Statfold: Sunday Service And A Corporate Job...

"Fiji awaits her first passengers at Oak Tree"

Today, in gorgeous weather, I was rostered to drive at the Statfold Barn Railway on their Sunday steam service. Following the normal timetabled operation we would also have a 16:00 special to complete for a large private party, as part of a corporate event. Old Batesy had asked me if I could work this job a few months ago, whilst he and many others were away at a beer event with the road engines. Together with fireman Conor, I arrived at the SBR's Tamworth base in good time for the 07:30 sign on. The duty officer for the day: James: was on hand to let us in and we proceeded to the locomotive shed to retrieve our booked steed: "Fiji" (HC No972 of 1912)...

Barry (yesterday's driver) had reported to me last night that the 0-6-0 tender engine was a little sluggish during his turn and that smoke had occasionally been finding its way back into the cab. Therefore, armed with a tube brush, we made a start in the front end in an effort to clear things out. The smoky coal in use these days can choke up the tubes so it was worth a try for the sake of 15-minutes graft. Below, we can see the internals of "Fiji"s smokebox, with the blastpipe and blower ring visible...

Whilst Conor went off to collect the wood, I threw the iron around the fire grate to remove the remnants of yesterday's fire. The grate was then ready for Conor to light up. Tubes swept and smokebox cleaned out, the engine was lit up under bright blue morning skies. She began singing almost immediately...

Between the two of us we gradually brought the large red engine around into steam. I made my way around the engine with the oil cans whilst Conor gave her a clean and polish. She was already in great condition but a little extra never hurts! I worked this now regular Sunday service on a much wetter Sunday with the other Fijian engine (CSR No19) a few months ago. After that experience, I was pleased that the weather was so much better today! Having washed and changed, we took the 0-6-0 down to the signalbox before being called back onto the waiting stock in platform two by guard Barry. The engine then awaited the "right away" for our ECS working to Oak Tree via Cogan Halt. "Fiji" looked immaculate in the warm morning sunlight...

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After a steady trundle down the railway, we came to a halt on the approach to the balloon loop so that the white light could be turned on. These lights denote the correct positioning of the point blades, providing you the confidence that the route is set correctly. They're particularly handy during night working...

Having traversed the balloon loop, we trundled back to Oak Tree halt where we came to a stand and screwed the engine down. By now it was only 10:00, with the first timetabled service rostered for 10:30. There was therefore time for tea and chat whilst the 0-6-0 feathered in the sunshine on this lovely summer's morning...

Due to an unexpected emergency closure on the Ashby Road, passengers during the morning were quite scarce. With no one around to ride the train, we didn't run the 10:30 trip and therefore the first train became the 11:15. With Conor and Barry attending the engine, I nipped for a welfare break and had a wander over to see new engine "Carol Ann" on the 12.25" line, just across from the roundhouse yard. This big lump was built to order by Exmoor Steam Railway and delivered to Statfold in May. I quite like it. Here, "Carol Ann" gently buffers up to her short train...

Back on "Fiji", we continued to chew the fat whilst we awaited passengers...

"Fireman Conor and driver Sam aboard HC 972 at Oak Tree" (B.Bryan)

Thankfully some passengers did arrive for our 11:15 working and we left Oak Tree on time, bound for Statfold. A short while later, "Fiji" is captured on the turntable, providing the traditional shot with the Statfold Seed Oil premises standing proudly in the background. God only knows how many times I've taken this shot!...

Below, an impatient "Fiji" has the road for Oak Tree, via Cogan Halt...

The timetabled part of the day carried on pretty steadily after that, with a fair flurry of passengers. "Fiji" performed very nicely as usual, although the pesky smoke did continue to insist on joining us in the cab. (I think the base of the chimney may be a little caked up). I drove a couple more trips before swapping with Conor for two. I was then back on the handle in readiness for our final normal working at 15:00. Just prior to this trip some highly appreciated ice creams were delivered to the footplate...

With the fairly well loaded 15:00 train worked, we waited in the platform at Oak Tree for our 16:00 special. The large corporate party would be collected from Strawberry Park and we arrived there a couple of minutes early in order to load up...

"Awaiting departure at Strawberry Park"

With standing room only on the train, "Fiji" departed on time for a final lap of the line. She certainly felt the weight of the additional load behind her tender as we pulled away: standing room only certainly makes a difference! Having run the engine round at Statfold Junction for our admiring party, we took a final run down to the balloon loop where the train paused at Cogan Halt for group photographs. Everyone was remarking about what a great day they'd had, which is great to hear. With the party having rejoined the coaches, we had an enthusiastic run at the bank before running non-stop through Oak Tree in order to set down again at Strawberry Park. With our party having thanked us again, we departed ECS for Statfold. Once there, the engine was turned a final time before being returned to the shed, where Conor is seen cleaning the fire as part of the disposal process. We then gave the engine a final wipe over...

With a final breath of steam, I drove "Fiji" back into the shed where we'd found her this morning. Thanks for a pleasant day old gal'...

Once screwed down in the shed, the chimney was capped and the disposal process completed by filling the boiler. "Fiji" was then left to simmer away to herself whilst we washed up and prepared for home. With paperwork completed, the job was done and I set sail homeward. Thanks to Conor, James and Barry for their company and help today and of course Phil for asking me to do the job. It had been another pleasant day out on the footplate at Statfold. Cheers all, for now...

Going Great Central: A Standard 2 On The Night Diner...

"Green on the up section"

Today I was booked to work the A31 turn at the Great Central Railway, with a rostered sign on time of 14:15. Upon my arrival at Loughborough shed I found that my original booked driver had ended up firing Black Five No44871 back from Taunton (alright for some) and had therefore been replaced by Rob. Having signed in and read the notices, I wandered out into the yard and happened upon the extensive pile of manmade ovoids. The railway has been trialling two types of this stuff of late, with one brand fairing better than the other. The increasing scarcity of coal (thanks to short sighted UK officials) has meant that retailers are under more pressure than ever to find a suitable alternative. This afternoon our booked steed would carry a tender full of purely ovoids. I was interested to see how they'd go, although an apologetic note left on the signing in desk from last night's diner crew didn't fill me with confidence I must say!...

"The future?"

Having caught up with driver Rob and a few of the shed staff, I learnt that the diner last night had run quite late due to steaming issues with the loco, no doubt brought on by the ovoids. However, willing to give anything a go once, we awaited our turn with them whilst reserving judgement. Our booked locomotive today was BR Standard 2 No78019, built at Darlington in 1954. On shed road two, sister ship No78018 was going through a re-ring of the valves and pistons. The shot below shows the RH piston valve chest and cylinder with covers removed. Behind, the little end has also been split from the crosshead by removing the gudgeon pin. The main piston head can be seen protruding from the bore, with the rings visible in their grooves...

With a whistle heard in the distance, No78019 was soon spotted arriving into Loughborough's platform one with the returning Saturday lunchtime diner. Having uncoupled, the engine slowly made her way down to the shed for some more ovoids and of course a crew change. After several reports that the ovoids were not lasting anywhere near as long as coal, the shed staff were taking no chances and filled the tender right up for us. Over to us then...

Outgoing driver Charlie and fireman John reported that they'd had quite an energetic morning getting the engine ready, having had a fair amount of yesterday's fire to remove. This no doubt explains the note from the previous crew! Myself and Rob then took over the engine and proceeded to leave the shed for our 15:05 working. Usually we would have been hauling a freight on this timetable but we later learned that we would actually collect the wagons from Rothley carriage sidings. Therefore, with the down loop starter having risen to the 'off' position, we departed light engine for Rothley. The engine was a bit cold hearted on the way up and didn't steam brilliantly. I therefore found myself mining ovoids most of the way, spooning these perfectly formed little lumps into the firebox. By the time we reached Kinchley Lane the engine was starting to show willing again and things were back on my side. I think the fire had just gone a bit cold. Leaving Rothley she was back on the mark and it wasn't long before we'd performed a swift run round at Leicester North...

Returning to Loughborough with our short rake of wagons, I continued to work the ovoids according to what I'd heard from others. You certainly needed more to do the job and it almost seemed as if the instant heat that you gained wasn't sustainable. They would light quickly and give you something to bite on but they wouldn't last long, hence the increased quantity used. Once safely back in the down loop at Loughborough, we ran No78019 around the short train before taking it across to the up through for stabling. Here, the wagons were left for the evening...

The 1954-built 2-6-0 was soon back on the shed and I gave the fire a quick rake through before dropping the ashpan. The fire bed was ever so slightly clinkered at this point and so a quick thrash around with the iron brought things back to life. The quick to light ovoids were then used to get us some flames back!... 

Below we see a quick snap of the well turned out cab aboard No78019...

With plenty of time on our hands, we decided to leave shed and run the engine round onto the front of the waiting diner stock in platform one. This train would then form our 19:00 "Charnwood Forester" diner. In a scene not too distant from the late 1950s, driver Rob watches over the simmering Standard 2...

One thing we did notice was a feathering (passing) safety valve, which was pretty noisy even at lower pressure. This will no doubt be rectified at the engine's next repair. With pressure now nearing the red line I was reluctant to add any more of the manmade fuel until we were near departure time. Slowly but surely, as the clock ticked around, passengers for our train began to descend the stairs from the booking hall. The diners are always a pleasant experience and people do tend to come up and have a chat with us, with some even visiting the footplate if they wish to do so...

With right time almost upon us, I made the fire up for departure as I normally would, adding some extra ovoids for good measure. The engine sat on the red line (and even blew off once or twice I think) whilst we awaited the green flag from the guard. "Right away" given, off we went. The engine steamed well on the way to Swithland, with the ovoids proving to be fairly responsive against the increased load. The additional draw on the fire no doubt helped matters, although a considerable amount of ash was leaving the chimney. At picturesque Swithland we came to a stop for the usual 15-minutes on the viaduct, allowing diners to look out across the water. As our restart time approached, I added a few more ovoids...

The remainder of our first trip to Leicester North with the diner was pretty successful and we were soon awaiting our northbound departure...

Rob had kindly suggested that we swapped half way through the shift, therefore splitting the turn in half. I of course gratefully accepted: these gestures are never expected but always appreciated. Leaving Leicester on time, I got No78019 underway, tender first for Loughborough. Rob was now on the shovel and once again the pressure needle hugged the red line as we proceeded back to base. Our 20:45 departure felt like it came around very quickly and Rob made up a good fire in preparation. He also noted that we were shovelling far more ovoids than we usually would coal. I drove us to Leicester North, stopping only at Rothley to collect the single line token. Once again, the 2-6-0 steamed very well and is seen here in the dim light at Leicester...

Having run round, No78019 was on the mark again for our final homeward departure. Leaving Leicester however, the engine became a little reluctant. The fire was certainly there in terms of mass, but wasn't producing the desired results. The run home included a final 10-minute break at Rothley's down platform and here Rob began trying to reawaken the fire. By now it was heavily clinkered and in fact a lot of it looked like a molten liquid. Each time he lifted a section with the iron, the remaining mass flooded in and replaced it. The pressure was a little more lively after a stir up and we left Rothley just shy of blowing off. However, by the time we were trundling through Swithland the engine was really starting to struggle and poor old Rob had his work cut out. The state of the fire didn't really allow us the opportunity to add too much more fuel either, as it would have probably just made things worse. Although we never struggled for water, we were right "down the nick" as we say.

Luckily, thanks to the steady downward gradient north of Swithland, we could pretty much maintain 25mph with only a breath of steam on to keep everything tight. The pressure needle stuck to an uninspiring 110psi most of the way, with blow off pressure on a Standard 2 being 200psi for context. As I say, we were by no means in trouble, but it wasn't ideal! Rob used his extensive experience to get us home and I'm pleased to say that we did arrive on time, so we didn't do too bad! Having uncoupled the engine and watered her at the column, we arrived on shed with the same 110psi on the clock. Now it was a case of sorting things out. The fire was a right mess. It seemed almost as if the useful elements of the fuel had all burnt away, leaving just the bonding agent and whatever else. Eventually, we managed to clear things up to an acceptable state and No78019 was left properly disposed for the night. There were cries of "Coal, coal, my kingdom for some coal!" as the engine simmered away...

"End of shift"

Despite our trials and tribulations, it was still a pleasant evening out on the railway. I must thank Rob for his company this evening on the footplate and for the go on the handle. These new fuels are going to become more prominent as the supply of proper coal continues to dry up, so you can't knock any railway for giving them a fair trial. However, on this occasion the ovoids seemed to come up short. I personally think that they don't like the start and stop arrangement, as this seems to introduce clinker. It's a shame because when they were going well, they did go well. The amount of stuff leaving the chimney and raining down on the coaches wasn't brilliant either unfortunately. As always, I offer no official view, just a personal opinion.

Please note any views or opinions expressed in this blog are merely personal and do not in any way represent the views or opinions of any other person, group or organisation.

A Tribute To Jan Ford...

"Jan during a break on GWR 3803 at Market Bosworth" (Dec 2013)

I was particularly saddened to hear this afternoon of the passing of driver Jan Ford, a lady with whom I spent numerous turns on the footplate at Shack, both as a cleaner and latterly a fireman. I hadn't seen Jan for some time, in fact I think the last time I shared the footplate with her was on a trip with the Austerity "Cumbria" over Christmas 2016. However, in the years prior to that I had many a trip with Jan and always found her to be a pleasant and well read individual. Jan was heavily experienced with steam locomotives and had been a driver at the Birmingham Railway Museum, the Manchester Museum of Science & Industry and of course Peak Rail. Outside of her day job as an electrical engineer, Jan completed remarkable humanitarian work overseas as well as restoring her country house home at Brewood Hall. I remember hearing many a story of her time with Tyseley, where she was a regular trainer on their then pioneering 'Drive an Engine' courses. She'd driven them all: "Clun Castle", "Flying Scotsman", "Sir Nigel Gresley": all the big namers! She did however always come out with the famous phrase..."You can do anything with a pannier tank"...

"Jan at the helm of LMS 3F No47298, as Thomas" (April 2011)

Jan also kept a remarkable blog of very varied content, detailing her extensive travels as well as her railway exploits. I believe it is planned to continue the blog under the custodianship of a friend of Jan's. Her blog can be found here. In fact, Jan's blog was actually the inspiration for this blog, with yours truly being an avid reader of her posts. Jan therefore is partially responsible for the blog which has followed, although Jan's work was far more adventurous than any content I could offer. Across my years in this hobby I have met some fantastic people and Jan is one of them. A firm but fair driver, with bags of experience and knowledge. The steam engines however were only the tip of the iceberg: check out Jan's blog to find out more! Rest in peace, Jan.

Jan Ford: 1942 - 2024.

The A2 "Blue Peter" Returns In Blue...

Today we were treated to the sight of the beautiful A2 Pacific No60532 "Blue Peter" making its first run to the smoke in many a year. The 4-6-2, wearing the short lived but striking BR express blue livery, passed by us at Northampton today, working her support coach to Southall. The A2, which is part of the Saphos stable, has only recently returned to the main line following a multi-million pound overhaul at Crewe. Peppercorn's 15-strong class of A2s were built over 1947-48, with "Blue Peter" being the only survivor. A 250psi boiler plumbed up to three 19" cylinders coupled to 6ft 2" wheels gave them a very respectable tractive effort of 40,430lbs. This puts them above even the Coronations and the Kings for tractive effort, at least on paper. The larger wheeled (6ft 8") Peppercorn A1s: represented today by the replica "Tornado": came in around the 37,000lb mark. Today, the blue "Blue Peter" was having a steady run to the capital, ready to be formally launched into service tomorrow with a special charter of invited guests from Kings Cross to York. Good luck to her.

According to my memory (and my records) I can't recall ever seeing "Blue Peter" in the metal before, let alone in steam. I must say I have massive respect for LSL at Crewe for getting this fine old engine going again and seemingly sparing no expense. Hopefully we'll see her again in the not too distant future. Cheers all...

Please note that the above image was taken from land outside of the NR boundary fence.

Going Great Central: Return To The Footplate...

Afternoon all. Today I was back on steam traction at the Great Central Railway, working the A4 turn with driver Richard aboard the repaired Standard 5 No73156. Following repairs to her superheater elements, the 4-6-0 was back in action this weekend alongside stalwart Standard 2 No78019. I signed in at the rostered book on time of 13:00, before meeting up with Rich at the engineering cabin. When the engine returned from Leicester, we took over from driver James and fireman Michael. The tender was filled at this point before we ran round to the southern end of the waiting stock in platform one. I took this rushed snap of the engine awaiting departure with the 14:20 after clambering out from coupling us onto the train...

We left Loughborough on time with the six-coach train. 1956-built No73156 was her usual free steaming self as we wandered southward towards Quorn on the up line. At Leicester there was the now common extra time added for footplate visits. Therefore, myself and the two engine reps from the Bolton group left the footplate to give Rich some space with the admiring punters... 

Returning to Loughborough, No73156 continued to perform well with a light, bright fire. Resisting the temptation to over-fire with this powerful engine is paramount: she steams so well on so little. However, the issue really is making sure you keep the grate well covered in order to protect the firebox. It's a balancing act. Below, No73156 leaves Rothley on the down line with the return of the 14:20 ex-Loughborough... 

With grateful thanks to Rich, upon our return to Loughborough I was offered the driving seat on the 16:15 to Leicester North. Who could say no?...

I duly drove us to Leicester, with Rich doing the firing. It was pleasant to be back in the driving seat of the powerful No73156. A six-coach train really is no effort for her and she chugs along neatly with very little in the chests. At Leicester, having run round, we swapped back over and I fired back to Loughborough, running the fire down in readiness for disposal. After a final top up at the water column, No73156 was soon back on the shed above No1 road pit in the evening sunshine...

It was great to be back out with No73156 again today and it was a pleasure to spend the turn with Rich, who was so instrumental in the firing course we all completed last February. It was also great to see No73156 back in action after a short spell under repair with superheater issues. For those not in the know, superheater elements carry saturated steam (in a superheated engine) from the header and return it back through larger tubes in the boiler, known as flues. The action of the hot gases from the firebox being drawn across the element superheats the steam within before it reaches the cylinders, increasing its thermodynamic efficiency. Cheers all...

Please note any views or opinions expressed in this blog are merely personal and do not in any way represent the views or opinions of any other person, group or organisation.

Going Great Central: An Unexpected Diesel Day...

Sometimes things don't go according to plan and this was certainly the case with today's A4 turn at the Great Central Railway. A phone call yesterday evening informed me that our booked steam locomotive: Standard 5 No73156: had failed in service and would not be available for traffic today. With no spare steam engine available, I was asked if I'd be prepared to secondman the covering diesel. Of course the answer is "yes" as any other answer just isn't cricket. The DTM had been frantically rearranging diagrams to best suit the timetable, making best use of the one remaining available steam locomotive: Standard 2 No78019. My booked turn had changed slightly and I was asked to start earlier but finish earlier, working the 12:20 and 14:20 trains alongside diesel driver Mick. I arrived at the GCR's Loughborough base at around 11:00, in good time for our 12:20 passenger train. Station cat Onslaught was snoozing in the ops office, taking a break on this muggy afternoon...

Outside, at the head of the line of diesels stabled on the up through, stood our waiting steed: 1961-built Class 37 714 "Cardiff Canton", in Trainload Metals livery...

Driver Mick duly prepared the 1750hp diesel for service, starting the engine and making up the air for the braking system. As a steam lover through and through, I can still see why these things ended up replacing our beloved coal fired locomotives. These huge beasts are ready within minutes: no hassle, no stress. I'd imagine that if you were crew on British Rail in the early 60s and you weren't too much of a steam fan, you'd have loved to transfer into the cab of one of these...especially in the winter! We were confined to the up through until a shunt with the Class 08 had taken place. Shunt complete, we came out of our siding in order to move around to the head of our waiting train in platform one. Changing ends during a run round can be a tad tedious but it is good exercise! Soon enough, we were on the move with the six-coach train and enjoyed a pleasant run to Leicester North. Below, 37 714 climbs away from Rothley Brook with the up section signal in the 'off' position as we approach...

Driver Mick is pictured effortlessly bringing 37 714 up to line speed...

This beast really is caged here, it wants to be out on the main line doing 70mph+. I meanwhile couldn't believe how easy my afternoon had become. All I had to do was call the signals out and then do the coupling/uncoupling each time we ran round our train. The life of a secondman is quite a leisurely one in comparison to a fireman...the diesel does it all for you! At Leicester, 37 714 has run round the stock...

It was interesting chatting to Mick about diesels as we growled along the line. They're not my thing I'll admit, but a change is as good as a rest as they say. As well as being involved in the GCR-based Heavy Tractor Group (owners of 37 714), Mick is also part of the Deltic Preservation Society at Barrow Hill. I am very much in admiration of the historic significance of the Class 55's and so it was interesting to chat about them. Below, No78019 descends into Rothley from Loughborough with the up Sunday lunch diner, whilst we await departure from Rothley's down platform...

It's amazing what a different view you get from the cab of a diesel, without a boiler in your way. Below, we growl into Swithland on the down line with the down home signal showing a green at the time of passing...

Once back at Loughborough, a brisk run round brought us back to the southern end of the train. At this point the rumbling diesel was shut down for a while to reduce the noise. 37 714 could therefore take a breather...

On time at 14:20, we departed Loughborough's platform one, bound for Leicester North. I enjoyed a cup of tea and my meal deal in my padded seat...

This train was the mixed afternoon tea and chippy special (one at each end of the stock with standard class passengers in the intermediate coaches). At Leicester there was the usual extra time allocated for footplate visits. With no footplate as such, we opted to do some cab visits instead, which proved pretty popular...

The final run home was equally stress free and we rolled into Loughborough right on time. The diesel was duly uncoupled and rolled forward into No2 shed road before crossing back over into the up through for stabling. No ashpan to do, no smokebox to do...I was at a loss! The diesel quietly settled down for the evening without so much as a clinkered fire! Again, you can see why these things took over. It seemed fairly economical too, with the fuel gauge having hardly moved. Mick explained that this example has extended range fuel tanks meaning that they only tend to fill it once a season and it does the job! An impressive machine indeed...

I must thank Mick for his company aboard the Class 37 today: it was more interesting than you'd first think. It's a shame it wasn't the booked steamer but that can't be helped...we're dealing with heritage equipment that is bound to fail every now and again. The Standard 5 in particular has done a lot of miles and has been a very trusty machine since its painstaking restoration so who can complain really? Whilst walking to the wash room, I passed the Standard 5 (awaiting superheater repairs) and the 8F (part way through spring hanger changes) basking in the afternoon sun on the shed frontage. With these two sidelined, No78018 out for a valve and piston exam and the Hall still working hard at the West Somerset, that left no spare steam traction...

Overall, that wasn't bad. It was interesting to have the change in a way and I hope it helped the railway out. After we retired, No78019 took over again to work the final passenger train of the day. You can find out more information on the Heavy Tractor Group and their locomotives by clicking here. That was my first turn on one of the once 309-strong Class 37s. Over the years I've crewed many a diesel in an emergency (25, 31, 33, 47, 73) but not a 37, until now. Many thanks for reading all...

Please note any views or opinions expressed in this blog are merely personal and do not in any way represent the views or opinions of any other person, group or organisation.