Simplified Crews

Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the last couple of months, you have probably noticed that we have started operating into Broadway.  It may only be a few extra miles to go on each round trip, but the extra time for each train on the timetable has resulted in the steam loco dept having to work split shifts on many of the running days to keep our hours under the mandatory 12 hours.  To that end, there is now a document entitled "Steam Crew Simplifier" (There's a joke in there, but I'm not going to touch it) that describes how the shifts should be split. Hitherto, we haven't normally split shifts, except for the gala and on the occasions when we run an evening service. The bank holiday weekend saw the 2018 red timetable run for the first time, and so, this was our first attempt at being simplified or split if you prefer.  Your intrepid blogger was rostered on both Saturday and Monday, so this is how it went:

We'll start with Saturday, I was down as the fireman of the crew listed as "crew 4".  The theory is that you turn up at a comparatively civilised 07:10 and prep loco 3, which in this case was Dinmore Manor, and you then run as steam 3 on the timetable, keeping it all day, including disposal, except for a lunch break from 12:47 until 13:26, when crew 1 take over and run the train from Toddington to Broadway and back.  The theory is sound, however an email received earlier in the week stated that rake 3 was down at Winchcombe and that we'd have to be ready to move at 09:45 for a light engine down to Winchcombe, pull rake 3 into platform 2 and run round, before the 10:00 service from Toddington arrived.  That in turn, meant an earlier start than advertised for crew 4.

Three locos being brought into steam

I shall digress slightly, I noticed on Saturday that the supply of cleaning rags has dwindled to uncomfortably low levels.  The gala is now nearly upon us, and we shall be needing much more.  If you have any suitable old clothes/towels/linen etc, then next time you're around, please pop them into the green cleaning rag collecting bin stationed at the yard entrance

Thank you in advance

News has a habit of travelling fast in the world of heritage railways and tends to get embellished on the way.  Reports of Foremarke Hall's demise come under that heading, I have been accosted by several people I know who volunteer on other heritage railways regarding it, having heard rumours of all sorts of dire issues. For those who are interested,  the replacement piston ring should be installed shortly, and a test run is envisaged for some time this week.

Foremarke Hall in the shed

We also have another visitor lurking in the David Page shed for a while.

Trying to run on rails... but not really built for it

We were low on coal, Jeff (the other half of crew 4) loaded up enough of the black stuff to last the weekend

Ready for the day weekend ahead

Whilst 35006 did a brake test on the wrong end of her stock, and 2807 prepared for departure, we nipped on down to Winchcombe.

2807 was more than ready to go

We pulled rake 3 into platform 2...

...and were ready and waiting by the time 2807 arrived

Eventually, we set off towards Cheltenham with passengers of our own

Crossing 35006 at Gotherington

The pump in the ash pit has finally given up the ghost, and the ash pit is now an outdoor swimming pool.  Given the sweltering temperatures over the bank holiday weekend, you might have expected to find people swimming in it, however, if you did, you'd come out filthier than you went in.

No skinny dipping here... thankfully!

For some of our volunteers, coming out of the ash pit swimming pool filthier than you went in would be something of an achievement:

Jeremy

No, the steam loco dept are not trying to revive the Black & White minstrel show, this is what happens when you  spend a day wire brushing the undersides of the running board on 3850.  The hot weather didn't stop a sizable gang of volunteers from beavering away at it.

Well OK, they did stop for lunch

It wasn't just them that had stopped for lunch, the timetable for crew 4 on train 3 would have been pretty much non-stop if it hadn't been for the fact that crew 1 who had been on site since 05:30 took over from us for a trip up to Broadway and back.  Eleanor, the fireman who took over from me on Dinmore Manor had also seen to it that lunch was waiting for me in the mess coach along with a supply of peppermint tea bags, the ones usually provided having run out a week or two ago (hint hint).

Thank you Eleanor.

Some of the stalwarts of the Dinmore Manor group, were busy drumming up support on a stand at the Bristol Model Railway Exhibition, but as already mentioned, there were still plenty hard at work on 3850's frames

Not sure who this is under all the PPE.

This is David...

...and Roger... caught on a tea break

Approximately an hour later, Dinmore Manor was back and the fire/water level/pressure were all in the same good order as when I had handed it over

Dinmore Manor returns

There was some bad news though...

Eleanor had kicked the bucket!

The timetable ran very well, the only hold up was the diesel that takes over train 1 for the last trip was a bit tardy getting on to its stock.

Jeff ringing Toddington signal box to find out why the peg was against us

Eventually we got our one and only trip up to Broadway of the day.

Running round at Broadway

Moving ahead to Monday, it was my turn to be part of crew 1 with John (driver) and Anthony (cleaner).  The turn for crew 1, is very different to that of crew 4.  Crew 1 turns up at 05:30 and has to prep two locos, on this occasion 2807 and 7820.

Raising steam

The invisible man oils one of 2807's cross heads

2807 sets off for Cheltenham with the 10:00 service

Crew 1 then takes train 2 (Dinmore Manor & the maroon rake) up to Broadway and back before handing it over to crew 3.

Anthony kindly furnished us with breakfast

Passing 35006 in the north siding as we set off... it's crew seeking cool shade on the right

A pleasant trip to Broadway ensued, several deer, hares and buzzards being amongst the wildlife noted along the way.

Dinmore Manor at Broadway

Anthony operates the ground frame as we ran round

The timetable on this occasion gives a generous amount of time to run round, which isn't true of many of the other turns.

Ready to set off again

Once back at Toddington, crew 1 can then put their feet up with a nice cup of tea and watch their erstwhile charge set off along the line.

Putting my feet up as Dinmore Manor passes by

The break and opportunity to ingest some fluids was useful, as when 35006 arrived, we had to relieve crew 3 by taking their train up to Broadway and back whilst they had a lunch break.  35006 has many fine qualities and modern conveniences for the crew, but air conditioning is not one of them.  Let's just say that it would be a perfect loco to run during the Santa season.  It read 28 degrees C in my car as I set off to go home later on, it was substantially more than that in 35006's cab.

Dante's Bulleid's inferno.

The heritage railway industry can be a very small world at times, I began chatting to a visitor at Broadway and thinking that he looked familiar, but couldn't quite place him.  I eventually clicked that he is a fireman on the Bodmin and Wenford Railway, our paths having crossed most recently about a month or so ago during a photo charter with the Beattie Well tank, 30587.

Jimmy James keeping warm on the footplate of 35006

Jimmy had had a busy weekend acting as owner's rep for one of the B&W's locos visiting the East Lanc's Railway and called in on us on his way back to Bodmin.

Once back at Toddington, we handed 35006 the mobile sauna back to crew 4.

35006 sets off again with crew 4

So there you are, split shift timetables in action and for at least the bank holiday weekend working very well.

And finally, I mentioned earlier that rumours have a habit of being exaggerated online.  There is another one doing the rounds at the moment, which I won't propagate here, but if I had a fiver for every time I got asked about it over the weekend, I could have gone out and commissioned a new build locomotive of my own.  The gala committee is aware and are awaiting hard facts.  Nihil desperandum!