A Jaunt With A Jinty...
Hello everybody. Well, what a fantastic day with a great crew and a great engine at Shackerstone. Arriving at 6am, I discovered my charge for the day; "Thomas"; in the car park on the loading ramp. This is not ideal as there are no tools nearby but, need's must. After parking up, I clambered up onto the footplate and checked the water levels. I then checked around inside the firebox and of course the outside mudlids. Just then, Dave (our 3rd man) turned up, and so did the crew of 3803. Soon after, I had "Thomas" lit. This time, "Thomas" was being played by the Llangollen Railway 'Jinty' Tank; or Midland 3F to some. At 7am, the day's driver (Eddie) arrived and we set to preparing the engine. By 8am, after a good warming fire the night before, the 3F had enough steam to move herself(!), so we headed off to the loco shed. Once in the shed, we could wash the engine, oil her up underneath and of course ash her out. At 9:10am, we were called. We had to be ready to move by 9:30pm for the opening of the event. Luckily, we were all washed and changed by the time we were needed. The first train was at 10am, hauled by the Class 25 ("Boco"), and tailed by "Thomas". The run down is easy, we just get dragged. The fire is kept thin and the water level up, ready for the return run. At Shenton, there is a 4-minute wait before the return. Here, the fire is made up and I generally open the damper and ensure the water level is high. The weight of the 25 plus a 6-coach train makes an equivalent weight of around 8.25 coaches; not bad for a little engine! After a good run back, a restful Dave & Eddie are spotted at Shackerstone...
First trip over, 3803 took our place at the back of the train. The 25 would lead the way again. The train gone, the games began. My favourite; the Engine Races! "Thomas" is always a favourite in the races and we did what we could to win; even cheat (just for fun!). After the races, games took place with the Fat Controller and Mr Conductor, along with "Thomas". During this time, we had chance to cook round one of our lunch! Yum...
The loco we had today was lovely; if a little tired. A Midland 3F (or 'Jinty'), she was built in 1924 by Hunslet...
Below, a rather unsatisfying view from "Thomas". "Boco" is up at the front with 6 coaches in between. This was the 12:20pm train, also a "Lunch on Thomas" Dining train. Another successful journey. However, at Shenton, it rained terribly hard; we couldn't even see the Guard...
However, after the very wet 12:20pm train, the sun came out again! Three departures then took place with 3803, giving us plenty of time for games, stories, races, playlets and general fooling around. The kids loved it and passenger numbers seemed strong. A new addition to this event was "Rusty"; the Station Porter. Obviously, she was an actress but she was very good as a childrens entertainer. Good fun. Below, "Thomas" stands in Platform 2 under blue skies...
A gleeful "Thomas the Tank"...
Driver Eddie Jones sits in the Drivers seat of the Class 3F as we await further instruction. Honestly, it is true what they say; an engine is only as good as the crew. I must admit, Eddie & Dave were a fantastic crew and I really enjoyed the day with them...
A good fire in the sizeable firebox of the Jinty...
The last departure of the day; the 5pm; was hauled by us. This was our 3rd run down the line of the day, but it was of course the only one that we actually hauled both ways! I fired, and Eddie drove. Dave was just enjoying the ride. The Jinty performed beautifully, and steamed freely. As long as you keep a level fire with a strong back-end, she's perfect. However, if you do have trouble, one good shovelfull in each corner of the box will often bring her back again. At Shenton, after a good run, "Thomas" feathers after hauling the "Tea on Thomas" diner...
"Thomas" and his train at Shenton...
Once run round, we departed Shenton upgrade with a good fire and a strong water level. The Jinty roared as Driver Eddie pushed the regulator open more and more. What a run! The 3F pulled well and steamed lovely. There was also plenty of steam to fill the boiler with water. As it was the last run, I was running the fire down ready to go on shed. Coming over Hedleys, we had full steam and a little fire with a strong water level. So, Eddie let the 3F go! She chugged hard up the hill to the summit, before shutting off to descend into Shackerstone. With injector running, we sailed into Shackerstone with hardly any fire left at all. At the end of the platform, Eddie & Dave uncoupled "Thomas" whilst I raked the fire. After a good rake, there was almost nothing left. So, with injector running, we steamed on shed and disposed of the engine. It was perfect; if I do say so myself! What a fantastic day with "Thomas", Dave & Eddie. Thanks to everyone for a great time, and thanks to everyone for reading. Better still; next Saturday I'm back on "Thomas" again, with Eddie & Jan! Goodnight all...
Hello everybody. Well, what a fantastic day with a great crew and a great engine at Shackerstone. Arriving at 6am, I discovered my charge for the day; "Thomas"; in the car park on the loading ramp. This is not ideal as there are no tools nearby but, need's must. After parking up, I clambered up onto the footplate and checked the water levels. I then checked around inside the firebox and of course the outside mudlids. Just then, Dave (our 3rd man) turned up, and so did the crew of 3803. Soon after, I had "Thomas" lit. This time, "Thomas" was being played by the Llangollen Railway 'Jinty' Tank; or Midland 3F to some. At 7am, the day's driver (Eddie) arrived and we set to preparing the engine. By 8am, after a good warming fire the night before, the 3F had enough steam to move herself(!), so we headed off to the loco shed. Once in the shed, we could wash the engine, oil her up underneath and of course ash her out. At 9:10am, we were called. We had to be ready to move by 9:30pm for the opening of the event. Luckily, we were all washed and changed by the time we were needed. The first train was at 10am, hauled by the Class 25 ("Boco"), and tailed by "Thomas". The run down is easy, we just get dragged. The fire is kept thin and the water level up, ready for the return run. At Shenton, there is a 4-minute wait before the return. Here, the fire is made up and I generally open the damper and ensure the water level is high. The weight of the 25 plus a 6-coach train makes an equivalent weight of around 8.25 coaches; not bad for a little engine! After a good run back, a restful Dave & Eddie are spotted at Shackerstone...
First trip over, 3803 took our place at the back of the train. The 25 would lead the way again. The train gone, the games began. My favourite; the Engine Races! "Thomas" is always a favourite in the races and we did what we could to win; even cheat (just for fun!). After the races, games took place with the Fat Controller and Mr Conductor, along with "Thomas". During this time, we had chance to cook round one of our lunch! Yum...
The loco we had today was lovely; if a little tired. A Midland 3F (or 'Jinty'), she was built in 1924 by Hunslet...
Below, a rather unsatisfying view from "Thomas". "Boco" is up at the front with 6 coaches in between. This was the 12:20pm train, also a "Lunch on Thomas" Dining train. Another successful journey. However, at Shenton, it rained terribly hard; we couldn't even see the Guard...
However, after the very wet 12:20pm train, the sun came out again! Three departures then took place with 3803, giving us plenty of time for games, stories, races, playlets and general fooling around. The kids loved it and passenger numbers seemed strong. A new addition to this event was "Rusty"; the Station Porter. Obviously, she was an actress but she was very good as a childrens entertainer. Good fun. Below, "Thomas" stands in Platform 2 under blue skies...
A gleeful "Thomas the Tank"...
Driver Eddie Jones sits in the Drivers seat of the Class 3F as we await further instruction. Honestly, it is true what they say; an engine is only as good as the crew. I must admit, Eddie & Dave were a fantastic crew and I really enjoyed the day with them...
A good fire in the sizeable firebox of the Jinty...
The last departure of the day; the 5pm; was hauled by us. This was our 3rd run down the line of the day, but it was of course the only one that we actually hauled both ways! I fired, and Eddie drove. Dave was just enjoying the ride. The Jinty performed beautifully, and steamed freely. As long as you keep a level fire with a strong back-end, she's perfect. However, if you do have trouble, one good shovelfull in each corner of the box will often bring her back again. At Shenton, after a good run, "Thomas" feathers after hauling the "Tea on Thomas" diner...
"Thomas" and his train at Shenton...
Once run round, we departed Shenton upgrade with a good fire and a strong water level. The Jinty roared as Driver Eddie pushed the regulator open more and more. What a run! The 3F pulled well and steamed lovely. There was also plenty of steam to fill the boiler with water. As it was the last run, I was running the fire down ready to go on shed. Coming over Hedleys, we had full steam and a little fire with a strong water level. So, Eddie let the 3F go! She chugged hard up the hill to the summit, before shutting off to descend into Shackerstone. With injector running, we sailed into Shackerstone with hardly any fire left at all. At the end of the platform, Eddie & Dave uncoupled "Thomas" whilst I raked the fire. After a good rake, there was almost nothing left. So, with injector running, we steamed on shed and disposed of the engine. It was perfect; if I do say so myself! What a fantastic day with "Thomas", Dave & Eddie. Thanks to everyone for a great time, and thanks to everyone for reading. Better still; next Saturday I'm back on "Thomas" again, with Eddie & Jan! Goodnight all...
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