, & firebox and light up.
To be honest, I probably put a bit too much coal on too early, as I had a bit of smoke out of the door - or maybe I could have left the scoop out a bit longer. Anyway, after a while a little blower had it sorted and we quickly made steam. Fireman Cameron cleaned the footplate and looked after the fire while I hopped up on the running plates and polished the boiler.
We were coaled, ashed out and the pit empty by 08:30, an hour or so early. Fireman Cameron went off to get changed leaving me to blow down and refill the boiler. Time to order breakfast and go and get changed.
The next couple of hours were quite relaxing as Fireman Cameron looked after the boiler for the first trip. I took over the shovel and a nice warm boiler for the second and third trips; we had the boiler over 200 psi and the water in the top quarter all the time. Two great trips.
I handed the shovel back to Cameron at Weybourne on the third down, until we were back at Holt on the fourth up.
With the boiler full again, I fed the fire to keep it that way and fired fourth down to disposal.
A great day.
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