Ten days to go until my inaugural turn for the 2023 running season on the 4th April, and Driver Peter and I are at Weybourne waiting for the arrival of the 9F with a short set which forms the train for today's Silver Driver Experience
But what is a 'Silver' Driver Experience? The
North Norfolk Railway website says:
Our silver experience gives you the opportunity to have two complete round trips over the full length of our picturesque line working one of our magnificently-restored steam locomotives at the head of a train between Sheringham and Holt. You will drive one trip and fire one trip spending 11 miles doing each. You will learn about the workings of the engine and the operation of our railway under the guidance of our fully qualified crew.
This package is offered on several dates throughout the year and we take two participants and their guests on each half-day experience.
The morning session begins at Sheringham at 9.00 where participants are welcomed with a bacon roll and mug of tea before meeting the engine crew and climbing aboard the footplate for two full round trips to Holt and back. There’s then time for a light lunch before catching the train to Weybourne for a guided tour of the Engine and Carriage Sheds before returning to Sheringham. The session ends the presentation of a certificate as a souvenir of the day.
Participants may bring up to six guests to spectate (they will not be able to ride on the footplate) but they arrive at 11.00am travel in one of the carriages on the train, enjoy lunch and join the guided tour. Guests are charged at £25 each.
Afternoon sessions start at 12.30 at Sheringham for participants and their guests. After checking in, you will travel by train to Weybourne to take a look behind the scenes on a tour of the Engine and Carriage Sheds. After travelling back to Sheringham, participants will meet the engine crew on the footplate followed by the chance to drive and fire the locomotive during two return trips to Holt. Guests can ride in one of the carriages of the train during the first of these trips and have free time in Sheringham while participants complete the second run. The afternoon ends with tea and cake for participants along with the presentation of a souvenir certificate. Guests are charged at £25 each.
Peter and I relieved the morning crew, Phil and Paul, to find a hot fire, full boiler and tank, and a tender full of large lumps of Polish bituminous coal - the ingredients of a good afternoon on the footplate. We ran around and hooked on, having 40-odd minutes to get ourselves ready while the participants completed the works tour. We ran down to Sheringham letting the fire cool a bit and making some water space, having tested both injectors.
On arrival in Sheringham our Driver Experience participants appeared on the footplate - they had travelled down after their shed tour and we introduced ourselves, asking how they came to visit and what they wanted to achieve. Sometimes visitors want to drive a bit and admire the scenery, some what the whole fire, drive, hook on hook off experience, some have done it before and know steam engines intimately, some have never touched a lump of coal. Everyone has a better time if they know what the other wants. This time, they both got stuck in and both proved themselves very adept at driving with some very smooth stops that I would have been proud of. We were a bit short of steam on the first trip as there were holes in the back corners - it's a job to keep on top of it when you are trying to complement what another fireman is doing, especially when the back is very hot in the middle and you can't reach the corners! The second trip was much better after some sandwiches and tea, as I built the corners right up not expecting to see to them again before Holt.
With our visitors departed, with happy smiling faces, we ran around to take on water while I filled the box again. Peter offered me the driving seat on the way back and as usual I drove too fast out of the station - it's been a while and there is no speedometer on this loco (in fact the 4MT is the only loco with a speedo) but other than that it was a pretty safe journey back to Weybourne. I attempted to coast down Dead Man's in full forward gear until Peter remined me that you use 20% cut-off for piston engines, and I spent a bit of time experimenting with varying cut-off up the hill, coasting into Weybourne around the last bend. I attempted to crawl into the station with the reverser still at 20%, but as Peter pointed out unless you are doing about 80 mph the loco will not do anything with it set that low. I notched back to 35% and stopped under the bridge.
With the token delivered to Signalman Brian, we reversed into the head shunt. I'm not very familiar with stopping points here, which was made worse by the fact that the yard exit signal - which used to be a good marker for stopping on the pit - has moved.
We arrived on the pit for disposal, with a strong fire, plenty of pressure and the boiler in the top quarter. While Driver Peter made his inspection I filled the boiler to see if #1 injector continued dropping out. We ran the ash pan sprinkler for a while which swallowed most of the water - you only need to open it 1/4 of a turn or so - but when we shut it off the injector filled the boiler nicely, until it got to the top of the glass when it dropped out. The 9F poltergeist is looking over our shoulders again.
The 9F has been treated to a new company shovel - looks like one of
these, from Heritage Steam Supplies. I didn't use it as I had recently reduced the length of the handle of my old Carter shovel and wanted to test it - it's perfect for this loco, though it does look a bit battered.
Next turn is in ten days time - Fireman 2 on a Red service; that's two steam locos and a DMU.
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