Gorgeous Blonde on the Footplate

3850's disassembly is progressing well, the following pictures are from Saturday 7th.

Paul in the smokebox, loosening the superheater elements

Whistle about to be removed, permitting the cab roof to be lifted

Ian heating up the bolts holding the injector feed pipe to the clack valve assembly

Mark (L) and Mike loosening a cab window

Steve makes off with a cabside window

Mike teaches one or two recalcitrant fastenings a lesson with an angle grinder

Rob does the same

Meanwhile, Ben (L) and Andy remove 5542's washout plugs

Back on 3850, there was a tug of war to extract the superheater elements

Eleanor cleaned up smoke box saddle fittings for Foremarke Hall

Lifting 3850's cab roof (photo courtesy of Mark Harding)

3850's cab roof removed (photo courtesy of Mark Harding)

 Moving on to this weekend, on Saturday, I was rostered to fire the first round trip of the Race Express.  This was a non-stop run to Cheltenham Race Course, a leisurely half an hour to run around the stock, followed by an empty coaching stock return run back to Toddington. 

Driver, Jeff, oiling up 2807.

2807 had been left overnight on the ash pit as the Permanent Way team were in the process of carrying out track works in the yard which would have trapped us in there.  One of the old lathes from the workshop is being disposed of as surplus to requirements, it was sat alongside us .

 A fine trio of cleaners were on hand to get 2807 looking her best

L-R, Eleanor, James & Anthony

 One of the fireman's duties is to check that various tools and spares are present and correct on the loco before setting off.  I discovered that we only had one spare gauge glass and not the required two.  I set off to the oil store to replace the missing one, only to find out that the cupboard was bare.

Bereft of gauge glasses

 In time honoured fashion, I did the only thing that I could do, I nicked one off of another loco.

James affixes the "At The Races Express" headboard

 The primary focus of the passengers is of course arriving at the races in style and beating the traffic jams, some however have a passing interest in the motive power hauling the train and pay a visit to the cab.  Before departure, Jeff, James and I were joined by another member of the steam loco dept for a while, and who ill advisedly let an informant of mine know that he was more than a little pleased to be able to entertain a "gorgeous blonde" on the footplate.

Just three of the visitors to the footplate

 I'll name no names, but suffice it to say, my informant is now concerned that an upcoming exam on "Shunting & Yard Safety" may turn out to be rather harder than it would otherwise have done.

The railway's doctor was on hand on Saturday to give operational staff their medical examinations.  The same informant as above was able to let me know that one of our batch of recently passed firemen has put on two and a half stone in the five years since his last medical.  Clearly he hasn't been shoveling anywhere near enough coal.

Speaking of coal, I had a mildly unfortunate incident on the way down to Cheltenham.  I've seen it happen to others before and suppressed a laugh, but on this occasion, it was my turn to have my head gear blown off.  Storm Abigail has a lot to answer for.  In an unusual turn of good luck, my cloth cap was blown into the back of the tender, so once we had arrived at Cheltenham Race Course, it was simple task to retrieve it. 

Better than being blown overboard.

2807 poses with some of the race-goers.

Jeff in the office on the way back to Toddington

Carriage and Wagon always seem to coincide their tea breaks to coincide with the locos passing by

The track works at Toddington

The weather forecast had been dire, storm Abigail was predicted to dump huge amounts of rain on us on the tender first run back to Toddington, which in the more than slightly exposed cab of 2807 wasn't going to be fun.  Mercifully, Abigail was late (a woman's prerogative I am led to believe) and probably dumped all her rain on the afternoon and evening crews instead.

The relief crew for the afternoon, turned out include a first official firing lesson for Aaron.  I noticed that he was using a laptop computer case as a footplate bag.  Having checked online, I have discovered that proper leather footplate bags will leave a £145 dent in your wallet, so it is no surprise that Aaron has decided that a laptop bag will suffice.  I'm sure that I paid less than half that amount for mine.

Bag from the wrong end of the industrial revolution

Sean (L) and his pupil, Aaron

 Now that three containers have been removed from the yard, there is a decent amount of space behind the goods shed/machine shop.  There are tentative plans afoot to get a mess building erected on the site.  John was keen to let it be known to anybody that might be able to approve a budget or raise/provide funds, that the existing mess coach is far too crowded at peak times, standing room only at lunch times for instance:

The sardine express

 I had an engagement elsewhere shortly after my firing turn, for which I wanted to look vaguely presentable (which lets face it, I don't usually manage at the best of times).  For this, a shower in the shower block was in order.  Given the propensity for practical jokes by certain parties, my request for facilities in the proposed new building would include a shower block, with cubicles large enough to accommodate both a shower and enough space to keep your clothes/towels dry.  I find that on the occasions I use the showers in the yard, that I need to furtively check that nobody has observed me entering them, for fear of my towel, or even worse, my clothes being nicked from the area just outside the cubicles. 

Once I had successfully showered, I took a brief look around inside the shed to find out what was going on.  3850 seemed to be the primary focus once again. Freeing up the bolts securing the smokebox to its saddle is never an easy task, James, Jonathan & Cliff were giving it a go.

James inside the smokebox

Jonathan (L) & Cliff putting a bit of muscle into shifting a nut

 Whilst we're on the subject of shifting things, Phil spotted a souvenir that he thought he might make disappear into his pocket.  It proved to be rather too large and has now been safely removed to a secure location.

Phil tries to abscond with a trophy

Eleanor had painted the inside of Foremarke Hall's tender

(L-R) Steve, Phil and John debate how to spruce up a Santa Special headboard

Roger cracks on with Dinmore Manor's tender brakes

Steve decided that he wanted to pose for a picture

And finally, anybody who could claim even the most tenuous connection to Dinmore Manor has been over to the Severn Valley Railway at the weekend to take a look at their "Manor 50" event, which included our own Dinmore Manor as a guest loco.  Slots on the footplate as owner's representatives were highly sought after, but I managed to arrange for a round trip on Sunday morning, which included a non-stop run from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth.  The fact that this leg would be tender first and storm Abigail had not yet finished inflicting herself on the country had not escaped my attention.  It was with some trepidation (and a large over coat) that I arrived at Bewdley before dawn on Sunday.  As it turned out, Abigail smiled graciously on the event and passed us by, in fact for a brief while, and very much in spite of the weather forecast, the sun made an appearance. 

Once we arrived at Bridgnorth and the worst of the dangers of the weather were past, we were also very kindly given a guided tour of Bridgnorth shed by somebody who's name I'm afraid I missed. 

Driver Jason (L) and fireman Carl before we returned from Bridgnorth

The use of Scottish coal kept Carl busy and the exhaust from the chimney dark

Setting off from Bridgnorth

Jason whistles up for one of the many crossings

 One of Dinmore Manor's sister locos, 7812, Erlestoke Manor had been nicely bulled up for the occacsion.  I'm not sure why, but I am sure that somebody will write in and tell me, that she was sporting a Talyllyn Railway headboard.  The event was supposed to be in commemoration of the fact that it was 50 years since BR stopped using Manors on the famous Cambrian Coast Express. The three Manors present, 7802, Bradley Manor, 7812, Erlestoke Manor and 7820, Dinmore Manor being the last three to be withdrawn, Dinmore Manor being the last one to work the Cambrian Coast Express.

Crossing Erlestoke Manor at Hampton Loade

One of the many occasions Carl cleaned the cab floor with the pep pipe

Waiting at Arley

The less common view of a loco on Victoria Bridge

You'll be pleased to know that Dinmore Manor's extended tour of other railways is now over for the year and she will be returning shortly to take part in our Santa Specials.