Mutually Improved

I had intended to kick off this week's blog post with a lengthy discourse on what Mutual Improvement Classes are and their history.  It seems that Ian Crowder has beaten me to it, so I can do no better than direct you to his informative article on the main GWSR website.

Saturday morning saw the first of this year's Mutual Improvement Classes for the steam loco dept, which was being held at Winchcombe and addressed by Andy and David of the 35006 restoration group.  What were they going to discuss?  Well the first part would cover the history of Bulleid's Merchant Navy class in general and 35006 in particular. After a refreshment break, there would be a session on the operation of the locomotives.  Drivers were delighted to learn that there were fewer oiling points on 35006 than on most of our locos, though correspondingly more greasing points which would probably only require attention once per washout.  Firemen on the other hand were dismayed to learn (assuming that they didn't already know) that the grate is as long as a Swindon number 1 boiler, but twice as wide.  Most firemen don't use gloves when firing, but the prospect of getting the shovel in far enough to keep the back corners filled suggests that obtaining a stout pair of welders gloves (reaching up to the elbow) would be a good idea.

35006 seen just prior to the 2014 Steam Gala

 Inevitably, questions were asked of Andy and David, including the obvious one.  I won't put any pressure on them by revealing what they said, but it was an encouraging reply.

Once improved (well there wasn't much scope for me being unimproved), it was off to Toddington to see what needed doing there.  The first thing of note was the shocking discovery that somebody has half inched all the track in the station:

Devoid of track

 Before you rush off to dial 999 and report the theft, it turns out that it has been removed deliberately by the Permanent Way gang.  Presumably it will be replaced in even better condition before the running season starts again.

The main thing that needed doing as far as I could make out was that 2807 needed washing out.

Brian had made the mistake of letting it be known via social media that he would be making a rare visit to Toddington, in part to assist with the washout.  He came expecting a fair degree of leg-pulling and wasn't disappointed.  He was at pains to point out however that he has taken steps to tip his own personal work/life balance in favour of life and should be able to keep his new year's resolution of spending more time at the GWSR.

Brian poses with 2807

Before any progress could be made on washing out the boiler, the last four washout plugs needed removing from the top of the boiler barrel.  Jonathan had a go at it, but didn't get very far.  In the end, it took both if us up there, along with a short section of scaffolding pipe on the end of the tommy bar to give greater leverage before they would shift.

Initial attempts were unsuccessful

The next step once the last of the washout plugs had been removed was to start the wash out of the accumulated sludge in the boiler.  That requires a source of water under pressure.  The milk tanker had been previously filled with water for the purpose.

Ernie delivered water by mistake

From the milk tanker, the water is piped to a petrol powered water pump.  It has to be said that the water pump wasn't at all keen to start. We all gave the cord a few hearty pulls and Ian administered an 'easy starting' aerosol product into the air intake.  Brian advised that the easy start product has a very different trade name in Australia.  I looked it up, he was right.  I should add, don't follow that link if easily offended or depending on browsing policies, when at work.

Steve pulls the starting cord, Ian applies a spray of easy start, Brian supervises.

From there, the water was pumped through a reel of fire hose to a tap and thence through a narrower bore of pipe into the boiler.

Brian operating the tap on the pipe

Finally at the wet (ok, wetter) end of the water delivery mechanism was Jonathan.  The process was to start at the top of the boiler and using the hose pipe spray off as much built up sludge in the boiler as possible.  Fortunately we use water purified by reverse osmosis in our boilers, so the sludge build up isn't so great as it would have been otherwise. Nevertheless, washouts are still required on a regular basis to help maintain efficiency at raising steam.

Starting at the top with the hand hole doors

The water was sprayed in liberally in various directions through each hand hole door, then washout plugs, each time whilst monitoring the result falling out of the mud hole doors.  Once the effluent changed from a muddy brown colour to clear, it was time to move on to the next aperture.

A fair amount of 2807's brick arch was in the pit as well, the old one having been removed. Presumably a new one will be built soon.

Water draining out of the bottom of the boiler

I don't think that we have a hose pipe on the entire railway that doesn't have a leak somewhere and this one was no exception.  It was mitigated by a an oily rag tied over it.

You should have seen the spray when the rag slipped

Once the hand hole doors and washout plugs on the top of the boiler had been done, it was time to do the ones on the back head.

Jonathan washing out from the footplate

One of the tricks that might get played on a novice cleaner is to get them to clean the cabside number plates of 2807.  The joke being that they have been varnished and no amount of Brasso (other brass cleaning products do exist) will make any difference.  It has been noted that the varnish is now beginning to come off, probably as a result of too many novice cleaners being tricked, so Roger removed one to give it a fresh coat of varnish. 

Roger (and Gil in the cab) removing 2807's identity

The water pump ran out of fuel at this point, so whilst Steve hunted out some more, Brian posed for another supervising photo.  You'll note that by this stage, Jonathan had noticed that being at the sharp end of a boiler washout wasn't the driest job on the railway and had taken measures to keep dry, i.e. he had pulled his hood up.

Brian supervises

Once the backhead washout plugs had been attended to, it was time for the ones on the sides of the boiler

Getting lower down on the boiler now

And once they were done, the ones in the smoke box were next in line.

Jonathan in the smoke box

Finally the washout plugs by the foundation ring

All that was left after that was to drain the hoses and put the kit away.

Jonathan drains the hose.

By the time the washout was completed, Jonathan was heard to remark that he felt that he should have been wearing a bikini given the number of photos that I had taken of him.  There was a bit too much of a cold wind blowing to make wearing a bikini advisable on Saturday, perhaps in the summer.

And finally, I noticed this obviously GWR chimney on the move.  A quick investigation showed that all of our GWR locos still had theirs in place, so where was it from.  It turns out that it's a spare one owned by DMLL which is originally off of a Hall and which ran on Dinmore Manor in the early part of her first boiler ticket.  Apparently it will reappear on Pitchford Hall on the Great Central Railway in the near future.

Surprisingly heavy and difficult to move