The life of a Trainee Fireman - Part 2

This blog should have been published last year, at the end of March, so all references refer to last March!

So today’s training turn was somewhat different to a normal training turn!  As Bryony eluded to in her last blog, I was lucky enough to secure a training turn on one of the afternoon “race trains”.

It was so nice to have a book on time of 1330, and not 0615, although this did mean that I had to go to work first for a couple of hours before booking on at the railway.  I was, however, very careful to ensure that I did not exceed a 12 hour working day.

My afternoon started as soon as I booked on. The early afternoon crew had to put a warming fire into the standby loco, which, for me, meant lighting up 35006, P&O.  I was looking forward to this, because although I am right handed, I naturally fire with a left handed action, so firing a Southern engine, where the fireman stands on the opposite side of the footplate, is far more natural to me.

Firing a Western loco is not natural to me, given my prefered left handed technique

After doing all the checks on the loco (it was already warm from having had a warming fire put in it the day before), it was time to light her up.  Every fireman will tell you the “correct” way to light up a loco (wood first then the coal or coal first then the wood then more coal), but in truth, so long as you reach the correct pressure at the correct time, there is no right or wrong way, just different! My personal preference is wood first, then coal.

It was just at about this time that our loco that we would be taking to Cheltenham and back (7820, Dinmore Manor) arrived back on shed.  After a quick handover chat with the outgoing crew, it was nearly time to take our loco and 8 empty carriages to Cheltenham Racecourse.

The journey to Cheltenham was non stop, which meant no stopping at Winchcombe or Gotherington, to give the fireman a chance to look at the fire and sort any issues before moving off again.  Once we arrived at Cheltenham, we did the “Racecourse Shuffle” so that the trains were in the right order to depart after the last race.

7820 Dinmore Manor stands at Cheltenham Racecourse, waiting to depart for Toddington

One of the interesting things with an afternoon race train is that by the time we are ready to depart, it has turned dark, which means we have to use lamps to communicate, not flags and arms!  As I am a trainee, my trainer, Jamie, thought it would be a good idea to test me on what light signal I would get from the guard for various instructions.  I am pleased to say that I got them all right, with the odd bit of coaching.  As I say, lamp working is not something we do a lot on our railway, so it is good to be tested now and again!  There is something mystical about being on a loco in the dark.  Not least, the fact that the train appears to be going a lot faster, although a quick glance at the speedo soon confirms that we are not!

Dark and blurred, we were really flying (at 22mph!)

The race trains are a great way for the railway to kick start the season, both in terms of crewing, as there are plenty of turns to go around, and financially, as it is always very well supported.

I am pleased to say that we arrived on time in Toddington, with no issues along the way, and a train load of very happy, some may say merry(!) passengers!

Although tired, I booked off, looking forward to my next training turn.  I wouldn't have to wait too long for my turn, as in fact I had another one just two days later!  More on that another time

Thanks for reading

Tom

Wrapping up for the winter

Playing with locos and taking passengers up and down the line is wonderful, and as the loco passes by, it all looks so tranquil and serene. However, behind all the tranquility and serenity, there is a band of volunteers who have been coming in on a weekly basis since October, to dispose (clean out) and light up the locos, ready for their next outing.

Then, at the end of the season, we have to “winterise” the locos, as they are not going to be used for a while. This includes several elements, so it is not a 5 minute job!  Bryony and I joined one of the winterisation teams on December 29th to get our hands dirty for the last time in 2020!

Each loco had been “out”, and therefore needed the fire grate cleaning and sweeping off, the smoke box swept and emptied, the ashpan washed through and emptied, and the boiler and water tanks draining down.  We needed to drain the gauge frames, lubricators, blow the condensing coils through and disconnect the pressure gauges. As I said, no 5 minute jobs here!

Breaking these jobs down, one by one:

Fire grate cleaning

One of the muckier jobs, and not for the claustrophobic, involves someone climbing into the firebox, lifting out 3 or 4 fire bars and then scraping all the ash down into the ashpan.  Once all the big lumps have gone, the grate then gets swept with a hand brush, all the way round, including the brick arch, the walls and crown sheet (ceiling of the firebox).  Once this has been done, the “lucky volunteer” can then exit the firebox for a well earned breather and back stretch!

Bryony sweeping out the grate of 4270 - head torch recommended

Smokebox emptying

Open up the smoke box door, and hopefully you are greeted with a nice pile of ash, right by the door, which makes it nice and easy to clean out.  However, as we don't live in a perfect world, the ash has normally spread right up to the tube plate at the far end, meaning that you either use a very long broom, or, in my case, climb into the smokebox to reach and sweep it all with the hand brush.  Once the ash has been removed, the tube plate needs to be brushed down to remove as much dust as possible.  A hoover would make this job a lot easier!

Tom Cleaning out the Smokebox of 4270

Ashpan emptying

This job forms part of the Fireman’s list of jobs to do in the morning if the loco were going “out”. All our locos are slightly different, but they all involve going underneath with a hose pipe and washing out the ashpan, making sure there is no ash left inside them. Funnily enough, most Firemen are normally only too happy to delegate this job to their Cleaner for the day, as with some locos, it can be a VERY messy and wet affair! They then get made to shovel it all out of the pit after the loco toddles off for the day, as well.

Boiler drain down

A relatively easy job; at the bottom of the boiler, under the footplate, is the blow down valve.  This has a safety bolt on it to stop it opening up when you don't want it to!  Undo the safety bolt, undo the valve, and out the water goes! Done!

Water tank emptying

This is even easier, as it is just a case of making sure no one is standing too close, as they will get wet feet, then open up the feed valves for the injectors. A sure fire way to learn whether your boots are still water-proof or if you need to invest in a new pair!

Draining the Lubricator

This involves draining the water from the bottom of the lubricator, but more importantly, draining the water from the glasses.  This is to stop them freezing and cracking the glasses.  One glass decided it was time to retire and cracked whilst loosening the nut, so we had a quick crash reminder course on switching glasses and seals, courtesy of a very patient Jamie.

Fully drained Lubricator glasses on 4270

Condenser Coil draining down

Another easy job (so long as you’re taller than 5’5); undo both pipes, get an airline and blow it through the coil.  Best to make sure you are not standing underneath it though, as you will get an impromptu shower, which in December is not very welcome!

Pipes split and drained on 4270’s Condenser Coil

Pressure Gauge drain down

Although technically no water should get to the Boiler Pressure gauge and the Steam Heat gauge, it is good practice to take the pipe off the bottom of these gauges, so that any water that may have accumulated is released. Water has a habit of hiding in nooks and crannies, and our owning groups may have something to say if something decided to run afoot over the next few months!

Pressure Gauges on 4270 with pipes released

Gauge Frame drain down

Another easy job!  Ensuring that the frame has been isolated from the boiler, take the Gauge Frame cover off (easier said than done for some people!), then slacken the top and bottom nuts off, and the glass should then move enough to ensure there is no trapped pressure.

Gauge Frame on 4270, cover removed and nuts slackened

Masons Valve repair

One of our firemen had booked a problem with a steam leak from the Masons Valve, so while we were on the footplate, we thought we would take the opportunity to try and rectify the fault.

It turns out that the Masons Valve on 4270 is in fact just for show (sshhh, don't tell anyone), and doesn't actually have any working parts inside it. We took the bottom of the Masons Valve and found that there was a small hole in the blanking plate, which was letting steam past, under pressure.  The decision was taken to put the bottom casting of the valve on to the diamond miller, and flatten back the surface to get a much better seal.  Jamie then put it all back together, using some “Steam tight” on the threads, and back on the loco.  This will be monitored the next time the loco is in steam, to see if the leak is still present.

The bottom casting off the Masons Valve, taken off and milled, then refitted by Jamie

Fusible Plug repair

4270 had also been “red carded” on Christmas Eve, which meant that it was no longer fit for service, due to having a very small steam leak in the crown sheet of the firebox.  This only manifested itself when the boiler was under pressure, so anyone lighting the loco up would not be able to see it.

Jamie took the plug out, after marking where the leak was coming from, so it can be repaired and reinstalled.

Fusible plug (left) and the hole in the Crown Sheet where the plug has come out from.  The yellow mark denotes where it was leaking. Note the telltale marks in the dust in the area around the leak

With the current situation, only essential maintenance is currently allowed at Toddington, so who knows when we can report on more work being undertaken!

Any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments, and we will do our best to answer them

Thanks for reading

TTFN

Tom