Turn 142 - Firing the 4MT

 Another green (one steam and the DMU) service, on a Monday this time. Third Man Ben has just lit up and Cleaner Dave is working on the boiler when I show up at 06:30 and after I’ve checked out what is going on I do the most important job of the morning:

After tea I collect the lamps and make sure the water is filling the tender, then pay a visit to Ben who is raising steam using ovoids - this is quite a challenge as you need to get them hotter than fossil coal to get the fire going. We get some extra wood and then head over to the Y14 to collect some fossil coal with a barrow. This can generate the heat to get the ovoids burning:

We got a call from RO Peter to tell us that Driver Steve wasn’t going to make it but that Driver Keith was on the way. As it was already 07:30, I suggested I oil up the loco.

Starting with the motion on the driver’s side, I worked forward taking in the lubricator and the oil boxes for the pony truck, then down the other side and moving onto the running plate to drain the lubricators and oil the regulator. When Driver Keith arrived, I explained what I had done and he pointed me at the bearing surfaces on the back of the pony truck wheels, the cross head guides, the buffers and couplings and the buffer between the loco and tender.

We don’t normally clear hopper ash pans in the morning, since they survive better if the new, hot ash is made to drop onto old wet ash, so they are cleaned in the evening the morning ash wetted and left to protect the pan throughout the day. You always have to check though and this morning there was too much ash to get the damper open, so we cleaned half of it out.

I fired the light engine trip down to Sheringham, followed by the first round trip and second up trip. Third Man Ben took over for the second down so that he would be ready for the third up, and he fired for the rest of day. We planned to get him to do the first and second with no help next time, then after that he would do a full day on the shovel.

I spent the rest of the day coupling on and drinking tea:

There were lots of TRs at Holt, with a couple of MGs thrown in. A TR Driver Club run?

After a relaxing day, we disposed the loco and I cleared the pit, keen to get my hands on a shovel again.

I’ll be back again tomorrow for a First Aid Training course.

Turn 141 - Firing the 4MT

 Summer is here, and the dehydration tablets are dissolved in the water bottle - we don't want to get into trouble on a hot footplate in the midday sunshine. On shed at 06:30, half an hour before I’m supposed to be there but you never know what’s gone wrong…

Cleaner Dave lit up and went to clean the paint while I brought fire on ready to blow down. By the time we went on the pit the tender was completely empty and we were treated to a bucket of coal followed by a bucket of ovoids, so I could do the first few trips on decent fuel. Ovoids are OK actually, just different.

Driver Andrew and I were unexpectedly joined by Third Man Harry as we arrived to collect the token in the platform. It’s good to have a Third Man along, it makes for a much more relaxing day!

I did all the firing except for the 3rd trip. I made sure that we had plenty of coal in the back, right up to the fire hole door and filled in the front before we went out of Sheringham and whilst we waited at Weybourne, and was rewarded with a full boiler and a hot fire at the end of both ascents. Of course, repeating what I did on the first trip for the second trip resulted in a bit too much heat, but the 4MT is relatively easy to control and I didn’t blow off.

For the third, Driver Andrew gave up his seat after the second down trip and took control of the fire for the run around and watering, as well as the third up, He was worried that it wasn’t making much steam on the way up, and I was notching up to 35% as soon as I could to avoid taking too much out of the boiler.

The fire needed cleaning - there was a lot of ash but no clinker. Feeling rather guilty, we ate ice-cream while he cleaned the fire.

The driving included two run rounds and watering which went well. After the Mixed Traction Gala I had realised that the professional DRS drivers do all their braking outside the station and then crawl in, so I tried slowing right down to 5 mph on the approach and then going in, leaving the final braking until I could see where I was going to stop. The train almost stops itself and it’s much easier to stop in the right place, though my stops were a bit more sudden than I would have liked. Andrew was happy and said so which was very kind.

We did the last trip on ovoids which true to form took ages to get hot but when they did they stayed on the grate as a hot thick mass. We arrived on shed full of water at about 180 psi which was fine.

Next, same service, probably same loco, next Monday. Bring it on.

Turn 140 - Second Man at the Mixed Traction Gala

 Another unusual timetable today. Driver Andy and I are rostered to the Class 31 for most of the morning followed by a transfer to relieve the crew of the Class 37. 

Our first job is to prepare and start up the 31 & the 66. Andy is a professional driver and does this all the time, so I get to do the whole job on both locos under his watchful eye.

The next job is to fuel the 31, then go down to Sheringham for another railway breakfast, supplemented today by some extra black pudding from Andy, who doesn’t enjoy the bloody delicacy.

We did the first up trip on our own, with Andy driving; I drove down to Weybourne, where we picked up the 66 on the front. We were scheduled to stop a loco length before the end of the platform, and should have agreed where that was and maybe I wouldn’t have stopped short! Stopping short is not a happy situation, because a passenger may attempt to alight onto the platform ramp and injure themselves; you can’t safely correct the problem because someone may have opened a door already - one of the reasons we have central door locking on the main line nowadays.

So that was the end of our independence - we spent the rest of the day as a brake translator for the 66 or sitting on the end of the train dragged around by the 47 or the 9F. Brake translators are required because the 66 is air braked - the stock is vacuum braked, so the 66 operates the air brakes on the 31 and the 31’s dual braking system applies the vacuum brakes on the train.

The 66 is a Canadian design, and isn’t to my taste aesthetically but it’s quite a beast. 

Of course the hot weather is here now and we are in the season of lineside fires. We had a grandstand view of Fireman Sid and Guard Henry dealing with one caused by the 9F:

The end of the turn came in the form of a relief crew waiting for us at Weybourne.

Normal service will be resumed next week!

Turn 139 - Firing the 9f: Mixed Traction Gala

Here comes what promises to be a busy weekend - the 2023 Mixed Traction Gala, where the railway showcases the diesel fleet supported by some visitors.

Today though, Third Man Sam and I are crew to Driver Fozz on the splendid BR Standard Class 9f, 92203 'Black Prince. I've not fired her for a while so this will be a real treat.

We start the day cleaning the smokebox & firebox and light up. I bring the fire round while Sam cleans the paint and Fozz lubricates everything; then it's onto the pit for blow down and coaling.

We return to the shed to let 76084, the BR Standard 4MT onto the pit as we are to go down together. There will be lots of unusual movements, double heading with steam and diesel and playing Tail-End Charlie for other locos. Our movements are:

• down to sheringham LE with 4MT
• up to Holt double heading behind 4MT
• wait for almost an hour
• down to Sheringham double heading behind the Class 47
• Into the loop, take water after a few other train movements
• up to Holt on our own train
• down to Sheringham double heading behind the Class 31
• up to Weybourne double heading behind the Class 47, to be relieved by the afternoon crew

We have an excellent breakfast with sausage, bacon, egg and black pudding and I relax into keeping a steady fire as we allow the 4MT, at their request, to take the strain going up the hill. It's their only up-trip on the front of a train.

In Holt, there is a visitor - the BR Class 14 from Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, affectionately known as 'Eric'.

It's here all summer, so I'll hopefully get to drive it - or at least take a Second Man turn on it.

We take water once - as instructed by the operating brief, we have to follow the complicated working timetable as it's a busy schedule and access to the water crane is limited. Driver Fozz & Third Man Sam do the honours while I stand around taking pictures. Sam handles the token and the hooking on for most of the day.

We spend much of our morning being hauled around by various diesels, and I keep the fire in a big bank across back. Doing so will allow the boiler pressure to sit at 220 for ages, as long as you watch for a thinning front. If you ladle coal into the acute angle at the back of the fire the pressure the come up further. The scoop is very tired and it's easy to fire - I notice some material to make a new one is on order. She's behaving very well today though - the coal is excellent, but Injector #1 is being a bit temperamental as usual.

Next turn? tomorrow, and I'm sure it will be very different from today.

Pimp my Gronk - cleaning pilots with the YDC

Just a short visit to the railway today to help out with the Youth Development Club. The club has 40 young people on it’s books now, so they’ve decided to split it over two Saturdays in the month.

Today, we have twenty people plus a few responsible adults divided into two teams - one on yard work, cleaning the pit and the wood pile and a second cleaning the station pilots. Class 08 D3935 is out next weekend at the Mixed Traction Gala, hauling trains; freshly painted D3940, the Sheringham station pilot will be there too and Class 11 12131 will be on static display in the yard. 

Fitter Alan moves the 08 up from the back road to a suitable location outside the shed. It’s a while since I have been on one of these but I have a bit of driving experience on diesel-electrics now and know what the controls do!

We start on D3935, as she will be out at work all weekend:

Despite her seven year old faded paint she scrubs up well with oil & paraffin. As the paint is near the end of life, this is the only way we can get it to shine:

After lunch and with little time left until everyone has to leave we turn our attention to the Class 11, starting on the landward side that the public will see:

We get it all done before the kids leave, which is a great help to the preparation for the diesel-focussed Mixed Traction Gala next weekend.

Turn 138 - Firing the 4MT

It's Thursday and time for the second turn of the week, another maroon service on the BR Standard 4MT. Third Man Ben and Cleaner Peter are there when I sign on at 06:30, and Ben already has the fire lit.

The loco is pretty clean already, but Peter is going over it with oil & paraffin. I check the fire, and since all is well I pull some coal down to enable Ben to carry on steam raising while I put the hose in the tender; once I've sorted out the lamps I head off to the next important job:

On the pit, I clean yesterday's ash out of the pan, surprised there is so much. With the spark screen fitted, we go back for coal and I take one bucket - there is plenty in there already and while we will use one bucket we won't run out. In fact, by the end of the day we were using the previous day's coal for the disposal trip.

I fire down to Sheringham for breakfast:

Breakfast done, I fire the first round trip and the second up. As usual, the first up is a bit cool, but there's plenty of water coming in to Holt; on the second, we arrive with 3/4 of a glass and 200 psi, and I'm pleased with that. I try to avoid firing on the ascent, though Driver Andrew is being very economical - he's notched up to 35% at times.

There lots of people about, and we push the clock at Holt; Ben fires down, to be ready for his first up trip, our third. We take water at Sheringham as Ben prepares his fire. Driver Andrew offers me his seat for the third or fourth - I elect to drive the fourth and support Ben as he fires the third.

Driver Andrew vacates his seat at Holt. On the way down I'm prepared for the distant to be yellow but we get a yellow flag from Guard Don, which means we have to stop at Kelling.

I over-brake and stop short, twice, but at least when we arrive in Weybourne I'm going at a reasonable speed and manage to stop in the right place, and then again at Sheringham. We squeeze up, and when Driver Andrew has unhooked we set back into the headshunt and I am very careful not to pass the stop board.

Heading forward again, we stop at the water crane. The stopping point is a yellow-outlined slab at the bottom of the ramp, which is supposed to be adjacent to your window - again I am a couple of feet short, but the bag goes in and we fill up.

The up trip starts steadily and I'm quick to notch up and avoid taking too much steam out of Ben's boiler; we head up the hill with a quick brake test at Dead Man's followed by a steady climb at 40-50% up to Weybourne. I stop with the front of the train on the mark, to learn that that mark is used for a four coach train - we have five coaches and I need to have the chimney and safety valves beyond the bridge.

Ben has been working hard on the fire and I pull steadily out of the station and over the crossing. Watching his boiler pressure gauge and water level, I let the speed build gradually until we are doing 20 mph or so up to Kelling Halt, but seeing he is holding at 200 psi I notch up to 50% and speed up. The exhaust sounds glorious, and I'm rewarded by some encouraging comments from passengers at Holt.

I take the run around, managing to stop 2' short in the head shunt and have to move the loco. Running back to the dolly is nice and steady and we stop at the water crane to top up, since we won't get a chance in Sheringham. Driver Andrew is worried that the regulator is passing. A bit of investigation reveals nothing, but Andrew decides to put the loco on the train and drive down himself which reveals that I have left the regulator with second port cracked. While we search for the problem Ben prepares the fire and unfortunately, during a particularly enthusiastic swing while firing the front manages to hit the firehole ring with his shovel, transferring a lot of unexpected energy to his fingers which puts him out of action for the rest of the day. He assumes the third man job which is limited by now to handling the token while I fire down. 

Back in Sheringham all we have to do is stop, disgorge our passengers and wait for the diesel to haul our train on it's last trip, dropping us off at Weybourne. Unlike Driver Edmund, who allowed the diesel to take the load, Driver Andrew assists the diesel and I have to catch up - I have prepared the fire to fill the boiler (and I've filled the boiler) but I've not got enough heat to drive the loco up the hill - some rapid firing, blower and damper brings it around quickly enough and we dispose with a full boiler and a good dying fire.

Every day is different on the railway!