My fireman, Jason, soon arrived and began the light-up preparations. Now, the job of a Driver is quite different from that of the fireman. The fireman will concentrate on his job which is to check over the firebox and water level and ensure that the engine is safe to be lit. He/she must then light the fire and attempt to create pressure accordingly, keeping well in the lines of time, fair treatment of the locomotive and economical fuelling. The Driver is meanwhile making necessary checks, and oiling up. I first fitted the necessary "Not To Be Moved" board before looking over the locomotive. Everything must be checked: springs, pins, washers, valve gear, trimmings, brake blocks, nuts & bolts, rivets and more. The engine is checked to ensure nothing is falling off, and that everything is in place and secure. Most of these checks can be carried out by oiling round in the appropriate fashion, which allows you to pass everything in turn, and then return later for parts needing potential rectification. "Sir Gomer" is a fairly simple locomotive to work on, employing Stephenson's inside valve gear, actuating the slide valves via the four eccentrics on the centre axle. The eccentrics are coupled to the expansion links as is standard practise, and the die-block (depending on position of cut-off) is then connected to the valve spindle and moves the valve accordingly. Though simple, there are still brake hangers, slideways, crosshead slippers, gudgeon pins, coupling rod pins, crank-pin oil pots, gland packings, eccentrics, die-blocks, axlebox guides, steam brake and shaft, valve spindles and many other points to be done. There are also two mechanical lubricators to be filled and primed: one for axlebox bearings and one for the regulator lubrication. There are so many things to be considered: you can't just light a match and go. All of the time, the fireman is building pressure ready to move the engine out of the shed.
Once "Sir Gomer" had good pressure and all of the oiling was done, it was time to take her outside into the hideous morning rain. The 'Not to be Moved' board first had to be removed (by the person who put it on: me: and nobody else...that's the rule) and the engine checked over. You must check thoroughly for any scotches, hoses or other obstructions. With the road set and a shrill whistle, I edged "Sir Gomer" out of the engine shed and gently down through point No11 and onto the front of waiting ECS for the 1pm 'Deluxe Train'. The engine was then screwed down on the handbrake and put into mid-gear with the regulator firmly shut before Jason coupled up the steam heat apparatus...
I must admit that I've done a fair bit of babbling so far in this post but there is just so much to say. A lot of people don't realise the amount of work and checks that are involved in every single running day on a steam locomotive. Anyway, with the locomotive stable and secure, the heating was turned on and the train slowly began to warm up. In the meantime, we got cooking!...
It was a hideously wet day. The cold wind was howling through the cab, the rain was battering the engines new black livery and most things on the platform were blowing about. There were still a good few passengers about on our popular Santa trains but they certainly 'came and went' very quickly. As soon as they came out of the station building they scurried quickly onto the waiting trains before silence fell once again. I can't blame them either on a day like today! Below, a most welcome sausage, egg and bacon cob courtesy of "Sir Gomer"s shovel...
Fireman Jason chows down...
With the cooking done and the cobs eaten, it was time to add more coal to the fire...
Below, "Sir Gomer" stands in Platform 1 as steam can be seen leaving the coaches towards the back of the train, during the heating process...
We were then contacted by the signalman to say that 3803 was on her way with the other train and so we turned off the steam heat and decoupled before steaming over onto Platform 2 road. The engine was then screwed down again and the vacuum brake ejector tested for one last time before it was needed. The engines front bag was then removed ready to head onto the front of the stock once 3803 had moved off...
"Portrait of a Peckett" |
"Evening Sir Gomer" |
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