It is rather alarming when you glance at your calendar and realise that it's September, a fair number of events have happened, and it's been a few months since I last updated this blog. However, much like our steam engines, these things cannot be rushed and as the old English proverb says "Good things come to those who wait". Well, that's the general idea anyway, and I must confess to being a little frustrated that things have been moving at a rather sedate pace of late (as I'm sure some of you readers are). Whenever I attempt to sit down and write something here, I find myself being dragged into another activity (although it's usually a GWSR related matter!). I really could to with obtaining a 'Do Not Disturb' sign to stick on my door, or maybe a 'Not To Be Moved' (NTBM) board would be more appropriate. I'm sure I could borrow one from the department for lets say... a month, or two! Either that, or I simply chain myself to my desk!
Anyway, you may recall that when I wrote the last general blog update, we'd had a very successful start to the 2023 season with the ever popular 'Race Trains' steaming us into action during the middle of March. Now is as good a time as any to pick up where we left off. With the 2023 'Cheltenham Festival' out of the way, the rest of March saw 75014 taking charge of our service trains along with the DMU on the blue timetable. With only one steam locomotive in operation, this allowed for further maintenance to continue on members of the home fleet. Upkeep and maintenance is a never ending affair, but having high standards pays dividends in the long run, and, on the whole, we're blessed with a high level of both locomotive availability and reliability. This has become even more important this year following the departure of the much loved 4270. You can read more about 4270 in two previous blog entries, which are available here and here.
With our Rebuilt Merchant Navy No. 35006 not required in service until mid-April, the opportunity was taken to give the piston valve assembly on the left hand side (drivers side) of the locomotive some much needed maintenance to ensure smooth operation in service (the right hand piston valve assembly was serviced around a similar time last year). As with everything on a steam locomotive, tolerances are very tight and everything has to fit back perfectly to exacting measurements. This reduces the risk of uneven and excessive wear and tear while in operation, not to mention locomotive failure in the worst case scenario. Any failures are costly to both the steam loco department and the railway as a whole. For those less familiar with a steam locomotive operation, you might be thinking, what is a piston valve?
In simple terms, a piston valve (sometimes referred to as a slide valve on earlier locomotive designs, see here) controls the flow of steam within a steam locomotive. The valve controls the admission of steam into the cylinders and its subsequent exhausting, enabling a locomotive to move under its own power. Further reading can be found here.
35006 undergoing maintenance to the LHS piston valve assembly - 24th March 2023
Another area which received attention was the firebox, and specifically the grate that the fire sits on while the locomotive is in operation. 35006 is fitted with a finger grate which can be rocked forwards and backwards to aid with the disposal of the ash/clinker once the locomotive is back on shed (and generally requires less effort with the fire irons as a result, which is appreciated by the cleaners!). The finger grate is made up of two independent rocking sections, one on the left hand side of the firebox, and another on the right hand side. The finger grate is rocked manually by using a metal bar that fits inside a receptacle which sits underneath the footplate floor (under a flap) just in front of the large firebox doors.
Over time, the fingers on the grate wear out and become life expired, thus require replacing with newer ones, much like the firebars inside a GWR firebox for example (these expand and contract with the changes in temperature), and have a tendency to warp out of shape, which is no good for a fire if there are big gaps!. The photo below shows the grate with the 'fingers' removed (there are well over 100 of them), which reveals the rocking mechanism on either side of the central section. The fingers slide on to the thick cross-members which are illustrated below. It's not exactly a quick job to do!
A rather empty looking grate inside 35006's firebox - 24th March 2023
Here is a pallet load of life expired/worn out fingers, and to say that they are rather heavy would be a bit of an understatement. New ones were transported to the loco from the support van using a wheelbarrow, and after what seemed like endless trips back and forth, you certainly felt like you'd earned your tea and biscuits! I'm rather partial to the odd finger or two, the Cadbury's variety to be precise, so please don't be alarmed, although sadly we didn't have any in the mess room at the time. Maybe I should drop a hint to Andrew as it would have been rather apt? Mind you, he's more of a Mini Roll man and seems to have a rather good relationship with the local Spar shop at Toddington!
Bulleid 35006 P&O leaving Winchcombe and into Greet tunnel - Video © kruiskop1
Meanwhile, on the other side of the DP shad, great progress was being made with 3850 and specifically the axle-boxes, in readiness to reunite the locomotive with her wheelsets. Axle-boxes are one of the more critical components of a railway vehicle. The axle-box is the housing of the bearings, which support the axle-load of the vehicle, and the confinement of the lubricant required to maintain the performances of the bearings.
Left had side of 3850, showing a number of the axle-boxes - 24th March 2023
Left had side of 3850, showing a number of the axle-boxes - 24th March 2023
One of 3850's axle-boxes in situ - 24th March 2023
A few hours later and a drum roll please... and she's down!
Well someone looks pleased with the result, or is that because the paparazzi have appeared? - 24th March 2023
At long last we are now able to tell the time! - 30th March 2023
To the eagle eyed visitors amongst you, earlier in the year you might have noticed that a new clock appeared on the outside of the DP shed. It sure does look the part and it means we are now able to check the time instantly rather than having to resort to modern technology (otherwise known as the mobile phone!). Fortunately, the clock is fitted with GPS technology which means that we don't have to resort to climbing up a ladder every time the hour needs changing, much to the relief of Nigel! At the same time as the clock was installed, the opportunity was taken to check the floodlights.
Nigel performing maintenance on one of the floodlights - 30th March 2023
News from the footplate
In more recent news, I'm delighted to report that Tom Wright passed out last month as a newly qualified driver in the steam department. Well done Tom!
Ian Butler & Tom Wright with 7820 - Photo courtesy of Tom Wright - 3rd August 2023
7820 Dinmore Manor & 45149 arrive at Toddington Station 3rd August 2023 - Video © Locomotive Adventures
I
titled this piece on the subject of time and Michael Parkinson (known
as 'Parky' to many over the years). As many of you will be aware, the
much loved television presenter and broadcaster died on the 16th August
at the grand age of 88. Much like our steam locomotives, 'Parky' came
from a very different time, a different age, and a different generation.
A time when, similar to our new shed clock, things were distinctly
analogue and we didn't have the likes of Facebook, TikTok, and other
social media platforms seemingly engrossing our lives. Unlike many TV
'Chat Shows' today, Parkinson's interviews always centred around the
guests, rather than the so-called 'Celebrity Hosts'. He will be missed.
Similar to the late Terry Wogan, he was never the star of the show, and that's why the format worked in my opinion. As the rather aptly titled studio album by Kenny Rogers says, "They Don't Make Them Like They Used To".
Terry Wogan interview - Parkinson - BBC - Video © BBC Studios
7903 & 75014 warming up on shed, 2807 can be seen on the left - 4th April 2023
Michael Portillo paid us a visit as well. The episode featuring the GWSR is currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
7903 approaches Broadway with a service from Toddington - Photo courtesy of Jack Boskett
At the African and Caribbean Heritage Centre in Wolverhampton, Michael finds out about the impact of Enoch Powell's 1968 speech on immigration in Wolverhampton and across the nation. In Kidderminster, he discovers the site of a secret wartime enterprise: a subterranean world of shafts, workshops and offices known as the Drakelow Tunnels.
In the cathedral city of Worcester, Michael joins pupils of King’s Hawford School to hear about their chosen sport, pigeon racing. The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway transports Michael back to the 1950s and on to Cheltenham, on the edge of the Cotswolds, where the town’s splendid jazz festival is gearing up for its 25th anniversary.
In the cathedral city of Worcester, Michael joins pupils of King’s Hawford School to hear about their chosen sport, pigeon racing. The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway transports Michael back to the 1950s and on to Cheltenham, on the edge of the Cotswolds, where the town’s splendid jazz festival is gearing up for its 25th anniversary.
GWRT £1.5m Stanway Viaduct Appeal
On a completely different subject, please consider donating to the GWRT's £1.5m appeal for Stanway Viaduct if you can.
Journey Through Steam Roadshow Valuation Day on track for 1st October
- Antiques Roadshow expert Paul Atterbury to attend special valuation event
- Visitors invited to bring Steam & Diesel era railwayana along to be valued
- Special event organised by Broadway Museum & Art Gallery and the GWSR
Visitors are invited to bring steam and diesel era memorabilia along to be valued including railwayana such as: locomotive name and works plates, station totems and signage, signalling items, railway posters, paperwork and ephemera, plus any rolling stock or miniature railway related items.
As visitors to Broadway and the local area will know, the hugely popular ‘Journey Through Steam’ exhibition which has been extended until the 12th November 2023, resulted in Broadway Museum and the GWSR winning the 2023 ‘Heritage Railway Interpretation Award’ sponsored by Morton’s Media, publishers of Heritage Railway magazine. The award was presented at the Heritage Railway Association Awards ceremony in Birmingham, on Saturday 11th March 2023.
If
you’re a fan of all things antiques and collecting railwayana in
particular, then this is an event not to be missed. For further details
about the event, please visit https://www.gwsr.com/ or contact marketing@gwsr.com.
Important Note:
New websites were launched in February for both the GWSR and the
GWRT, thus any pre-existing bookmarks to the main blog page via the old
GWSR website will no longer work. The new websites can be found by
visiting https://www.gwsr.com/ (GWSR) and https://www.gwrt.org.uk/ (GWRT).
All of the departmental blogs can now be found on a new main blog page here: https://www.gwsr.com/knowledge/blogs
For those of you who use Facebook, here are a number of GWSR related groups which are worth following:
DMLL - Dinmore Manor Locomotive Ltd
2874 - The 2874 Trust
35006 - 35006 Group
76077 - Standard Locomotive 76077
THL - The Honeybourne Line - a GWR mainline in the making Until next time folks... there's much more on the way. I'm doing my best to catch up, so please bear with me.
I leave you with a certain theme tune here.
