Turn 133 - Firing the 4MT

 Back to regular service trains this week, with a four trip turn on the 4MT with Driver Graeme and Third Man Matt. Matt's a professional steam driver at the Wells & Walsingham Light Railway, so I wasn't surprised to find the loco lit up when I arrived.

I spent the next couple of hours cleaning the cab and raising steam, and I fired the first trip up.

Matt fired the second and third and made a great job of it.

I fired the 4th & disposed.

Turn 132 - Firing the 4MT: Spring Steam Gala

One of the nice things about galas is turning up at 05:00 in the morning to find your engine sitting at 200 psi, with the tender full of water and coal. The shed guys put a massive effort in over gala weekends to make it all happen, and their behind-the scenes action doesn't get much recognition.

Driver John and Cleaner Liam and I took the loco light down to Sheringham to pick up our first train, which was an empty coaching stock move up to Holt with 9 on the back, 190 tonnes, made up of the Quad set and the Suburban set. 

We got up OK, but I didn't have enough in the back and I fired late going non-stop through Weybourne.

Lesson learned, we tripped the subs down to Sheringham.

Our next trip was to take the Mk1 B set (RBR) up to Holt. This was much better, with 210 psi and high water all the way. Driver John had it in second port on the way up the hill and she flew, with smiles all round.

We watered at Holt.

Back down in Sheringham again, our next job was to take the Mk1 A set up to Weybourne, 210 psi again & high water, second port again - but that was it. Our roster showed we were to be relieved at Weybourne.

Turn 131 - Firing a guest: 34028 West Country Class "Eddystone"

This week, another turn on a Tuesday and another red service - but with a difference. West Country Class 34028 "Eddystone" is here for Easter and the Spring Gala, visiting from the Swanage Railway and while both the 9F and the WD are in the shed having a few problems sorted out it has been decided that Eddystone will run through the week as well.

So late the evening before going on duty I receive 13 pages of instructions to read on how to prepare, fire and dispose this splendid machine, which is only two years out of overhaul. 

She has an excellent boiler, rated at 280 psi and set to relieve at 250 psi, and there is still 40 psi in it when I light up. She's got a rocking grate just like the 9F, much the same shape, which sticks down at the front left hand side - you have to get in and lift one of the fixed bars to get it back. I was expecting that, having chatted to another fireman the night before.

It's a three cylinder loco - here's a view of the middle connecting rod and crank axle:

Loco's with middle cylinders were often fitted with 'stink bombs' to warn of overheating in the inaccessible big end. Unless your driver is eating aniseed twists all day, you'll want pay attention to the notice in the cab:

The beast is very easy to fire - it's got no flame scoop:

You can get the coal just where you want it. What it does have, however, are two thermic syphons which produce masses of steam, and this is a main-line express locomotive with a very good boiler...

Following the instructions, and building a big bank across the back (like I do with 92203 and 90775) provides a big reserve of heat which apparently will be pulled for ward if you shut the door - as I'd been instructed the night before, I didn't shut the door. 

Looking around the loco during prep it has two dampers, outside the rails, either side of the firebox so it's wise to keep the sides covered because that's where the cold air comes in. It's easy to keep those areas banked up, like an armchair, so now I have a back and sides and it produces masses of steam.

Obviously you mustn't let the bars get exposed, so you need to keep the middle covered, right under the thermic syphons which produce masses of steam...

Sixteen times. Sixteen time it blew off - Fitter Alan was counting at Weybourne, and RO Josh was counting at Sheringham, and they were comparing notes. In my defence, the Swanage Railway minder said that it still blows off even with the damper tight shut and the blower turned down, not like Manston, one of it's class mates.

Keeping green coal on the big bank at the back does keep it cool for a while, but enough of that, Here are some pictures of the cab layout:

Injector controls - steam valves on the right, water valves on the left, all coupled to their valves with universal joints. Very stiff, and you bruise your knuckles on the cab wall bottom right.

Driver's seat. That little brass box above the reverser is a light!

Water gauges and injector isolation valves:

Handy little hatch to let you pull the coal forward:

The cab side shows a yellow circle, which means no water treatment equipment is fitted. A blue triangle means a southern loco has water treatment equipment fitted. The cab side also says '5FA' which means 5F with assistance. This means the loco can pull power class 5F freight but might not stop unbraked freight.

This next little gem is the valve for the steam driven dynamo:

Here's the dynamo. It generates electricity for the cab lights, the head code lights and the water gauge lights.

Turn 130 - Firing the 4MT

 Here we are again, the beginning of April and the beginning of the main part of the 2023 running season. Today Driver James and I are on a red service, consisting of two steam hauled trains and a DMU. We are Loco B, which today is the BR Standard 4MT no. 76084, and ahead of us is the 9F. It's going to be a full twelve hour shift today as we have no cleaners and I am signing on a bit early to light up.

Santa brought us some new barrows:

The 4MT is an easy engine to prepare and fire. It took a little while to warm up, as she had only a steam test yesterday and wouldn't have got very hot but once she starts to go you can get her ready pretty quickly. We had plenty of time, and the sun came out!

For some reason we were booked on the Quads today, which made hooking on and off a breeze as there is so much room - not like poking about under the gangway of a Mk1. I fired three round trips very happily, and we entertained several visitors at Holt.

I drove the fourth trip, with James' hand hovering over the vacuum brake lever, but I'm quite used to this loco and we had a pretty smooth run up to Holt, stopped in the right places and ran around to hook on again.

Still in the driving seat we went down to Sheringham for our last down trip, running into platform 2 - of course set A was already in platform 1 ready for the morning. Our next move was to shunt the Quads into the loop - a new experience for me. We set back to take water.

Expecting to head back light engine we set off up to the box only to realise the section starter was against us - there were a few surprised faces at the box: they were expecting us to shunt the set back into 2. We headed up to the crossing and set back onto the Quads again, to hook on and shunt them back into the platform and at last were were free to go light engine up to Weybourne, with James feeding the fire ready for disposal.

Another excellent turn. Same time next week, but I am on the 'A' service, which, judging by the fact that the 9F is on the naughty step again (injectors) will be on the 4MT again - or will it?