Hi all. Today involved a pleasant and busy Autumnal volunteer Saturday at Tyseley Loco Works. I arrived at just before 10:00 and found some of the lads already gathering around the Mess Hut. The task for myself, Craig and Tony involved nothing but Pannier Tanks today. Following their recent stalwart efforts at the 'Tyseley at 50' event, both 7752 (L94) and 9600 required a thorough clean out. By 10:30 the Class 08 diesel shunter had been rudely awakened from its slumbers and sat rumbling away at the side of the shed creating air. Once she had enough to move off, the 08' rattled down onto the front of W7 Peckett No1 which was duly shunted onto the Pannier duo. Coupled up and ready to go, the Pannier pair were dragged outside into the cool morning air. The rearmost tank: L94: was soon stabled over the 'Five Road' pit...
I spent a lot of the open weekend preparing and driving L94 so it's never a chore to clean one out after you've made all the mess! Donned in disposable overalls in readiness for the filthy job ahead, we split the main tasks three ways. I volunteered to do the fireboxes whilst Craig took the ashpans and Tony the smokeboxes. By their very design, steam locomotives are self destructive in many different ways. As soon as you start using one it's wearing itself out! A thoroughly cleaned out firebox can save a lot of material damage as the water and ash mixture created by prolonged condensation offers no favours at all. I climbed up into the cab of the 1930-built 5700 Class before removing the protector ring which protects the firehole rivets. I can still get in one with the protector in (despite my growing bulk) but it does make life easier without it. Squeezing into a firebox isn't for the claustrophobic but a 5700 is like a bedroom in there compared to a small industrial...
Once inside the box and settled on the bars amongst the dusty ash, you can crunch your way around and check the various fittings and features that make up the firebox. The tube ends, stays, stay nuts, joints, brick-arch and fusible plugs are all well within reach at this stage. 5700s don't have superheaters but they do have two large supporting flues. I tend to brush down the crown stays first, removing any accumulated muck which duly sticks to you like tar. The hotter you get, the more you sweat and the worse the dirt pastes itself on you! Though a dirty job, keeping the stay nuts clean around the box helps prevent burning away. Once the crown and sides are brushed down as well as the tubeplate and top of the brick-arch, I start removing bars to clear the old ashes into the ashpan. Removing the cumbersome firebars also allows access to the carriers which hold the grate up. A lot of ash tends to find its way down there and so it's always worth cleaning this area out.
Carriers clean, you can slowly replace the bars and then sweep down the final bits of ash that remain. By now it should be more than clean in there and fit for a fresh fire anytime. Leaving the firebox is just as much an effort as climbing in and I certainly groaned a bit on my way out. Underneath, Craig had been working away with the hose which had made its merry way through the bars on a couple of occasions providing an irritating but cooling shower! This is the romance of steam. Up at the front, Tony was using one of the many Henry hoovers to clean out the smaller ash remnants in the smokebox. I doubt the Henry designers ever foresaw this...
With the smokebox shut with a good seal, L94 was complete and ready to steam another day when required. The 08' was duly started up before I shunted the steam trio into the shed to drop the red Pannier back in her resting place. Tyseley's 1953-built Class 08 is one of the 996-strong class of 350HP diesel shunters built between 1952 and 1962. They are a fantastic thing to drive and operate, for a diesel I might add! I don't think there is anything really out there that could do a better job of shunting and, despite their years, many examples still remain in main line use for this purpose. With L94 stabled, the Peckett and Pannier pairing were dragged back out with younger sister 9600 taking the red engines place on 'Five Road'...
After a spot of lunch in the Mess Hut, we returned to the fine 1945-built black Pannier to repeat our swift cleaning operation. We spent a little more time on 9600, brushing down the fittings more so than usual as she will now be sitting for a while awaiting overhaul. It was sad to see her bow out of service at the open weekend as she is still, in my opinion, more than good as new. I repeated my firebox work whilst Craig washed out the pan and its hideous cargo of ashes...
Tim & Tony then repeated the smokebox work, finishing up our Pannier Saturday. I was then instructed to fire up the Class 08 once again in readiness for the final shunt of the day. The sky was now blue and the afternoon sun shone...
Having dropped little and large back into the shed and stabled the 08' outside, efforts turned to larger Castle Class 4-6-0 No7029 "Clun Castle". Eventually I left Tyseley at around 16:45 after an enjoyable and very worthwhile day volunteering at 84E. Roll on the next time. Cheers all, Sam...
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