Firing, Fettling & Fotography

I noted last week on Facebook, that questions have been asked regarding how much longer 35006, Peninsular & Oriental S.N. Co will be running this year.  One person even cited this blog as being a likely place to find out and provided a link to it. I'd best not disappoint my loyal readership then.  None of the steam locomotives operating on the GWSR are owned by it, they are all owned by independant groups (or in the case of 4270, by a single person).  The GWSR offers the loco owners contracts with a minimum number of days steamings for each of the years that the contract applies for.  Normally these steamings are spread out reasonably evenly over the course of a year.  Frequent heating up and cooling down for a boiler causes a corresponding expansion & contraction, which isn't beneficial to its structural integrity.  The fewer thermal cycles the boiler experiences the better.  Accordingly, the owners of 35006 asked for it to be in pretty much continual service from the gala onwards (washouts obviously required some break in that) to minimise the thermal stresses on the boiler.  35006's contracted steamings for this year will therefore finish on the 24th August (all the usual caveats and weasel words regarding old locos failing etc, apply as usual).  35006 will not be visiting any other railways this year and only one next year, so her next steamings after August 24th will probably be for the "Cotswold Festival of Steam" gala over the late May bank holiday weekend next year.  If you're keen to see her in steam and haven't done so yet, then you know what to do.  The anticipated steaming days can be found by clicking here, which I note now includes dates all the way out until the 24th.  All being well, I will have the privilege of firing it again one more time before she goes out of traffic this year.
Moving on to Saturday, I had a meeting to attend to in the afternoon, so was keen to stay fairly clean if I could during the morning.  The "clean" thing that needed doing was to replace 4 of the superheater elements in 4270's smoke box, followed by the petticoat.  Best laid plans and all that.

Eleanor passing a superheater element to John (l) & Richard

Tightening down the nut on the bridge that locks the element in place

Richard, pleased with getting all four elements reinstalled

Petticoat loosely inserted into the chimney

Andrew (l) & Richard tightening up the petticoat's bolts

Later in the day, a warming fire was lit in anticipation of a steam test on Sunday

The parachute tank in the yard has been in need of a little fettling, and had to be emptied before the work could begin (well it was that or borrow some scuba diving gear).  Rather than waste the water, 35006 was fetched round between trips up and down the line to drain the tank into.

Gleaming in the sun, 35006 arrives on shed

Mark fills the tank

Dinmore Manor's tender came in for a little bit more work, the footplate has been installed and painted, a little more touching up of the paintwork was taking place.

Roger (l) & Sam wielding paint brushes

The scales have now been fully installed at one end of the indoor pit on road 7, as far as I am aware there is only the calibration left to be done now. 

Scales installed.

Foremarke Hall was the other loco in steam on Saturday, shining like a new pin in the sunshine.  A new notice board covering her BR and preservation era lives has appeared alongside the ones for 2807 and the Dinmore Manor group. 

There's also a rather tasty outline of a GWR 4-6-0 above the new notice board

Foremarke Hall was down for a "Return to Steam" trip in the evening.

Ben polishes Foremarke Hall before the evening special

Cake was involved in the proceedings too.

I was back again on Sunday, this time as the fireman on 35006.  It seemed a trifle cruel that Ash, who is probably our smallest cleaner had to deal with 35006, our largest loco.  He made an excellent job of it nonetheless, even rocking out the grate and emptying the smoke box for me... he'll go far!

Ash cleaning 35006.

 The trainee driver for the day was Paul, under the instruction of Steve

Paul, looking very pleased to have a first go at driving 35006.

 We had a footplate passenger on one trip,

Steve engages our visitor, Harold in conversation

Crossing Foremarke Hall at Winchcombe

Ash will be starting practical fireman training soon.  Judging by how well he did when I let him have a turn, it won't take him long to pass out.

Ash firing 35006.

Damping down the coal in the tender, I accidentally managed to soak my hat (you'll be disappointed to learn that that I wasn't wearing it at the time).  The Klinger (better known as Klingon) valves turn out to be an ideal location to dry out items of head gear.

Drying nicely

 As we returned for the last time, the class 24 diesel crossed us at Winchcombe. If the head code is to be judged by, our humble railway has received royal patronage.  

How come her majesty always takes the diesels and never the steam

 The tender on 35006 holds 6000 gallons, there is no need to fill it up after every trip, so we didn't.  Of course, when you do come to fill it up, it takes a fair while:

Ash at the start of filling the tender

He soon got bored of watching it.

 Usually under these circumstances, you'd expect the cleaner to get very damp boots, but Ash skillfully judged when it was time to get up and ask for the water to be turned off.

Which all leads us on to Monday, when I was back yet again (I must be a glutton for punishment) for a 30742 charters photo charter with 35006.  This was the first and only photo charter with 35006 this year, so unsurprisingly, demand was high for places on the event.

Ben (l) and Chris, our crew for the day

 We started off by setting off for Cheltenham Race Course station (where I noticed work was starting on putting tarmac on platform 2) and working north up the line.  The weather forecast had been for flat grey skies throughout the day, so I was more than a little pleased to discover that the sun put in a brief appearance at Southam bridge.  Unfortunately the wind was in the wrong direction, so the loco was in the shadow of its own exhaust.

From Southam bridge

 The wind was more favourable on a subsequent run past

Only the tender was in shadow this time

 At Dixton cutting, the sun teased us for a consdirable period of time, hiding away at the point that the loco was called for a run past and often reappearing as soon as it had passed us.  We gave up and moved on without getting a shot in decent light.

Bursting through underneath three arch bridge

Approaching the distant signal in Dixton cutting

Just short of Greet tunnel, the sun again eluded us for a while

A group of photographers and 35006 waiting patiently for the arrival of the sun

At first a little hazy light turned up

And finally, pretty good sunshine, with a dramatic sky in the background

 Moving on to the other side of Greet tunnel, we eventually got more of the same. 

Approaching Winchcombe

 Time was moving on by now, so we headed on up to Toddington for a departure shot, which if done right can look like the train is running on double tracks

Departing Toddington on ostensibly double track

 Finally, we moved on to the crossing a little way north of Stanway viaduct for a few runs past, we even finished off with a spell of good sunshine too.

35006 approaching the crossing

 The sun was a bit too high for a silhouette shot, but it just about worked.

35006 against strong sunlight

Finally, my favourite of the bunch, a pan shot.

Not too shabby.