Achilles Report No7: Steaming in November...

Hey guys. Today, in very chilly weather, we pulled into the RPMR site at The Pools at around 12:20pm, in the Saxo as usual. After backing up to the hydraulic platform, we duly unloaded my 5" gauge engine; "Achilles". After choosing a steaming bay, I took the car back down to the car park before returning to get the loco ready. After around 15 minutes, the fire was lit. Time had been taken to pump water into the boiler, to oil up and of course to do a bit of cleaning. The loco today wore a red Poppy on the smokebox door to remember those who have fallen in war service. By 1pm, we were just about ready and we backed onto the track with a 2-car train. As the day passed, we did many laps. The loco performed very well, with no problems with steam or water. The engine's builder; Ken; was also up today and had a little drive to boot. Also on the track were a visiting electric and the club's own Sweet Pea, not to mention Jim's 'Butch' and Dave's 'Simplex'. After around 90 minutes we popped off the track for a quick bite to eat and a hot cuppa' (it was very cold!). Whilst we took a break, "Achilles" had been brimmed with water in the boiler and left to simmer, which she did so; quietly... After our cuppa', I turned the blower back on and stirred the fire a little. The loco roared back into life and we steamed back onto the track. I was sharing the driving today with my brother; Ben. The overall objective was simply to give the engine a last run of the year before winterisation. At the station, Ben fills the tanks on "Achilles" whilst Ken prepares to have a drive...
As I say, "Achilles" ran well for most of the afternoon, before having to be retired a little early with a blower problem. All of a sudden, the blower just stopped working, first slightly and then completely. Looking in the smokebox, I could see that the wire-mesh that acts as a spark arrestor was blocking the blower nozzles somewhat. However, even rectifying this did not seem to help the issue. The only thing I can think is that the nozzles are now blocked with soot and oil residue from the arrestor. You never know, this could have been building up for years. So, when I come to clean the engine out, I will clean the head of the blower and the nozzles, and maybe even take the head off to remove any dirt from inside. It'll be fine; nothing big as far as I can see. It did however kill the fire so we blew down! Mind you, we had been in steam for 2.5 hours at least. The engine had had a good run and I was proud of her again. A nice little afternoon at the RPMR. Well, thats it for today folks, off to a Bonfire tonight at my Dads. Who better to light it than me?? ;) ...