Heading south for the winter

 

35006 arrives at Winchcombe with a southbound service to Cheltenham. 46521 waits to head north - 23rd August 2022

As much as I'd like to say that I'm about to board an Airbus A380 and head 'Down Under' to see one of my favourite overseas locomotives, specifically New South Wales C38 class locomotive No. '3801', sadly this isn't the case and I must be content with YouTube videos and another one of my old VHS videos (as mentioned in the last blog entry). The VHS video in question can be viewed here 3801: A Legend In Steam

On a brighter note, 7820 is the one who's actually heading south for a winter holiday (not 'Down Under') and much like last year, will once again be taking charge of the 'Polar Express' trains on the South Devon Railway (SDR). The Manor was prepared for her departure during the week following our Mixed Traction Gala. The photographs below show the locomotive after being shunted into position for collection. 

 

7820 'Dinmore Manor' being prepared for her winter holiday - 5th November 2022

 

 

Operating and maintaining steam locomotives is a constant endeavour and is by no means an easy task. The preparation, loading and subsequent transportation of them however, is a completely different challenge altogether. I was involved with the departure of 92203 following the 'Cotswold Festival Of Steam' back in June, and to be more precise, the separation of the tender from the locomotive. Oh what a day that was!  

The sheer size of a locomotive can be quite unbelievable at times and seeing them running on the railway with a rake of MK1 coaches or appropriate wagons formed up as a goods train never gets old. It's only when one of these beasts needs to be transported by road, that you really begin to appreciate their magnitude and presence. The term 'Hand Of God' is often uttered in model railway circles, if only such a thing existed in 4 ft 8+1⁄2" scale things would certainly be a darn sight easier. I've tried praying, but the big man upstairs hasn't responded. Thus, a significant amount of elbow grease and heavy equipment will have to suffice for now!

As many of you probably know, there are a number of heavy haulage companies operating in the country who assist the railway with the various locomotive transfers as and when required. One of them just so happens to be based a few miles down the road from me and features in the 'Train Truckers' TV series. 

Watching a locomotive negotiate narrow village streets or travel around roundabouts of different sizes certainly makes for compelling viewing. I'm not ashamed to say that I'll happily wait to let the truck out to see what mighty engine or piece of rolling stock happens to be on the trailer. However, I will confess that it can be a little disconcerting to see a steam locomotive in your rear view mirror or approaching you down a hill.  

 

92203 'Black Prince' being loaded and secured ready for her trip back to the North Norfolk Railway (NNR) - 14th June 2022

 

 

It's an absolute privilege to be involved with such fine pieces of British engineering and I find myself in awe of these machines every time I see them. I guess that's one of the reasons why I keep coming back month after month! Nothing really beats the sights, sounds and of course, the smells of steam. They transport us back to a time when things were very different (for better or for worse) and as we're living through a period of constant change and technical advancement, these locomotives really need to be cherished and valued. 

It's easy to forget that in reality, we don't actually own these locomotives (despite what it may well say on the paperwork!), but we are merely custodians trusted with their continued care and upkeep, so that future generations can hopefully gain as much knowledge, insight and enjoyment out of them as we all do now. If the number of recent coach parties and school visits are anything to go by, the future is looking rather bright.

 

46521 on shed at Toddington not long before her return to the Great Central Railway (GCR) - 26th August 2022

 

The fire seems to be doing its job on 35006... keeping the all important tea warm!
 

Anyway, on to more productive matters. I think it's time for a bit of restoration news and how about 2807.

 

Here's a general view of the situation at week ending 5th November. - Photo courtesy of Graham Bondi 

 

The tender frames have been returned to ‘flat-pack’ status and by this I mean, laid out flat (this makes the fitting of parts as easy as possible). The previous week they had been clamped vertically *. The serviceable spring hangers have been fitted with another four new ones being cast soon. The horn guides have been fitted on the left hand frame, and (in the distance) the support brackets for the front steps have been temporally bolted on ahead of riveting. Close inspection of the centre of the photograph shows the two steam pistons fitted to their crossheads. There is a problem here: the machined surfaces of the crossheads are not quite parallel with the piston rods. It is very likely that they will have to be returned to Tyseley for further careful machining.

 

* Earlier on in the restoration process when working on the tender overhaul, it became apparent that the front 3 metres of the frames would have to be replaced. 

 

On the right can be seen the front end of 2807’s bottom half. The smokebox is not 2807s – it is for 3850 and was sent with 2807 for her outing to Lancashire where Riley’s checked it against their boiler. 2807s boiler is progressing up there and the group have recently received a short video of the barrel being riveted. 

 

Speaking of 'heading south' as per the title, we now turn our attention to the Southern Region and 35006.

 

35006 sporting a look more akin to something out of 'Mad Max' rather than 'Merchant Navy'!  

 

Now I could say that this is the newly improved 'convertible' P&O which is able to provide the footplate crews with some additional air conditioning during those infrequent hot summer days of operation, but then that would be skirting from the truth somewhat. It looks like this at the present time for very good reason.  

 

The cab-side panelling has been removed on the fireman's side purely as a means of gaining access to some of the internal workings behind (as illustrated in the photographs), specifically an annoying leaking pipe joint on the steel steam heat pipe (bottom right). The pipe in question has been removed going forwards so that the joint can be remade using stag jointing compound and plumbers hemp, which sounds like a fun job! 

 

When we think of the Southern Region, London's Waterloo Station is probably one of the first places that comes to mind. This is rather appropriate given that it was one of P&O's main calling points back in her mainline service career with the Southern Railway (SR) and then British Railways (BR), not forgetting visits to the nearby Nine Elms Depot (70A). P&O spent her entire working life based at Salisbury Depot (72B). 

 

Two of Oliver Bulleid's 4-6-2 'Pacific' locomotives are seen here at the end of the Waterloo platforms. 34040 'Crewkerne' & 35006 'Peninsular and Oriental S.N. Co.' - Photo © Andy Parrett (cc-by-sa/2.0)

I happened to come across some colourized footage of Waterloo Station dating from the 1930s. See Here

 

Moving back to things on home turf, here's a view of the main steam shed looking in the opposite direction. Having a large space such as this is invaluable, especially during the winter months with the shorter days and increased possibility of inclement weather. There's only so much you can achieve in the driving rain or snow! I'm sure those who own classic cars or bikes with a garage (preferably heated!) can relate to this.  

 

The view inside Toddington 'DP' shed. 4270, 7903, 3850, 35006, 2807, 2874 (just in shot on right) and D6948 on the jacks. (Wheelsets are 3850’s) - 5th November 2022 - Photo courtesy of Andrew Beale

Earlier in this instalment I talked about seeing locomotives in your mirrors, and on that note, I'll leave you with the following photograph. For the avoidance of any doubt, my car was stationery and not running at the time.  

I'm not quite sure where the coal goes in this one? Any ideas folks? D6948 at Toddington.- 24th September 2021

Until we meet again at the coalface... it's goodbye for now.

Alex (the sooty one!).

P.S. In food related news, I'm pleased to report that my stockpile of mince pies is slowly increasing!

All published photographs are my own unless otherwise stated/credited.

Full Steam Ahead!

Long term followers of this blog would be forgiven for thinking that we’re all still sat around enjoying the mulled wine and mince pies, but alas, a whole ten months has passed us by. The snow, Father Christmas and the mince pies are all but a distant memory, the disappearance of the latter being a particular disappointment to me. Absence makes the heart, or should that be stomach, grow fonder!

 

A little about me. I have had an interest in railways from an early age ever since watching a collection of VHS videos about Steam Trains belonging to my late grandfather. Films such as 'A Steam Train Passes', 'Steam On The Settle & Carlisle', and '3801: A Legend In Steam' from the 'Great Trains' series dating from the mid to late 1980s just might sound familiar to some of you. Not forgetting of course, the heavily used Duplo train-set that my parents bought me in my formative years (which broke down!). Unfortunately, the motor in the locomotive had failed and Duplo kindly sent out a brand new diesel. I must stress that a steam locomotive option wasn't available at the time!  

Here's one of the aforementioned VHS videos on YouTube: Steam On The Settle & Carlisle

 

Frankly, if it runs on rails then you can pretty much guarantee that I'm interested in it, whether that be steam, diesel or electric. I come from an IT support and retail background with aspirations to join the mainline, so it was only natural that I would get involved with the heritage railway movement in one form or another at some stage. I applied to join the GWSR Steam department back in January 2020 and after almost three years down the tracks, with a global pandemic thrown in for good measure, I find myself still here and strangely attached to the place! I can't really fathom why that is however? 

If I’m not cleaning, disposing, or lighting up an engine, I can usually be found drinking tea or scoffing food of some description, normally out of my rather distinctive blue picnic bag, which some in the department believe is akin to Doctor Who’s Tardis – I’m pleased to report that there have been no sightings of the Daleks or Cybermen just yet! Anyway, I digress and we must move on to more important matters at hand. I was recently asked to contribute to this blog and so hopefully, if you’re still reading, you’ve got an appetite to continue further. 

7820 ‘Dinmore Manor’ being prepared on shed – 1st July 2022

Summer has sadly come and gone for another year, complete with heatwaves, fires and ice cream, and that’s just on the footplate! You’ve got to have your wits about you though, as you may end up with an impromptu shower, courtesy of the fireman armed with the pep pipe! The past ten months have been a busy time for the railway and especially the steam department. We opened for services in mid-March with the race trains, which were a roaring success, and brought a much-needed return to a sense of normality, for both crews and visitors alike after the trials and tribulations of the past couple of years. It was great to see so many back in the saddle, so to speak. The odd tipple or should that be several, certainly added to the entertainment for the racegoers!

47109 ‘Joyce’, 92203 ‘Black Prince’ & 34028 ‘Eddystone’ on shed – 29th May 2022

Early June saw return of the ‘Cotswold Festival of Steam’ (CFOS) with no less than nine engines in steam. This year’s theme being the ‘Somerset & Dorset Remembered’. Many months of planning, long hours, dedication, and sleepless nights for a great number in the department resulted in a truly spectacular event. Judging by the smiles from visitors, both young and old, all of the effort certainly paid off. A personal highlight for me was being given the opportunity to light up 92203 for its steam test prior to the gala. This was an interesting experience due to the 9Fs surprisingly shallow firebox, which took me by surprise upon first glance. Incidentally, ‘Black Prince’ was the first steam engine that I saw when I first visited the GWSR back in 2007. Oh, how time flies!

BR Standard 9F 92203 ‘Black Prince’ prepares to leave shed – 2nd June 2022

One of the joys of a gala besides all of the hustle and bustle in the department, is having visiting engines and their representatives at the railway. It is a great opportunity to learn, share ideas, knowledge, and not forgetting the obligatory friendly banter. It’s what makes it all so worthwhile. With five visiting engines on shed, as a loco department, you could say we were very spoilt for choice.

This year we were fortunate in that we had 46521 to stay with us for the summer months and as much as we love our home fleet, it’s always exciting to have something different to get to grips with. Being a Swindon built machine and having spent the first 10 years of its operational BR career allocated to the Western Region (based at Oswestry and Brecon), the GWSR was a rather fitting location for the Ivatt to take a summer holiday. Eagle eyed readers may recall that 46521 visited us previously for the ‘Cotswold Festival of Steam’ back in 2016, not to mention that the loco also had a starring role in the 90s sitcom ‘Oh, Doctor Beeching!’ carrying the name "Blossom".

LMS Ivatt 2-6-2T 41312 & LMS Ivatt 2-6-0 46521 on shed – 2nd June 2022

An interesting fact with warming fires on 46521 is that unlike Western engines, the fire is placed down the front under the arch.

The summer months also meant the return of the ‘Fish & Chip Specials’ which are always well patronised. One of these days I’ll hopefully manage to get a seat on board and it’s ‘Cod & Chips’ for me if anyone’s asking? You’ve probably noticed that I’ve raised the subject of food once again, but in my experience of being a member of the steam dept, good sustenance and copious amounts of tea are mandatory requirements for optimal function, much like coal and water are for steam engines!

 

LMS Ivatt 2-6-0 46521 warming up on shed. Smoke can be seen so I must have been doing something right! – 24th June 2022

 

A pair of Bulleids! - 35006 ‘Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co.’ & 34028 ‘Eddystone’ on shed – 6th June 2022

As June progressed it was time to say a fond farewell to some of our gala visitors. 47109 ‘Joyce’, 34028, 41312 and 92203 all returned to their respective home railways, and whilst their visits were only fleeting, their time with us will not be forgotten in a hurry. Who could have envisaged that two Rebuilt Southern Pacifics would be working together crossing Stanway Viaduct? A truly magnificent sight to behold and one to be remembered for years to come. It certainly went down well judging by the sheer number of YouTube videos and photographs on the various social media channels!

LMS Ivatt 2-6-2T 41312 loaded and ready to depart – 7th June 2022

Southern Rebuilt West Country 34028 ‘Eddystone’ heads off shed – 7th June 2022

The ever popular ‘Steam Footplate Experience’ days resumed during the same month with both 35006 and 7820 taking charge of the various turns. 7903 has since operated a few of these experiences over the past couple of months. I assisted with cleaning and preparation duties on a number of days. All the locomotives performed extremely well and were greatly appreciated by all concerned. A testament to the efforts of both the steam department and the railway as a whole. I gather the ice buns are rather good, especially with a sprinkling of coal dust! Sadly, I've yet to sample them, although saying that, I was very fortunate to receive a cooked breakfast on the one occasion. 

 

 

7903 'Foremarke Hall' at Cheltenham Racecourse station - 14th September 2022

 

More recently, maintenance has been carried out on various members of the home fleet, with 35006, 4270, 7820 and 7903 either going through exams, boiler washouts and/or the necessary steam tests. As I write this, I'm happy to report that our Mixed Traction Gala at the end of October was another highly successful event, which was well attended and both our steam a diesel departments played as starting role, ably assisted by all the departments on the railway.

 

 

4270 stabled outside the goods shed at Toddington during the Mixed Traction Gala - 30th October 2022

With the winter months now with us, our regular services have come to a close for the season. We now turn our attention to the 'Santa Express' trains and our 'Mince Pie Specials' during the festive break. It looks like Father Christmas is going to be in for another busy year once again, maybe we can tempt him to join the crews aboard the footplate? Watch this space!

 

Whilst the nights have drawn in and the temperature has dropped, this doesn't mean all things have gone quiet on the department front, quite the opposite. Much like any heritage railway operating steam locomotives, a department such as this never sleeps as there are always important jobs to be getting on with. Our winter maintenance period has begun and great progress has been made over the past year with the various locomotive restoration projects. More on these to come in future instalments, so please stay tuned and ensure you look both ways before you cross the line to the next entry.   

35006 heads off for her next turn during the Mixed Traction Gala - 30th October 2022

Until we meet again, I’m off to rummage in the freezer as I’m sure there may be a mince pie in there… I can but hope!  

 

Alex (the sooty one!).

Catching Up

Sometimes you blink and suddenly three months have passed without you even realising! When you have barely been at the railway during that time as well, beyond getting caught in a blizzard and guarding a few Santa trains, the time definitely seems to fly by.

Roger braves the blizzard to check 4270. 7903's crew were hiding

So, what’s been happening? Well, the GWSR steam dept is currently in the thick of its winter maintenance programme. Long time readers will know, the railway shuts from New Year to March, and the department and owning groups set upon their engines to work on general annual maintenance, plus any of those jobs that take a little bit longer to get done.

It certainly felt very festive for the first Santa trains of the year

November’s Gala was a terrific success, and the promised “memories from the Gala” should hopefully still be created and published as planned. This member of Team Blog is currently dealing with a more than stressful house move which has drained the creative spirit, so bear with me.

Cheltenham Racecourse once again opened to the public, so our standard November race trains ran smoothly, just before the south end of the line closed for a very large crane at Winchcombe.

Winter always makes for some stunning pictures

This meant that the usual Santa’s from CRC couldn’t run again this year. The slightly significant detail that the crane was sat over the points at the south end of Winchcombe station meant we needed to run with our compatriots in the Diesel department in order to get back from the North Pole. From a guard’s perspective, it made for a nice break from the norm. From the footplate, we’ll I’m not actually sure as the universe saw fit to deprive me of my Santa footplate time, for once not just because of Covid!

7903 awaiting the off

The Santa trains themselves were a great success, and were very much enjoyed by the crew who enjoyed the complimentary hot drinks and mince pies. Upon the cancellation of the post Christmas trains, I heard a rumour that that week’s crews got even more mince pies than normal, which I presume were heartily enjoyed! For now, we settle and let the engines enjoy their holiday. 

Mince pie anyone?

Readers, I shall confess now I’m not sure when the next update will be posted. Whilst hopefully the aforementioned house move bears fruit, it will eat up my weekends for the foreseeable, potentially until we are back running again, and I very kindly gave my spies time off for good behaviour! If any more spies fancy popping out of the woodwork, they know where to find us!


A belated Happy New Year everyone, here’s to 2022!

Bryony

Back to business

 If there is one thing this guard learnt before joining the Steam department, it’s that the department seemingly runs on tea and bacon sandwiches. This therefore put me in good stead once I had joined the department and we were running again last year. A stop at Cheltenham and the ‘tip’ for the handbrake is usually followed up with a “tea?” call, and delivered with a smile once the loco has coupled back on. Now that the kitchen carriage is reattached to train 1 post Covid, bacon sandwiches are also offered if there’s time before the first train of the day. It’s all about teamwork, am I right?

All jokes about favours being acquired aside, finally being out on the footplate brought a whole new appreciation for how hard a working day can be. It was the standard “you think you know until you actually do it”. Even now I’m trying to wrap my head around how and when everything is supposed to happen, and I’ve experienced first hand how having something simply appear when you don’t have time yourself can make a big difference to the next trip, especially if you’re tight on time.

“Bribing” our retired blogger into writing the post about his successful assessment as a driver had its perks though, as I was out on the opposite footplate on the day of (on the 5.30 start so mentioned) and I have only been on a footplate once since, so had very little to talk about! Balancing a roster in two operational departments can be hard work, so thank you roster clerks (I know you’re both here)!

It does present good photo opportunities

A couple of people have stepped forwards about timings for the arrival of the now retired mess coach; one source said they had been reading old “Cornishmans” and found mention of it being installed in around 1995! It has now officially left Toddington for the final time and arrived at its new home at The Station Kitchen in West Bay, Bridport (thank you social media)! One of our drivers came across the coach in its new home. It seems to be settling in nicely. 

The carriage formerly known as 'Tina' 

Since opening the full timetable again post Covid, things have pretty much gone back to business as usual. One thing that has changed, however, is 76077. The owning group held their first shareholders open day a couple of weekends ago, which I hear was a great success. 

Things are starting to feel a little more real for 76077

For all of our restoration and overhaul projects at the moment, the sight of things going back on rather than being taken off is a relief. 2807 is due back on her wheels imminently (I keep waiting for the joyous email to pop into my inbox) and since 3850 had its cylinders flipped back in early summer, it’s slowly coming back together nicely. (Dear owners reps, I hope I didn’t just jinx anything, don’t come after me!)

Up, up and away

I believe there have been more than a few trips to see boilers recently, so everyone keep their fingers crossed!

GALA NEWS

In case you missed it, the 40th Anniversary Gala was last weekend, and the next blog will be 'Memories from the Gala', so stay tuned.

Apologies for disappearing for two months, life got in the way (as it does). Hopefully we can be slightly more regular in the coming months.

Hanging Up My Shovel?

 Byrony's closing words on her last blog post were "Perhaps I can convince our former blogger to come out of retirement for a post.... Stay tuned!".  Bryony's method of choice to convince me to come out of retirement to write a blog article was to bribe me with a bacon roll when I was on a footplate and she was on a guard turn. Not a bad strategy at all, and it appears to have worked, because here I am.

Since retiring from writing the blog, I have been learning to drive steam locos on our line, with a few lengthy covid enforced interludes... I probably hold the dubious distinction of having taken the longest time to get through driver training from start to finish.  My driver training didn't get off to an auspicious start, my instructor, promptly threw up his hands in horror and retired from driving steam locos altogether in a desperate bid to get out of having to teach me again. That appears to have become a recurring theme, my first four lessons were all with different driving instructors, though the first was the only one who gave up driving as a result.

I learned a number of things along the way:

1) Oiling up a steam loco in the morning is a thankless task, after you have finished clambering around the waggly bits in between the frames to get at all the oiling points, you usually emerge wearing more oil than OPEC exports in an entire year.

2) What seems like a perfectly flat section of line to a fireman is in fact constituted of  myriad subtle gradients which can quickly slow you down or speed you up. Frequent micro-adjustments of the regulator are required to achieve a constant speed.

3) Braking... not as simple as it is on a car, getting a train to stop is easy, getting it to stop in the right place is not too difficult, getting it to stop smoothly in the right place, is nigh on impossible. My first driving report said "Stops were either smooth or accurate".  The report was accurate, if not too smooth!

4) The fireman doesn't necessarily do things that I would have done as the fireman, I have now learned to ask the fireman to take the hand brake off before departure. I also keep a close eye on the water level and pressure gauge at key points along the line.

5) The driver is the closest thing to a responsible adult on the footplate... the buck stops here.

 We have had a little difficulty getting availibility from inspectors recently, so the training manager speculatively had the 28th of August pencilled in as a training turn for me with inspector Meredith.  The plan, if the various driving trainers agreed was to convert it to an assessment nearer the time, otherwise it would have just become another training turn.  Somewhere along the way, without the training manager requesting it, it got changed to being an assessment.  I'm still a bit curious as to how that happened.

Eventually, the three surviving driving instructors seemed to agree that continuing on to assessment on the 28th was the right thing to do. I suspect that they were seeing that as the only possible way out of having to give me any more lessons.

How did the day of the assessment go?   It was an 06:30 book on time (better than the 05:30 I suppose), but even so, I decided to spend the night before in one of the GWSR's pods (volunteer accommodation) to spare me from the commute in the morning.  The day itself was going swimmingly, all the way up until about 05:45 when Tom, the rostered fireman rang me and said that he had had a bad reaction to his covid jab and could I find another fireman to stand in for him?  Normally this would be a bit of a showstopper, the only way to proceed would be for the inspector to drive, me to fire and my driving assessment would simply have had to be deferred until another day.  As luck would have it though, I had brought a spare fireman along with me. My wife Eleanor is also a fireman, and she had her blues, rule book etc with her (for a firing turn on the 30th, we were staying on site for the whole bank holiday weekend for various reasons). She kindly agreed to stand in, thereby saving the day.

Having overcome the missing fireman obstacle, yet more hurdles were strewn in my path... when I signed on, I discovered two more temporary speed restrictions (TSR's) had appeared.  I knew where the first one was from the description, the second one I thought I knew, but had to have a quick check of appendix B of the rule book to confirm that I was right. With the loco (35006) oiled up under the watchful gaze of inspector Meredith and steam raised by Eleanor, I was all set to depart from the pit when John appeared asking if I minded pulling Foremarke Hall out of the shed and dropping it off on the pit before heading off.  Just in case you are not familiar with 35006, it's not your average shunting loco.  Mercifully 35006 was facing away from the shed, so there was no need to run up and down the yard a few times to clear the cylinders of water before closing the drain cocks and entering the shed to fetch Foremark Hall out.  It all went OK of course, but it was an extra piece of work that I didn't really want to start the day with.

We ran up and down the line a couple of times, including on the last trip dragging a diesel to Broadway from Toddington and then being dragged back by it.  This brought a lot of extra factors into play, such as re-doing the brake test when the diesel had been attached and remembering to put up a red tail lamp when being dragged back (as well as putting the reverser into the drift position and not raising or destroying the vacuum brake).    Eventually, inspector Meredith decided to put me out of my misery and told me that I had passed. 

The obligatory congratulations handshake photo with inspector Meredith (photo courtesy of Eleanor)

Thank you to Steve O, Jamie C, Mark Y and Neil C for the driving lessons, thank you too to inspector Meredith for passing me out and thanks especially to Eleanor for providing the steam.

What of the future?  Well it seems a little churlish to say this (don't tell the training manager), but I decided quite a while back that I prefer firing steam locos to driving them.  I will carry on driving of course and for a little while at least will concentrate on honing the skills of a driver (you never stop learning), however I won't be hanging up my shovel completely. I'll be joining that happy little band of drivers who volunteer to take firing turns as well as driving ones. There is of course the added bonus that on occasions I may end up rostered as driver with Eleanor as my fireman, ideal if the covid restricted timetables ever have to return as we are already in a bubble of our own.

Ray
 

Another monumental moment

You wait years and years for big things to happen, and then two come along within 6 months!

Okay, so technically this is an extension of one that has happened already… The opening of the Goods Shed has meant that our stalwart mess coach ‘Tina’ has been lying dormant for nigh on four months. As happens anywhere, rumours have been flying as to what its fate would be. The good news is that it’s been sold and will be restored again, although I’ve heard differing stories as to what - to be confirmed. The bad news is it meant that it needed to be dug out of road 2, where it has lived for the last….. again, stories differ as to when it arrived and became the mess coach, so I’m going to err on the side of caution and say 16+ years! No doubt a stalwart of the steam dept who lurks in the comments section will inform me.

Anyone who has visited the GWSR will know Tina is not alone on Road 2, so Steve, Mark and Mark got their heads together to organise a “super shunt” and rearrange everything in the yard. Keith spotted that their planning meeting on the mezzanine looked rather familiar to a scene from the ‘Lion King’, and with some encouragement from me (who didn’t have a camera handy) snapped a few shots.

Everything the light touches, etc etc... cue the music

Despite the persistent drizzle, the team got to work and made a start moving the DMU stock and wagons out of the way. Shunting is not easy as there is a lot to think about, and things weren’t being moved one at a time, so both Mark H and Steve were on ground whilst Mark Y drove the shunter.

Pulling the DMU back

I nipped off to check on 35006 who was being filled with water, and by the time I came back, the road looked a lot different than it normally does!

An empty road 2!

The next thing to do was to get ready and see what would happen when they tried to move the mess coach. “Getting ready” happened on two accounts; the shunting team did all the necessary work, meanwhile a conveniently timed tea break meant the viewing gallery suddenly filled up - I believe it was deemed ‘a Guard of Honour’ was needed so of course everyone needed to be present.

There had been some speculation about whether or not the wheels would move, having not moved in 16+ years, but when Mark H and Steve gave the signal, move they did!

Toddington, we have movement!

Tina herself was present, watching from the two windows in the middle whilst in a training session

The guard of honour had significantly decreased once the initial excitement wore away

One long shunt for mess coach...

Bob very kindly let me join him in the signal box to capture the best view - thanks Bob!

A full video has been captured, I’ve just got to figure out the best way to share it! The coach was moved into the parlour road, awaiting movement to Winchcombe to visit Carriage and Wagon - no doubt it’ll appear on their blog when it visits.

I did neglect to get any more pictures as I was rostered out in the afternoon to chaperone some footplate passengers; an emotional afternoon as the dept said a ‘last hurrah’ goodbye to one of our own, who passed away December ‘19.

Picture credit - Jack Boskett

We also have some more new firemen! Fellow blogger Tom passed his assessment in late July, and was swiftly followed by Steve and Roger. Congratulations all!

Engineering and bank holiday content is coming! Perhaps I can convince our former blogger to come out of retirement for a post.... Stay tuned!

Bryony

Who opened the oven door?!

Summer has decided to return with a vengeance, making working out on the engines incredibly difficult. Water and general fluids are an absolute necessity, especially if you’re out on 35006.

I’ve been lucky enough to have a stint of alternating weekends between my departments, although it means my ability to get into the shed is rather hindered. Those of you wondering about the general engineering updates, I’m planning on contacting the various owning groups and seeing what they can provide, so bear with us whilst we get that sorted. Updates are coming!

Out on the line, 7820 and 7903 spent the majority of June and July running, whilst 4270 came in for her washout and 35006 waited patiently for her next turn. I’ve been lucky enough to be invited out onto the footplate a few times now, although it doesn’t yet feel like I’m getting the hang of swinging the shovel. Warming fires tend to not have the baffle plate in place, so my swing is currently hitting slightly too high and the coal is landing in the middle rather than the front. Ah well, practice makes perfect!

Slightly warm when it's 30+ degrees outside

We’ve seen more passengers these last few weeks, particularly families who are not very familiar with steam engines and how they work. Ian B gave a quick seminar whilst we were on our lunch break at Toddington a few weeks ago, much to our amusement. I had the benefit of our former blogger as the fireman, who handily pointed out the blog-ability of the situation. 

No idea what Ian was explaining but he must have been doing a good job!

I, meanwhile, suffered my first wardrobe malfunction whilst I was firing up to Broadway, when all of a sudden I felt a “ping” at my hip, and the button on my blues decided it wanted to be part of my outfit no more! Turns out safety pins don’t quite work on blues, so I spent the return journey holding the two sides together. Thankfully, I wear leggings underneath my ensemble, so all modesty was protected. It makes the heat a little more difficult to deal with though!

Oops! I also got the straps caught in the pipes coupling up

We picked up some stowaways at Toddington as well, though they appeared to be a little bit distracted… We didn’t ask too many questions.

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Following the lifting of restrictions earlier this month, we are now freely running for the foreseeable. We also have the GWSR 40th anniversary exhibition at Winchcombe that is free to visit, celebrating the work of the stalwart volunteers who got us going back in the 1980s. This, plus the return of the Train 1 bacon sandwich means the GWSR should definitely be on your list of places to visit this summer!

Finally, in training news, things are progressing nicely, and by nicely, I mean we have two new firemen!

Martin passed out at the end of June, and was swiftly followed by Mark last week. 

Congratulations both!